Children's Hair Growth Tip: Topical Growth Aids

If you have been blessed with the gift of raising a Black child into a woman, chances are you are very concerned with her hair length and hair in general as you are about every other aspect of her health and development.  Before you grab for your bottle of M-T-G to put on your daughter's hair, think about the reactions that some adults get from using TGAs.  As grown as your daughter may seem at the age of 4 or 8 she is still a child.  Keep in mind that our daughters are NOT mini-mees and their hair care regimens should not be treated as such.  Use caution when you want to do to your daughter's hair what you do to your hair; especially when it comes to topical growth aids.  I do not reccomend using growth aids like Mega Tek, Shapley's M-T-G or miconazole nitrate on small children.

If you want to experiment with topical growth aids on your daughter's scalp, I would start with those that are mass marketed and can be found in your local beauty supply stores, Target, Wal-mart and/or Walgreens.  Keep in mind though, that many of these products contain mineral oil and petroleum high on the list of ingredients and if you use them, make sure you are cleansing your daughter's sclap every 3-5 days.  More important than consistent use of TGAs on your daughter's scalp is incorporating a solid 3C's regimen.  If you are not using the basics of healthy hair care - the 3C's - then using a TGA is a complete waste of time. 

Here are some suggestions:

LeKair Frenchee Super Gro: My husband's grandmother gave this to me when my oldest daughter was born.  She swears to this day (as do many women in her generation) that this will grow hair.  I used it faithfully in the early years of my oldest (and my youngest) daughter's life.  Did it work?  I don't know.  I was not into healthy hair care and thus was not incorporating the 3C's in conjuntion with the Frenchee.  Frenchee stinks and it isn't pretty to look at.  The active ingredient in Frenchee is tar.

Sulfur 8: Long touted in the Black community as having "miracle" growing properties.  I've never used Sulfur 8 personally, however many people have had great results using this on their daughter's hair.  The active ingredient is sulfur.

Dr. Miracle's Products: I don't know too much about Dr. Miracle except his commercials have me ROLLING!  From what I do know, he seems to incorporate a lot of essential oils into his products to aid in scalp stimulation and growth encouragement.  I love essential oils and many (not all) are safe to use on children.

Essential oils: RELEASE YOUR INNER MIXTRESS!  Rather than experimenting and trying different products to find that perfect topical growth aid for your daughter, blend a few drops of rosemary or lavendar into your daughter's products.  Not all essential oils are safe for children so use no more than 10 drops in your daughter's hair products.  If you grease your daughter's scalp, mix a few drops into her grease and you have a safe, inexpensive TGA that you didn't have to run all over town to find or order off of the Internet.  Never use essential oils on your daughter's scalp or skin full strength; always dilute them.

Have fun with your daughter's hair and remember that more imperative than a topical growth aid is showing her and teaching her the importance of the 3C's and how to make them work to grow her hair to its longest lengths!

Comments

[Bhree-Anna Bishop]

Hi LHDC,

Is Mega-Tek available in stores at all?

I would like to try it despite my fear of shedding but I REFUSE to order it online.

[Connie]

Have you ever heard of Ayurvedic hair care. I looked it up on Youtube, a young lady by redfoot swears by using Indian hair oils. She used Parachute coconut oil massaged onto her kids scalp along with other things they have very long hair. Interesting concept.

Hi, Connie! Yes I've heard of Ayurvedic hair care and incorporate some of the products into my own hair care practices. Amla and coconut oils are staples in my regimen and so is henna and shikakai powders. I wouldn't doubt that the Parachute helped grow her children's hair long for one bit! The power of Ayurvedic is WONDERFUL! In fact, I would encourage regular scalp massages with oils for your daughter. Me, personally, though, I don't want to put that much effort into my girls' hair at this point. (I told y'all I'm a lazy hair grower! LOL)

Thanks for stopping by, Connie and happy hair growing!

[LongHairDontCare]

LHDC: 3C's - CLEANSE, CONDITION & CARE :0)

[Balding In Arizona]

Great information, what are the three c's?