I've mentioned before that all my life, I've struggled with my own curls. I think a lot of that came from not knowing how to care for my hair. It was very important for me, from the time A.'s first curls popped out around her first birthday, to come up with a haircare routine that would give her strong, manageable curls without a lot of fuss and bother. And after a lot of trial and error, we've landed on something that works.

The first thing that people comment on when they meet A. is usually her hair. She has 3b/c hair, which, for those not in the know, translates into generally fine hair with tight spirally curls and corkscrews. Since I started this blog, I've gotten several messages and comments asking for advice on how to care for curls, and so I thought I'd pass the info along (now that I can). So here goes, our not-as-complicated-as-it-looks toddler haircare routine.

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• The first rule of curly hair is DON'T wash it every day. Anouk has a bath every morning, but we only wash her hair 2-3 times a week, on average. When we do wash it, we use a moisture-rich shampoo like Burt's Bees More Moisture. After she gets out of the bath, we pat (not rub) her hair dry and then apply a leave-in detangling conditioner. I've tried a half-dozen brands but nothing works as well as Johnson's No More Tangles. I'm not wild about the scent but it really is the best. 

• Not washing doesn't mean we don't get her hair wet. Every morning I spray A.'s hair with water (in a regular old plant mister) and then scrunch the tiniest bit of Moroccan oil into it. Seriously, the teeeniest bit. Just a dab on one palm's worth, otherwise it gets greasy. 

• We invested in a good detangling brush. My mother-in-law gave us the Tangle Fix and it works like a charm on Anne's thick hair, runs through it so easily. We brush her hair briefly when it's wet. When it dries, the curls are just as orderly as they can be. And of course we try to use ouchless elastics like these to cut down on breakage.

• Curly hair breaks easily, and needs regular infusions of protein to stay strong. So once a week I do a gelatin mask on Anne's hair, specifically this one I wrote about for Homegrown and Healthy. It's pretty amazing how well it works. 

• Regular trims are also important for curly tops. This doesn't necessarily mean a full cut, but every few weeks I will go on a hunt for split ends and frizzies and take care of them. Curly-haired-kid bonus? It really doesn't show when you hack off a little too much by accident.

So that's how we care for our curly girl's hair. It can still get a little wild at times but it's generally pretty manageable. Do you have a curly kid of your own? What does their haircare routine look like?

Happy weekend, everyone!