By Dr. Linda Amerson
www.hairandscalpessentials.com
The bond between a father styling his child’s hair is priceless. The nurturing time can be used to impart education on many levels. In the USA, there is a movement for proud fathers, AKA “Hair Dad!” He willingly researches techniques for hairstyles, which are age-appropriate for their princess, and future leaders. Dads bond with their children through this simple act.
Here are some recommendations I would like to share with “Hair Dad” regarding scalp care for your children. You should examine your son and daughter’s scalp weekly. Look for any changes on the scalp, such as pimples, lesions, dry scalp, flaky scalp, redness, raised nodules, itchy areas he/she may complain about, hair breakage, hair thinning, smooth patches, grey or black patches; to name a few.
Shampoo her hair weekly, especially if she is active in any athletic activity because her scalp will sweat. Sweating leads to scalp odor. Advise your son to shampoo three times weekly for short hair, locs and braids weekly, or as often as necessary for scalp odor.
Change her pillowcase more often, every two-three days. Sometimes, new pillows need to replace old ones, like the ones with “head indentations” in them. Hair accessories, such as cloth headbands, night wraps, bonnets, scarves, or du-rags need to be washed often.
Keep on hand at least two-night coverings to interchange the dirty with clean. If at all possible, DO NOT allow your child to go to sleep with wet hair and scalp. Wet hair on the pillowcase can lead to mildew. Also, a fungus is easily transferred to children if you have indoor cats and dogs as pets. Kids touch everything in the home, practice disinfecting surfaces often.
Furthermore, a popular site for fathers is www.dadsdohair.com, where men share many techniques and tips. Another site is YouTube. On both sites, men will video record and share the step-by-step methods used to achieve a hair design. Kudos! Kudos! Kudos! To all “Hair Dads” who show the world their children are groomed! Happy Father’s Day!
Dr. Linda Amerson, Board Certified Trichologist, LA’s Hair & Scalp Clinic, Arlington, TX 76013 817 265 8854
