Hair Hair and MORE Hair!!

LOTS have asked me about hair care- so I typed a little something out-

Remember- you will not know the hair type of your child until they are about 18 months old- when they are a baby you can see the tightness of the curl but it is soft and will generally not stay that way and will become more curly and coarse over time generally.
As a baby I think the only thing to remember is MOISTURE- so you can wash it with Johnson’s or whatever but very soon it might start needing conditioner and something very moisturizing and will probably need some sort of curling cream to make the curls curl nicer and not be so big and puffy/ frizzy. What I used right away on the girls was Hair milk from Carol’s Daughter to give the curls some definition and prevent the frizz/ puffy factor- just a tiny bit gives the curls definition and moisture. They generally don’t need oil in their hair right away- you should be able to tell when you need it- it will feel dry and more coarse when it needs oils-

Another side note- start them young understanding that they NEED to do their hair and have it combed out. Yes it hurts but they need to learn to do it- it has to be done. We started braiding Aniah’s hair at two- which is a process of 2+ hours and she fully understands that is part of the way God made her hair and she must sit to have it done- we usually do special treats during long hair sessions like candy and new movies-

Hair care takes a lot of time and money-but VERY VERY VERY necessary is you have an AA or AA bi-racial child- African American people are VERY concerned about their hair and it is a source of pride for them- so you must must must take care of it. And braids stay in looking good for about 2-3 weeks- after that if the hair is pulling out and frizzing out of the braids- it MUST be taken out and redone- you can learn to braid yourself- I do some braiding myself- but Aniah sits better for someone else so I take her to get it done for the long braiding sessions. Also African American people have different names for all their “styles” and hair techniques so that is just a learning process too. One thing that took me a while to learn when a black person says a “perm” they mean a relaxer- and since I mentioned that- DO NOT RELAX your child’s hair until they are at least 10+ in my opinion- the chemicals in those relaxers are VERY strong and can be harmful to children and they forever change the composition of their hair- I like organic products better myself but I just feel they make the hair softer and work better.

Eden- bi-racial hair- very curly and pretty soft-
I use shampoo on Eden’s hair- Kinky Curly Come Clean about once a week but rinse out more than that and LOVE Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle rose conditioner- so sometimes just condition it too
Then
Kinky Curly Knot today after a bath
Comb out with wide tooth comb
If wearing down-
Then GENEROUSLY put in Kinky Curly Curling Custard- but too much does make it crunchy too-
Then spray with Kinky Curly Spiral Spritz
The second day I just wet with some water and do some spiral sprtiz- 2-3 days is about all I get out of it like that.
If not down then I style up to pony tails and use JAM to get it “slicked” back- that I buy from Sally or Walmart
I also sometimes use coconut of jojoba oil in her hair as well- and I buy that from Amazon. I buy the Spiral Spray, come clean shampoo, and Aubrey Organics from there too
Then the Knot today and Curling custard at Target in Sioux Falls by the mall.

Aniah’s Hair- Full AA- very curly and somewhat coarse:
Shampoo once a week about and condition more than that and rinse out with the Kinky Curly products
Then I brush out with a Tangle Teaser comb (I bought at Sally)
About every week or so it does need to be fully combed out- section it out and untangle and comb through with a wide tooth comb
I use a LOT of oil for her hair- usually coconut or jojoba oil or Carol’s Daughter products https://www.carolsdaughter.com/Portal.aspx?SR=sr3_154953957_go&gclid=CNnsz5HQr60CFcEUKgod-VV_Gg

Then style of course- if you leave it out it tangles too much and is much too large now to leave out much at all.
We have a friend who braids it- if you want her name I can give it to you-
I take her to a BLACK hair dresser to have it trimmed every once in a while- we have a hair dresser in Sioux Falls we started to go to and like- if you want her name too let me know.

I have in the past tried products from
http://www.curls.biz/curly-hair-products/curly-hair-products-curly-q-for-kids.html
http://www.mixedchicks.net/

Both have good products as well-

Another important aspect of hair care is a satin pillow case, and silk sleep cap I ordered from http://prettyanntoinets.com/category_12/Girls.htm
We don’t use them every night but for sure when it is braided- helps the braids stay in longer
And Satin Lined Winter hats are also needed as the girls get older!

I custom ordered the winter hat from
http://www.etsy.com/listing/84600010/satin-lined-fleece-hat-great-for-curly?ref=sr_gallery_21&ga_search_query=satin+lined+hats&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_ship_to=US&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_facet=handmade

or you can get them from

http://www.curlyzebra.com/

Most of my hair care knowledge comes from http://www.happygirlhair.com/
You can find MANY more hair care resources on-line!

One more quick note- their skin and hair is DRY which is why they need moisture. Often their skin is very dry as well and usually dry right away. We use Vanicream or Cera-Ve cream not lotion for their skin. LOTS of it and slathered on after every bath- baths are good for the dry skin- just not to shampoo their hair very often- that takes the moisture out which you don’t want.

You just need to find the right balance and products that work for your child and HAIR CARE is VERY VERY VERY important so if you have an AA or AA bi-racial child you MUST do their hair and make sure it is well maintained!!
Ok off my soap box for now- questions- please ask- better to learn and be educated –