How to Style Baby Hair

Baby hairs are both a problem and a delight. On one hand, they are a sign that your hair is healthy and growing, and on the other, they can be annoying when you want a perfect hairdo.

However, they don’t always necessarily mean that your hair is growing. So, why are they there? And how to tame them when in need for perfect hair?

Read on to find out.

What are baby hairs?

Baby hair are not just a single term. Rather, they encompass all sorts of conditions that we call baby hairs because they are so small and light. However, if you automatically assume that your hair is growing when you see some, you might be wrong. Here are all of the types of baby hairs and what they mean.

Vellus hairs – These are those really tiny baby hairs, often not longer than 2mm. They can’t be seen from a far and they cover all areas of our skin. Vellus hair grows at a much faster rate, or rather, it has a shorter growth cycle. They are usually very light and produce less sebum. While not common, some women see the vellus and assume that this is baby hair.

New hair – When you notice hairs that are darker than vellus and longer as well, this can be a sign that you are growing new hair. Especially so if these can be seen from a distance. They grow around the hairline and they look very healthy, with blunt ends. However, what’s really tricky about them is that they grow differently for different people. Some may see them reach the length of the rest of the hair. Some may never see any growth. A famous example is Kim Kardashian who got them laser removed because they never grew and bothered her a lot. This is largely related to genetics.

Damaged hair – One of the common reason for ‘baby hairs’ is the fact that your hair was damaged. Now, you may think that you didn’t color or bleach your hair recently – or done anything else that could be harmful. However, hair breaks because of everyday styling, blow-drying, tying your hair too tightly, brushing too roughly and so on. When your baby hair is caused by damage, the ends of the hairs will look frizzy and split.

These hairs can be found in men and women alike, no matter the race or age. The Black community is particularly famous for them, especially for boasting them and styling them to match their hairdo. However, Afro type hair is the most brittle and this may mean that those baby hairs are breakage.

There are many other reasons and conditions that could cause baby hairs. Wearing a certain hairstyle repeatedly, too tightly or wearing extensions and wigs can strain your hair and cause this. Other things like bleaching, coloring, getting a perm and so on also damage your hair. This is fairly simple to treat, though.

Do baby hairs grow out?

Photo Credit: Glamour-UK

As you’ve seen, baby hairs are not always there because of hair growth. They can also be there because your hair is damaged.

Accordingly, the answer to this question will be a matter of what type of baby hairs you have. If your baby hairs are there because of growth, then you can expect them to grow out at their own pace, half an inch a month or less.

If your hair is damaged, then you can’t really expect much of a hair growth.

Think about your hair routine. Do you bleach it often? Do you comb too roughly? Have you done any other treatment recently? Do you wear a lot of straining hairstyles?

If the answer to any of these questions is yes then your hair is damaged and you should stop using harsh methods with your hair. Start being gentle with it and using milder routines to help it heal.

Styling baby hair

Baby hairs don’t necessarily need to be annoying and you definitely don’t need to go all Kim K on them. Styling them is quite a popular option. All you will need for this is some water, a brush and gel. Shaping them and styling them is easy and it can give your updo’s an instant charm and flair. Take a look at some of the best celebrity styles to inspire your own.

Tessa Thompson wore two braids and then styled her baby hairs into a slick, spiral look that instantly gave her a new and fresh look.

Lizzo wore an amazing updo with all of these rhinestones, criss cross strands, weave and so on which incorporated her baby hairs perfectly in little swirls and shapes

FKA Twigs wore sideburn-length swirls and shaped them in hearts which looked amazing and dramatic

Alyssa Wallace, the queen of baby hairs recommends that you don’t take any longer strands to make them look like baby hairs – she says that if the strand is longer than an inch, it’s not baby hair.

Chelliscurls is an Instagram star and one of her best hairdo’s involves slicking and shaping her wispy baby hairs. It looks laid down and effortless.

Chizduru is another Instagram star that does her baby bangs brilliantly in a simple and natural way instead of making shapes from them which is perfect for regular girls.

Products to use for baby hair

No matter how fun styling them can be, baby hairs can easily ruin even the best hairdo. This is especially horrifying if you have just spent the last hour styling your hair. In the sun, baby bangs can be really noticeable which makes them even more annoying. Any fierce hairstyle like neat buns, high ponytails or any edgy hair-do’s need to be done in a way that keeps every single hair to stay put. But your hair can’t look edgy if baby hairs are all over the place. So, edge control products come to the rescue.

However, picking good products doesn’t end at their ability to control your hair. You also need to choose something that will not damage but rather condition your hair and promote healthy hair growth.

In that spirit, here are some of the best gels, creams and other types of styling products that will help you tame your hair.

ECO Styler Styling Gel

Photo Credit: Amazon

This product is one of the most popular in the niche of taming baby hairs. All of their products are really good and they formulate their blends with argan, castor and olive oil which condition your hair and help you keep your hairs in place. It’s budget friendly wash and go type of gel which can help you define your curls.