Did someone say growing to fast?

Our Kids

How to get kids to brush?

Kids aged 4 - 12 go through rapid growth and also demand and 'expect' independence faster than we ever did as children. Wanting to do things themselves is a parents relief and sometimes nightmare. Depending on your child, they might have hair like you, so knowing how to brush and take care of their hair could be easy for you to teach them. Lucky you.

If you child doesnt have the same hair type as you, then the battles and challenge begins as care and maintenence will be very different from your routine. Our brushes deal with all hair types, so you're off the hook of trying to learning something new. Just take a brush and go for it. They wont scream or run away and they will actually take the brush from you and want to do it themselves !!!

FAQ

What do I do if my child's hair is matted?

There will be occasions where your child / children get 'things' stuck in their hair and dont come to you immediately to get it out. The result can be terrible dreads, matted hair or knots and getting them out, you have 2 choices. First option is cut it out and whiile this would be the optimal, logical, fuss free solution, it could leave your child with a really bad haircut and will take ages to grow out.

Second choice is to work the crazy knots out by hand. So... you need something slippery thats more than water such as conditioner.

Many detangle sprays dont actually detangle.... just saying... so make sure its slippery and if there is a substance in your child's hair like paint, oil, food, plaster etc... you have something that will help dissolve or break that substance down too.

Now, depending on the age of your child and patience levels of you both... get the conditioner into their hair and using your fingers, and a combination of a fine tooth comb, the Happy Hair Brush and any other tool youve got to work the knots out systematically in pieces. It's going to take time and its likely to hurt.

The TV, IPad or other distractions will help your child through this process. What wont help here is nagging and scolding your child as you detangle and your arms get sore trying to do this, how silly / careless they have been. We know, you'll be thiking it... we have with our own kids.

So, as you strand by strand detangle their hair, see if you can discover in conversation with them when the child knew there was a problem with their hair. If you can help the child understand that it wont get this bad if they stop what they are doing and tell you straight away, then hopefully, you wont get this level of dread again.

We found that our kids didn't want to tell us they had a bad hair 'situation' because they knew we would get mad AND getting it out would really hurt. So helping children to detect early will help everyone in the long run and also help kids realise that rolling in long grass, putting glue in their hair, brushing with a toy brush for dolls, painting hair with poster paint or the many other weird and wonderful things they do.... isnt a good idea for their hair!!

Wishing you happy hair experiences. xx

Which kids need the Sensory brush?

There are a number of children that might find the Happy Hair Brush Sensory brush better. They are:

Kids that have never had their first haircut, who might have curls at the ends of their hair might need the softer sensory brush or one of our mini brushes.

Kids with sensory challenges (eg Autism, ADHD, Skin conditions and general stimuli sensititvities etc) could benefit a slightly softer brush on their heads.

Kids under 4 years of age generally like the sensory brush or mini brush better. They dont protest as much.

Our sensory brushes come in pink, teal and yellow.

What if my child wont even try the brush?

Put the brush away... get out your phone and go to our intagram feed or youtube channel or even facebook page. You will find videos there. Pick a child the same age and type as them and show them the video. Talk with them about what they see.

Point out that the child in the video doesnt scream and it doesnt hurt them. Have your Happy Hair Brush handy and brush it on their arm or leg and ask if that hurt. Then give it to the child and let them try it for themselves.

We have done this with many children from 3 years of age to 15 years old. Sometimes letting them discover the brush wihout us forcing on them is all thats required.

What if my child still complains?

There are two options here. First one is that the child complains becuase its a habit and grumbling is part of their old hair routine. If this is the case, ask them... did that really hurt you like a big scratch or did it just tug?

If it was a tug, hold their hair in a pony tail and brush from where you are holding to get the big knots out.

If your child still complains. then you may need our Sensory Brushes. Their nylon pins are slightly softer. Please message us and let us know and we will organise a replacement free of charge. We want to solve your hair brushing problems.