Back to School — 5 Small Things for Easier Mornings & More Confidence
by Maja Reinholdsson on Aug 16, 2026
Staying yourself. Easier said than done.
A new term, new classrooms and maybe some new friends. Going back to school can be exciting in the best possible way but it can also feel a little hard. For some children, the worry is about who they'll spend time with. For others, it's about how they look, what they wear or whether they'll fit in.
We often tell our children to just be themselves. But when you're trying to find your place, fit in with the group and figure out who you are, that's easier said than done.
At Rufs, we talk a lot about hair. About working with the hair you've got, rather than against it. This fall we're taking that idea further with Tangled Rebels - a celebration of the hair you've got, and making room for what makes you, you.
A New Term Doesn't Have to Mean a Whole New Routine
Back to school. Back to work. Bags to pack and mornings that suddenly move a little bit faster.
This time of year can easily come with long lists of everything we're supposed to do, prepare, improve — and buy. But a new term doesn't have to mean starting all over again.
Keep what already works. The same little routines, the same favourites, the same hair. And make things simpler where they tend to get a little tricky.
Here are five small things we're taking with us into the new school year.
1. Ask a Little More
Instead of simply asking, “Are you looking forward to school?”, try questions like “What are you most excited about?”, “Who are you looking forward to seeing?” or “Is there anything that feels a little difficult?”
And listen. As adults, we don't always need to offer a solution straight away.
2. Keep Hair Time Simple
Mornings don't need another thing to be right. And hair definitely doesn't need to be perfect before heading to school.
If tangles tend to be a source of stress, making hair time a few minutes easier can make a big difference. Spray Rufs Detangler where the hair needs a little help and use Leave-In Conditioner when it needs extra moisture. Detangle gently — done.
The same products work in the evening too. Detangle before bed and, if it suits the hair, try a loose braid overnight to make the next morning a little easier.
Not perfect school hair. Just hair that's a little easier to care for.
3. Let Their Hair Be Theirs
Hair down or up? Braids? Big curls? Straight? A little ruffled?
Ask them how they want to wear it.
Rufs products are made to work with different hair types and different needs. Straight, wavy, curly or coily. Sometimes hair needs more moisture, sometimes help with tangles, and sometimes you simply want to bring out what's already there.
Haircare should help us care for the hair we have — not teach children that their hair needs to become something else.
4. Talk About Speaking Up — and Standing Up
Wanting to fit in is human. But comments about hair, skin, clothes or appearance can hurt, even when someone else dismisses them as “just a joke”.
Before school starts, talk about what your child can do if something doesn't feel right. Who can you tell? Is there an adult at school you feel safe talking to? And what can you do if you see someone else being treated badly?
Friends' sums up its advice for the start of school with three simple things to practise together: say hello, tell someone and speak up — opening the door to belonging, asking for help when something doesn't feel right, and standing up for yourself and others.
Read Friends' advice for going back to school →
5. Make Room for Who They Already Are — and for Others
We often say, “Just be yourself.” But that's easier said than done.
Maybe our job as adults is less about saying it — and more about creating the space for children to actually do it. To listen. Not compare. Let them choose. Stand beside them when things get difficult.
And help them do the same for others. Say hello. Invite someone in. Make a little room for someone who might also be wondering whether they fit in.
A safer school experience isn't created by one big gesture, but by lots of small actions, repeated over time.
A friend recently told me about a school in Helsingborg that invited pupils and parents in the day before the first day of term. The children could find their seat, their coat hook and get familiar with the space before school actually started. Such a small thing — and such a thoughtful way to make the unfamiliar feel a little more familiar.
A friend recently told me about a school in Gothenburg where families take turns hosting simple pizza nights at home as a way of preventing bullying. It may not be possible for everyone, but the idea is simple: once you've been in someone's home and gotten to know their parents, you're less likely to be unkind to them.
And the same goes for the little everyday things at home. Hair time can simply be haircare — not another moment when something needs to be corrected or made “right”.
Staying Yourself. Easier Said Than Done.
Maybe we don't need to tell children to be themselves more often. Maybe we need to make it a little easier for them to actually be themselves.
This fall, we are going back to our roots.
Rufs was created by a Tangled Rebel, me, Maja.
Growing up in Sweden with curly hair, I spent years trying to fit into a world where straight hair was the norm. I dreamt of having “normal” hair and eventually started straightening it to fit in. Years later, when I had children of my own, I knew I wanted something different for them.
That idea is still at the heart of Rufs today: work with the hair you've got, not against it.
And it's where Tangled Rebels begins.
Not with one kind of hair. Not with one way of looking. But with making a little more room for the hair you have — and the person you are.
Here's to all the Tangled Rebels heading back to school or work.
