Tolerating Hair Brushing
Hair brushing is a hygiene task that involves many sensory systems. Many children (and adults!) experience discomfort or distress when it’s time to brush their hair. Children with sensory processing disorder (SPD) may have an even harder time with this grooming task.
SPD is a condition common in children with autism spectrum disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, anxiety, and more (Jones, 2024). This condition impacts how the brain processes sensory stimuli through the eight senses. Before we discuss tips for improving the experience of hair brushing for your child, it may be useful to review our post on the eight sensory systems.
Children may be sensitive to hair brushing for a variety of reasons related to our sensory systems:
Tactile (touch): There is frequently a correlation between scalp sensitivity and children disliking hair care activities (Grogan, 2023; Kostelyk, n.d.). They may dislike the feeling of a hairbrush, comb, water, or hair products on their scalp. The pulling and tugging of hair as we work through knots and tangles may be painful or overstimulating. Some children may also be sensitive to others touching their head or hair. (Grogan, 2023; Kostelyk, n.d.)
Vestibular: Brushing a child’s hair often involves pulling and tugging to work through knots. This causes the head to move side to side or forward and backward. When this happens, it may activate the inner ear, which controls the vestibular system (Grogan, 2023; Kostelyk, n.d.). This activation may cause the child to feel dizzy, unsteady, or uncomfortable. Additionally, for children with longer hair when washing, brushing/combing, and styling, oftentimes it requires tipping their head out of midline orientation which, again, activates the vestibular system (Grogan, 2023; Kostelyk, n.d.).
Auditory (sound): A child may be sensitive to the sound of their hair being brushed, the sound of running water or a spray bottle, or other environmental inputs that they are experiencing during the hair care process (Kostelyk, n.d.). This may lead to feelings of overstimulation or discomfort.
Olfactory (smell): Children may be sensitive to the smells of various hair products used, like hairspray or detangling spray (Kostelyk, n.d.). These smells may also lead to feelings of overstimulation or discomfort.
Tips for Promoting Hair Brushing Tolerance
While each child’s tolerance and sensitivity will be different, there are many methods to make hair brushing a more enjoyable experience. Here are some tips to try at home:
Ask your child to explain what they dislike about hair brushing or why they are avoiding it. This will help you understand what specific part of the task they dislike or find distressing (Grogan, 2023; Golden Care Therapy, 2022).
Allow your child to have more control over the task. Provide your child with 2-3 options for hair brushes or combs and let them pick which one feels the best on their scalp. Let them smell shampoos or other hair products at the store and select their favorite scent. Give your child the hairbrush and let them brush their own hair! This way, they can control the pace and amount of pressure applied (Grogan, 2023; Golden Care Therapy, 2022; Kostelyk, n.d.).
Use sensory activities to help your child regulate before you begin hair brushing. You can apply pressure by massaging their scalp with your hands. If they have a hard time sitting still, have them do jumping jacks before sitting down. (Grogan, 2023)
Make hair brushing more fun! Set up a point system where your child earns points after a certain amount of strokes. Sing goofy songs while brushing their hair.
Add in distractions. Put on your child’s favorite movie. Provide them with their favorite toy or fidget (Golden Care Therapy, 2022; Kostelyk, n.d.).
Add visual elements. Have your child stand in front of a mirror so they can see what is happening. Add a visual timer so they know how long the hair brushing will last (Grogan, 2023; Kostelyk, n.d.).
For those with straight or wavy hair, start at the top of their head and gently move down the head as you brush. For those with curly or coiled hair, it may be easier to start brushing the ends of their hair and work your way up. It may also be helpful to use your other hand to stabilize their head if working through knots to reduce pulling. (Grogan, 2023)
Maintain a shorter hairstyle. Shorter hair is less likely to tangle, leading to less pulling while brushing it! (Grogan, 2023; Golden Care Therapy, 2022).
Tools for Hair Brushing
Please note that each child’s hair type and sensory difficulties will be different, so find what works best for your child!
Sensory-Friendly Hair Brushes and Combs
Detangling Sprays
Scent-Free Hair Products
For ideas on how to help your child better tolerate haircuts, check out this blog post!
References
Grogan, A. (2023, November 2). 7 ways to help kids sensitive to hair brushing. Your kids table. https://yourkidstable.com/sensory-issues-with-hair-brushing/
Golden Care Therapy. (2022, November 21). Autism and hairbrushing. https://www.goldencaretherapy.com/autism-and-hair-brushing/#:~:text=Why%20Is%20Brushing%20Hair%20A,trigger%20a%20child%20with%20autism
Jones, K. B. (2024, January). Sensory processing disorder (SPD). Family Doctor. https://familydoctor.org/condition/sensory-processing-disorder-spd/#:~:text=Sensory%20processing%20disorder%20(SPD)%20is,that%20other%20people%20are%20not
Kostelyk, S. (n.d.). Hair care: Tips for kids with sensory struggles. The chaos and the clutter. https://www.thechaosandtheclutter.com/archives/hair-care-sensory-struggles