Hair Cut for Daughter

Hello I have very thick hair also and I have found that layers do help but I also get my hair thinned every couple months, so I would ask the stylist to thin her hair. They just go through and with some special scissors it thins it out I love it.

I lived with this growing up :) One of the best solutions for me was to brush my hair at night and then put my hair in a plait/braid for sleeping. It would keep it out of my face and dramatically reduce the number of knots/snarls I had to deal with in the morning.

If you're still contemplating a hair cut I actually found that layers made my bigger and more unruly but with the products and tools available now this may not be the case anymore.

Two simple suggestions we use:

THIN OUT the hair--thinning shears are used, it's easy and quick.

BRAID the hair before bed: french braids, regular braids, one, two, three, or more...whatever you want to do and is comfortable for her to sleep in.

We find it easy to deal with thick, long hair this way.

When you have it cut ask for layers and thinning. Have the stylist use thinning scissors and go over her whole head after the shape of the cut is in place.

Thinning my hair changed my life from a head of unruly tangles to beautiful and manageable curls.

Hi R.,
I was so excited when my daughters had thick wavy hair, because I grew up in the 80's and would have died for the big thick hair :). These days however, the style, for them, is flat as can be. So our stylist just thinned out my daughter's hair. She was able to keep her regular style which is just past her shoulders, but it lays flatter now and is much easier to style. I am not a stylist, but she just had this neat tool that took out a lot of her hair without noticeable layers. It is really cute.
Good luck,
B.

I see Carrie already suggested it, but used to sleep in braids or rollers to cut down on the tangles. They don't have to be extremely neat, or anything, since she's just sleeping in them.

At night use a detangler for kids. There are a ton of them and any would work. Brush her hair out completely then either wrap her head in a bandana or put it in a braid so it won't snarl at night when she sleeps. When she gets up, you will be able to brush through it just fine. You may have to wet it down a bit to get the kinks out from the bandana or the braid but it is easier than trying to brush it every morning. I use a spray bottle, quick and easy.

Oh to be blessed with thick curly hair. = ) I have thin flat hair but my sons and daughter have thick, curly hair and we used to have the same problem as you are having. I must say though, this type of hair is so gorgeous if you can get through it.

Good luck.

If you are looking at getting her hair cut, I would probably go to a salon that specializes in kids and see if they have any books or magazines you can look at to get ideas. Otherwise, when my sister and I were young, we had extremely long, thick hair and would sleep in braids so we wouldn't get tangles. Made the mornings MUCH easier. Good luck!

i have the same issue. But with a 4 year old. She wants to have long hair but it is so hard keeping it tangle free and she does not like me to fix it. I find that if I put a tad of the de frizz type prodcts in after washing it helps it not get tangled as easy. Also I add a little de-tangler to water in a spray bottle and mist before I brush. K.

If you don't want to cut her hair you could try braiding it each night. My sister has her girls wash their hair then she braids it. The tangles stay away and they can take the braid out in the morning to style it the way they want.

Have you ever tried hair products in the ethnic hair care aisle? It's designed for really curly hair, so maybe that would help.
I wonder if a layered cut would make it even poofier-shorter layers=tighter curls?
I'd try braiding it at night into 1 single braid or 2 pigtail braids.. cuts down on night snarles & in the morning you could unravel it w/your fingers & hopefully if she starts at the bottom & works her way up, she can brush her own hair.
Good luck!

I do have fairly thick and curly hair. I like the suggestions that have been posted about braiding her hair at night...but for myself this doesn't work because my hair comes out and still get knots in it. Layers are nice, but don't necessarily help my hair not get knots in it.
I have tried the product in the ethnic hair section. It is great for a girlfriend of mine that is a colored girl. But for my hair it actually made it greasy and didn't feel pretty. I don't think it changed the way it behaved either.

The thing that I would recommend is wetting her hair in the morning and putting either a detangler or even a little bit of conditioner in it. I know for myself detangler worked great as a child. Now I either brush it while I'm showering with conditioner in it, or put a little conditioner in after showering to be able to get a brush through.

I hope this helps I know you are getting a lot of different ideas! Good luck!!!

