There is genuinely nothing cuter than a baby with full-blown, just-woke-up bed head. We will stand by that. But at 7 AM before daycare, "adorably chaotic" needs to become "ready to go" fairly quickly. Baby bed head is one of those things that seems like it would be simple to fix and somehow ends up taking forever if you don't know the trick.
Good news: there's definitely a trick.
Why Baby Hair Gets So Messy Overnight
Babies move a lot in their sleep — more than you'd think. All that rolling and shifting creates friction between their hair and the mattress or pillow, which causes tangles, static, and fluffed-up strands. Fine, soft baby hair is especially prone to this because it has less weight to hold it down.
Add in a little sweat from a warm night and you've got a guaranteed bed head situation by morning.
The Fix: Work With Moisture, Not Against It
The biggest mistake parents make is trying to brush dry bed head. Dry hair resists. It breaks. It creates static. It makes the situation worse.
The trick is to add a little moisture first. A quick spritz of water or our Taming & Detangling Spray re-wets the hair and immediately makes it more cooperative. From there, a small amount of our Taming Cream for Frizz, Flyaways and Bed Head smoothed through with your fingers or a soft brush brings everything back into place in under a minute.
Step-by-Step Bed Head Fix
- Spritz lightly with our Taming & Detangling Spray (or plain water if hair is really fine).
- Apply a pea-sized amount of our Taming Cream and smooth through with fingers.
- Brush gently with a natural bristle brush, starting from the ends.
- Style as desired — or just smooth it down and let it air dry naturally.
Total time: under two minutes.
Prevent Worse Bed Head Before Sleep
A little night-before prep goes a long way. For babies and toddlers with longer or curlier hair, a loose low braid before bed keeps hair protected from friction. A satin or silk pillowcase (or a satin-lined crib mattress sheet) also reduces both tangling and static significantly.
Applying a small amount of Taming Cream before bed means hair wakes up more moisturized and easier to manage.
For Newborns and Young Babies
Go very light with product on very young babies. A tiny amount of Taming Cream is plenty — focus on smoothing down any flyaways with your fingertip rather than brushing. Newborn hair is incredibly fine and doesn't need much.
Start with our New Mom Kit — it's everything a new parent needs for those first months of hair care.