6 Year Want to Dye Hair

My step daughter's mom let her get her hair dyed as early as 8 I think now it is fried, she will be 14 this week. I only let my girls were the spray dye on Halloween. When my own Daughter is 15 we might discuss it.

I'm a hair stylist, and personally cannot see much before the age of 12 or 14. IMO I feel like it leaves them nothing to look forward to if you start in with this too young. Also, until girls reach puberty, sometimes color can take funny on a girls hair because of less estrogen. One thing you might try is some place like Claire's for one of those barettes or ponys with the different colors.

These things change with every generation and by community and group of friends. I am of the mind that this could definitely wait until forever, but if it gets to be the rage where you are, then don't make a stink about not doing it, it is one of those fights not to choose to fight.

Hi K., I've been a Hairdresser most of my life...I've seen children your daughters age get Perms and I really couldn't understand why...it's really up the parents to control what the child does...a child only wants what she sees...it's up to us as parents to put restrictions on what is good for them...you are probably wondering where that came from, when she asked about the pink streak...it's on TV and all around with the younger girls that dye their hair...even dolls have it...my daughter was raised in a beauty shop and she learned how to do hair at her age and later she became a hairdresser too...just tell you daughter there is plenty of time to get your hair colored, and she has to wait until she is a bit older...there is so much that can be done with hair..they say it's our crowning glory!...enjoy these years with your daughter...they are the best years of your life...Love Jo

Remember, you are the mother and it is your job to decide what is right!!! Just because everyone else is doing something, doesn't make it right.

Perhaps you can reach a compromise....Offer her a clip-in product in the colors she wants (Available at Sally's beauty supply and other places as well) This is a safer solution and a better temporary answer to her interest in colored hair. At 6 her interest in the color may change quicker than you think. Other children can be very cruel regarding anything "different" and if they make fun of her colorful hair, it will be an unhappy experience for her.

Television is playing a role in the exposure kids get to things like dying their hair, wearing makeup, provocative clothing and piercings. Hannah Montana presents them with the image of wearing wigs (some in unusual colors) and putting forth the "pop star" image. Lazy Town presents a young girl again with PINK hair. so her asking for a pink stripe seems reasonable to her. Use this to your advantage if she whines that a clip in is not what she wants. Point out that these characters wear wigs and their own hair is "natural"! It should help quiet her complaints and is an HONEST response from you.

child stars have long been having their hair tampered with...Shirley Temple in the 1930's, Jay North aka Dennis the Mennis in the 1950's, etc......

If you choose the coloring of her actual hair, remember that her skin is very delicate and be careful that the harsh chemicals that come with hair dye are handled with extreme caution. and of course, remember it takes a LONG time for colored hair to grow out!

Good LUCK!

Go to Sally's Beauty Supply and buy the pink clip in hair extensions. They are around $10.00 for a pack.

I think I have seen kits at toys r us that come w/ fake colored hair things for the girls to put in their hair. It looked to me like is would attach by an elastic made for the hair. Maybe she would be happy w/ that. Then she gets something that is her "style" and you get what you want w/ not ruining her hair so young. I agree she has plenty of years to ruin her own hair when she gets older. :-)

I think it's just plain silly to dye hair younger than at least 13. I realize it is a personal choice - my choice for my daughter will probably be to not allow until she can pay for it herself.

There are some girls my daughter knows from school that have had their hair highlighted as early as second grade. A few girls have gotten colored extensions (just one or two strips) from salons put in. I like this idea better since it is very temporary and doesn't ruin the hair - a fun, occasional treat.

My 7-year old wanted to get blue hair. I mean ALL THE WAY BLUE LOL! We compromised with the clip-in blue streak.

She wore the blue strip for about 1 week. Then she shoved it in a drawer and I haven't seen or heard about it since.

I think how the child's whole appearance looks depends on whether the colored hair is appropriate. When she comes from her mom's in shorts skirts and barely-there spaghetti tank tops and heels and fake tatoo on her back (yes, at age 7!) the blue strip would complete the Bratz doll look.

However, with her long rhinestone jeans and Hannah Montana tee shirt she looked like a little rock star. Very cute.

We got our clip in at Regis at Woodfield for $10. It's made from real hair and easy to keep clean!

I think 6 years old is way too young. My daughter will be 10 in June and she asked me if she could get highlights because her friend got some. I said "no". I told her she has beautiful hair natural highlights, she doesn't need to start messing with her hair already. Personally I'd wait until a child was 15 years old before we even discussed it.

Hi K.! I would say i would discourage them from dying their hair period just because the upkeep of highlights or dyes are a lot and i cant imagine starting that too young. this is coming from someone who is obsessed with not having a grey hair and needs to dye all too often! In the meantime maybe you can get your daughter those pieces they sell that attach like a barrette of pink or whatever color she chooses. I think claires or those girlie type stores sell them. It is a non permanent comprimise that i bet shed be happy with.

