DD is 2 and needs hair help!

[Scrofula]

Alrighty, first off let me apologise if this is in the wrong forum.

My DD is 2 years old and just scrumptious! I may be biased ;) However I am having a real problem with her hair at the moment. It is very fine and wavy almost in spiral ringlets at its length, which would be the equivalent of BSL if pulled straight. So far it sounds adorable right? But, it gets soooo flyaway and drives her crazy. Putting it into bunches or ponytails is impossible because she won't stand still long enough and it is so fine it's tricky to get a smooth result IYKWIM.
My childminder has this morning suggested cutting it to "thicken it up" but I know this won't work, I mean it will blunt the ends making it look chunkier but it can't actually thicken her hair.

As a child I always had short hair, which I hated , and so I kinda wanted Em to have long hair. I realise this is history repeating as my mum had long hair as a child so she kept mine short!

She is too young to have an opinion on this, but trust me she has opinions on everything else lol :)

Do I get it cut into a neat bob which will be easier to manage, or will that look messy because of her waves? I just want her to be comfy and not to be fighting her every morning.
ADVICE REQUIRED
thanks in advice

[AJO8]

Do you use anything on her hair apart from shampoo?

You could always try a leave in spray to get rid of the flyways or you could try some aloe vera gel if she'll sit still.

Maybe you could get her some pretty things to put in her hair?

[longhairedfairy]

What about a headband of some kind?
Shorter hair may make it impossible to put up at all, which could just make matters worse. Keep in mind that this is just speculation on my part, since I've never had short hair. Sometimes the little wispy hairs around my face bug me because they are too short to tie back securely, so I'm just imagining what it would be like with all my hair that length. I think it would drive me nuts.
I'm sure someone who has more experience with short hair will have some better advice than I can give.

[ChatoyantLocks]

Would it work to try to style it while she is sleepy or sleeping?

[Fia]

My opinion as a woman without children of her own but with quite a few around me in the immediate family would be to actually cut it shorter for now - chin length would IMO look adorable on a curly little girl while being easier to manage. A 2-year old is in the middle of her phase where she can't sit still and still not big enough to actually understand and be able to sit still for a few minutes to comb out/braid/ponytail the hair (as you well have noticed :D).

From say 4 years and upwards go ahead and let it grow longer again - it won't take long on a still small child until it looks long and by then she will be grown up enough to behave for at least the few minutes it takes to do something with it. And definitely invest in a good detangler spray - little girls with long hair do get themselves all knotted up when running around playing and there's no reason to make combing out any more painful or longer than it needs to be.

[Scrofula]

I've tried slides and those clippy hair grips, but they don't stay put for more than 5 mins! I was loathe to put product on it as she's still only a baby ( in my eyes at least) and I've always intended her looking like a child for as long as possible...but I suppose aloe vera is natural and would wash out easily enough.
Thanks!

[Scrofula]

Oooh guys so many replies as I was typing as response to AJO8.
Hairbands have been used as cat torture devices and Xena style throwing weapons! Sleep styling sounds fun, but you can guarantee that she would fluff it up once she awoke :)
I'm painting her as some kind of monster which she really isn't, just a regular 2yo with tonnes of energy and no interest in her hair!

I think Fia might have hit the nail on the head, shorter for now and then when she can choose to sit still and have pretty hair we can grow it.
You guys are the best, many thanks for all the advice

[alinakathryn]

I have a 2 year old and a 3.5 year old. I pull their hair out of their face every day since we are growing out their bangs. For your girl part of what will help is something for the curly hair, I'm going to let someone with curly/wavy hair make suggestions on that. As for getting her to sit still so you can do something with it, these things have worked for me. Doing during a favorite video or TV show, during breakfast, and on the bathroom counter so she can watch. Also you can let her play with things on the counter that she doesn't get to play with normally an then only when she's getting her hair done. If you aren't against 'cones the infusium frizzologie leave in is supposed to be good for curly hair.

[AJO8]

I've tried slides and those clippy hair grips, but they don't stay put for more than 5 mins! I was loathe to put product on it as she's still only a baby ( in my eyes at least) and I've always intended her looking like a child for as long as possible...but I suppose aloe vera is natural and would wash out easily enough.
Thanks!

Yeah, thats what I thought with her being so young, but I think you can get leave in especially for kids.

I would definitely try aloe vera gel though

[tobikay]

I have a 6 year old DD who has never had her hair cut. It now rests on the top of her bottom when she is standing.

When she was small the only thing I could do with her hair was those small, rubber elastics (I got them in the childrens dept at Walmart, remind me of rubberbands made for braces or for the ends of ethnic braids, but they come in pretty colors). I would put on her fav show or otherwise distract her and grab it and put it up. She was not able, or not willing, to pull these out of her hair, but they held it perfectly through the baby fine stage.

The first few times was the hardest, but soon she and I both got very good at it, soon I could whip it up in a pony or two and she hardly knew I did anything.

Final note, little girls hair is very cute this way (one or two ponys sticking out) and often those small "bumps" in the hair that is not quite perfectly smooth or pulled tight just add to the cuteness.

