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Softer first. Results later.
How do I know it's working?
How do I know the product is working?
Feel first: softer, easier to comb in the first few uses. Moisture between washes takes a few weeks. Ends and length take 2 to 3 months. Change one thing at a time.
Written by Courtney, founder and licensed esthetician. Facts sourced from AAD via USA Today, Dr. Hadley King: How fast hair grows, the AAP, Cutis (MDedge): Tinea capitis and BlackHealth.org: Tinea capitis in Black children. Your pediatrician leads.
- Feel changes first
- Moisture takes a few weeks
- Ends take 2 to 3 months
To tell whether a kids' hair routine is working, Cristina's Curls' guide is to judge feel in the first few uses, moisture between washes after a few weeks, and the ends at two to three months, changing one thing at a time.
Watch Courtney answer it· 0:42
Read the transcript
How would you know if a product is working? Here's what to look for and when.In the first few uses, pay attention to how the hair feels. Is it softer? Is it easier to comb? Less resistant?Anything you're watching over time, like moisture between wash days or how the ends feel, takes a little bit longer. Think two to three months.If something doesn't feel right, check your quantity, how wet the hair is, and whether you're pairing the products correctly.Change one thing at a time. Otherwise, you learn nothing.
When should I see the pediatrician instead?
Broken hairs, patches or swollen glands? See your pediatrician.
- Softer and easier to comb within the first few washes.
- Longer-lasting moisture over a few weeks.
- Ends that hold up by month two or three.
When to stop
Flaking with broken hairs, bald patches, sores or swollen glands at the back of the neck need your pediatrician, not a new product.
What else do parents ask about results?
How long should I try a new product before deciding?
Feel in the first few uses. Give moisture a few weeks and ends two to three months.
Can a product make my child's hair longer?
No product changes how fast hair comes in. Gentle handling and moisture help keep the length they have.
Why did a routine that worked stop working?
Seasons, longer hair, or a change in texture. Adjust one thing at a time.
It's flaky and the hair is breaking off. Is it dryness?
Maybe, but flaking with broken hairs or patches should be seen by a pediatrician. Scalp ringworm is common in young kids and needs prescription medicine.
Good to know
The ends you're judging today came in long ago.
Hair gets longer about half an inch a month, so the ends of a 6-inch curl are about a year old. A new routine changes how the hair is handled from now on. It can't undo what happened before.AAD
No product makes hair come in faster.
Length comes from keeping the ends you already have, by handling gently and holding in moisture. Be wary of anything that promises speed.
Curls hide their length.
Shrinkage makes coils look far shorter than they are. Stretch one curl gently to check progress, rather than eyeballing it.
Why does feel change first and length last?
Why feel changes first and length last
Conditioning products work on the outside of the hair, so the first thing you notice is slip and softness, often from the first wash. Moisture that lasts between washes depends on the routine settling in, which takes a few weeks. Length is the slowest: hair gets longer about half an inch a month, and any length you keep comes from ends that don't break. That's why Courtney says to give the longer-term signs two to three months before deciding.
How to actually tell
Memory is a bad judge of hair.|Photos: take one every couple of weeks, in the same light, on the same day after wash day.|Length: once a month, gently stretch one curl at the back of the head against a ruler or your finger.|Notes: write down how long detangling took.|Three data points beat a feeling.
Change one thing at a time
If something isn't right, the usual suspects are the amount, how wet the hair is when product goes on, which products you're pairing, and your technique.|Change one, keep everything else the same for two or three wash days, then judge. Change three things at once and, as Courtney says, you learn nothing.
Hair changes, so routines change too
The same child can need a different routine in a different season, or a year later. Toddler hair thickens, curl patterns shift, and longer hair needs more conditioner just to reach the ends. If a routine that worked stops working, the hair may have changed, not the product. Which products for which age.
When it's not the product
Some scalp problems look like dryness or a product reaction but need a doctor.|Scalp ringworm (tinea capitis) is the most common fungal infection in school-aged children worldwide, most often seen around ages 3 to 5. In US studies, Black children have the highest rates. Signs: flaking that looks like dandruff, plus hairs breaking off at the scalp. In tightly coiled hair these can look like tiny dark dots. Sometimes there are itchy patches or swollen glands at the back of the neck. Oils and heavy products can hide the scale. It needs a prescription medicine taken by mouth; creams and shampoos can't reach it.|Round, smooth bald patches can be alopecia areata. Thinning along the hairline or edges can mean styles are too tight.|For any of these, or hair loss that keeps going, see your pediatrician. No routine fixes them, and the sooner they're seen, the better.
Sources: AAD via USA Today, Dr. Hadley King, AAP (HealthyChildren.org), Cutis (MDedge), BlackHealth.org.
Parents also read
Your pediatrician leads. Under six months, or anything red, spreading, weeping or painful: call them before you try anything here.