I don't have much blog material these days.
As you may have noticed.
I'm pretty nauseous, pretty druggy. But I feel a desire to blog, which I think is a positive sign of life. And so I'm digging up some old ideas to post. Bear with me. And you might learn something!
Lesson: How to Get the Nature-Made Dreads Out of Your Preschooler's Hair
Tools:
Step 1: Wash your child's hair with the shampoo of your choice. I find having a removable shower-head and a nearby towel handy for this, in case soap goes in her eyes. Thoroughly rinse.
Step 2: Condition your child's hair with a generous amount of conditioner. My favorite is "Yes to Carrots: Pampering Shampoo" (available at health food stores).
Step 3: Leave the conditioner in for a few minutes. Let your kid resume playing in the shower/bath while the conditioner loosens the knots. This is key.
Step 4: While the conditioner is still in your child's hair, begin to gently comb the knots out. This is another key point to doing this whole thing effectively and without tears When combing, always start at the bottom of their hair. I find this style of brush to be the best in terms of minimal pain and maximum effectiveness:
Step 5: Once you've combed all through your child's hair, give it a good rinse.
Step 6: Once you are out of the bath/shower, combing it through again should be fairly easy. Still, I like to use a good de-tangler. I like this one because it has calming lavender in it, and actually seems to work:
Step 7: If you decide to go one step further and blow-dry your kid's hair, we've found the adorable Maru-the-Cat videos on YouTube to be most helpful for distraction. Also, this stuff is helpful for reducing your child's stress (or your's):
To re-cap, the main points to remember here:
** Leave the conditioner in for a little while while your child plays in the bath/shower.
** Comb out your kid's hair with the conditioner still in it, still in the bath/shower.
** Find a conditioner and de-tangler you really like.
** When combing, start at the bottom and go gently and calmly. Take breaks as needed (for both of you!)
