Conditioning for Children

As I mentioned in a previous post, it is important that you condition your child's hair after every shampoo. I learned with M1, how drying the "baby" shampoos are for ethnic hair. Once I put away the baby/children's shampoo, my baby's hair started filling in and growing. So first off, don't use the kiddie shampoo, use one that you would use on your own hair. By that I mean, when I am choosing a shampoo for myself, I select one that does what I feel my hair needs. Like moisturizing, deep cleansing, or conditioning. Base your child's shampoo selection on what their hair seems to need. Likewise with the conditioner. Find a formulation that does what you feel your child's hair needs. Be it detangling, moisturizing, or shine, choose whichever one the hair needs at that time.



Now you know I love the Carol's Daughter products, but again the price is not friendly for a person with 3 girls with tons of hair. I must tell you though, the Tui Hair Smoothie conditioner from CD is WONDERFUL!!! It is very stiff, almost a solid, so you must rub it in your palm vigorously to "warm" it up so you can spread it on the hair. I let it sit about a minute or two and voila', un-tangled, smooth hair. I didn't even have to comb it through the hair. Simply amazing. Now for my budget conscious self, I'm always on the lookout for something that works but is cheaper than the CD. Lo and behold, Tar-jay had a single jar of this ---------->
This little jar of Smooth 'N Shine Therapy Repair Extreme is a good conditioner! Now, I guess I am on the late show because everytime I go back to get more, there is never any left on the shelf. I've been stalking this product since before Christmas. The one jar I got that day, is the only one I've been able to find. So, if you want a fast-acting, inexpensive condish, this is one to try. We went through that jar in about 3 weeks because I was using it on everyone, including myself!


So, if you don't have a good conditioner for your child, you might want to look into that posthaste. Conditioning is key in keeping the hair washing process drama-free. The conditioned hair makes the comb out process easier. And we all know the "comb out" is the least favorite part of the whole routine:(

Drama Free Shampoo Time

Good ole' shampoo time. It used to bring tears and bribes out at my house. However, I finally got turned on to a better way to handle things. You know I don't use the blow dryer, so how in the world do you get the child's hair washed, styled, and ready to go in time for the 2 o'clock chuck e. cheese party??? In a word, PLANNING!

When I said I use my Palm to schedule hair time, I was serious as a heart attack. We all want to get the hair done as painlessly and quickly as possible right? So then, we need to plan strategically to accomplish this. The best plan for me, is to get the hair washed late evening the day before I need to have it finished. And no, your little precious will NOT catch a cold from going to bed with damp hair. First get the hair washed and then divide it into 4 sections. (Make sure you comb it out while wet to get out all the tangles and add whatever oil you plan on styling with.) Then braid/plait each section, tight enough so that it won't come loose overnight, but it doesn't have to be perfect. In the morning, the hair is dry and ready to style, sans blow drying. By the time they have slept in those warm beds for 8+ hours their washed and conditioned hair is ready to style easily. And yes, children's hair does need conditioner. (not the 2n1 kiddie formulas) But that's a whole 'nother post!

Extensions for Children

After reminiscing on M1's hair journey, I really thought about how amazing it is to have grown 2 almost 3 new heads of hair for her. Because with each transition, I did alot of cutting away hair. I plan to finish up this last transition by cutting the rest of the "text-laxer" off when school ends for the summer break. I think the single most important thing to growing all of that hair so quickly is low to no manipulation. I washed her hair every other week, applied no heat, not even blow drying, and did a protective style that needed no combing during the 2 week period. When I say protective style, I mean cornrows, braids, twists. Any style where the hair is not "loose" and does not have to be combed daily, is protective.

I also would be remiss, if I didn't mention the help of a "good" braider and appropriate braid styles. Braids/Twist with extension definitely helped M1's growth, but it was because I never put heavy extensions, never used synthetic hair, and never let her hair be braided to tight. And oh, a good braider/twister WILL use oil while braiding the hair! M1 never lost her edges, never had thinning hair, never had those little bumps when it's too tight. My braid shop is staffed by Sengelese women and they are the bomb-bay! They had their lumps of coconut oil on the backs of their hands, babies wrapped on their backs, and they were some braiding/twisting sisters!

