This document provides hair care tips for African American children. It recommends washing hair every 7-10 days using sulfate-free shampoo to avoid drying out curly or thick hair. Wide-tooth combs and boar bristle brushes should be used instead of fine-tooth combs to prevent breakage. Daily moisturizing is necessary with products containing natural oils, as African American hair produces less oil. Rubber bands should be avoided when styling to prevent breakage, and perms or relaxers should be used cautiously on children if at all due to potential scalp irritation or damage.

1. Hair Care Tips for African American
Children

2. Overview
African-American hair requires special care
because it is dry, fragile and often curly.
Properly caring for your child’s hair is important
because damage to the hair follicles that results
from improper care is likely to remain with the
child for life.

3. Washing
African-American hair dries out easily. Because of
this, you should only shampoo your child’s hair
every seven to 10 days, according to the
University of Pittsburgh. For a child who has
curly or thick hair, section the hair off when
washing it to minimize tangling. Additionally, find
a shampoo that doesn’t contain lauryl sulfate or
laureth sulfate; these ingredients strip natural
oils from the hair and can lead to breakage.

4. Combing
When you choose a comb and brush for your
child, opt for a wide-tooth comb and a boar’s
hair brush. African-American hair is very fragile.
Using a fine-tooth comb may snag the hair and
cause it to break.

5. Moisturize
Daily moisturizing is necessary for African-American hair
because there isn’t enough sebum or oil produced by the
scalp to keep the hair healthy. Use a product made
specifically for African-Americans once a day on your
child’s hair. Condition the hair with a leave-in conditioner
before styling the hair. Once a month, use a heat
activated deep conditioner to keep her locks looking
lovely. Choose products that contain natural oils such as
jojoba, coconut or avocado oil instead of products that
contain petrolatum.

6. Styling
Avoid using rubber bands when styling your
child’s hair. Instead, opt for elastics or cloth
covered holders. Rubber bands may cause
breakage, and elastics and cloth covered
holders aren’t as likely to break the hair. If you
braid or twist your child’s hair, be sure to do so
all the way down the hair. Any part of the hair
that isn’t braided isn’t protected like the braided
hair, and may have split ends.

7. Perms and Relaxers
Perms and relaxers change the texture of the
child’s hair. Once you begin using these on your
child, you will have to keep up with treating new
hair that grows after you perm the hair. These
products are harsh and may burn your child’s
scalp, especially if she has sensitive skin. Use
caution when using these products on a child.

8. Resources:
http://www.rizadoafroymas.es/c107748-ninos.html
http://www.livestrong.com/article/107402-hair-care-tips-african-
american/

9. Thanks for reading!

10. Thanks for reading!