As an adult you know the basics of hair care and proper hair hygiene.
Don’t condition your roots just your ends. Do not over wash if you have dry
scalp. You know when it's time to wash all the grime from your hair. However, it
is much harder to know when your child needs their hair washed. You don’t want
to dry out their scalp or have a build up excess oil. When children are between
the ages of 8 and 12, parents often ask dermatologists this question.
In three easy steps, you can figure out how often a child
between 8 and 12 years of age needs to shampoo.
Step 1: Consider your child’s traits
To determine how often your child needs to shampoo, you first
need to consider your child’s:
•Hair type (straight,
curly, oily, dry)
•Age
•Activity level
Step 2: Find your child’s traits on the following chart
Shampoo guidelines: Children 8 to 12 years old
Shampoo every other day or daily
•12 years of age or
starting puberty
•Oily, straight hair
•Active: Plays outdoors,
plays sports, or swims
Exception: Hair is dry, curly, or African American
Shampoo 1 or 2 times per week
•8 to 11 years of age
Exception: Hair is dry, curly or African American
Shampoo every 7 to 10 days
•Dry, curly, or African
American hair, even hair with braids or weaves
•After heavy sweating or
swimming, rinse and condition the hair
Step 3: Fine tune to get it just right
Once your child is shampooing as often as shown above, you may
need to adjust the frequency a bit. Each child is different. Changes in weather
also can affect how often your child needs to shampoo.
Look at your child’s hair and scalp between washes. The
following chart shows you what to look for and how to fine tune.
Shampoo guidelines: How to tell if your child is shampooing too
often or not enough
Shampoo more often if you
notice that your child's:
•Hair is oily
•Scalp is oily
Continue to add one shampoo per week until you no longer see
oiliness
Shampoo less often if you notice that your child's:
•Hair is dull and
shedding
•Hair feels dry
Continue to remove one shampoo per week until you no longer see
dullness, shedding, or dryness
When to see a dermatologist
For most children, these guidelines work well. If your
child’s hair or scalp seems too oily or dry after following these guidelines,
you should see a dermatologist. Your dermatologist can explain why this is
happening and offer a solution.
More information: https://www.aad.org/dermatology-a-to-z/health-and-beauty/every-stage-of-life/children/teaching-healthy-hair-care/how-often-to-wash-a-childs-hair