I have had thick hair my whole life. I only get a layered cut, which helps alot. I also use a detangler after washing my hair everytime, with a wide bristled comb.
Hope that helps!
~B.

We have loved using a leave in conditioner (after regular shampoo and conditioner in the shower). No more tangles!!!! Also try having her hair "textured" where much of the thickness is cut out without sacrificing style or length.

Sometimes hair thinning can help (it's a technique that a hair stylist can do), then you can keep the hair one length. There is a great hair detangler product made by Arbonne. It is botanically based, so she wouldn't be getting any chemicals from it. It's a spray. Should you like more information, please contact me through my website, www.feelpure.myarbonne.com. Thanks!

I know people who swear by Ouidad and JessieCurl products, which are made for curly hair. My sister-in-law loved the book "Curly Girl" for information on how to de-tangle and de-frizz and also haircuts that work and ones that don't. It's a good book to take to a salon when you talk to a hairdresser, my SIL said. I'm sure there are salons in Salt Lake that specialize in ethnic or very curly hair and I bet those hairdressers would have great ideas for you. Thick, wavy hair can be pretty delicate and need lots of moisturizer so it doesn't break. Good luck!
P.S. I have been looking for a curly hair salon in SLC for my very curly-haired niece and I finally found one. Aura Hair and Body Studio (www.aurahairstudio.com) specializes in wavy and curly hair. It's not cheap, but they adjust their prices for children, and I think they'd be a great place to start for recommendations. ;)

I recommend using a spray bottle to wet the hair followed by Biologe hydratherapie daily leave in tonic, it is a leave in conditioning spray that works quite well as a detangler. My daughter has fine but curley hair that tangle very easily. We cannot brush her hair without wetting and conditioning it EVERY TIME!! I also really like Suave "smoothers" kids shampoo and the Suave kids conditioner. The conditioner untangle hair when you wash it better than ANY other I have tried (and we have used some very expensive salon conditioners).

When I was little my hair was very snarly. Johnson makes a spray called "no more tangles" I swear by that stuff to this day. It seemed to be all that worked to get my hair combed out after showers, swimming, or just sleeping. Good Luck!

we use Bumble and Bumble's Hair Tonic. it works wonders for knots! We just cut about a foot off my daughter's hair and it definitely did the trick!!

Hi R. my little girl has very curly hair and I use the johnson and johnson no more tangles spray in conditioner this last time I even bought the walmart brand and it seems to working just as good. Good luck

I have wavy/curly hair, but it's not thick. I always get my hair layered. It keeps the curl there - otherwise, the weight of the hair makes it all straight except the ends!

All little girls think (at some point) that long hair is beautiful - I have horrible pictures of myself to prove it!

I would suggest a few things. First, talk with the person cutting her hair. They may be able to make some suggestions on styles and what to do with it.

Second, as I was a kid of a Mom with straight hair, I know how frustrating it can be trying to find your way. My Mom knew nothing about curly hair - so we had to learn together. If you know someone with naturally curly hair, ask them questions. Don't stumble around in the dark like we did! Again, I have pictures to prove that it's not the best idea!

I'll be happy to answer any questions you may have if you're interested. But, I have to say that I'm not a "girly" girl. I prefer super simple hair - wash and dry is my motto! So, just remember that when you ask, k?

I'm 65 years young and have curly hair do not cut layers long hair is the way to go curly hair needs weight to keep it from poufing out do not wash every day just wet and style with fingers.or pull backwith head bands the more humid the curly it will be. do not pull or touch too much ouch. good luck

I have curly hair and the worst things are short or layers.
They just makes curly hair even frizzier. My favorite product that I even use on my 4 year old is Herbal Essensials Totally Twisted. They also have a leave in conditioner. Since using the product my hair is not in knots all the time and the frizz is greatly reduced. I can easily comb through my daughters hair as well. Thick curly hair isn't very brush friendly either. A nice wide tooth comb is best and don't wait until it is all the way dry. It should be at least damp before trying to pull anything through it. You will need to find a stylist that specializes in curls if you do want it to be cut because if the curls are not cut in the right way they just stick out, the cut will be too short or any other array of horrible hair cuts I've had through my life will happen.

