Most kids with curls do not need shampoo every day.
Let’s clear this up straight away:
Your kid’s hair is not dirty.
It’s just curly.
And curls don’t want to be squeaky clean. They want to be moisturised, respected, and left the heck alone most days.
🧼 “Squeaky Clean” is a Lie
That squeaky feeling after a shampoo? Yeah, that’s the sound of all the moisture being snatched out of the strands like joy from a Monday morning. Curly hair thrives with natural oils—strip them, and you get frizz, breakage, and drama.
🛁 Washing Routines: One Size Does Not Fit All
Curly routines depend on:
- Age
- Curl type
- Lifestyle (Are they rolling in mud or just drawing on the walls?)
- Toddlers (1–3): Once a week max
- Once a week is enough. Seriously. They’re not working in a coal mine.
- Co-wash (conditioner-only wash) or a gentle cleanser with no sulfates.
- Keep it fun: sing, splash, let them “help.”
- Young kids (4–7): Every 5–7 days
- 1–2 washes per week. Add more if swimming or sweating lots.
- Use a sulfate-free shampoo every other wash.
- Alternate with co-washing if the scalp isn’t grimy.
- Tweens (8–12): Every 4–6 days (or as needed for scalp)
- They’re experimenting, hormonal, maybe even self-conscious. That’s normal.
- Let them learn what feels good for their scalp.
- Introduce clarifying shampoo only once a month if product buildup is real.
- Teach about moisture balance—too much washing = thirsty hair.
🧴 Goodbye, Sulfates 👋
Ingredients to Love
Aloe vera, glycerin, chamomile, coconut oil, shea butter.
Ingredients to Avoid
Drying alcohols (think alcohol denat, ethanol) — brittle-city
Sulfates (like sodium lauryl sulfate) — strip moisture
Parabens — questionable stuff, often unnecessary
- Sodium Lauryl Sulfate
- Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate
- Alcohols (like SD alcohol, not the good fatty ones)
💡 Co-Washing vs. Shampoo: What’s the Deal?
Co-washing = using a conditioner to cleanse the scalp. Sounds wild, but it works wonders on curls that hate being stripped.
- Great for dry, coarse, or tightly curled hair.
- Use a lightweight conditioner with slip (aka, it makes detangling easier).
- Still scrub the scalp gently—co-wash doesn’t mean don’t clean.
- Shampooing has its place:
- After swimming in chlorine
- When there’s product buildup
- When the scalp is itchy or flaky
🧴Pro tip: Always follow shampoo with a deep, hydrating conditioner. Shampoo opens the door. Conditioner brings the good stuff in.
