S/O hair

[waverly]

Speaking of kids hair, I need shampoo and conditioner recommendations.  They do not need to be baby shampoo or tear free.  Although not super harsh on the eyes would be good.

I am trying to teach them to wash their own hair.  Would a 2 in 1 work better for this?  I always found that they didn't condition as well, but I could be wrong.  DD came home from the grandparents and said she used watermelon shampoo, but all I could find like that was Suave kids watermelon.  Anything to make bath time easier and faster and them more independent. 

The kids are currently using my shampoo and conditioner which is Living Proof, and they can't get the tops open on their own.  So I need something that little fingers could open.

I had tried baby shampoo like the one from Shea or another organic brand, I think and it left black deposits in their hair, so I think we have moved on from baby shampoo stuff.  Definitely need kid or adult stuff.  TIA

[ilovelucyvv]

My DD has Rapunzel locks that tangle very easily. She isn't washing her own hair yet, but what I have been doing is shampooing her whole head and only conditioning from about her neck down. The shampoo is technically one of the kids 2-in-1's but in order to get out the tangles she needs separate conditioning. I still have to use a comb to detangle her hair but it is much better this way.

Also I have been using the herbal essences brand shampoos and conditioners with the pump top. Its not the fanciest or best stuff but it is easy to use so I would recommend that for a kid shampooing their own hair.

ETA: When I condition both her and my hair I use my fingers kind of like a really thick comb and run through the hair a few times to get the tangles out, not that you were asking about tangles, but I'll put that out there.

[waverly]

ilovelucyvv , thanks.

And I guess as far as washing their hair it is more DS who I am working with, who has short hair so maybe the 2 in 1 is better for boys who don't get as many tangles.


Although I would like the same shampoo for DD. She does get tangles, but we did cut it shoulder length for the summer because we were both tired of dealing with knots.

[erinshelley21]

I use a 2-in-1 on DS and until about a month ago he had longer hair. Its worked fine for him. It is Suave kids. I would get a 2-in-1 that they both can use and then look at getting a detangling leave in for your DD. If your DS has pretty low maintenance hair, like its buzzed or doesn't have much natural body too it, then I would get shampoo for them to share and conditioner for your DD and comb through like ilovelucyvv described. I do this to my hair and I can't imagine what would happen if I didn't.

[186momx]

I bought the giant bottle that comes with the pump similar to hand soup. DD knows she gets 1 pump of shampoo to wash her hair and not spilling. We condition once a week and I apply that as it needs to sit before you rinse.

[erinshelley21]

Yes to the conditioner sitting before you rinse. I just let conditioner sit long enough to wash my body and shave my legs if that needs to happen.

[2chatter]

Another vote for a pump! I haven’t been brand picky, really the key is the pump. DD conditions with normal conditioner, also a pump. DS I’ll pop in and condition when his hair seems to be getting dry.

[mommyatty]

Honest Co Shampoo + Body Wash. it’s excellent, tear free, smells great. If we weren’t living in the pool and DD’s hair wasn’t midway down her back and very prone to tangles, we wouldn’t need conditioner. We skip it on DS.

The shampoo seems to wash out more easily than most, maybe because it’s sulfate-free so not as sudsy. It does make bubbles, just not as many. DD can def wash and rinse her own hair now with this. We haven’t let her rinse her own conditioner because that does require a lot more thorough of a job.

[helenahhandbasket]

Jul 2, 2018 11:17:25 GMT -5 ilovelucyvv said:

My DD has Rapunzel locks that tangle very easily. She isn't washing her own hair yet, but what I have been doing is shampooing her whole head and only conditioning from about her neck down. The shampoo is technically one of the kids 2-in-1's but in order to get out the tangles she needs separate conditioning. I still have to use a comb to detangle her hair but it is much better this way.

Also I have been using the herbal essences brand shampoos and conditioners with the pump top. Its not the fanciest or best stuff but it is easy to use so I would recommend that for a kid shampooing their own hair.

