Take care of your Kids’ natural hair – Dr. Vinay Koparkar
As a parent of a young kid, you want your kids to have healthy & fabulous hair. But read through to know if you have been doing the necessary things to keep your kids’ hair healthy? OR are you making any of the major mistakes mentioned below!
Oil Application:
There is a tradition in certain Indian communities to apply excessive oil on the scalp of infants below the age of 6 months. It is often said that applying such oil in the gaps on their scalp will help grow hair faster and better. This is totally WRONG! Rather, such excessive oil application often leads to having lice or even a thick layer of dandruff which in effect might also lead to hair fall in such small kids. For all the kids especially below the age of 12, oil application of once or twice a week is more than sufficient to have healthy hair. While applying this oil, take care that the oil is applied only to the scalp. Application of oil to the hair has no use whatsoever!
Use of Shampoo:
Apply shampoo only on the next day of oil application to rinse off the oil and to clean the hair and scalp. Shampooing every day is a bad habit and can be even worse if followed by parents of young kids. We recommend using a baby shampoo of any of the good brands available in the market or any sulfate free shampoo. Strictly avoid using any herbal shampoos OR any home remedies as a replacement to shampoos – STRICTLY DO NOT apply Shikakai, Reetha, Chana Daal, Milk, etc to clean the kids’ hair.
Tying of Hair:
Yes, we know that kids, especially girls have to tie their hair tightly into plaits or ponytails as a rule in most of the schools. However, applying oil to make it easy to comb and style the hair into such styles is one of the most common mistakes that parents should avoid. Moreover, strictly avoid tightly pulled back styles as this kind of sustained traction might lead to something called traction alopecia. Avoid using unnecessary clips to style the kids’ hair and most importantly in the evenings or whenever the kids are at home, keep the kids’ hair open.
Hair Styling Products / Beauty Parlour Treatments:
We strongly suggest that kids below the age of 14 avoid using any kind of styling products and avoid any kind of fashion beauty parlour treatments such as hair spas/ keratin treatment / highlighting the hair etc.
Home Remedies:
A lot of parents often take the wisdom passed on across generations far too seriously! Home remedies for hair care for kids is one such example. Home remedies for hair care such as the application of curd, lemon, chai ki Patti, etc should be strictly avoided in the kids below the age 12. In case of any hair loss or other hair issues in such young kids, try visiting an experienced dermatologist who will be able to guide you the best.
Combing of Hair:
Lastly, a lot of parents forget to comb their kids’ hair regularly. We recommend that you comb the kids’ hair at least twice a day (for boys as well as for girls). Such combing should not be done to remove tangles, but rather the aim should be to gently massage the scalp. This increases the blood flow to the scalp and to the roots of the hair making them stronger.
