Your child hates having their hair combed?

Young children tend to dislike having their hair combed or groomed, mostly due to their sensitive scalp.

First of all, I would say try using a softer brush. Some children (and adults) simply can’t stand the pulling and tugging of the hair.

With a sensitive scalp, the top layer – the scalp’s protective barrier – is more permeable from external factors which might irritate the skin. As a result, it is not able to fulfil its protective function properly. Factors such as heat, cold or chemicals can penetrate through the barrier and deep into the skin. The scalp reacts with inflammation, reddening and irritation, and feels tense. Skin can vary in sensitivity depending on the season of the year.

In winter the skin is a lot more sensitive than in the summer, because lower air humidity leads to a lower moisture level in the top layer, and the scalp becomes increasingly dry. Dry scalp is particularly vulnerable, and will tend to react sensitively because the top layer barrier is only able to fulfil its function if it has a sufficient supply of moisture.

The sensitivity of toddlers scalp could be due to many reasons such as environmental pollution, dry skin caused by dry heated air, air conditioning, insufficient conditioning care or UV radiation.

Other factors which could lead to a sensitive scalp are stress, disturbances in the metabolism or hormone and vitamin balance disturbances.

We highly recommend using children’s hypoallergenic gentle shampoo and detangler.

Good luck!

Photo by Josh Willink from Pexels