Fine hair and curly hair are often treated as the same problem — they both tangle, they both look messy if you don't stay on top of them — but they have almost opposite needs when it comes to products.
Using the wrong product for your child's hair type makes both the styling and the health of the hair worse over time. Here's how to tell the difference and what each type actually needs.
Fine hair: the main challenges
Fine hair is defined by the diameter of the individual strand, not the amount of hair. A child can have a lot of fine hair and still find that products weigh it down, make it limp, or cause buildup quickly. Fine hair also loses moisture faster and tends to tangle along the entire length of the strand.
The most common mistake with fine hair: using too much product, especially heavy creams or thick gels that coat the strand and make it look flat within hours.
What fine hair needs
Light application, frequently. Our Taming Cream works well on fine hair because a small amount goes a long way without weighing the hair down. The Taming & Detangling Spray is also especially useful because it adds slip without residue.
Curly hair: the main challenges
Curly hair — especially in toddlers — is more porous and loses moisture faster than straight hair. The curl pattern also means that natural oils from the scalp don't travel down the strand as easily, leaving the mid-lengths and ends dryer than the roots.
The most common mistake with curly hair: washing too frequently with harsh products that strip the moisture the curl needs to hold its shape, then trying to add it back with too many products layered on top of each other.
What curly hair needs
Moisture-first products. Our Taming Conditioner and Taming Cream are both designed with curly hair in mind. The conditioner restores moisture after washing; the cream seals it in during styling. Our Taming Gel adds hold on top of moisture — always in that order.