4 Tips That Will Teach Your Curly Kids to Love Their Hair

If you or your spouse have naturally curly hair, chances are, you passed down those beautiful locks to your son or daughter. While everyone adores those cute curly heads while they are a baby and toddler, you know that caring for those curls can become much more of a challenge for you and your child as they get older. 

Growing up with naturally curly hair, while beautiful, can be difficult to for any kid to accept. Every child goes through that awkward stage during their adolescent years where everything about ourselves seems out of place. This is the time when young children cross the threshold from kid to tween to teen and are trying to figure themselves out and develop an understanding of their beauty standards. At a young age, our young girls are bombarded with what is considered beautiful, what is considered unattractive, and in the midst of that, they are trying to establish their own definition of beauty. Our young boys can have similar experiences, being teased for having tight curls if they choose to grow their hair out. The images we see in magazines, reality shows and social media don’t make it any better. 

When it comes to curly hair, no matter the texture, it can be difficult for young children with naturally curly hair to find the confidence necessary to wear their natural, unstraightened hair with a sense of pride and appreciation. That was a part of the driving force behind PuffCuff creator Ceata Lash’s visit to Peek’s Chapel Elementary school in Covington, Georgia.

Founder and inventor Ceata Lash headed over to Peek’s Chapel Elementary school to chat with the students about being an inventor, creator and loving her hair. Pulling some of the shy students to the front to demonstrate how the PuffCuff works, she showed the class how PuffCuff products work and talked about confidently moving forward with her idea to create a PuffCuff based on looking for a hair accessory that would work well with her naturally curly hair. Looking at a class full of young students in the swing of maturing and learning about themselves, Ceata’s lesson on invention translates to much of what those young students will encounter when they grow to develop their own personal standards of beauty and learn how to accept their curls.

When sending our curly kids out into the world, it is important that they are confident in everything that they do. Unfortunately, for many young girls or boys with curly hair of various textures, they are subject to bullying and teasing because their curls can often times be considered different. Even as an adult, you may know what this is like when you have a bad hair day and your curls are lacking moisture or shine. Just like every woman who has lived through the adolescent age with curls, styling and caring for naturally curly hair can be difficult to get used to for the first couple of years. But Ceata, who confidently created the PuffCuff to inspire curly hair women and young girls across the world, young curly girls headed back to school this season can also learn to love their hair and wear their curly crowns with confidence.

Here are Ceata’s tips on how you can encourage your curly-headed kid to feel confident about those curls.

1. Encourage your young curlies to experiment

Finding the right products, style, and tools is really about experimentation. If you have a daughter, encourage her to try out new products, experiment with trying new styles in the mirror at home, and using the latest hair tools like the PuffCuff that make creating ponytails and puffs a breeze for curly heads. Allowing your young curly girls to figure their hair out with a hands on experimental approach. 

If you have a son, show him images of boys his age all the way up to adult men who have curly hair. It’s now becoming more common for men to have long hair (that is well-groomed) whether it is casual or on the job. Help them understand that they can put time and care into their curls, too.

2. Help them decide their own beauty standards

The truth is that the world that we live in is swirling with unfathomable beauty standards that young, impressionable kids look up to and aspire to achieve. A lot of times, these beauty standards just don’t align with reality. Not all curly hair types are considered, in the big picture, desirable. That, however, does not mean that your daughter or son shouldn’t love their hair. Encourage your little curlies to determine what they consider beautiful, especially about themselves.

3. Always, always use positive words when talking about their curly hair

At school, parties, and on social media; your curly haired kids may have to deal with a lack of acceptance from their peers. That is plenty of negativity for any child to handle. When talking to your child about their hair, even when it’s an especially frizzy hair kind of day, use positive words when talking about it. Always guide them in understanding that their hair, with all of its waves, coils, and kinks, is beautiful.

Having curly hair is a unique pleasure and young girls and boys should be encouraged to love the beautiful curls that grow from their heads instead of being ashamed. As parents, mentors, and family; it’s our job to guide young curlies to love their hair. Beauty standards are irrelevant. We choose what we believe is beautiful and our curly kids should consider themselves just that.

4. Get them to illustrate it!

How can you teach your little ones to appreciate their hair at an early age? Help them illustrate it! As seen below, Ceata interacted with students during her visit to Peek's Chapel by getting them to share what they learned. Get your little curlies drawing, coloring, and reading about people with hairstyles that look and feel like them.

What other steps are you taking to foster curly hair pride in your child? Share your comments with us on Facebook and Instagram.

Latifah Miles is a freelance writer and blogger at youngfabulousandnatural.com, hailing from Northern NJ. Her work is strongly rooted in empowering everyone to be the best versions of themselves