Shampooing Your Baby’s Hair

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Monday, October 13th, 2008 Subscribe To Our Feed

New parents are often riddled concerns and questions about their newborn and how best to care for the newest addition to the family. Hair care should not be overlooked however the emphasis should be put on making the bathing and hair care a pleasant and fun experience. The first few times you attempt to bath your infant’s may not run as smoothly as you would like but remember practice makes perfect.

The amount of “hair” the babies are born with varies greatly and all are normal, some have full thick heads where as others are completely bald. This soft fuzzy hair is actually termed “downy hair” and will be replaced by much more textured hair that will more closely resemble your child’s future hair.

Regardless of the amount or lack of hair your baby is born with it is important that hair washing becomes a regular part of your bathing schedule. Bathing an infant twice a week is generally sufficient. If your baby develops cradle cap then more frequent shampooing sessions are recommended until it passes. Cradle cap is recognizable for it flaky dandruff appearance, oily yellow scales, or dry crusty patches. This condition is harmless and will pass in time. Extra shampooing, and lightly brushing with a very soft brush is usually all that is required. If you are concerned that your baby to a physician.

The key to baby hair care is gentleness, you do not want to apply to much pressure to your baby’s scalp or scratch it in any way. Always be very careful to avoid putting any pressure on your baby’s soft spot and when washing the hair and scalp use your finger tips and not your nails. One of the best ways to control the bathing situation and to avoid awkward positioning is to use the reclining position. Most bath basins on the market have a built in reclining chair which is perfect to wash your baby’s hair and head because the water will run off towards the back. These will allow you to have much more control over your baby so that injuries or accidents do not occur and soap and water stays away from the face and eyes.

Choosing a shampoo for your newborn is probably the most important decision to make when it comes to your baby’s hair care. There are to aspects to consider, the presence of sulphates and the ph of the shampoo. Sulphates are present in most “adult” shampoos and can cause stinging and irritations if they come in contact with your baby’s eyes. Choosing a shampoo that is specifically for infants is the best choice, such as “no more tears”, or a similar product. The second part of the equation is to find a shampoo that has a balanced pH level, this is a little more difficult because many of the “baby” shampoos have a high pH. Look for one that has a pH factor that falls in the 4.5 - 6 range. High pH shampoos cause unnecessary tangling which will become increasing difficult to deal with as your child’s hair starts to grow. One way to help deal with this is to gently brush out the tangles before you wash the hair and when applying the shampoo don’t use sharp circular motions that will cause more tangling. Tangles are not only difficult to comb out but they also cause hair damage.

Looking into natural products is also an option that is becoming much more popular.

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