My daughter also has thick and wavy hair....so I know exactly what you mean about tangles. I usually brush her hair before bed and sometimes I will put it in a loose braid, just to keep it toghether while she sleeps. It really helps out for the morning time.

I use a detangling/ leave in conditioner in my daughter's hair. She sleeps on her back and moves her head side to side and the back spot of her head gets all snarled. I wash her hair every other day and always use conditioner. Then at night before she goes to sleep I comb through it using the detangler and then again in the morning. When I run out of a shampoo and conditioner I always switch brands. It helps to keep your hair soft and smooth and really aids in the snarles.

I have similar hair and so does my daughter. What has really helped me is the right haircut. Many stylists don't know how to cut this type of hair so be careful. I have a stylist that specializes in thick, curly hair. She's a godsend. She's cut my hair since I was 14! Maybe give her a call:
Layla Maldonado
###-###-####
She's at the Pacesetters Salon at 52nd & Wadsworth.

I have to second all the "sleep in braids and try Johnson's no more tangles...greasy- so she will have to shower more often- but it works splendedly"! Also teach your daughter to brush from the ends and work up...no combs until it is brushed out...and try a big brisle brush- i use a Vidal Sasoon Vent Brush- works great- or a pick to start through first before using the brush!

As far as a hair cut, I have VERY thick, naturally wavy hair and HATE short cuts...makes my hair too poofy! Anyway, I get a shoulder length cut with long layers (short layers will just add poof too)...my stylist always thins it a bit which helps with the weight, but still looks thick. The shoulder length seems to bring the curl out the best...any longer and it pulls the curl out. As far as styling, I wear it in a pony tail (either all the way pulled through or pulled 1/2 way through) or if I need a little more dressy, I just throw some mousse in it while it is still wet, scrunch and let it air dry (or you can blowdry it a little...keep scrunching though)...man, do the curls come through! I'll also put it up in either one barrette or 2 barretts on the side...you will have to expiriment with the size of barrettes needed to fit in your daughters hair without being too big for her head!

As far as stylists, I would avoid the "cheap" places like the plague (like Fantastic Sams, Cost Cutters- I got some of my worst hair cuts there- don't seem to know how to cut wavy hair...went in once for a shoulder length cut and each time she measured, one side was longer than the other, so by the end, it was up to above my chin and I was in tears for days!- also if YOU cut her bangs in between cuts or when you go in for the cuts, ask them to cut her bangs dry because with wavy hair, they will wet the bangs down, pull them straight and cut them to the "appropriate length" but when they dry, they will be VERY short...frustrating!!!) and try a place like JC Pennys or another salon or ask friends with thick hair who they use and if they like them- keep trying ones until you find someone you love...will make all the difference in your daughter loving and embracing her beautiful hair!

Unicure works great. They used to sell it in salons, but now you can only get it online from the man who manufactures it. My daughters have very thick, very curly hair and Unicure was our magic answer.

hope your appointment goes well, if you haven't gone already I will just suggest that you ask them to use the thinning scissors for her hair, she can absolutely keep the length and get a style without having to do a ton of layers they are scisssors with small serated edges in them so it only cuts out small pieces of the hair they are fabulous and work so great for thick hair. I cut my daughters hair myself and she has an awesome cut, I've "fixed" friends hair before when the have come back and say I like it but it doesn't lay down right or its just so thick still. I had a good friend show me how to use them and have been using them for years on straight and curly hair on siblings and friends and my own kids. you can ask about the scissors and they should show them to you and how it works but when it is done you can't find where the hairs are cut out, it really works so great. good luck and how fun that you care for her to help her get a style now!

I have an 11 year old with extremely thick curly hair. My hair is curly but not as curly as hers. Braids at night are great. Do not brush hair - use a wide toothed comb in the shower or right after while it is wet. We bought this stuff called Cholesterol from Walgreens and put it in her hair every couple of weeks. It is a conditioner that really helps with breakage and frizz. We have tried lots of curl products the trick is to get my daughter to put it in her hair! She only washes it every other day and on the days she doesn't she sprays it with water and scrunches it after putting product in it. She did get a haircut with long layers but we did not thin it. She is too young. Her hair is about down to the middle of her back.