Is it safe to relax a young child's hair?

Relaxing hair before age 13 is not recommended because of hormone changes. Also, the child should have a good understanding of how to take care of his or her hair before relaxing it. However, if you find it difficult to manage your child's hair, you may consider texturizing the hair with the BodipHier natural hair relaxer. Many mixed-race children have unmanageable hair. Texturizing the hair makes it more manageable and softer. The key to relaxing children’s hair is to keep the relaxer at least ¼ inch off the scalp at all times. If you think you can’t do this, you can apply petroleum jelly to the entire scalp before applying the relaxer or texturizer. This will protect the scalp from any irritation. Also, be careful not to apply the relaxer over previously relaxed hair.

There are many other options for children’s hair besides relaxing it. Children enjoy twists, cornrows, locs, and braids.

How often should you wash your child's hair?

Even though your child probably fights it, you should wash his or her hair regularly, at least every five days or so. Condition your child’s hair and scalp with a light conditioner. Towel-dry your child’s hair, rather than using excessive heat. Make sure you have your child’s hair trimmed regularly to keep it manageable and neat.

Also, you should wash children’s hair after swimming in chlorine pool water because it damages hair if left in too long.