An Easy, Tear-Free Hair Care Routine for Kids

It can be difficult enough to maintain your own hair care routine—curated with the perfect combination of shampoo, conditioner, and hair treatments to achieve your desired results—let alone your kid’s. And while you may be tempted to simply use your own favorites on your child’s strands, picking up kid’s hair products—including the best shampoo for kids—is the best way to be sure their mane gets the TLC it needs. Want to make sure your child’s hair stays happy and healthy (not to mention smells great)? Read on to find an easy (seriously—it only uses two kid’s hair products!), tear-free hair care routine for your little one.

STEP #1: PICK THE RIGHT KID’S SHAMPOO

Before you start going through the steps in your kid’s hair care routine, you’ll want to find the best shampoo for your child’s hair. Take your pick from our three L’Oréal Kids shampoos, which are all ophthalmologist tested for a tear-free experience.

L’Oréal Kids Extra Gentle 2-in-1 Swim & Sport Shampoo: Is your child active? For those that are constantly participating in swimming and sports alike, this is our best kid’s shampoo. The extra gentle two-in-one formula tackles the harsh effects of pool and saltwater and outdoor fun. Gentle conditioners remove chlorine, salt, and minerals after swimming and dust and dirt after playing. They protect against the risk of green tones and ease detangling—not to mention quench dryness and leave hair soft. Bonus: The orange scent makes shampooing a fresh, sunny experience—we promise there’ll be no complaints!

L’Oréal Kids Strawberry Smoothie 2-in-1 Shampoo for Extra Softness: Does your child have dry, frizzy, or coarse hair? Consider this their perfect shampoo pick! The creamy two-in-one formula with rich moisturizers boosts hair’s softness, leaving it silky and smooth. It helps prevent split ends and conditions dry hair, leaving it soft and manageable. Not to mention it makes shampooing lots of fruity fun with its strawberry smoothie scent. Yum!

L’Oréal Kids Extra Gentle 2-in-1 Shampoo With a Burst of Watermelon: For children who have thick, curly, or wavy hair, this two-in-one shampoo is our favorite. The extra gentle formula softens and detangles coarse hair or curls—no knots here! Its conditioners help stop flyaways even if it’s used the night before. And with its watermelon scent, your child can enjoy a summery good time all year long!

STEP #2: WET THE HAIR

Time to put that shampoo to use. First, wet your child’s hair with lukewarm water to prep their strands for washing.

STEP #3: LATHER UP

Squeeze a small amount of product into your palm, then apply the shampoo and work into a lather. Wash away!

STEP #4: RINSE THOROUGHLY

After massaging the shampoo throughout your child’s mane, rinse thoroughly to reveal squeaky clean strands. There's no need to follow with conditioner if you're using any of the above two-in-one options!

STEP #5: TOWEL DRY

Use a towel to gently remove excess water from your child’s strands, then leave them be to air dry. To be extra gentle, opt for an old cotton T-shirt to do the job!

STEP #6: GET RID OF KNOTS

Find a few extra knots and tangles left behind post-shower? Never fear—simply reach for a kid’s hair detangler spray! The L’Oréal Kids Burst of Sweet Pear Tangle Tamer for All Hair Types has a spray-on conditioning formula that detangles any type of hair in a flash. It can be used on wet or dry hair to tackle the craziest knots and tame bed head, leaving hair clean and shiny all day. Bonus: The sweet pear scent makes taming hair pure, juicy fun! Spritz it onto your child’s strands, then use a wide-tooth comb to gently brush out any tangles or knots working from ends to roots.

STEP #7: STYLE

Once their hair is clean and tangle-free, the world is essentially your hairstyling oyster. Pigtails, spiky hairstyles, slicked-back strands, a basic ponytail—really, your options aren’t limited. Choose something quick and easy since their hair is likely to get mussed during playtime anyway.

Next up: While a basic hairstyle will serve your kid well almost every day of the year, there’s one occasion that calls for something more out there: crazy hair day. With the school year upon us, you’ll want to read our 50 Hairstyle Ideas for Crazy Hair Day.