From wash-and-go styles, to picture day looks, sports hairstyles, and more, styling the kids’ hair is different every day. For over 13 years, we’ve tested lots of curly hair products for kids. Surprisingly, however, none of them are labeled exclusively for “kids”!
Here are the products we’re styling the kid’s curls with now.
Boys Curls
For my son’s hair, we need to keep the hair routine quick and simple. Preferably for him, it should take two minutes or less. Also, with lots of sports activities happening during the week, we wash his hair often. Therefore, his styling doesn’t need to last all week.
Short hair | tight curls | medium density | medium thickness
Boy’s Wash-n-Go Routine
We have at least one favorite curl cream on hand as it’s super quick and easy to apply, especially after an evening bath. We’ll then rake the cream through the wet curls to style and set.
To dry his hair, we use our hair towel to soak up any drips and then air dry the rest of the way.
Boy’s Morning Refresh
For the morning refresh, we’ll spray his curls with lots of water before styling. Longer hair can also be rinsed in the sink before styling for faster hydration too.
Once the curls are wet, we’ll emulsify some gel in our hands and glide it through the curls for added hold and shine.
Girls Curls
We reserve 15-20 minutes to style my daughter’s long hair on wash day and 5 minutes for refreshes. That’s not much time for her high-density hair! Still, to keep it quick, we style her hair in sections with both lots of water & product to create defined curl families that last for days.
Long hair | tight curls | high density | thick | coarse hair strands
Girl’s Wash-n-Go Routine
After a full cleanse and conditioning session, we’ll begin styling as soon as possible on wet hair. As we’re sectioning, we use a hydrating base gel to hold in the water from her wash session.
Next, we add a topper gel with a stronger hold to keep the curls intact for days. Once all the sections are done, we add hairspray all over as a finishing product before drying the hair.
This spray helps to prevent frizz from everyday movement and weather. But as you know, nothing helps to hold the curl definition when the kids are playing all over the blankets, sofas, and carpet…
So, if we know we’ll need to restyle often during the week, either for swimming, sports, or other play activities, we’ll skip the full wash-n-go and style with a quicker updo routine.
The Quicker Updo Routine
Following a full cleansing and conditioning, we quickly add a small amount of curl cream throughout.
After styling a ponytail or simple braided hairstyle, we’ll top the edges and ends of her hair with a strong hold gel for a finished look. The finishing hairspray works well here too!
Favorite Kids Curly Hair Products
Bouncecurl Defining Cream – is one of our favorites with its spa-fresh fragrance and luxurious texture. It melts into the hair and pairs well under most gels. It’s best used on a wash day, directly after rinsing out your conditioner for optimum hydration.
Treluxe Defining Cream – is another of our favorite curl creams with a beautiful fragrance and ultra-smooth texture. It melts into the hair and also works well under most gels. A little goes a long way so be sure to comb it through for even distribution.
Uncle Funky’s Daughter Curly Magic – the hydrating gel. This gel gives a light-medium hold and keeps the curls hydrated. Best of all, it washes out easily to prevent buildup. The packing is an easy dispenser pump and the consistency is thin, but not runny. It’s easy for beginners to use on wet hair by rubbing quickly between the palms before applying it all over the curls. It works well for short or long hair too. You can use a little for fine hair, or add more to hold thicker hair and tighter curls.
Innersense Organic Beauty, I Create Hold – the topper gel. This a strong hold gel that’s perfect for thick hair and tight curls. This is our go-to gel for curls that need to last for days!
Innersense Organic Beauty, I Create Finish – the finishing hairspray. an organic, non-aerosol hairspray that leaves no lingering scent or chemicals in the air around little noses. This is our weather insurance product that’s great for protecting curls from wind, rain, humidity, and mist. Read more on my product review here too. This is one product that I never want to be without.
Blueberry Bliss Styling Gel – my daughter’s favorite gel for styling her hair by herself. The gel isn’t too thick and not too runny making it easy to use, even for beginners. It has enough hold for tight curly hair, while keeping the hair touchably soft.
Find more curl kids hair tips here too!
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