Why not? When my son was only 4, he wanted various different colors in his short light brown hair. At first I was hesitant but then figured, he's not asking for a mohawk (like some of his friends have). Although I'm certain this may be a different issue for a girl, I guess it really depends on WHY your daughter wants to have the color in her hair. Is it; just for a little harmless fun?, for the attention she will undoubtedly get?, to be "Beautiful" or what? We did it just for some fun (and attention I guess) for various occasions such as; the Homecoming football game (Daddy is the coach) we used Purple for the team colors, Green for crazy hair day at Pre-K, Blue just for school one day, Red, Blonde, etc. At 5 he was still requesting a little here and there, but at 6 not so much. Anyway, I just used the spray-in colors in the can and we had fun with it, it washes right out and people thought it was cute and funny. Goes with his personality...the novelty has worn off now so he rarely asks anymore but I still have all the colors just in case we need them. So, we're not talking about a major coloring at a $alon here right? Just a streak or two can be fun and I think shows a certain amount of confidence, it's not a Tatoo. Enjoy her and have fun, she'll only be 6 once and as long as she doesn't NEED this to Define herself, no harm done.

You could have a weekly "dress up da" with her and buy her a pink toy extention for her and 1 for her doll. They can dress up together. High school is early enough to start that hair coloring. Giving in to these kids when they're so young will only give you more for concern when they're older. They'll always "push" you to go a little further. Don't indulge them now. Playtime is one thing real life is another.

My opinion is well never! But the real parent in me says that there are other things on the market, like washables and semi-permanent dyes that last a few months. The attention span of a 6 y.o. is about that a few moments to a few months. So she is testing your boundaries to see where you stand, if you are somewhat melancholy ask her to try a washable for a day or few days. She could be happy with that? Kids are hard to read sometimes, so see how important it truly is to her? Sometimes when you flatly say No, they will only pursue it further to push you. Or use it as a tool, perhaps dangle that as a carrot! IF you keep your room clean, maybe for easter you can have the hair color? That will also prove how important it is to her? Just an idea.

My daughters had friends in 3rd grade getting highlights and their hair dyed. I believe that we are letting our children grow up too fast. My daughters were told no make-up or hair dying until they were in high school. Once they got to high school it took them a year or so before they started wearing make-up and neither of them have dyed their hair. I think at such a young age they can not understand the full scope of make up and hair dying. Plus the damage it does to your hair. You can usually look at a person and tell of they have been dying their hair for awhile.

I let my daughter get some very soft (undramatic) highlights when she was twelve (just two thin highlights on each side of her side part, just to highlight her face. You would not know they were there unless she pointed them out. I also let her do it again, 1-1/2 years later, in December. One of my daughter's friends just had some dramatic color highlights (NOT a God-given color for hair!) and has been doing it since she was 12. My niece has been getting burgundy highlights, on dark blonde hair, since she was 10. I know it's a personal preference but I think it's ridiculous for kids to have this done at such an early age unless they, truly are a budding rock star.

Good for you to not give into the dramatic stuff so early!

Hi,

I think as long as it is the temporary kind that will wash out the next day, it's OK.
And, as long as it's just a strip and not her whole head. You could also try getting one of those barrettes with the attached colored hair and have her try it out . She just wants to see what she looks like and will probably get bored with it in a couple weeks. My daughter went through the pink hair thing too at about that age. I finally let her put pink stripes in her hair for Halloween. And also have done the barrette thing. I am happy to say at 9 yrs old she still has her natural hair color!!!
: ) Good Luck Mom! The questions just get harder!

There are a couple 3-5 year olds in my daughter's preschool class with dyed strips of hair. I can't see a reason why it would be a bad idea. I don't agree with piercing at this age but dye is not permanent and is a much better reward for good behavior than most of the rewards I give my daughter. My daughter's hair is black so I wouldn't do it but if she was blonde with the right cut, I would. To me it's like painting nails. So many kids do it these days. I'm glad my daughter hasn't shown an interest but if she did it would feel mean to not allow her when almost every other kid in her class did it.

If her hair is lighter, you could just take a marker to it. It would have to be done every day, so maybe just on special occasions. Anyway, it would be a compromise since its not chemical. I used to do it to my hair in high school

Hi,
My daughter just turned 9 and we went to Borics they have hair extensions (sp?) but they have them in pink and all different colors they were only $10 they are alot of fun and are easy to put in and take out. I hope this helps.
B.

I do not see anything wrong with this. If you are going to do this at home make sure you use a color that is ammonia free. If the it is being done at a salon ask about the products they use.
But as long as the streak is understated I do not see anything wrong with getting it done.

S.

I tend to think of myself as a pretty laid back person, especially since I use to work with adolescents and you have to be a fun/laid back person to work with teens.

Anyway, having said that, I think 6 is way too young to dye hair, which I think you already recognize.
I didn't start dyeing my hair until my late 20's/recently to cover up greys. I don't think kids should put chemicals in their hair simply because their hair will be more healthy the longer they don't use these chemicals.

