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| Q: My Son has a few strands of grey hair right from the age of 2 1/2 yrs. I do not know whether this is increasing. Does it indicate that something is seriously wrong with him or his diet. Please help as I am terribly scared that he might contract some disease (like leucoderma which is also due to some vitamin deficiency). He does not eat fruits. what can we do to stop this. Help us please!!!!! Rajee Mahesh (Mumbai, India) |
| A: It is possible that the grey hair is the sign of a vitamin deficiency, especially vitamin B12, which is a Vitamin found in animal sources. If your child is vegetarian, he may be lacking this vitamin. However, there could indeed be other causes, including leucoderma. If your child has just a few grey hair, there shouldn't be a problem. Keep a lookout to see if it is increasing. If yes, contact a doctor. At times, there could be no other reason except that your child has started greying unusually early. Get his complete blood count, Vitamin B12 and thyroid levels checked. |
| Q: Yesterday, while combing my three year old son's hair, we were dismayed to find one grey hair. What is the cause? Raoul (Goa, India) |
| A: Unfortunately there is no remedy for this. The cause is also not known. One or two grey hair is also not uncommon, and finding one grey hair does not mean that your child has started greying. Wait and watch. |
| Q: I apply olive oil to my 3 year old daughter's hair. Is this okay? Also, what is an alternative to shampoo? Samina (Lahore, Pakistan
) |
| A: It is absolutely fine to apply olive oil to your child's hair. You could consider using Shikakai soap instead of shampoo. |
| Q: My daughter is two years old. However the growth of hair is very less. Though we
have shaved her four times since her birth, her hair has not become thicker. We have been applying castor oil on her scalp, but it doesn't seem to have helped. What should we do? Tara (Jodhpur, India) |
| A: Try applying olive or coconut oil instead of castor oil. You really shouldn't be worrying about the quantity of hair at this age. It is absolutely no indicator of hair to come later. Just take normal care of your child's hair. Don't overdo it. You may consult a skin specialist if you are really worried. |
| Q: My seven year old girl is very hairy. What should I do? She was allergic to besan, so I couldn't do anything earlier. Samantha (Jodhpur, Dubai) |
| A: If she is no longer allergic to the besan and haldi mix, you could try applying that now - give her an entire body scrub with besan and haldi, at least once a week. When she's bathing, she should apply soap and scrub her body lightly with a pumice stone. This should be done on a daily basis. |
| Q: How should I maintain the skin and hair of my 5 year old daughter? Gayatri (Lucknow, India) |
| A: Oil her hair regularly once a week. Give her a nice head massage with warm oil. As for her skin, apply a mixture of besan and haldi once a week, and when it dries, scrub off. |
| Q: My daughter is 7 years old. How should I mantain her hair? Menka (Lucknow, India) |
| A: Massage her hair with warm coconut oil for about fifteen minutes, at least once a week. Let the oil stay in her hair for around an hour, and shampoo off. Apply egg to her hair once a week if possible, or once a month. Whisk the egg with a fork and apply it to the hair after applying the oil. Curd is also excellent for the hair, but if your daughter is prone to catching a cold, don't apply curd, and instead of coconut oil, use almond or olive oil. |
| Q: My daughter has a lot of hair on her upper lip. The hair is very prominent. What should I do to get rid of it? Chandra N. (Kovalam, India) |
| A: Do not do anything now. It will fall off on its own. If not, once she grows up a little, you could start bleaching it, and eventually when she is around 10-12, she can start getting it threaded. |
| Q: I'm very worried about my son's hair. He has thick hair, but he also has tiny, bristle-like hair on his scalp, which I can just pluck out without him feeling it. Please help. Janhavi (Indiana, U.S.A) |
| A: By the time your child turns two, all the old hair will fall and new hair will appear in its place. Wait until your son turns 3. If the problem persists, show him to a skin specialist. |
| Q: I had first shaved my child's hair when she was a month old. When should I shave it again? How often should I shave off her hair? What are the advantages and disadvantages of shaving her hair? Shaina (New York, USA) |
| A: There is no need to shave the head again. In India, the first 'mundan' or head-shaving is a religious ceremony and a child's hair is shaved just once. |
| Q: I have noticed dandruff in my daughter's scalp. How can I get rid of it? I do not want to use chemical shampoos and spoil her hair. Sunidhi (New York, Riyadh
) |
| A: Wash your child's hair more often. Apply oil once a week, and wash off after an hour. Always wash oil off. Don't leave it in your child's hair, as oil attracts dirt. |
| Q: My daughter has a lot of hair on her forehead. I used to massage her forehead with my hand to get rid of the hair but it doesn't seem to have helped. Will it lessen on its own? Chakrapani (Nashik, India) |
| A: Many children are born with hair on the forehead. Ignore it. The hair will indeed fall of on its own sooner or later. You could try applying a mixture of besan and haldi to your daughter's forehead, and massaging it off. |
| Q: My daughter's hair growth is slow. She is almost bald, and is two years old. We have shaved off her head five times since birth. What should we do?
Please help. Asit (Jodhpur, India) |
| A: You really shouldn't be worrying about the quantity of hair at this age. It is absolutely no indicator of hair to come later. Shaving off your child's hair will not necessarily increase her growth. That's just a myth. Just take normal care of her hair. Consult a skin specialist later on, once she has passed the age of 3, if there is still no sign of improvement. |
| Q: Our 1 year old son had good black hair, but it started falling very fast from the 2 inch thick circular band starting above her ears and going back around her head. The hair at the top of the head is still good. We see her rub her head, eyes and nose on the bed a lot while playing or crawling. Is this a serious problem? Amar (Jodhpur, India) |
| A: The problem she is facing is called 'friction alopecia' i.e. hair loss due to constant friction with the pillow/ mattress. This is fairly common at this age when the baby is lying down and looking around everywhere. The hair will come back gradually once she starts sitting and the friction is minimised. As regards the rubbing of the eyes/nose, it may be a self-soothing manoeuvre or it may be an allergic manifestation. You may have to search for an allergen in her environment e.g. dust, smoke, powder, strong smells etc which may be affecting her. Your vigilance may be the only way to localise the allergen. |
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