Wet Hair PLOP! Keeping curls from tangling while wet.

I prayed to have a daughter with curly blonde hair. And that adage about be careful what you wish for? SO TRUE. I got a little girl with super fine and curly blonde hair. And it’s a mess to keep maintained. In fact it gets matted daily even with combing and brushing. And because it’s easiest to bathe at night, I had to work on keeping curls from tangling while wet. Because that’s the worst.

The plight of fine, curly hair in kids

I am not going to pretend I know what it’s like to have curly hair or that I have answers for ringlets. And while I rake through my straight hair while I grit my teeth when I have to, that’s pretty much akin to some sort of torture for little ones.

And my heart bleeds every day when I have to detangle and fix my daughter’s matted hair.

So solutions have to be found and we have to do something that works in a way she’s willing to handle. Many days we braid it and put it in pigtails to help it at least have a rhyme and a reason to the way it’s tangling so it’s easier to work out.

But our favorite new way?

Hair Plopping. Or for her, curl plopping.

It’s a great way to make sure her curls dry nice and even, without any tangles in them. Which means she can wake up with nice hair. Or, in the case of the afternoon bath times, she can have a beautiful head of perfect spirals in the evening.

Or, if we go to the beach or swimming, we can wrap up her hair, thus keeping curls from tangling while wet from the water fun.

How to wrap up hair for the perfect detangled curls

Simply fold a basic silk handkerchief into a triangle, with a little edge all the way around. (Silk is best for the wet, nighttime curls since it allows the hair to glide instead of bunch. We use a regular cotton one in the daytime)

Have your child sit in front of it on the floor with the point facing them.

Tell them to Whip (no Nae Nae though) their hair forward to “plop” it onto the hanky.

Tie it while his/her head is still down because it’s easier.

Then have them lift their head and then tie down the top flap as well as tighten where loose and you’re all done! Ultimately keeping curls from tangling while wet is easy if you have the right tools and a cooperative child.

Because let’s be honest, we don’t always get to plop and lock those ringlets. But when we do, they’re gorgeous.

We also found while doing that that having my daughter lay on a towel to brush her hair has helped with the tangles and not hurt. She lays down with her hair spread out above her on a towel. I can place my hand on her head to hold her head near her scalp while I use a wet brush to brush it. What happens is most of the time the brush is getting into the towel so it doesn’t hurt as bad on her curls.

Make sure you see our other hair care tips

Shampoo in a Jar
Detangling Matted Hair
Mom-Do with only two bobby Pins