Wash days can be very tasking, especially if you have a lot of hair to work with and you’re still trying to figure everything out. When you add kids to the equation, it can throw everything off-balance.
That’s why in this post, I will be sharing a simple five-step wash day routine you can start implementing in your kids natural hair regimen.
This wash day routine is very useful for mothers with multiple daughters who have to take care of their natural hair and that of their daughters. I can guarantee that after reading this post, you and your daughters will look forward to wash days, even if you didn’t use to before.
Before I get into today’s content, I first want to share my childhood story with you and why I’ve been writing a lot of kids hair tips lately.
Growing up, my mother had to take care of six heads of hair. Hers, and her five daughters. Since there wasn’t a hair blog like this one back then, she didn’t know what to do to keep her weekends simpler.
So to simplify her wash day routine, she decided to cut off my hair because she thought I had the most troublesome hair!
I was embarrassed and ashamed having to walk around bald-headed. But I was also glad not to have to go through the pain of getting my hair done every week.
Hair is an important body feature for women of all ages, including girls. It’s what differentiates a girl from a boy.
When that’s taken away, it reduces the child’s self-esteem.
Even if a girl has hair on her head, if it’s not well-kept, she can be made fun of by her classmates, and that can affect her self-esteem and childhood experience.
Fortunately for you and your daughter, I’m here to ensure that your daughter will have a fun childhood hair story to share when she grows up. And for you as a mom, you can have a better hair day with your girls.
So if you’re in my mother’s shoes from back in the day, and are wondering how to get through wash days, you’ve come to the right place!
Let’s now get to the five-step routine.
Five Step Wash Day Routine For Kids With Natural Hair
This post is sponsored by Uncle Funky’s Daughter and it features a natural hair mom, Natasha and her three daughters, Deja (16), Shauma (7) and SuddenYah (2).
At the end of this post, I’ll be sharing a wash day video Natasha of @mycurlygirlsandme made so that you can see how she balances her hair routine with her daughters.
If you’re not following these two accounts on Instagram yet, please do so by clicking on the follow button below.
How Do You Wash A Black Child’s Hair?
Step 1: Detangle
Before wetting your child’s hair, the first thing you want to do is to detangle her hair after loosening a protective style. It’s best to use your fingers at this time to fully detangle.
Please take your time during this stage, because rushing through detangling can cause a lot of breakage and damage. It will also be very painful for your daughter, which might make washing her hair even more painful.
If you’ve had a protective style in her hair for longer than two weeks, I recommend pre-pooing her hair with coconut oil for at least 20 minutes before shampooing. This will help to soften her hair for an easier detangling.
RELATED POST: Three Ways To Detangle Natural Hair Without Pain or Breakage
Step 2: Shampoo
Kids come into contact with a lot of things in their daily life, since their main priority is fun, they don’t pay much attention to personal hygiene.
Therefore, it’s crucial that you shampoo your daughter’s hair on wash days to ensure that you remove any dirt she might have encountered during the week.
Shampooing her hair will also help to clear any buildup on the hair. This way, the deep conditioning treatment and leave-in conditioners you’re going to apply in her hair later will be able to absorb into the hair much faster.
What is the best shampoo for my kids natural hair?
I recommend anyone of Uncle Funky’s Daughter’s cleansers. Their entire product line are made with natural and organic ingredients that are safe for children, including toddlers!
Here are two cleansers you can start with.
Rich and Funky Moisturizing Cleansers: A sulfate-free, foamy cleanser that delivers loads of moisture to dry thirsty hair.
Click on this image to try this product now.
Ingredients: Water, Extracts of Comfrey, Rosemary, Horsetail, Willow Bark, Calendula, Kelp, Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine, Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium C14-26 Olefin Sulfonate, Cocamide MEA, Polysorbate 20, Fragrance, Polyquaternium-10, PEG-55 Propylene Glycol Oleate, Cetrimonium Chloride, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Annatto
Squeaky Deep Cleansing Shampoo: This deep cleansing shampoo contains tea tree oil and menthol to revive the hair follicles and promote hair growth. This might not be ideal for babies or toddlers. I recommend using this product on older kids. Best for children with itchy, dry scalp or dandruff.
