Trying to do my daughters hair...

[NinJaBob]

My 5 year old daughter has thin, long hair. I try my best but her hair is all over the place. I know nothing about long hair. She doesn't like to wear things I her hair, plus most hair things fall out.

Any advice for taking care of long stringy hair would be greatly appreciated.

--Bob

 

[Jeremy+3]

How about platting it? Just make sure what ever you do that you don't do it tightly, that can damage the hair and it can hurt/give her a headache.

 

[Trina]

Ohh, I can relate! When my daughter was younger we went through many frustrations concerning her hair. Very similiar to yours. My best friend, who happens to be a hairstylist, suggested a short bob cut until she got older. It looked very cute and was low maintenance. She has since grown it out and is capable of taking care of it on her own, but at the time a short, stylish cut/style was the way to go.

 

[Trina]

Dug up an old pic to show you. This style can be done with or without bangs.

 

[howquaint]

I've had a mop of really fine hair all my life. Something that will make it easier- putting it up when it's still wet- at least in the warmer months. In the winter months, braid it before she goes to bed to prevent tangles. Scrunchies (fabric covered ponytails) never stayed in my hair, either, they were just too big and didn't have enough 'stick' to them, but the plain metal barrettes work really well, as do straight bobby pins. I avoid anything with "extra grip" or rubber coating because it pulls too much on the fine hairs and will rip them out, and that hurts! From 2nd to 5th grade I had a short bob haircut because it was just easier to not have to deal with combing it. Fine hair tends to mat really easily. If she wants to keep her long hair, maybe fabric headbands just to keep it out of her face. Everyone's hair is different so it's kind of a trial and error thing.

 

[stjohnjulie]

I also have fine straight hair. It's not as bad now that I'm older, and the gray has a different texture! but still can be a pain.

There are a couple of products that I've had luck with. One of them is Moroccan Oil (just the straight oil treatment). Put it on wet hair and then comb. Makes combing easier and makes the hair look better (not stringy). I've also used this stuff for curly hair that works well on my hair..it's called Structura Lotion made by Curlisto (just search for Curlisto to find it). This works good at keeping the hair where you put it.

If you braid the hair, or put it in pony tails, make sure you do it when it's wet, and use both of the products above before you do it. I've also found that the little tiny plastic pony tail holders work the best. They stay in place a lot longer than anything else and don't damage the hair like a regular rubber band would. Never had any luck with anything fabric covered staying in my hair.

And lastly, regular trimming. The ends of my hair damage quickly because the hair is so fine. Even brushing it damages it. So a quick trim every 6 weeks or so helps a lot with the overall appearance.

 

[Trina]

I tried many of the things listed, but my daughter, when younger, couldn't sit patiently for her hair to be braided, etc. and absolutely hated her long hair being combed or brushed. She was also not capable of cleaning it properly on her own and was not particularly cooperative when I tried to do it for her. After many trials and tribulations I finally decided the aggravations were not worth having long hair. She got a cute bob cut and it was smooth sailing after that. No more tears during hair care, low maintenance and looked cute. *happy dance*

 

[stjohnjulie]

My sister was like that, and her hair wasn't even a pain in the a$$ to deal with. Since she complained about the combing, she got a haircut. She wore her hair short until she was old enough to deal with it herself. She was forever called a boy and I cannot even tell you how much that made her cry. But, seriously, if they can't sit still, and you can't make it look presentable, then I think it's the best option. Short hair is easier to take care of.

 

[NinJaBob]

I have tried putting those metal clips in her hair and they just fall right out. Also her hair is really long and I have suggested the idea of cutting it only a little to make it more manageable but she likes it long. I am not going to force her to cut it but I wish that she would come around. I prefer her hair to be long but it's still a little too long.

As a side note, have any of you heard of Locks of Love? If so is there an age requirement for who can donate? Also will they take thin hair? I was thinking that if I talked to her about a program like that then we could sort of kill two birds with one stone.

 

[Trina]

I have tried putting those metal clips in her hair and they just fall right out. Also her hair is really long and I have suggested the idea of cutting it only a little to make it more manageable but she likes it long. I am not going to force her to cut it but I wish that she would come around. I prefer her hair to be long but it's still a little too long.

As a side note, have any of you heard of Locks of Love? If so is there an age requirement for who can donate? Also will they take thin hair? I was thinking that if I talked to her about a program like that then we could sort of kill two birds with one stone.

YES, I'm aware of Locks of Love and think that's a great idea! Several kids in my community have donated hair. I don't believe there is an age limit, but I do know there must be at least 10 inches of hair in length. More info here:
Locks of Love helps disadvantaged children suffering from medical hair loss

 

[Xero]

I have pretty fine hair, definitely not thick at all (I wish) and I have always kept it long. On the contrary, I find it has always been easier to brush as opposed to my sisters thick full hair. Hers is a real project to brush, she used to cry when our mom did it and she would ask me to do it instead because I was gentler. My hair has never given me any trouble being brushed or put in a pony tail, it must be a texture thing or something haha.

I guess you'd just have to keep it simple until her hair gets a little more full, you know? You're still working with almost baby hair at this age. It will be easier when she gets older. I agree that you can use cute head bands and stuff, and maybe braid it.

I would like to add that I once donated my hair to locks of love - the only thing I would say about that, is that they require a LOT of hair. O.O My hair was down to my butt and by the time they were finished with me, my hair sat just at my shoulders. It was cute but I looked like I was 12 lol. Like Trina said, they need 10 inches. And when you measure, do not measure from her head. Put it in a ponytail and measure from the hair tie down, cause they don't need your hair to be at least 10 inches long, they need to actually cut off 10 inches OF your hair length. But anyway, if you can get her hair that long and she wants to help the cause, that would be really sweet and I bet you could talk her into it.

 

[JessicaMadison]

Hair can be the biggest pain. I have the opposite problem though. My daughters hair is crazy thick! Bailey has thick, curly hair. It was a disaster. But, you just learn what works for them I guess. I would also recommend a short bob type hairstyle! My niece has the same type hair as your daughter and she got an adorable little bob that frames her face perfectly. And she actually preferred having short hair once it was cut because she didn't have to deal with the pain of brushing her hair out! It would make things a lot simpler for you as well! If you can get her to come around! Great idea with the locks of love thing! That's a cute idea! Good luck!

 

[superman]

just cut it short

 

[free4meu03]

This is good

 

[marypulido]

Dug up an old pic to show you. This style can be done with or without bangs.

I love her smile...cute girl!

 

[Pwningbear]

I would suggest trying a braid, ponytail, or even pigtails. You could even do a bun. You could also try triple inside out french braids. That is personally one of my favorites. You can google it for images/ how to's.