Hair care is a common word heard in every household
these days. It is one of the main problematic and unpredictable areas that care
should be given importance to. From the newly born babies to the people of age
70’s and 80’s, the problem exists irrespective of the age.
Hair care in newborns is very unpredictable and is
always a challenge to the parents. If the problem is not dealt during early
stages, your little ones’ scalp might just turn messy.
Not all the newly born babies are bald. Some are
born with thick hair, all thanks to the hormones during pregnancy. While the
hair growth in normal babies may start after the first six months, the babies
born with hair may see a phase called “telogen” soon after birth for the first
six months most seen during 3rd and 4th months.
At this stage, all the hair that appeared during
birth fallout. Later, the normal hair growth in babies is seen. But in such
cases, the hair growth may not be as dense as the newborn hair or even as dark
as they were at the birth time. Also, bald spots may be observed in babies that
might cause thinning of hair.
Usually these bald spots are common in babies and
will disappear as soon as the baby is older and starts sitting upright.
The bald spots are caused by the friction when
babies lie down all the time and rub their heads against the crib or cradle
mattresses.
Till the baby becomes a toddler, care has to be
taken for hair too to look shiny and healthier. Washing of hair is one of the
most important points to note. Baby’s scalp doesn’t release oils as in adults.
Hence there is no need to wash your baby’s hair more
than once for every two weeks, unless your baby is able to stick food in hair
on its own.
Parents need to take extra care if their babies born
with more hair or curly hair and watch out for tangles or knots. A simple
solution would be a baby-friendly conditioner immediately after shampoo.
It would also be better to use a soft bristle hair
brush to brush the baby’s hair while it’s still wet. This will avoid any static
or friction to the scalp and damage to the baby’s hair.
Massaging a small amount of oil on the scalp twice
daily with gentler hands helps in quick and healthy growth of baby’s hair.
Avoid any kind of harsh shampoos with chemicals including Vaseline, petroleum,
mineral oil, sulfates, and silicones. Also leave the hair naturally.
Don’t style your baby’s hair with any kind of clips
or ponytails or headbands which may result in pulling your kid’s hair too
tightly causing damage.
Baby’s scalp is very fragile. Take proper steps to
keep your baby’s head covered from all weather conditions.
Also take care that not much friction is seen
between baby’s mattresses and pillows and head.
A trim or a cut to the baby’s hair to make it look
healthier or presentable is okay but it is to be done only when the baby is
completely asleep.
Rest assured, your baby will be with a healthy and
beautiful hair right from the childhood if the proper care tips are followed.
Not just the oils we use have an impact on the baby
also the nutrients what we give them also play a drastic role.
It’s important to check their diet plan and ensure
that they have sufficient protein, fiber and carbohydrates.
Apart from the milk what they consume they also need
other sources of food which we can gives in form of juice or smoothie.
Food like spinach, carrot, papaya, egg white,
banana, cereals, nuts and other dairy products will help them grow the hair.