ETA: When I condition both her and my hair I use my fingers kind of like a really thick comb and run through the hair a few times to get the tangles out, not that you were asking about tangles, but I'll put that out there.

This is the same for us too.  DD's got below butt length hair, but it still has that baby fine texture so we definitely  need extra conditioning.  The 2 in 1 wasn't cutting it for us, but I think it's a good choice for shorter/ easier to manage hair.  We liked the Suave Kids brand-- I think it was actually marketed as "3 in 1" because you could use it as body wash.

Right now I am just using on DD what I use on me-- Tigi Bed head.  it makes the tub look so much less cluttered, and TBH, it's been a relief not to have to remember to buy her stuff, my stuff and H's stuff (he likes his own brand).  She can suds up pretty well with out any help-- the bottles have pumps on them- but she needs help rinsing.

Another thing we do is only do a full shampoo and condition for her maybe 1 per week.  The other nights we either just rinse or put some conditioner on the ends.   

[waverly]

I know this is more of a DH problem than a bathing problem. But he has never helped me with baths, and then he travels, so it tends to get cut down to my lowest priority because I felt like dinner and homework and bedtime were more important and then we ran out of time in the evening.

So baths tend to be 1-2 times a week for DS, and I would love to get him doing more often where I don't have to do anything. Right now I have to wash his hair, and monitor his water levels because he loves to fill it super full, and nag him to get out. Ideally I would like him at 3-4 times a week, and DD maybe at 5 times a week. I would love to get him the light up shower head too, but not sure Dh would go for it. The other bath stuff I got him helped his reluctance but didn't help increase the frequency.


DD is a bit more often because her hair needs to be washed more with getting food in it etc. even though I have been more conscious prior to cutting it to make sure it was up out of her face every day. And she has been more into asking for baths, but I just didn't always have the energy, so more independence from both of them would be great.  

[erinshelley21]

How old is your ds? Mine is 4 and out of nowhere yesterday asked if he could take a shower instead of a bath. I supervised and he did great. He took another tonight because he was dirty from playing outside at MIL's and did a good job.

I bathed DD first and just turned the shower on when I was done. I dried her off, diapered her, and combed her hair while he showered so I could supervise and make sure he was actually doing it well. Could you do a similar order for your kids until he gets the hang of showering?

[waverly]

Jul 2, 2018 19:41:56 GMT -5 erinshelley21 said:

How old is your ds? Mine is 4 and out of nowhere yesterday asked if he could take a shower instead of a bath. I supervised and he did great. He took another tonight because he was dirty from playing outside at MIL's and did a good job.

I bathed DD first and just turned the shower on when I was done. I dried her off, diapered her, and combed her hair while he showered so I could supervise and make sure he was actually doing it well. Could you do a similar order for your kids until he gets the hang of showering?

I did do DD first which works well because she needs more sleep anyway.

I got one of the suggested shampoos. He got the bottle open by himself, put the right amount on his hand and rinsed it all out, so he did really well.

He still refuses to shower. He even listened to me in the amount of water, but I think he is still in there instead of getting himself out on his own. I said 3 more minutes and get yourself out. He is 7 almost 8 years old.

I can go in and out of the bathroom, but the goal I am working towards is complete independence or at least enough to alleviate my role with him and baths, and get him ready for sleep away camp next summer. And to make it quicker and more frequent.

We just had to holler at him to get out. Otherwise he’s doing well.

[erinshelley21]

My ds likes to jack around in the tub and not get out. He doesn't like drying himself off though so I finally made the rule that I only ask him to get out twice then I pull the drain cover and he can either get out and dry off himself or he can sit there and freeze but I'm not going to sit and wait.

[akafred]

We use a 2-in-1 (Suave kids) plus conditioner. She can do everything except fully rinse the conditioner; I usually go in and help with that. When she goes to sleepaway camp, I will just send the 2-in-1. Actually it's 3-in-1 because body wash. Her hair is short though, so a few washes without conditioner won't kill her. I am going to tell her to only wash her hair once but I know she'll do it anyway.