Bad, bad mama.

[ailbhe]

Today I have put clean laundry away, shouted at the children, taken soft toys posted through the catflap out of the mud, shouted at the children, taken damp laundry in out of the rain, shouted at the children, hung laundry over balustrades and chairs to dry, shouted at the children, fixed the toilet seat to the toilet bowl, shouted at the children, washed my hands so often the skin is flaking off, shouted at the children...

Finally I came to my senses and parked them in front of the TV and stopped this "going out to get things done" nonsense. We are not going to get anything "important" done today. So what?

And I realised that Linnea's hair is easier to comb if I brush it with a soft, soft baby brush first, and do it while she's eating or otherwise occupied. She doesn't like it, but I can't stand matted hair full of ick, either. I do wish they'd got Rob's hair instead of mine. His doesn't mat ever, as far as I can tell. Mine - and the girls' - mats if it's not brushed for two days. Longer than that and you get a sort of dread effect at the nape of the neck. Only not proper dreads, nasty little manky things.

I've wondered whether I should oil it, instead, but that seems odd on fair hair.

Comments

[submarine-bells.livejournal.com]

My hair mats if I'm not careful. Dunno if it's the same sort of problem you're getting with the girls (very fine, easily damaged, easily tangled) but what helps a *lot* with mine is (a) lots of conditioner slathered on each wash - and not a single splooch of it on my head that then gets spread out throughout my hair, but a bunch of little splooches, applied directly to different sections and with particular care and enthusiasm to mat-prone areas; and (b) keeping my hair restrained so that it can't move around too much and thus tangle. I wear mine in a braid most of the time and that's pretty good; if the girls' hair is long enough, a braid on either side of their head may help avoid the dreaded "occipital mat" that comes from sleeping with one's head on a pillow. That's what I did with my hair when I was stuck in hospital for a week and unable to shower or look after my hair much; and my hair survived the experience intact. :-)

The big advantage of oiling hair is moisturising effects - if the girls have dry hair, it might help. I've never found that oiling did much for mine, but some folk swear by it in terms of improving general condition and gloss (which surely can't hurt when trying to avoid tangles).

(As you might have noticed, I've become a bit of a Hair Geek as part of the process of growing mine long. And it's working - my delicate, flyaway, fine, tangle-if-you-breathe-on-it hair is now at hip-length and still growing!)

[ailbhe]

Long fine flyaway I can deal with, it's incredibly short yet somehow still able to tangle that leaves me bewildered. I can tie some of Linnea's hair up in a top-of-head or rear-of-head ponytail thing, but that leaves the other lot free to mat at will.

[cangetmad.livejournal.com]

Judicious use of hairclips in the most mat-prone areas?

[heraldis.livejournal.com]

how often does their hair get washed? Less often is better, and if it needs washing due to paint/mud etc, try just water, then conditioner?

Swimming mucks this up, of course :/

[ailbhe]

I suppose a big public screaming fit after every swimming session is probably the best way to manage :(

(I mean, I could put conditioner in during those showers, which would help a lot).

[the0lady.livejournal.com]

Cut it all off.

Well it worked for _my_ mother...

[ailbhe]

It's not really mature enough yet to do a buzz-cut and I think scissors would be harder to wield than combs in this instance.

If only it was long enough, on either child, to tie back somehow...

[the0lady.livejournal.com]

I suppose lots and lots of conditioner is the way forward then... Or even better, you could try some sort of after wash leave-in detangling conditioning product. I think feminism can be made to yield to pain prevention in this instance.

from Alison

[(Anonymous)]

Lush Veganese conditioner is the best detangling conditioner I've found, that's gentle enough to use on the children every time they bathe or swim. I've also often left it in their hair, with no discernible ill effects - so, bath, wash hair, plaster on conditioner, plonk child in front of tv and comb, don't rinse. Helps keep it untangled.

Tying it up does help too - Gwenny's hair tangles within minutes (so frustrating to brush or comb - it's like the Forth Bridge) and plaiting it does at least postpone that. You can get tiny rubber bands in Claire's that are pretty grippy and might work even on her slippery hair if you did a few little plaits.

RE: Coming to one's senses....

[gloriap.livejournal.com]

The Serenity Prayer

For every ailment under the sun
There is a remedy, or there is none;
If there be one, try to find it;
If there be none, never mind it.