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Fros, Fashions &
Finds: Back to School: A Family AffHair
By Megan
Davis
Soulcial Scene Contributor
The year 2016 is more than
half over and the summer sun is setting a little earlier
each day. Nights are cooler and mornings are a bit brisk as
the Back to School season has officially begun. When we
think of back to school, we think of hectic schedules,
stricter routines and how we are going to juggle, work, home
life and education. As if parents already don’t already have
a full schedule, getting little ones ready for each school
week is another task to pencil in. Still it has to be done.
Clothes will always have to
be laundered, meals must be prepared and hair must be done!
Let’s talk about some tips to help maintain your child’s
curly tresses while developing a routine that will help the
whole family find success this school year. Make “wash day”
quick and fun! Include your children in washing their hair.
Encourage them to help get the supplies you’ll need. Make a
snack and play some energetic music or music from their
favorite artists.
For smaller children ages two
to five, try washing their hair while in the bathtub. Make
sure they place a towel over their eyes to prevent products
and water from getting in them. If they are between the ages
five to seven, they may like to have their hair washed at
the kitchen sink. They are still small enough to lay back on
the counter with a rolled towel placed behind their neck for
comfort.
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These two methods allow easier
access to the hair and scalp and helps keep products out of
their eyes. If your child’s hair is very thick, try
sectioning into at least four sections prior to cleansing,
to allow the shampoo to be applied to the scalp. You may
apply a conditioner to detangle with a wide-toothed comb to
make for easier styling. Detangling is very important. While
fingercombing the hair is good, it does not remove all of
the tangles in one’s hair. This will become a problem when
trying to style the hair into neat cornrows, blow drying,
flat ironing or braiding. Using a wide tooth comb helps
remove the tangles without pulling out hair. Make styling
your child’s hair as pleasant as possible. If they are “tenderheaded,”
take your time in styling their hair. This will help
encourage positive thoughts about their image and self
esteem as opposed to ripping through their hair saying “your
hair is too thick or nappy.”
If their hair dries quickly,
keep a spray bottle of water near to rehydrate while
styling. Put on a movie and give them a snack or let them
play a game on a tablet while getting their hair styled. It
makes time go faster in a child’s mind. Popular styles for
younger children include cornrows, plaits and twists. For
older youth – tweens and teens – a lot of them are wearing
blowouts, locs or crochet-braided styles. The ones that
require the most maintenance are the cornrows as they tend
to frizz sooner than the other two styles.
A child’s hair fashioned into
two-strand twists can be styled in a number of ways to
include accessories such as barrettes, baubles and beads.
You can find these accessories at our local Powell’s Beauty
Supply located on Nebraska Ave.
For boys, while they may not
seem to need a lot of hair care during the school week, they
would also benefit from the shampoo routine and keeping
their hair picked out and hydrated
throughout the week. Popular styles for boys include the
sponge-coiled look, barber designs, locs and various faded
styles with a little length at the top.
For fashion, some students do
not have to wear uniforms. In the event that regular attire
can be worn, parents may benefit from planning outfits for
the whole week and placing them in small bins, such as those
found at The Dollar Tree.
Label each bin with a day of
the week or pictures of the specials they will have for the
day. For instance, if Tuesdays and Thursdays are for
physical education, label that bin with a basketball,
football or jump rope, so they know why they are wearing gym
pants and a t shirt. Include your children in the planning
of their outfits.
When everything is planned
out, it makes everyone’s mornings smoother and it builds
your child’s organizational skills and encourages them to
feel good about going to school.
Going back to school is a learning process for everyone from
the students to the parents and even the teachers! Help your
child prepare each week with a customized routine that they
can be proud of as it also gives them encouragement to
excel.
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