Tips on avoiding hairwashing battles

getmore4less

I have as an adult tried the no wash(as in soap) routine, just plenty of water every day, there is no need to take off all the naturaly produced oils with soap, worked fine.

How are they cleaning there bums properly if they are not having a decent wash every day?

mysk_girl

Urrggghh no help, just sympathy. Luckily my DD aged 5 is OK, it's DS aged 3 that is the real issue. Takes 2 of us. He goes swimming once a week and I've actually given up at home unless there are actual bits in it. It's just too traumatic for all concerned, he sobs himself to sleep afterwards...

marisco_2

My youngest son was just like this. He would scream the place down at hair wash time. To the degree that I have had neighbours knocking on the door checking that all was okay! Yet like your daughter OP he has never had any fear or issue with water. No logic whatsoever to his rants and cries, which made them all the worse to deal with. He would quite happily jump into a pool and submerge himself or fling himself down a water slide with no fear at all. However up till 18 months ago if I came near him to wash his hair all hell would let loose.

He got a toy fire engine for his 6th birthday. It was so cool. You filled it with water and then pressed this button and a strong stream of water shot out the hose. He let me wash his hair in peace, on the agreement that the fire engine hosed him off. Can you believe I actually went along with this. Sometimes with kids it is anything for a quiet life.

Thankfully when he turned 7 last autumn he decided he was a little to grown up to have me do this and chose to get in the shower, be a big boy and do it all by himself. I now have the problem of trying to get him out the shower as he loves to mess around in there and play with the water. It is not only girls who hog the bathroom :cool:

This_Year

My daughter was like this! Every bathtime she screamed the place down, god knows what the neighbours thought! :eek:

We sat down with her and explained that you do have to wash your hair and we don't want you to be upset, tell us what you don't like about it and we will try to help you.

She didn't like the feeling out of control, sitting in a bath and not being able to see out and water pouring over her head and face. TBH nor do I.

So in the end, we let her sit on a plastic storage box in the bath so she was higher up, and gave her control of the jug so she poured water on her own head (we occasionally nudged the jug so it did pour the right way) but we had to shampoo and tell her when more water was needed. The shower freaked her out until she was about 8 despite her being a strong swimmer.

quinechinoise

bylromarha wrote: »

DD ( 6) has never been a big fan of baths.

She's even less of a fan of showers. However, she loves swimming and going underwater.

We wash hair once a week and every single week its another battle.

If she loves swimming and going underwater, it suggests (to me) that it's just the hair-washing she dislikes. I'd stick her in the shower for her weekly hair-wash - rinses the shampoo away quicker and the whole thing (washing, not just hair) is over in minutes.

peachyprice

I feel your pain OP, sorry I don't have any helpful advice, other than they do grow out of it, eventually, DD was around 9 before the tears stopped. She even had her lovely long hair cut to bob length when she was about 4, still didn't make any difference.

Funnily enough, all 4 Leos in my family are like it. Strange.

heartbreak_star

artichoke wrote: »

BUT the battle now is combing long hair:eek::eek::eek:

any tips on that one anyone:o

I can't advise it - but my mum threatened to cut it off to shoulder length if I complained 3 times (I was about 5, maybe 6, and she did tell me how many tantrums I had left!).

I complained. She had it cut into a bob.

I cried all day and never complained again, and learned to brush my own hair as quickly as possible!

HBS x

Saturnalia

PasturesNew wrote: »

Shave it off.

Tad drastic! :rotfl: But would your daughter be happier with a shorter hairdo? It really does make washing it quicker and easier and there's less hair to get tangled.

pigpen

getmore4less wrote: »

How are they cleaning there bums properly if they are not having a decent wash every day?

It is possible to wash your bum without washing your hair!! Quite simple in fact.

Mine only have a hair wash once a week.. unless of course they look grubby.. but the 'smelly bits' get washed twice a day.

daska

bylromarha wrote: »

DD ( 6) has never been a big fan of baths.

She's even less of a fan of showers. However, she loves swimming and going underwater.

We wash hair once a week and every single week its another battle.

We've tried every reward chart/trick/encouragement/positivity under the sun. Doesn't work.

We've tried punishments and removing objects and treats - doesn't work.

We've given her control over the washing - doesn't work.

We've tried baths at all times of the day - doesn't work.

We've given her both forewarning it'll be happening later in the day and no notice at all. Neither work to stop the behaviour.

We've never made it a big deal, but as soon as hairwash is mentioned, you see her change from a lovely polite little lady into this monster foaming at the mouth.

It was particularly draining tonight. So just wondered if there's something I've missed. Any tips please?

Just a thought but could it be the physical sensation rather than the water that she's objecting to? Would she play in the bath happily if she didn't have to rub with soap/flannel etc? DS2 loves baths but has severe sensory issues and while he has (now 5) got over his objection to 'bubbles' he is still unhappy with splashing and screams at the shower. So, because his skin is hypersensitive we just rinse body and hair down with water while he sits in the bath (lots of octonaut toys help to distract him while we do this).

I'd suggest that you step back for a few months and stop making it a battle unless she's actually dirty (mud, sand, smell etc). By the time she's 15 you'll be crossing your legs waiting for her to finish her ablutions.