Kids Doing Each Others Hair

Girls doing each others hair
Photo: Bigstock
Q: My two little girls, aged 8 and 10, love doing each others hair (braiding, ponytailing, ...). Is it ok for kids to do each others hair? I mean, won’t it get damaged?
 
A: There are definitely worse things that they could be doing than braiding each other’s hair… While braiding hair, combing and binding hair does wear hair out a little, the overall effect is slim to none. I would rather try to funnel their enthusiasm for hair into something useful than to try and stifle it because they could potentially damage their hair a bit.
 
Brushes and combs:
 
Teach them how to brush hair in such a way that it doesn’t damage it. Buy them boar-bristle brushes, which is super soft on the hair strands, and spreads the hair's natural oils evenly from root to tip.
 
Teach them that their hair is at its most fragile state when it is wet. Thus always comb hair out very carefully with a wide-tooth comb after it has been washed, and conditioner is applied. The conditioner acts as a detangling agent, making it easy and smooth to comb the hair out.
 
Products and heat:
 
Teach them to ALWAYS use a heat protector on their hair when they use heat-implements such as a hair-dryer, flat-iron or curling tong. Teach them exactly how to use the implements safely on themselves and on their friends/sibling.
 
These are things that girls inevitably experiment with at especially the age that your girls are right now. Encourage them to get to know how to use implements and products correctly instead of worrying whether they’re messing up their hair.
 
Correct methods:
 
Usually, it’s not the experimenting with their hair that does the actual damage, but the fact that lots of girls don’t use their products and implements in the correct way. Teach them to always read the instructions carefully and to follow them. You can also let them watch tutorial videos and read hairstyling blogs, so that they learn how to do braids and all sorts of other styling safely and properly from the beginning.
 
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See also:
 
Kids hairstyles
 
How to style hair
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