[HELP!]My current dilemma with my 2 year old's hair...

[MsKendra]

Our son just turned 2 in December and has a fairly good amount of hair.

The problem is he does not like to get it washed, combed, braided/plaited..etc. If you even talk about doing his hair I swear that boy acts like your killing him. I don't really think he is "tenderheaded" persay I think its more that he doesn't want to sit still. If he's occupied with toys or watching TV while your doing his hair he usually doesn't make a sound. My problem is I can barely do my own hair. I am so pleased god blessed us with a little boy. Which gives me time to figure out this hair thing in the meantime to prepare for a girl (god willing). I can't braid so when its up to me his hairstyles are to rock a fro or pulled back ponytail. Both styles get him mistaken for a girl more times than I can count.
Anyway I'm at a point where I want his hair cut his dad does but doesn't . Family members are upset but at this point I don't really care because they aren't here to deal with him and his hair like I am.

Also wearing his hair pulled back and in braids has caused some thinning around his hairline. You can't really see the damage unless its pulled back...


I'm just wondering if the hairline will be an issue when it's cut. How will it look? I just don't want my baby looking like an old man w/ a receding hairline. Maybe we should give the side time to fill back in before cutting?

not much longer to go..lol

Thank you very much in advance for any information/insight you can offer. Please all suggestions are welcomed..I really really need help and who better to ask than the hair divas of the LHCF?

 

[secretdiamond]

!!! Your cute lil' boy has a beautiful head of hair!!! Wow. The length shot was so cute! Yeah... he's definitely on his way to BSL.

It kills me to think of you cutting his hair. And the thinning edges might be a problem too. So my suggestion is that you learn how to cornrow (not tight) and baby the edges in the mean time. Like you said, this will help if and when you have a little girl, who will, of course, inherit that gorgeous head of hair as well.

You can also have a family member braid his hair or you could do loose braids if you can't get the hang of the cornrowing.

Also, try doing his hair every time his absolute favorite show comes on like you said. I'm so sorry you are having trouble. HTH

 

[oglorious1]

I think you just answered your own question about the hair combing, of course he won't sit still, he's 2...what 2 year old sits still for more than a minute, go ahead and comb his hair while he's playing or distracted...

 

[Starian]

K, I know nothing about child rearing or baby's hair, .

But I just want to say I didn't know Jay had all that hair!

Sorry, nothing constructive to say. You still love me.

 

[juicy555]

What pretty hair he has! Don't cut!

My son just turned 2 and I wait till before he goes to sleep to braid his hair. By then he's too sleepy to fight. Also in front of tv's good. I do cornrows. Used to do individual braids when he was younger it was easy, but now like u said they wont sit still. I love long hair on little boys the way nature intended.

Do you have a regimen for his hair? Any particular products? My son's hair is soooo dry I'm considering co-washing.

 

[ahsiar29]

First you son has beautiful Hair.

I can relate to how you are feeling. It has been 10yrs since I have experienced the hair drama. It will get to a point to where you just cant take it anymore. My child would hide when he seen I was getting ready to braid his hair. He was 2 at WSL and it was just too much to bear. But the love of how handsome he looked after it was done. He would scream and cry then be all up in the mirror admiring his self. Then at 3yrs old he brought the scissors to me and said Mommy PLEASE cut my hair.

It was then that I had to realize that I had to give it up
I knew that it was no longer about what I wanted. It was him making a choice that he did not want to go through the suffering anymore.After we cut it he was so excited until he went to the barber shop. That was a whole different episode. erplexed

Anyway in due time you will figure out what is going to benefit you as well as your son. I understand your stress it's a diffucult decision. Try to just box braid his hair so it wont be so much pulling at the roots with the corn rows. And it will stay in longer too. Well I HTH with another mommy experience.

