Must Have Products for Doing Your Daughter’s Hair

You would think that we would all find doing our little girl’s hair easy and intuitive. We do, after all, all have hair as mothers. We do our own hair each day (or most days). But doing the hair of others is not the same as doing our own.

I loved doing my doll’s hair when I was a girl. Super loved it. Now I have three real-live heads of hair do do each day. I really enjoy doing their hair each day. There are some products I use that make the process much easier. These tools can make that hair-do time faster, easier, and less painful (literally). This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission. 

Wet Brush
The Wet Brush is kind of a big “rage” thing right now. It is probably the most popular product for getting snarls out. I swear the whole time I have had daughters, there has been some “it” gadget brush for getting out tangles. Not too long ago, it was the Knot Genie. Now it is the Wet Brush. I do like the Wet Brush better than the Knot Genie simply because it is easier for me to hold and use. I don’t think one is better than the other at doing the intended job. The Wet Brush will NOT get every tangle out. I have a process for getting the tangles out. My girls all have long hair. Even Brinley’s is close to touching her bottom. That means lots of snarls. The Wet Brush helps, it is a great tool, but you cannot end there.

Start with the Wet Brush and brush out as many snarls as you can. You won’t be able to get everything on many occasions.

While we are talking snarls, you will have fewer snarls if you brush the girl’s hair out before bedtime. For younger girls, I also find putting it in a braid at night is very helpful. Young girls move around more as they sleep, so it is helpful. Kaitlyn at age 9 doesn’t really need it braided at night anymore.

Brush
I next move on to a brush. This kit I have linked to and is pictured has the size brush I like for little girls. I use a paddle brush on myself, but I like the small brush in this kit for my girls. It is a great second step for getting out snarls. The paddle brush is too large and catches many snarls. The small one is the instrument you want for small heads.

Fine Tooth Comb
Once I can brush through the hair well, I move on to a fine tooth come. That is the one pictured on the left. I sometimes use the other one, also, but I like the fine tooth ones best. The are more fine :). This ensures every snarl is out of the hair. This device is the instrument that will lead to a masterpiece. The hair will be snarl-free. It also is an invaluable tool in creating smooth hair for ponytails and other up-dos.

The funny thing is, the kids think the fine tooth come doesn’t hurt as much because when I get to this step, snarls are gone. So sometimes Brinley wants me to go right to this. There is such a life-lesson there. We often don’t see that difficulties we go through prepare us to handle things that come up later in life.

Detangler Spray

If you just can’t get the snarls out, break out the detangler spray. I rarely use this. Maybe once a month total among the three girls. But it is handy when I need it. The other day, I was combing through McKenna’s hair after she had been swimming in a ponytail (note to self–ponytail does not work for McKenna and swimming). Her hair was a big knot. The wet brush wouldn’t touch it. I was worried we would have to chop her hair off. This great tool saved the day.

Squirt Bottle
Once everything is all combed out, it is time to do the hair. Let’s say you know exactly what you want to do in the hair. If the hair is dry and you want to pull it up at all, squirting it with some water is super helpful. For that, you will want a tool for spritzing the hair evenly. Enter the squirt bottle. This helps keep things smooth and keeps all of those little hairs in place. I use a fine tooth comb when pulling hair up at all.

Even if you are leaving the hair down, if you squirt it some with some water and
then comb through it, it helps it look smooth and fresh again. You don’t want to drench it; just a few squirts will do it.

Hair Elastics

These are the elastics we use. Really only Kaitlyn and I use these at this point. McKenna is starting to need it at times. When the girl is younger, the hair bands I talk about next are easiest product to use. The hair is more fine and thinner with younger girls. As they get older, their heads get bigger and the hair gets thicker. I really like these elastics; they hold up very well. They don’t have any metal, so they don’t get that annoying stretch to them. They are also thick and hold the hair in place tightly.

>>>Read: How To Care for Your Child’s Hair

Hair Bands

I always purchase these from Sally Beauty Supply (though before today, I had never checked Amazon for them). I love these. I have tried these and some from Walmart and these win hands down. They have the clear as pictured, but also have various colors and black or brown. The clear break more easily, but they also slide out without pulling the hair. I use these almost exclusively on three year old Brinley. I like clear because they match anything. We do have a lot of fun with the colors at times, though, and I do always have colors and clear on hand. I also use the black quite often.

Alligator Clips

While you are doing a hair-style, it is often quite handy to have an alligator clip. They can hold sections of hair out of the way while you are working with other sections. I use these pretty much daily. A hair clip can also come in handy, but for the young, fine hair, I like the alligator clips best.

Hairspray

Once it is done, you will likely want to hairspray it to keep it in place. This is especially true for those girls 5 and under–the baby-fine hair just gets fly-aways like crazy. This Kenra hairspray is really great, but if the price leaves you gagging, try Aussie. That is what I usually use on my girls. I have some strong hold and some flexible hold depending on what the hair needs are that day.

Ideas
If you are new to doing hair of others, you might need ideas. Lucky for you, you live in the Internet age. There are SO MANY ideas out there. And not just pictures, but video tutorials for you to follow. You don’t have to start from scratch. I have a hair board on Pinterest. I also post pics of hair styles I do with my girls every so often on Instagram, so be sure to follow me there.

Patience and Practice
Just remember, practice makes perfect. I went several years before I would do fancy braids in Kaitlyn’s hair because it just looked bad. I then realized it would never get good unless I practiced. So I started doing it consistently, and now my braids look good! I can do all kinds. So just practice away and have the patience for your skills to improve.

Are you looking for some great products for your own hair? Read my Honest L’ANGE Hair Products Review here.

The ladies of the BFBN are all blogging today with various hygiene tips. Check them out below:

1 thought on “Must Have Products for Doing Your Daughter’s Hair”

  1. Great tips! We've got 4 girls over here so lots of hair being done. We use detangling spray every morning! But we don't brush hair at night or braid it so by morning it's a mess. But we may have to try those things.

    Reply

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