Hairwashing nightmare in 5yo

[Goldie]

My 5yo dd absolutely hates having her hair washed. I avoid it as much as possible although surprisingly her hair doesn't look dirty most of the time. However every now and then it has to be done! She complains about water going in her ears, she complains when it tickles, she complains if it goes in her eyes, or anywhere on her face, she whinges, whines, wriggles and cries, as though I'm torturing her. I try really hard not to do any of the things she finds distressing, but still she says she hates it.
This afternoon, on the advice of my hairdresser, I had DD bending forwards over the side of the bath so the top half of her was upside-down, and I washed it using cups of water to rinse (she wouldn't let me use the shower head). Nothing went in her eyes; nothing went in her ears, I was really careful and gentle and yet she still wailed that it was awful and she never wants to do it again. It seems this time it was me squeezing the water out of her hair that was too distressing.
BTW, she won't go in a shower either, so that's not the answer.
Has anyone got any tips or just encouraging stories that she will eventually grow out of it?

[TooTickyTheAppleBobber]

They do grow out of it eventually. Just be firm and matter of fact about it all. Try not to react to the shrieks!

[Pinotmum]

Start taking her swimming and she'll get used to water in her face. Ds who has just turned 4 yo now puts his head completely under water. A completely different boy to the one who went swimming in August and screamed the place down when I put him under the shower. he made so much noise a Life Guard came into the changing room to see who was being murdered!!!

[Goldie]

She's been swimming once a week since she was 4 months old! We did all the right things like trickling water gently over her head so it ran down her face every time we went (we were in a class so it was just part of the routine). She never liked it then but at least it only lasted about 5 seconds. She's only just started 'swimming' i.e. lifting her feet off the bottom while wearing arm-bands so maybe now she'll have to get used to face splashing. Till now she's managed to mostly avoid it.

[TwigTwoolett]

get her hair cut short

teach her to wash her own hair .. she's more than old enough

I think small children have extremely sensitive scalps and it does actually hurt


supposedly if you don't wash hair for 6 weeks its natural oils keep it clean