 

[mizztasha49]

What a beautiful head of hair your lil man has
I agree with the previous poster who said box braid it
It may take you a will but it should last for a decent amount of time
and when he sleeping see if you can practice cornrolls
Maybe you could find someone who will braid it for you
I have the same issue of being still with my daughter but some reason if I have a friend braid her hair she sits fairly still

 

[deedabug]

when i was tryna maintain my son's hair with cornrows....i did front goin from crown to ear instead of back..that was less stressful on the hairline...the back i did it goin back...

i also did this cuz my cornrowing is not all that hot but doing it this way was good enuff for him....he is 2 and is a boy u dont have to worry about perfection when braiding his hair...

my son had no broken off parts but i htink if u cut it will look less obvious...

definitely do not do the ponytail...my son hates that and is not shame to say ''im a boy mom....i don't want this''

 

[purpledove]

My two year old daughter is the same way. She doesn’t like to get her hair washed and doesn’t like sitting still for me to comb it. What I do to cut down on the time spent under the sink is the wet her hair and lather it up before I put her under. While she is watching her cartoons, I take a bowl of water and a washcloth and wet her hair, then apply the shampoo. Then all I have to do is just rinse under the sink. It only takes a few minutes to rinse so she sits still for that. As far as combing her hair, it always works best to style her hair while she is sleeping. Also stay away from those baby shampoos. They are too drying for our hair. I use L’Oreal two and 1 for kids. It’s a combo shampoo and conditioner. I run a little WGO through her hair and her hair is soft and moisturized.

 

[SparklingFlame]

First I must say that you have a beatiful family and you lil man's hair is sooo pretty! I think its time to take your lil one to the barbershop though! Especially since he doesn't like to get his hair done. He may not like the barbers chair at first either, but after a few visits, he'll get the hang of it. My son was 2 when we got his first hair cut and he loved it (as did I because his hair was lookin like....whoa It grew in patches!) I know you are gonna hate to see that beautiful head of hair go though when you do decide to cut it!

 

[Suri]

What a cutie you have!

My four year old boy has hair to the middle of his back and when he was this age he used to carry on to get his hair done. I am not cutting his so I am going to tell you not to cut his. If it's a big problem for you to keep it this length do what's best. Some solutions: massage his head for about 15 minutes after you wash, including the problem areas. Use natural oils and something like natures blessing. You don't have to cornrow/braid it everytime you wash it. Just let his hair out or give him slave braids , medium-large size individual braids (about 6-8). Take the pressure off of his hairline and do the braids a few at a time if he is occupied or crying. HTH, hopefully you won't have to cut his hair.

 

[Suri]

I love long hair on little boys the way nature intended. I agree!

Do you have a regimen for his hair? Any particular products? My son's hair is soooo dry I'm considering co-washing.

I started co-washing my sons hair. I just care for his the way I care for mine

 

[hopeful]

I'd cut it if I were you, not super short but he could still have a big fluffy fro without having so much length.

ETA: Just baby his edges, keep conditioned and oil and I bet they'll grow back in just fine.

 

[Sosoothing]

@ baby bra strap length.

I dont have any advice just wanted to say he is soooooooo cute!!

 

[Gryphyn]

When I was a baby I didn't have edges until I was 3 or 4. I just wasn't born with them . It looked like my hairline was receding. They look very healthy now though, so I don't think you should worry about that too much. His edges will grow in.

HTH

 

[UmSumayyah]

Well I would cut it. But I have to say I am NOT a fan of long hair on little boys. If he hates getting his hair done so much why is it a big deal to cut it off? Wouldn't not having to sit still for all that conditioning/oiling/detangling make him happy? (Or does he like the look of long hair but not the upkeep? )
I would cut it super short considering he has balding. Long hair and a receding hairline don't look so great. The Ben Franklin look isn't terribly flattering on anyone. Then I would do scalp massages, etc., and let it grow in evenly into a little fro.
In any case lose the ponytail.

 

[MsKendra]

What pretty hair he has! Don't cut!

My son just turned 2 and I wait till before he goes to sleep to braid his hair. By then he's too sleepy to fight. Also in front of tv's good. I do cornrows. Used to do individual braids when he was younger it was easy, but now like u said they wont sit still. I love long hair on little boys the way nature intended.

Do you have a regimen for his hair? Any particular products? My son's hair is soooo dry I'm considering co-washing.