Shoot, now that I'm thinking, I need to make me an appointment to grow out my teeny weeny 'fro. ;)

Transitioning Your Daughter from Relaxers

My oldest, M1, is transitioning from a perm for the 3rd time. At the age of 2, I permed M1's hair. I was a new mom with a child with hair vastly different from my own and I did not know what to do. I finally I saw the light after watching her little hair grow thinner and thinner with each relaxer. I transitioned her at the age of 5 and everything was peachy. Well, by the time she was 7, she decided she wanted the long flowing hair like her classmates. So, I decided that maybe, if I get her a relaxer at the salon it would be better. WRONG. Her first relaxer from the salon was beautiful! By the 2nd one, not so much. So, we grew it out by her wearing the kinky twist extensions for 1 year.

Well, you would think I would have learned my lesson, but noooooooo, I got a bright idea. M1 had grown tons of hair from those twists, so she cried everytime I had to wash and comb her hair. So, I decided that maybe I could put a texturizer on there to ease some of her discomfort. Well, I used the widely advertised texturizer for children that has the pictures of the little girls with wavy hair on the front. BAD IDEA. That mess straighted M1's hair within an inch of it's life. I was so pissed. So, now here we are growing out a texturizer that made her hair straight as any perm you could buy. Boo for me.

Point of Information

Okay, so this blog is about my daughters' hair and I have 3 of them. In order to save time, I will always refer to them with their first name initial and birth order number. Sounds complicated doesn't it??? NOT! All of their names begin with the letter M, so they will be known as M1, M2, and M3. ;)

Product Review-ORS Olive Oil Oil Moisturizer

I have a 9 year old daughter with coarse, fine hair. My 2nd daughter has THICK, cotton-y soft hair. My baby girl has wavy, thin, fine hair. For the baby, I can just wet a wash cloth, run it over her head and brush it into submission easily. But for the other two, let's just say it requires elbow grease and an appointment on my palm pilot! The 2 oldest have so much hair that I have to schedule their hair washings/stylings to make sure they don't have to occur in the same.....WEEKEND. Yes, I said the same weekend, not the same day. So, I actually use my palm to schedule who's turn it is to get washed and styled. And I say wash and style together because any style that I do after washing is done to last 2 weeks. With 3 girls, plus my own hair, I don't have the time to comb all that hair daily or semi-daily!!! Now, on to the product review...

I recently used a bottle of Organic Root Stimulator Olive Oil-Oil Moisturizer. I has no petroleum, mineral oil, or beeswax. I has worked marvelously on the "juice sucking" hair of my big girls. It is definitely a low cost alternative to the Carol's Daughter Hair Milk. I love the hair milk but with the prices, I can't afford it for all of our heads. I did 2 strand twists on my 2nd daughter a week ago and they are still shiny. (a feat in itself!) I did the "style of the month" on my oldest's hair using the ORS and her hair is shiny and smooth. I cornrowed it wet and was concerned about frizzing, but the ORS held it down perfectly. So, if you have a thirsty head in your house, give the Olive Oil Moisturer a try. I'm sure it would work well if you have a little boy with hair in need of moisture as well. Have a great week!

Hair Today

In this blog, I hope to shed some light on how to care for your daughter's hair. I am a mother of 3 girls with tons of hair and formerly a non-braider, plait-er, style-r, etc! After daughter number 2, I had to enlist the help of my oldest sister to teach me how to cornrow. Later, I enlisted the help of a friend from the Virgin Islands to teach me how to braid with extensions. And these things are not even my day job! I have always been the friend that hooked up your hair when you couldn't afford to go to the beauty shop. Never have I been formerly trained in cosmetology, but I am also the go-to girl when you need your makeup to look fabulous. My day job is a reading specialist at a local elementary school. Before that, I worked in the financial industry with 401k plans and pension funds. So, how did I get so savvy with all of this? I don't know, I just have always loved hair, makeup, and fashion. It is what it is.