TIPS AND RESOURCES

TIPS: Over the years of running this site, I've had people email me regarding the fact that there was no advice on locking children's hair. So, I've decided to finally put something here that will pretty much be basics...a starting point, if you will. If there are other things you'd like to see covered here, please email me at info@kidznlocs.com for consideration. Remember, the information given here is based upon my experiences and opinions so please, use your own discretion!

I will put the following in Q&A format...

How old is too young to lock a child's hair?

This is a common question that I've seen SO many times on discussion groups/forums and of course, depending on WHO you ask your answers will vary because everyone has their own opinion(s) as to whether or not it should be the parent's decision or the child's as well as if certain ages are "too young". One of the main reasons that people tend to believe that you should wait until your child is older than 2 or so years is because some believe that the locks will be affected by the growth of the baby's head as they get older.

I don't know how true that is but from personal experience, my youngest daughter's locks were started at age 2 and my youngest son's at the same age. I cannot personally speak for starting at birth or under 2 but at having started both of them at age 2, I can say that as far as MY eyes can see, there was not major "damage" or "problems" as their heads grew and developed. I'm not even really sure what the whole issue surrounding this is because the only thing that could/would change is perhaps the size of the sections and I'm not even sure about that.

But I have seen reference to some who have locked their children's hair from a very young age (younger than two) and it wasn't an issue with them either!

What are the pros and cons to locking a child's hair?

There are pros and cons to ANYthing that we do in life and sometimes the pros outweigh the cons and vice-versa.

From my own personal observations the pros would be: no distress from combing if a child is "tender-headed", freedom and time to do other things than to worry about washing/detangling/styling/cutting/etc. the hair each week/month/etc., instilling pride in the child's heritage because if a child can develop a strong sense of self-confidence from LOCKING then they can overcome pretty much anything when it comes to self-esteem amonst other things.

The cons, I guess would be: you have to keep their hair clean to avoid product/lint build-up, they (or you) may face adversity and objection from peers and family members. But what it really all boils down to is how you handle and perceive various situations...negatives can always be turned into positives!

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