Hair Dilemma

Okay, so M1 is the one with the long hair that I have the flatironed pix of posted. Trouble is, about half of her length is the "texturlaxed" hair. I had said that I was going to cut the rest of the relaxed hair once school is out. I'd hate for her to loose her length, and I've gotten a hold of the breakage that she was experiencing. So, I'm thinking of not cutting it off. I've been trying to gauge her feelings loosing her length, but I'm not getting a clear picture. She keeps asking if it will look like mine, and I tell her she can style hers like mine. I think she is eluding to my hair texture rather than the style though. My hair is wavy when brushed and tight spirals otherwise, her hair is not. I told her that her hair is like her dad's and not like mine. She just kinds of looks and then walks away. So, right now since she's working with 2 textures, I just braid her hair or do a light flatiron. Her hair is so much easier to manage though when it's natural. Here's a pix of when she was all natural at age 6.

Thick Hair = Tired Arms

Okay, so I have been on my weekly rotations with the children's hair but I have been so tired after washing and styling, I haven't even wanted to take a picture. I don't know if it's cause it's warm now or what, but it's really taking me a long time to get the girls' scalp clean. I do what I think is a good wash, 2-3 lathers, and when I sit them down to style, their scalps still have buildup on it. So, I've had to sit them down beforehand with a spray bottle of water with shampoo and shampoo their scalps in sections. I literally start at the nape, make a narrow part, apply a dot of shampoo, and spray with water. I rub it in until it lathers. I do this in about 1/2 inch intervals all the way to the front of the head. All this before I even start the actual shampoo at the sink. I have speculated that it could be the oil I'm using on their scalp that is not readily coming out, but the oil is so beneficial to their hair I can't stop using it. I guess I better do some bicep and tricep curls to get in shape for all of this work.

What's Good?

Okay, so I have been complaining about my hair feeling dry for the past few weeks. I have ran across a little low budget goodness. My sister has long been telling me about "Cantu" hair products. As I was browsing through Wally World last Sunday, I decided to try some of it. I bought the Cantu Shea Butter Leave In Conditioner. It smells wonderful and actually made my hair soft. I will report back whether or not it produces build up or not. The first ingredient is water and the second one is Shea Butter. Supposedly the 1st five ingredients are what a product contains the most. It doesn't have mineral oil, petroleum, or any of the -cones. Sounds like it should be a good little product. I am going to wash my hair and try it on product free hair and see what that's like. Gotta go, buh-bye!

Spring Break

Okay, so it's spring break and I don't HAVE to do any hair. We are just going to wing it for the rest of the week. We went out of town for the first part of the week, so that meant I had to do hair last Friday. I washed and flatironed M1 and M2 ended up getting two twisted afro puffs. I threw on some strawberry shortcake click-clacks and it was a wrap! I am going to wash my hair tomorrow and hopefully get a chance to take pictures this time. It's going to be a wash and go though, because I'm tryna keep it movin' around here. *two fingaz*

Lis.a's Hair Elixir

Okay, so I used the CD Lisa's Hair Elixir on my scalp and M2's scalp. It worked marvelously. M2 has terribly dry scalp and I was about to resort to the old sulfur 8. I had used tea tree oil as well, but nothing has worked as well as the Lis.a's Hair El.ixir! And OMG the Hair Balm???? I need that stuff by the vat! My hair is so soft and shiny. I washed my hair and applied a little hair milk, which I always use, and then put in the hair balm before twisting. To finish it off, I put the hair elixir on my scalp. When I took my twists down for a twist out, my hair was as soft as cotton and had a very nice sheen. I can't wait to use the hair balm on the girls' hair. The hair balm is like grease, but not 'greasy'. It doesn't sit on top of the hair, it's like it soaks in. Man, CD needs to be paying me for all this pluggin'......

Got CD Products

Okay, so I finally got my CD shipment. I will use it this weekend. M2's hair is up next for wash and style. I might get around to using it on my hair as well. I had promised M2 that I would straighten her hair the next time I washed it, so I might be firing up the iron again. I really want to flat iron my hair and get it trimmed. Who knows when I'll have time to do that. Anywho, as I said earlier, I will post about the products as soon as I use them. *two fingaz*

That Flatiron is the TRUTH!

I'ma let the picture speak for this flat iron.

I had bought some Silk Elements heat protectant but I forgot to put in on after I washed her hair. I didn't use any oil sheen. I'm sold on this iron. Let me hit you from the side.

*two fingaz*

Updates

Okay, so I got the super-duper flat iron I spoke about in a previous post. I am washing M1 tonight and letting her hair air-dry overnight. I plan to fire up that new iron in the morning. Secondly, I got brave and decided to cornrow M3, who is only 17 months old. It was a fight almost to the death!!! But, I was the victor and she has some decent cornrows on her head. I don't know if I had said before but her hair collects lint around the elastics when I put her hair in ponytails. It does this even when her hair has been freshly washed. I don't know what causes this but it happens with M2 as well. It does not happen to M1's hair though. Go Figure! Anyway, M2 and M3's hair does not collect lint when it's in cornrows or braids. So, that's why I braided M3. Now, M3 has soft and fine hair like mine so I had to cornrow her hair dry, without any oil. So for you cornrowing newbies, make sure you don't use oil when you're cornrowing if your child has fine or thin hair.

my hair

Okay, so I ended up cutting the top off my Carol's Daughter to get the rest of my Hair Milk out of the bottle. I washed my hair and wanted to wear a twistout today. But I wanted it to be soft and non-frizzy. So, after cutting the top, I have about 3 more uses in the bottle. That should get me through until my shipment comes in. I ended up 20 minutes late to work messing with my hair. But I must say it was cute!!! At the moment I can't find my digicam, but I will post a pix later. Toodles.

