Keeping your bundle of joy's crown ready for back to school!

Contributed by Chelsea Ntuli

Kids are back in their classrooms and remote learning might hopefully be a thing of the past. With that said, this means your child will need a hair care routine that is easy, quick and will make your mornings a breeze.

Most schools' hair policies might be a little outdated and yet embrace black and coloured girls' hair and protective styles. That said, fortunately a majority of our African community has evolved and grown to accept their hair and teaches young girls to celebrate their kinky coils instead of straight chemically treated hair.

There are several ways to keep your child's African hair neat and healthy without damaging it during the school year and here are some of the tips and style ideas:

• Braids

Braids are easily a go to hairstyle, in the beginning of the year, and popular amongst many parents and kids enjoy them. Braids are great because they can be styled in many ways allowing mommies to get creative and are generally quick to style and spares time to get other things done in the morning. To make sure the braids stay fresh, keep the scalp moisturised by using a water spray with your preferred small amount of conditioner or oils in the water. Parents can use the Kwanele 2 in 1 Conditioner (formerly known as the Sealing Leave-in Conditioner), that will give your child's hair the nourishment it needs. Don’t overload the hair with products, this will block pores and create product overload that ways down the hair and creates an unpleasant smell. The water spray on a daily base can revitalize the hair without causing product overload.

• Buns

As one of the most practical back to school hairstyles for kids, buns are super cute and easy to do. They are perfect for ballet dancers and will always make them pass the bun test. Luckily, the Kwanele Wide Comb Afro Hair Straightening Brush works well for kids too and is designed to be painless and has minimal breakage. It helps to achieve the perfect bun by stretching the hair long enough after shrinkage. With the innovative Hair Bun Maker from KwaneleSA hair easily holds without causing any discomfort, you can even sleep with it. This fun accessory comes in large and medium sized buns, and you can adjust your grip with a flexible elastic band inside.

• Cornrows

It's important to have a basic hair routine that is easy for both the parent and the child to follow on a daily basis. Cornrows can last up to 3 weeks and are easy to maintain. To ensure they last long, get your child a satin bonnet, headwrap or pillowcase which will help the style stay need for longer. KwaneleSA has amazing non-absorbent satin pillowcase covers that are smooth and help to maintain hair moisture. Kids have a more active lifestyle than adults so their hair tends to get frizzy much earlier than adults’ hair. Using braiding hair extensions can ensure the hairstyle lasts for a few more days. Using water spritzers and small amount of essential oil and conditioner is also very important and will keep your little one's hair healthy and moisturised to avoid breakage. The 2 in 1 Conditioner offered by KwaneleSA seals in moisture for longer and leaves the hair moisturized and softer.

• Wash and go

Show off your princess' natural hair texture by letting it loose once in a while or let her rock a cute curly fro or twistout for a few days. You can also put a headband on with a variety of high, mid, or low ponytails. Washing hair in the morning will certainly not be ideal so use the weekend to wash, condition, detangle and moisturize and then brush the hair up during the week. If you haven't tried our Silicone Scalp Massage Shampoo Brush then you are sure to miss out. The brush exfoliates the scalp with soft silicone bristles that arouse blood flow to the scalp, stimulating hair growth and improves the overall health of your hair. Kids will definitely love this one.

Taking care of natural hair can seem daunting at times however hair can be trained and once you are familiar with what your child's hair responds positively to, caring for it is easy. Teaching young girls to take care of their crowns can be fun so involving them when selecting ideas can be a great way for them to learn how to do their own hair as they grow older. Take advantage of the time you have right now, by playing around with as many kid-friendly hairstyles as you can and while you can. KwaneleSA products are suited for young girls and we want kids to grow up remembering the joy of styling their own hair brought to them.