When my husband and I announced our pregnancy
, some of my friends assumed that I would be hoping for a girl. A hair blogger needs a daughter, right? Well that wasn’t the case. I love little girls. But I remember the work my parents put into maintaining my very long and thick hair. I also know the work that goes into maintaining my own hair. And I wasn’t ready for that type of commitment.
Thankfully, my wish for a handsome baby boy came true. Although he’s slightly a little easier than a little girl, I still have to give his curly hair some extra T.L.C. I have had some unexpected challenges in finding the right products for his naturally curly hair that I will discuss here with you.
I knew going in to my first pregnancy that I only wanted all-natural products to touch his little body. But I ran into a few problems. First, There were reports of harmful ingredients in some of the more popular baby brands.
Secondly, there are quite a few products that claim to be natural but they’re more naturally derived than all-natural baby products. Finally, many of the more holistic baby products are only available online or at very select local retailers. This left me with limited choices.
I lucked up on a few baby wash and shampoo products that I love for my son. Burt’s Bee, Sheamoisture Baby and Cara B Naturally.
Burt’s Bees Baby Bee Shampoo and Wash (recommend by NHR Contributor Latoya and mother of two daughters) and SheaMoisture Raw Shea Chamomile & Argan Oil Baby Head-To-Toe Wash & Shampoo (I currently use these products) are both available at Target.
Cara B Naturally is available at Walgreens and Target.com. (Cara B Naturally was sent to me to review for this site.)
Once I found a baby shampoo that was a keeper, I noticed that something was still missing. The shampoo left my son’s curls dry and frizzy. He needed a conditioner. Most baby lines don’t offer conditioners.
Until I found one, I went to what I knew best: coconut oil. (I could sit and smell his hair all day. His baby freshness with a hint of coconut oil is like heaven.) Coconut Oil works well as a conditioner for his soft curly hair. I also combine olive and coconut oil for a pre-poo treatment or detangler.
All hair problems were solved until the tot started saving his leftovers in his hair. My Pooh Bear likes to keep a little bit of every meal in his hair. Which means I have to wash or at least rinse his hair everyday. It can be a little drying to shampoo everyday even with the most gentle shampoo.
I decided I would co-wash instead. That meant I had to find a conditioner to co-wash with. I wanted to go with a brand that I knew had a great conditioner and had a kids or baby line. That brand was CURLS. It was also rated highly by various parenting magazines.
I love the whole CURLS Its A Curl baby line. The first product from the CURLS Baby line that I tried was CURLS Its a Curl Patty Cake Conditioner
So I then I tried Curly Q’s Coconut Dream Moisturizing Conditioner. It gave me more bang for my buck with a bigger bottle. This is what I’m using now.
Other products that are baby must-haves are a great leave-in conditioner (CARA B Naturally Leave In Conditioner Daily Moisturizer for Baby and Child or Giovanni Direct Leave-In Weightless Moisture Conditioner)
Thank you for this article. My baby girl was born with thick curly hair and she’s 10 weeks today. I have been trying to find something for her hair. We only wash once a week but I noticed from the start johnsons made her hair and skin very dry. We know use Aveno baby which is much better for skin but still dries her hair even though I use a mixture of coconut, olive and jabo oils to moisturize after washing and a mix of water and coconut oil for daily spraying if needed. I purchased Shea moisture kids shampoo and conditioner but feel like I’m doing a lot for an infant. Her hair seemed most moisturized when I washed using cantu naturals co wash and followed with oil and Shea moisture curl smoothie but aren’t sure if those are too mature for her hair. Please advise on a shampoo and conditioner (as you said I’ve had trouble finding a baby brand conditioner) as well as a daily conditioner/moisturizer and sorry for the long post.
Great article! Can I use these products on my 6mo old babygirl?
Thank you, Tracey! Yes, you can.