Our almost 3 year old has fine, straight hair. Somehow it still gets super knotted at times. Knots have become a source for her toddler fits, and can easily bring on quite the storm of emotions. No matter how careful and gentle I am, knots are knots- and at the end of the day, they hurt to get out.
Anything I can do to help ease the pain and discomfort for Caroline is a win. I want her to enjoy getting her hair done. And at a minimum, I want her to let me get it done tear free. Over the last 3 years I’ve learned some tips and tricks along the way…
1. Invest in a “wet brush“
These brushes are amazing. They are designed to use on wet hair, but can obviously be used on wet or dry hair. They work wonderfully to get knots out. I preferred using it on dry hair until I found the right products to go with it on wet hair (see detangler below). These brushes are nice and gentle, and really get the job done well.
2. Brush multiple times a day
I brush Caroline’s hair every morning and every evening. It helps to keep up with the knots so we don’t have one massive job every morning. If she lets me, I even brush her hair before or after her nap. Small knots throughout the day are easy to tackle.
3. Use a detangler spray
We love this kids detangler spray. It smells so nice, and it really has helped a lot to reduce knots and help make them easier to get out. I use this on both dry and wet hair, but I’ve found it works the best on wet hair. This combined with the wet brush, is a perfect combination. Knots are very easy to get out now!
4. Keep hair up in a ponytail or braid
When I keep Caroline’s hair up in a ponytail or braid during the day, there are fewer knots. It keeps her hair from getting tangled. The same applies to nighttime. A braid, or a nice high ponytail on the top of her head (so she’s not laying on it and uncomfortable) works great. She rarely wants me to put it up at night, but when she does, I take full advantage!
5. Use conditioner
We haven’t made this switch yet, but instead of using a shampoo/conditioner combo in the bath/shower, it is best to start using an actual conditioner. As soon as we run out of our current supply, we’ll be switching to a separate shampoo and conditioner. The conditioner just works much better and has a chance to really do it’s job. A nice trick I use with my own hair, is to put the conditioner in, and as I am rinsing my hair out, I use a comb to get any knots out. It makes my hair nice and slippery, so the knots also slip right out.
Yes, we still have knots- there’s no way to get rid of them completely. But these practices and products make a world of difference! We have had drastically reduced tears and fits over knots as a result.