I know someone who lets her adolescent daughter put hot pink stripes in her hair and I don't see anything wrong with that. SO I think late adolescence/early adulthood is an OK age to start dyeing hair.

**I just read other's responses about "clip-in" colored pieces and that sounds like a good alternative.

My rule is this... when you are old enough to pay for the dye and drive to the store yourself to get it you can do it. Unfortunately, my step daughter's mother thinks it is perfectly fine to dye a childs hair! She is 12 and has been dying her hair for almost two years, colors include black and pink. This has done some damage to her hair at such a young age. Don't do it.

Personally, I think 6 is a little young. Give her something to look forward to! In the meantime, there are clip ons and washable sprays, etc., you can use for special treats.

That said, my daughter, being even younger than yours, is years away from this, but I plan on handling it the way my parents did. During the summer, I was allowed to experiment a little bit, provided I did it early enough that by the time school started it was gone. During the school year, I could color/highlight if I wanted to, but it had to be a "natural" hair color. Therefore, if I wanted something a little on the edgy side, I had to be able to prove that it does on occasion, occur naturally. I hated it as a kid, but looking back, it did teach me a lot about being appropriate for different occasions and having a "professional" look for work. (My parents always maintained that school was my "job" as a kid and as such, I didn't have to work outside of school, provided I was doing the best job I could while in school.)

Good luck!

I would have gotten some non permanent dye and let her try it out, the Halloween kind that is temporary basically. It's not like it's the whole head she wants a different color and you said it fits in with her style. To me hair is a small thing and not worth the fight. It will grow out afterall.

The chemicals in hair dye have been linked to a possible cause of Lupus. We have Lupus in my family, so I will discourage my daughters from ever dyeing their hair.

I like the idea of a clip in hair strip for right now. I am a natural dishwater blond when I was about 12 or 13 I got a shorter haircut and it cut most of my pretty blond locks off. So at that point my mom let me use a semi-permanent haircolor to put some of the blond back in. After about 2 years of that I switched to permanent color. My mom always helped me pick out color and put it on. In fact she still does. But when I was 16 and asked for blue hair or I was thinking of shaving it off completely the answer was a loud and resounding NO! If I were you I would feel my way through what's best for your daughter. It's different for each kid. My sister had brown hair and didn't put any dye on it til her third year of high school. And then it was only a few small highlights. As for wild colors stick with clip on hair because it's something she won't regret after a week.

Why don't you buy the temporary colors? I have seen them for kids and they wash out after one or a couple washes.

They have hair sprays that have color in them. They wash out as soon as the hair gets wet. They come in pink, red, purple, blue & black. I would not get her hair dyed in a salon or with one of those home dying products. They are not good for the hair & she may change her mind after a couple of days. Let her pick out a couple of colors of the temporary hairspray & then she can change the color on a daily basis. The carry them at Party City.

I just did this with my 10 year old, yesterday. For her, she is a good student & doesn't ever have behavior problems at school so hubby & I decided it was OK. You just have to weigh the pros & cons for your situation. We decided that it was just hair & would eventually fade out, but it does look super cute. I purchased our color kit at walmart. It's a hilight kit & says that it is recommended for dark hair, but it is sure cute. We did a little bit on each side to frame her face. All my hairdresser said was to make sure that it is semi-permanent.

Hope this helps

Hi K......I have read a couple other responses about the $10.00 clip ons...My god daughter who is a freshman in high school who is now old enough to get the pink hi-lites in her hair (she also has her own unique style, but before then we used to take a bigger strip on the side of her head (not to big) and put foil under the stip and get it wet. Now put a towel around her shoulders. Take one of those packets of kool-aid. The ones that dont have the sugar in them already and dump that into the foil. Make sure the foil is as long as her hair is from skull to the ends of her hair and just rub it in and close it. Let it sit for about 30 mins or so and then rinse it out it should be a pinkish. Sorry while you rinse it out make sure the foil is still sitting in the hair otherwise other parts of the hair will get some in it too....Have fun with it, it will only last a couple days.....

HI K.,
I have a set of twin girls who are 9 going on 13!LOL!! Just kidding! What I do is since the age of 7 they were asking about their hair. The agreement that I came up with them, is that during the school year they are not allowed to do anything with their hair or nails. But, during the summertime I will let them do their hair with colors or high lights and sometimes I have even let them get their nails done. As long as you sit down with your daughter and let her know what the rules are, there was never an issue with my kids. Plus, during the summertime they can go as crazy as they want due to them not being in school. It's a win win situation!! Good luck!

K.,

Check your daughter's school to see if there is a dress code about hair color. My sons go to a public school that states that only natural colors can be used to bleach or dye hair. I would definately think that pink would not be a natural color. If there is a dress code at her school, use that for an excuse that she can not dye her hair pink. That way, you are not the bad guy. Or, you can use washable dye and say she can only use it on weekends and must wash her hair color out by Monday.