Ingredients: Water, Sodium C14-26 Olefin Sulfonate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Cetyl Betaine, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate, Fragrance, Menthol, PEG-55 Propylene Glycol Oleate, Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Oil, Symphytum Officinale (Comfrey) Leaf Extract, Salix Alba (Willow) Bark Extract, Kelp Extract, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Hamamelis Virginia (Witch Hazel) Water, Equisetum Arvense (Horsetail) Extract, Polyquaternium-10, Cetrimonium Chloride, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Annatto.
Save 10% off your order, Enter “Firsttime10” at checkout. You also get free shipping on orders over $50. Go here to try Uncle Funkys Daughter Today!
Step 3: Deep Condition
The key to healthy growing natural hair is hidden in this step. I can personally testify to the power of deep conditioning. I think if my mom had known what deep conditioners were and why they’re so crucial for natural hair, I don’t think she would have given up on my hair. She would have kept going, despite the fact that she had so many heads to wash every week.
Deep conditioning kids’ natural hair repairs any damage their hair might have experienced during regular manipulation or while the child was playing or going about her day.
Deep conditioners also keep the hair moisturized, strengthened, and growing.
To achieve this moisture and strength, you will need to keep a protein-moisture balance, whereby you switch the type of deep conditioning treatment you use on wash days. For example, you will use a moisturizing deep conditioner on a particular wash day and a protein deep conditioner on the next wash day.
What is the best conditioner for toddlers?
To achieve a protein-moisture balance in your kid’s hair, you can switch between these two conditioners.
Richee Rich Moisturizing Conditioner: Repairs brittle ends, detangles and conditions curly and kinky textures. This is a moisture-based conditioner.
Conditions and detangles curly and kinky hair. Try it now.
Ingredients: Water, Sunflower Seed Oil, Glycerin, Polyquaternium-11, Cyclopentasiloxane, Cyclohexasiloxane, Brassicamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Cetearyl Alcohol, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Amodimethicone, Trideceth-12, Cetrimonium Chloride, Shea Butter, PEG-12 Dimethicone, Avocado Seed Oil, Palm Kernel Oil, Sesame Seed Oil, Jojoba Oil, Sweet Almond Oil, Nettle Extract, Comfrey Leaf Extract, Horsetail Extract, Panthenol, Dimethiconol, Fragrance, Malic Acid, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Hydroxymethylglycinate, Annatto, Citric Acid
Heal & Renew Intensive Hair Masque: Fortified with silk protein that strengthens the hair follicles to help reduce breakage and prepare your hair for whatever is next! Best for older kids as younger ones might find the peppermint feeling uncomfortable.
Use on extremely dry hair that’s in need of repair.
Ingredients: Water, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Organic Aloe Vera Leaf Juice, Glycerin, Soybean Oil, Cetyl Alcohol, Cetrimonium Chloride, Grape Seed Oil, Argan Kernel Oil, Cetyl Esters, Organic Baobob Seed Oil, Avocado Oil, (Rosemary Leaf Oil, Olive Oil, Silk Amino Acids, Fragrance, Glyceryl Stearate, Quaternium-80, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Organic Peppermint Oil, Citric Acid, Dehydroacetic Acid, Benzyl Alcohol, Lavender Spica Oil.
Step 4: Moisturize
After you’ve washed and deep conditioned your daughter’s hair, the next thing you want to do is to apply a leave-in conditioner.
Leave-in conditioners help to ensure that your daughter’s hair stays moisturized for a few days after washing it. This way, you can stop breakage and grow her hair long because healthy moisturized hair grows faster than hair that’s always dry and breaking.
Also, when your daughter’s hair is moisturized, it will be easier to style her hair without any pain, tears or discomfort. This means that she won’t give you any problems on wash days and she will actually enjoy getting her hair done!
You can now see how important leave-in conditioners are! So you should never handle your daughter’s hair without first applying a leave-in conditioner.
What is the best leave-in conditioner for African-American kids?
Supercurl Miracle Moisture Creme: Creamy hydrator stretches out kinks, defines curls & softens dry, brittle strands.
