Hair Brushing Nightmare - does this happen in your house?

If you have a little one thats between 3yrs and 8 years old that has crazy, unwashed, unbrushed hair? Have you had any of the following situations?

• You haven’t brushed recently because they scream like a banshee and run away when you walk towards them with a brush.
• They don't want a shower or a bath because ‘its my body’ and I don't want to wash. 
• They complain and cry when you do brush their hair and it upsets you both too much
• You dread the whole brushing battle
• After a bath / before bed you've conceded with a rough plait and hope it will be better in the morning - which it isn’t. Then you get a dreadlocked birds the next morning and its WORSE!
• You've given up and just put their wild hair in a bun or pony and ask them not to take it out - which they probably will and it will be worse later.

To make you feel better, most parents do this and if they don't at the start of the school term, they probably will before it ends :-).

So, I have a few hacks for you to get hair sorted with your pre-primary and primary school kids. 

There is NOTHING wrong with their hair. It may be not like yours, and thats OK. If your child had a physical challenge, you wouldn't make your child WRONG for having that physical challenge. You'd work with them and encourage them to accept it and live a full and happy life. So your child's hair is their hair and thats what it is !

Also, don't blame the child's other parent for the reason the child's hair is hard for you to manage. It's not going to change anything... or change their hair.

Finally, don't complain about your child's hair to your child, to other family members or people in your community. Again, that doesn't help your child in ANY way. It only builds the story of how "difficult, wild, terrible, hard or crazy" you think your child's hair is with your child's community and your child doesn't need that. 

If your child is complaining, consider that they may have a more sensitive head than you. They may, in your opinion, "over-react" to brushing. Realise that your definition of whats hard and forceful brushing might be different to your child's experience on their head. Listen to them. Brushing hair should be about self care, connection and intimacy, not domination, paid, pulling, screaming and crying.

Forcing your will on them with this task TO GET HAIR BRUSHED because it has to be done....does NOTHING for building connection and intimacy with your child. It will only distance and seperate you and create upset and resentment between you. Don't repeat what may have been done to you as a child. 

Seriously, DON'T buy the supermarket / cheap brushes with a mermaid, princess or super hero on it. They are NOT designed to brush hair. They are designed to sell the license image and those brushes are made of nylon bristles that are jammed really closely together so you have to push the brushes onto the head and then yank down the hair & head causing pain which is why your child will scream. I know, I've bought them all and they all scratch and hurt heads and parents just persevere brushing because thats the only brush they have, or they spend a decent amount of money on it and they've got to get on with brushing. I promise our brushes work. Hand on heart, as a mother and the founder of this business, I'm on a mission to change the relationships kids have with their hair and their parents have brushing it. 

If your child has thin, wispy hair, or slightly curly hair, then our sensory paddle brushes and mini brushes would be best for them. These brushes are gentle and will give you an effective brushing experience and be really gentle to their scalp. 

For really curly hair, our paddle brush and mini brushes are perfect and if you want the curl, then brush just after washing on towel dried wet hair. Our brushes wont damage wet hair at all. 

For thick hair, and your child is 8yrs or under, our paddle brushes will be perfect. If your child is older than 8yrs and has thick hair, then our Mother Brush will be better. Thick hair will need to be sectioned so you can get to all of it. You'll know what I mean if you deal with thick hair. :-)

With a Happy Hair Brush, you child's life and yours will change forever. I know thats a bold claim but we have had over 100,000 families say this. (as at January 2023). I didn’t set out to change the world and set up a global movement of how kids and people relate to hair. I set out to redeem my little girls faith in her hair and in her mother (me). So my message to you and your child is... there is nothing wrong with the hair on your head and there is a brush that you will love and it will love you back.

Our Happy Hair Brushes will make you smile every day. Who would have thought a hair bush could change the world… well it is… Our mission now is creating a worldwide generational shift in the way children (and ultimately everyone) are treated about their hair. Hair is hair and it doesn’t have to mean anything negative or upsetting or traumatic anymore for anyone !

Try a Happy Hair Brush and judge for yourself. No hair bush in the history of brushes has ever given a 30 day money back guarantee…. now you know why.

Jen Harwood

Founder & CEO

Happy Hair Brush Australia