[epiphanee]

As an aunt I can advise two things:

1. Little Sprout leave in detangler

2. Pigtail braids

[LeaM07]

DD3's hair is fine and wavy also, but I have pretty good luck with headbands and pinch clips (barrettes that you squeeze on one side and slide in -- here's a close-up of one (http://www.andreasbeau.com/All%20About%20Clips.htm)). They're quick to put in, and stay well enough (nothing's guaranteed to stay in on a two-year-old, though ;)). I also rub a little bit of aloe vera gel on my hands and lightly fingercomb it into her hair to tone down frizz.

Pigtails (made with teeny ouchless elastics) work pretty well for DD also, since I can catch more of the shorter crown hairs than I can with a ponytail. Those are easiest to make right after her bath, when her hair's still pretty wet.

[happymommy]

Distraction is the best styling aid for 2 yr olds. As a mom to a 2yr old myself, I feel your pain, lol :) My DD thinks headbands are necklaces and belts, so those are out for me too.

Here is the outline of my hair plan for her:

When she was smaller I used to put her in her highchair and fix her hair. That way she couldn't run very far, lol. Then she outgrew it and the plan changed...

Always have either two of everything or at least something similar to what you are using at that time:

she has her very own spray bottle with plain water. When I spray her hair, she plays with her bottle. She thinks she is helping.

I use two identical combs. One that I actually use and one she 'holds' for me to use. We swap out often. She thinks she is helping and it keeps her busy asking 'Mommy you want comb now?'

I keep a very large tub of dollar tree hair elastics, barrettes, clips etc. in the bathroom. While I am fixing her hair, her job is to go through the container and either pick out an elastic or find a particular clip. (This has kept her occupied long enough for me to do double dutch braids on her nearly waist length hair, which took about a half hour.) The rummaging around keeps her occupied, the large variety of things in the box keeps her attention and I usually let her wear whatever she picks out. Or try to bargain with her for something that matches.

Keep elastics and clips in your car/purse. They can be thrown in very quickly if your DD is like mine and tends to pull down hairstyles in the car.

Last but certainly not least I have learned to have a great sense of humor about the hair situation. If we get somewhere and her hair is upside down and sticking up in three different directions, I just tell them her dad fixed it. :)

HTH!

[danacc]

I have nothing to add--just popping in to say that I loved reading your post, happymommy. Those are fantastic ideas. You are very creative, and understand 2-year-old energy and interests very well!

[julya]

My son's (3.5) hair sounds somewhat like your daughter's. It's fluffy and curly and very fine. He will sometimes let me braid or ponytail it, but he prefers it down. I use just plain water to smooth it away from his face. It holds surprisingly well as it drys, provided he doesn't restyle it himself.

[Scrofula]

Thanks again to everyone who took the time to respond, I'm going to try some of happymommy's suggestions and indeed others who gave tips on toddler management! But if her hair is still making her uncomfortable and causing us to battle each other then I think I'll get it cut into a bob as Fia suggested. Will keep you updated and might even do some pics!
:)

[happymommy]

I have nothing to add--just popping in to say that I loved reading your post, happymommy. Those are fantastic ideas. You are very creative, and understand 2-year-old energy and interests very well!


Aww, thanks!:o

[MeMyselfandI]

No do not cut her hair. It will not thicken it up. The hair comes out of the head, how would cutting the hair, change how it grows in the hair folicle?

For my daughter's very fine hair, I found the L'oreal for kids shampoo for fine hair worked very well. Now, I think it is to heavy for her.

My daughter did have some hair that was not like the rest by the bottom part of the head by the neck. Eventually normal hair started gtowing, not because of the cutting, just because she got older.

[Bene]

don't know, but i've always thought 2 years olds were supposed have hair everywhere. they're not old enough to sit still to have it styled. no one will fault you if she looks less than immaculate. it's part of their charm. :)

[dor3girl]

I have a 4 year old--so I feel your pain! What I did with my daughter was to trim about 1/2" off the ends & add LIGHT layers throughout. I razor-trimmed the top layer to keep the curl in her hair when she was that age (as she got older the curl straightened out--especially the longer it got).

Currently, I apply a conditioner (like Pantene) to the hair before I use baby or children's shampoo (like Suave) on the scalp. Then I add an extra dose of conditioner to the ends after the shampoo has been rinsed. Leave the conditioner on for a bit & then just rinse. It helps tame the tangles & makes it easier to comb. It does pull out some of the curl--but easier combing is worth it & the curl loss is only temporary.

[dor3girl]

One more thing: for styles--get those little silicone rubber bands--they hold really well on baby hair! Just set her on your bathroom sink with lots to play with (old make-up brushes, a spray bottle, whatever)--and while she is occupied (or not)--put in a quick mini-ponytail or just pull up the parts that bother her. . .

Kids cry & squirm--but she will get used to you doing her hair--otherwise, she will end up with tons of tangles (it has to be combed sometime, right?)

[NurseMama]

I use breakfast time for my opportunity to do DD's hair. She sits at the breakfast bar eating cereal and I quickly style it. Of course, she is a 1b which is quite a bit different than your daughter's curly hair!

She is 6 now, but I have been doing this since 2.