Best for constantly dry hair
Ingredients List: Water, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil, Glycerin, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Honey, Polymide-1, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Fragrance, Cetearyl Alcohol, Ceteareth-20, Glyceryl Stearate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Macadamia Ternifolia (Macadamia) Seed Oil, Potassium Hydroxide, Xanthan Gum, Carbomer, Tetrasodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Potassium Sorbate, Caramel.
Thirsty Curls Leave-In Revitaliser: Hydrate, condition and preserve moisture in frizzy, fallen curls.
Ideal for babies and toddlers because It won’t weigh their hair down. Just spray a few pumps on their day to refresh their curls in-between wash days.
leave-in conditioners for 4c hair kids
Ingredients: Water, Polysorbate 20, Glycerin, Cetrimonium Chloride, Polyquaternium-11, PEG-8, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Milk, Urtica Dioica (Nettle) Extract, Anthemis Nobilis (Chamomile) Flower Extract, Symphytum Officinale (Comfrey) Leaf Extract, Calendula Officinalis (Calendula) Flower Extract, Salvia Officinalis (Sage) Leaf Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Equisetum Arvense (Horsetail) Leaf Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium PCA, Panthenol, Magnesium Sulfate, PEG-12 Dimethicone, Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Sodium Hydroxymethylglycinate, Fragrance.
Step 5: Style
After you’ve washed and moisturized your daughter’s hair, the last thing to do now is to style her hair. This way, moisture will be able to stay longer in her hair, which means that her hair can continue to grow long while it’s in a protective style.
RELATED POSTS: For hairstyle inspiration, please check out this post and this other one.
What’s the best curl defining cream for my daughter’s natural hair?
Curly Magic Curl Stimulator: Proven to add moisture, tame frizz and elongate curls.
See why this is their best-selling product. Try the sample pack.
Ingredients: Water, Organic Aloe Vera Juice, Aqueous-Infused Extracts of Marshmallow, Chamomile, Nettle & Horsetail, Vitamin E, Agave Nectar Extract, Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate & Natural Fragrance
Good Hair Conditioning Styling Creme: A soft-hold formula that will instantly detangle, provide moisture, de-frizz and add shine to your kid’s hair. it provides definition, softness, shine and texture that will last the entire day.
Ingredients: Water, Glycerine, Cetearyl Alcohol, Safflower Seed Oil, Cetrimonium Chloride, Behentrimonium Chloride, Stearalkonium Chloride, Hydrolyzed Silk, Oat Kernel Extract, Acrylates / Lauryl Acrylate / Stearyl Acrylate / Ethylamine Oxide Methacrylate Copolymer, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Hydrolyzed Wheat Starch, Jojoba Seed Oil, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Choride, Tetrasodium EDTA, Benzoic Acid, Dehydroacetic Acid, Polysorbate-20, Citric Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Fragrance, Yellow 5, Yellow 6
How often should I wash my black daughter’s hair?
If your child is less than 2 years old, you can wash her hair every time you bathe her. Except you won’t need to do the entire five steps. You can just use a co-wash conditioner such as Bye-Bye Build Up Moisturizing Cleanser and then proceed to styling with Good Hair Conditioning Styling Creme.
If she’s old enough to wear a hairstyle that can last up to a week, you can wash her hair every week.
Whatever your routine is. try not to go more than two weeks without washing her hair, especially if healthy long hair is your top goal.
Best Wash Day Tips For Young Children
To reduce the stress of wash day, you can wash your kid’s hair on separate days, especially if you have more than one daughter. For example, you can wash your hair on one day and your kid’s hair on another day. You can also alternate the week you wash their hair.
For young children, always have enough snacks and entertainment handy.
For toddlers and babies, it’s best to style their hair while they’re asleep or playing. You also want to keep things very quick and easy. You can save elaborate wash days and hairstyles for when they’re old enough to sit through a hair styling session.
For a more comfortable wash, it’s best to wash your kids hair over the kitchen sink, instead of having them bend their necks over the bathtub.
And that’s it! An easy five-step wash day that you can implement on your kids hair regimen starting from today!
Save 10% off your order, Enter “Firsttime10” at checkout. You also get free shipping on orders over $50. Go here to try Uncle Funkys Daughter Today!
To see how Natasha of @mycurlygirlsandme manages her daughters wash day routine, please check out the video below
What was your aha moment? What tip are you going to try on your kids wash day? I’d like to hear them in the comment section below.