Thanks Juicy!! No I dont even have a regimen for myself actually. I have learned not to use the baby shampoo/body wash combo (Aveeno) on his hair because the outcome is horrible! Tangly dried and a big mess. I normally use Suave, Vo5 or AtOne with nature products on his hair. Mane & Tail Detangler works wonders as well. I have also recently started doing the co-washing it definately helps with the dryness issue.

 

[MsKendra]

Thanks to all the helpful/insightful replies..never thought I would get so many replies and actually didn't think to check this thread until just now.

As of right now we aren't cutting his hair. I am going to baby his edges until they grow back in and then we'll definately cut it soon after that. I've been applying doo gro for thinning edges to the problem area. As I said before it isn't noticable until his hair is pulled back which I try not to do anymore. I believe the strain from his grandmother braiding his hair going back all the time plus the pulled back pontytail (ala Steven Segal..not powder puff at the top of his head) were the cause of the thinning edges. After washing I detangle w/ MNT detangler, apply WGO and loosely plait his hair and allow it to airdry. Normally in the morning I undo the plaits and apply moisturizer and let him rock a fro.

Simple Simple Simple..I'm loving it.

 

[MsKendra]

When I was a baby I didn't have edges until I was 3 or 4. I just wasn't born with them . It looked like my hairline was receding. They look very healthy now though, so I don't think you should worry about that too much. His edges will grow in.

HTH

Thanks for your insigh Kiwi
That's true for alot of babies but this didn't become an issue with my son until his hair became long enough to braid regularly. So I really think the braids/plaits/pulled back ponytail caused his thinning issue.

 

[MsKendra]

First you son has beautiful Hair.

I can relate to how you are feeling. It has been 10yrs since I have experienced the hair drama. It will get to a point to where you just cant take it anymore. My child would hide when he seen I was getting ready to braid his hair. He was 2 at WSL and it was just too much to bear. But the love of how handsome he looked after it was done. He would scream and cry then be all up in the mirror admiring his self. Then at 3yrs old he brought the scissors to me and said Mommy PLEASE cut my hair.

It was then that I had to realize that I had to give it up
I knew that it was no longer about what I wanted. It was him making a choice that he did not want to go through the suffering anymore.After we cut it he was so excited until he went to the barber shop. That was a whole different episode. erplexed

Anyway in due time you will figure out what is going to benefit you as well as your son. I understand your stress it's a diffucult decision. Try to just box braid his hair so it wont be so much pulling at the roots with the corn rows. And it will stay in longer too. Well I HTH with another mommy experience.

Thanks for sharing your experience ahsiar29. AWW your son brought you the scissors?? You know I would have LOVED for his hair to be cut on his 1st birthday but as you can see that didn't happen!

I have heard so many horror storries about the barber shop! Multiple people having to hold the poor child down during the whole process. I do believe the first cut will be the hardest but then they get used to it..as with anything. I also look at it as a bonding experience between father & son. They can go to the shop together and hang out or whatever. Instead for the time being before we can go anywhere he knows mommy has to comb his hair.

 

[MsKendra]

My two year old daughter is the same way. She doesn’t like to get her hair washed and doesn’t like sitting still for me to comb it. What I do to cut down on the time spent under the sink is the wet her hair and lather it up before I put her under. While she is watching her cartoons, I take a bowl of water and a washcloth and wet her hair, then apply the shampoo. Then all I have to do is just rinse under the sink. It only takes a few minutes to rinse so she sits still for that. As far as combing her hair, it always works best to style her hair while she is sleeping. Also stay away from those baby shampoos. They are too drying for our hair. I use L’Oreal two and 1 for kids. It’s a combo shampoo and conditioner. I run a little WGO through her hair and her hair is soft and moisturized.

purpledove Thank you so much for your recomendation of using WGO...It's been a life saver and makes his hair soooooo soft and keeps it from drying out.

Thanks for the suggestion on hair washing but now its so much easier I either kinda have him lean back in the tub and I use a cup of water or clear the kitchen counter and let him lay across it (on his back) near the faucet. His dad normally talks to him...gets him to count/abc's etc to keep his attention away from the hair washing business. It's working