Parenting Pointers: Baby Hair Care

Elizabeth Cunnane Phillips, Philip Kingsley hair expert and mother of two, knows first hand how important scalp and hair health is for babies. Based on these concerns, Philip Kingsley has launched PK Baby for infants and toddlers. PK Baby is a mild shampoo and body wash for daily use that is colorless, has a non allergenic fragrance and is SLS, SLES and paraben free. It is an easy to rinse formula that contains chamomile extract to soothe the scalp and amaranth protein to gently moisturize both the skin and the hair. 

Learn your own “Baby Hair IQ” with tips from Elizabeth Cunnane Phillips as she touches upon tips for how to keep both baby hair and scalp healthy.

Babies’Hair Background

• Hair follicles begin to develop on an unborn baby at 9 weeks gestation, with scalp hairs appearing at 20 weeks
• Within the first 4 months of life, the first coat of scalp hair is shed in a wave pattern, and hairs then begin their normal daily growing and falling cycle

How to Shampoo the Hair

• As children get older and their hair begins to grow, a little shampoo will help to cleanse more effectively - this can be used around 4 weeks
• A baby’s head is so small that you only need one hand to shampoo with

How Often Should You Wash Babies’ Hair:

• It is safe to shampoo your baby’s hair every day, provided you are using a mild shampoo, such as PK Baby

Cradle Cap

• Daily shampooing helps to prevent the occurrence of cradle cap, the infant form of an adult scalp condition, pityriasis amiantacea
• Cradle Cap most commonly occurs in babies up to three months old

Conditioning the Hair

• It is not really necessary to condition a baby’s hair while it is relatively fine and fluffy, however once the hair starts to grow longer and thicken up, applying a little conditioner will help to keep it in tip top condition