Detangling a Tenderheaded Kid's Hair

My younger daughter is extremely tenderheaded.  Just the slightest touch of her hair causes her to cry.  Unlike my older daughter whom I can cornrow, thread, or do any styles on, I have only been able to do twists without her crying.


Today is her wash day, and as you can see, she has lots of hair that needs to be detangled! I literary have nightmares when I think about detangling her hair and dealing with the tears that accompany the process. 

Here is how I accomplished a tear-free detangling session!

  • Pick your detangling location
I choose our game room. This room is her favorite room in the house.
  • Provide distraction
Turned on the TV to her favorite show. I also provided her with a small snack. Her Barbie dolls were readily available.
  • Get all your detangling products available
While she was watching her show, I mixed the products for detangling. I do the detangling during pre-poo step of the whole wash process. I mixed conditioner and Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Also, got a mist bottle filled with water.

  • Start detangling the hair
I divided her hair into four sections.  Starting with the most tender part of her head and I gently detangling that section with my finger. Click this link to learn how to finger detangle. I hold on to the base of the hair that is being detangled and then work my way from the ends of the hair to the base. When I finish with one section, I two strand twist it.  I do this step for each of the sections.  One thing to note before you start finger detangling, check your finger nails for any nails that might snag on her hair.  Also, be extremely gentle with the hair. If you come across a knot, apply more of the detangling mixture to soften it before you attempt to untangle it.

End Results after washing, deep conditioning and styling...



Here is a video showing how I detangle my daughter's hair

Do you have a tenderheaded child?... or are you tenderheaded? Share your detangling tips.



Comments

  1. AnonymousMay 23, 2012 at 2:23 PM

    Yesssss!!!,I do,I do lOl!,Omgosh when I sit down to detangle my 11 yr old daughters hair tha process makes me wanta pull out my own hair lOl,she's verrrrrrry tender headed!,altho I have tried a few methods from learnin thgs across tha net I hafta say it helps sum wut (((smiles))) but I started using coconut oil & water we will see how that goes??

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. DiscoveringNaturalSeptember 11, 2012 at 10:14 AM

      It can be so challenging. I hope this method works for you.

      Delete
  2. AnonymousSeptember 29, 2012 at 6:07 PM

    My 9 year old daughter is blessed with a lot of hair. It is so long she can sit on it but she is the most tender headed child on the universe. She also has hair that "snatches back" (as my grandmother used to say) when it is wet. I absolutely dread washing her hair. It is a torture session for both of us. I have to close the windows because the neighbors would think I am abusing her. Because it is so dreadful, I only wash her hair every 2-3 months. I figure she is not getting it that dirty and I keep a lot of oil in it to keep the lice away. Now that she is swimming weekly, I am forced to wash it more often. The chlorine is very drying. A friend told me to wash and condition my daughter's hair with the braids in (I keep it in 8 long braids for manageability)and then unbraid and comb each section individually. I mixed leave in conditioner with olive oil and used an afro pic to comb each section. It was a breeze. No screaming and hollering and it only took 1 1/2 hours compared to the usual 4 hours. Why didn't I know about this method 8 years ago? Hope this helps someone.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. DiscoveringNaturalSeptember 30, 2012 at 4:47 PM

      Thank you so much for this comment. I saw someone on YouTube wash their hair in twists. I have done this with my daughter in the past and it did help a lot.

      Delete
  3. AnonymousOctober 7, 2013 at 1:58 PM

    Hi I am very tenderheaded I can't even manage my own hair it is so embarrassing that I go to school with tangled poofy curly hair. If my step mom tries to do my hair I scream cry and try to run away how can you find another method??

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. DiscoveringNaturalOctober 12, 2013 at 6:48 AM

      I understand your pain. I have added a video in this post that could help you.

      Delete
  4. AnonymousApril 24, 2014 at 11:46 AM

    I have a 10 year old and she makes you want to hog tie her and cut her hair off. I do her hair every two weeks and I have mainly been doing the 2 strand twist. But the problem with that is, it makes her hair longer and thicker, which make combing and horrible process. It ahs come down to my husband leaving the house when it's her time to get he hair done. I have tried the distraction thing and snack but whenI comb it, she flips out! I'ver tried a texturizer in her hair and the comb glides right through but she still hollers!I've tried the numbing oil on her scalp and even the detangle spray and nothing will work. Someone please help me!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. DiscoveringNaturalApril 25, 2014 at 5:01 PM

      I understand your struggles. First of all, if you want her to remain natural, I would not advice using a texturizer. Something that can help is finger combing instead of using a comb. It takes lots of practice. Also, make sure that you are using a product with lots of slip. Slip is how easily the product glides onto the hair when applied. This helps with the detangling process. Simple styles would work better on her. Check out my recent blog post on the Mane Caption for more tips: http://themanecaptain.blogspot.com/2014/04/frustrated-with-your-childs-natural-hair.html

      Delete
    2. AnonymousSeptember 1, 2014 at 9:08 PM

      what's the numbing oil, and how do we get it??

      Delete
  5. UnknownMay 13, 2016 at 3:59 PM

    What are your natural regimen suggestions for a tender headed 17month old boy with natural hair?

    ReplyDelete
  6. LaraibMay 21, 2017 at 8:14 AM

    Your blog provided us with valuable information to work with. every tips of your post are awesome. Thanks a lot for sharing. Keep blogging, kids hair gel

    ReplyDelete

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