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My daughter is 14 months old now, and I have been working on "training" her curls to a definite curl pattern. She has very tight S-shaped coils. Here is my hair routine with her:
[LIST]
[*]wash once a week
[*]wet hair, put conditioner and comb out every second day
[*]put leave in conditioner and finger comb every day
[/LIST]
I use Carol's Daughter products and sometimes Walmart's Olive leave-in conditioner.
So far, so good. So far, it's not a big deal to comb out her hair, and I see the tiny tightly coils form nicely. I hope I'll be able to keep this on! My goal is for her to have natural curly hair and stay away from relaxers for a looong time - and hopefully for ever? :D
My questions are: If I braid her hair - will I undo the coily hair pattern that I have been working on? And what else do you recommend to achieve a well defined curl pattern while at the same time being gentle to the hair? And, in the loooong term: Is there any relaxed out there that just opens the curl a little bit and does not affect the hair too drastically?
Your inputs are appreciated ... :flower:
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We just rented Good Hair the other night. What an eye opener! I would never do that too my child's hair. Maybe my opinion will change later? I grew up being forced to get perms and I HATED it.
I am scared at the idea of hair care. I am such a tom boy and my daughter is very low maintenance. I brush my hair and that's about it. I hope I can get the hang of hair care. I don't even know how to french braid:(
Are there any sites people can recommend?
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Fe2002
Wizard, I can't say that its necessarily "milder" it's just left on the hair for a shorter period of time. The chemicals are basically the same.
rocknrollmama
We just rented Good Hair the other night. What an eye opener! I would never do that too my child's hair. Maybe my opinion will change later? I grew up being forced to get perms and I HATED it.
I am scared at the idea of hair care. I am such a tom boy and my daughter is very low maintenance. I brush my hair and that's about it. I hope I can get the hang of hair care. I don't even know how to french braid:(
Are there any sites people can recommend?
WizardofOz
I actually noticed a HUGE improvement in her curl pattern once I started to use products like CurlyQs and Carols' Daughter on her hair. It seems that her curls form nicely now. However, I struggling with shorter and drier hair and breakage at the back of her head. Seems not to be uncommon - I have seen this in other AA/biracial kids. What can one do against that? Do you guys have an idea??
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Just in case anyone is considering this... Just For Me Texture Softener is still a chemical process no matter how much they tout it having sunflower oil in it. It uses the same chemical as adult no lye relaxers. The information below is from their instruction sheet. I'm really leery of using chemicals on children because I know someone who had to have a cornea transplant because of a relaxer... Relaxers, texturizers and texture softeners are basically the same thing... it's a chemical process to breakdown the hair texture.
[url=http://www.texturesoftener.com/]Texture Softener - Soft & Beautiful - Home[/url]
The following is the only natural relaxer I've ever seen. Not sure it works... The comments say it leaves your hair dry.
[url=http://www.curlmart.com/store/product.php?productid=815&cat=0&page=1]Baka Beautiful Natural-Laxer Mix and Rose Water Combo[/url]
INGREDIENTS: Sahara clay, myrtle, rose petals, clove, nettle, sage, lavender.
WARNING:
This product is not a toy. This product contains calcium hydroxide and guanidine carbonate (toxic). Keep out of the reach of children.
Keep this product and all others away from eyes and mouth. Product may be harmful, if it accidentally gets in eyes or mouth. If product gets in eyes, rinse eyes thoroughly with water. Consult physician if irritation persists. If product is swallowed, consult a physician.
Follow directions carefully to avoid skin and scalp burns, hair loss and eye injury. Do not use on bleached or permanently colored hair which is breaking, splitting or otherwise damaged. If hair has been previously relaxed, apply only to the new growth as described in the
instructions. If Texture Softener causes skin or scalp irritations, rinse out immediately and wash with the neutralizing shampoo in this system. If irritation persists or if hair loss occurs, consult a physician. This product should be applied by an adult. Adult supervision
required. Discard any excess Texture Softenerٙ Cream Mixture after use. Misuse of this product can cause hair and skin damage.
Sleeplvr, remember the "Rio All Natural Relaxer" fiasco from I believe the 80's early 90's? OMG! That was crazy...
Sleeplvr
Just in case anyone is considering this... Just For Me Texture Softener is still a chemical process no matter how much they tout it having sunflower oil in it. It uses the same chemical as adult no lye relaxers. The information below is from their instruction sheet. I'm really leery of using chemicals on children because I know someone who had to have a cornea transplant because of a relaxer... Relaxers, texturizers and texture softeners are basically the same thing... it's a chemical process to breakdown the hair texture. [URL="http://www.texturesoftener.com/"]Texture Softener - Soft & Beautiful - Home[/URL] The following is the only natural relaxer I've ever seen. Not sure it works... The comments say it leaves your hair dry. [URL="http://www.curlmart.com/store/product.php?productid=815&cat=0&page=1"]Baka Beautiful Natural-Laxer Mix and Rose Water Combo[/URL]INGREDIENTS: Sahara clay, myrtle, rose petals, clove, nettle, sage, lavender.
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Fe2002
Sleeplvr, remember the "Rio All Natural Relaxer" fiasco from I believe the 80's early 90's? OMG! That was crazy...
I have no idea about the new system, I'm so out of the loop on hair care it's not even funny. I've just recently tried to start doing my own hair again, that phase lasted about 30 days or less. My old hairstylist decided to stay in town... so well, you know how that goes :) I rarely bought hair products for myself, so I was at a complete loss when DD came home. I'm using the CD line for DD and it's just okay... I had DD on an every 2 week wash cycle, but I'm moving to every week. I walk into Sally's and I get completely overwhelmed by all that stuff... I rather just order products online. Definitely want to stay all natural with the products. Recently started using coconut oil... will continue to try and improve my skill set!
Sleeplvr
I almost bought that stuff but decided to hold out till a friend used it. She used the one with the black dye that was made from licorice. Her hair was beautiful till it started falling out. She saved me a lot of grief. I'm suspicious of any of the new products that come out of brazil now. I'm sure you've heard of the latest brazilian straightening system. The hair looks beautiful but at what cost... Your life?
So, following the recommendation, I watched "Good Hair". Hilarious movie and a lot of material for thought and, OMG, I did not know that you can pay weaves for $1,000! Anyway, it confirmed my general idea to stay natural.
I have experimented with hair products some more, and I think I found "the winning combination". I bought almond oil in an Indian grocery store ($2 per bottle) and mixed a little almond oil into the water spritz. I found the almond oil to be really good for DD's skin, too, since she is struggling with rashes and excemas. I am using Mixed Chicks leave in conditioner which aahhh smells so wonderful, and I am using Carol's Daughter curl definer. The curl definer does miracles to her hair, it works really well! I did not like Carol's Daughter rinse out conditioner though, it did not condition the hair enough, IMHO.
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Sleeplvr, I think you did not understand what I am looking for. It does not even occur to me to use any chemicals on my daughter's hair. I am getting educated on African American and biracial hair, what to do and what not to do. I am from Israel - about half of the population has curly hair, some even very curly (e.g. my friend who is of Yemenite descent). I have always loved natural curls, and that's also my goal for my daughter.