Hair Balm and Hair Elixir

I am getting ready to order a few items from Carol's Daughter. I have been using my "other" hair products since I ran out of all of my CD in January. I am ordering the Hair Balm and Lisa's Hair Elixir. The balm is kinda like pour-able grease, but it's supposed to not be oily. I've been having a problem lately with my hair being hard on the ends, so I'm hoping the balm will do the trick. I am getting the elixir for the girls' scalp. It's supposed to have antiseptic and anti-itching properties. M1 and M2 have chronic dry scalp, so I'm hoping it will help them. The two products are 2 that I haven't used before. I did sample them when I went the Harlem store in NYC, but they weren't in my budget at the time. I am also ordering more of the Tui Hair Smoothie Conditioner, since I am experiencing hard hair.

On the straight tip, I am going to flat iron M1's hair next weekend. I was told about this ION straightener at Sally's that is the TRUTH. My nieces have coarse, thick hair like M1 and M2 and it has their hair looking like it's relaxed. And the hair stays straight without poofing out when it's humid outside. My nieces' mom is a former stylist and she said she uses the flatiron and regular olive oil out of her kitchen to flatiron. All I know is their hair is shining and bouncing when she flatirons it.

When I get my new CD products and use the flatiron I will definitely dish with all of you!
*two fingaz*

Productivity

Wonder of wonders!!! I ended up washing M1's hair last night. I could not take the fuzz anymore. It actually turned out pretty cute. I will post pixs later. She got compliments from her little friends at school. I know she thought she was cute cause she was all scrubbing her face and putting on lotion and lip gloss this morning. (out of character for my little tom-boy) I'm thinking of cutting off the rest of her "texturlaxer" during spring break, but I don't know if she can handle hair that short. It would be about 5 inches long. I still have time to decide. She has a short patch in the front where her "texturlaxed" hair popped off at the line of demarcation. Her little natural sprig is so soft and cute. It was a terror detangling the permed ends last night. If I don't chop in March, it will be my first project for summer vacation! That's all for now. Happy Valentine's Day!

Totally off Subject

Okay, this post has nothing to do with hair, but it is about Paula's Daughter. Why is it that M1 keeps tearing up her uniform pants???? She has ripped the knee on 2 pairs of GAP khakis. I am so done with her. She's going to have to figure out how to make her 4 pair of uniform pants last her 5 days. She is too old for this foolishness. I'm not buying any more pants this late in the year. I am not doing any extra washing. She's going to have to get real creative, or be the girl in class with dirty pants on. At this point, I got to keep it pushing.

Such a Bum!!

You know what they say, the best laid plans........
Okay, so I only got M2's hair washed and put into ponytails this past weekend. M1's cornrows are pretty fuzzy at this point, but it's going to have to do what it do until I get to it. I had a family emergency on Friday, and spent alot of time at the hospital so I did good to get anything done. I HAD to do M2, because it had gotten to "what's that smell " stage. I put her hair in a cute ponytail style that will get me through this week and I will braid this weekend. I will get M1 done this weekend, I don't know how I will style it though.

Now that I think about it, I am really spreading myself thin with these children's hair. M1 might be in for a trip to the braid salon. It would so help me if I didn't have to fool with her hair. Between graduate school, work, the baby, room mom, and hair it's getting real crazy around here. M1 does not like to get her hair braided at the salon because of the time committment. However, if she gets the kinky twists at the end of this month, they can carry her until the end of April. Decisions, decisions.

Practice What You Preach

Okay, so I did not get to my appointment with M2's hair. I just simply ran out of steam. Since I have M1 on the books for this weekend, that means I have to squeeze in M2. My go-to hair style for a time crisis is the AFRO-PUFF!! I plan on washing and putting M2's hair into afro puffs at my earliest convenience. If I can get that done tomorrow, I can do a 2 week style on her later this weekend. As for M1's appointment, I will shampoo and condition her hair Friday night and style on Saturday morning. I probably will do a 2 week style on M2 after I get M1 washed and conditioned Friday night. Maybe one day I'll practice what I preach!

My Favorite Twisting Product

Okay, so you probably have figured out by now that I love the Organic Root Stimulator line of products. If you are doing the two strand twists, I highly recommend using the ORS Lock & Twist Gel. It is so not like a gel. It doesn't make the hair hard or flake up. It makes the twists smooth and shiny, provided it's used on clean hair. Just fyi, most products only work as advertised when they are used on clean hair. I had forgotten how good this stuff was when I ran across it under my sink while looking for cotton balls! So, the ORS lock and twist gel is back in the rotation.

On another note, I was reading a concern about thinning edges on another site. It stirred my memory to yet another great ORS product. During M1's relaxed days, her hair did thin out around the edges considerably. I ended up trying the Fertilizing Temple Balm from ORS and it worked like a charm. The ORS website offers "free" samples, however there is a shipping fee of $1 for every 2 products. I sincerely hope I don't turn you into the product junkie that I am. Until the next time, *two fingaz*

How to Cornrow

Finally, I have found a good how-to video for learning how to cornrow! Cornrowing is one of those things that you have to "see" to be able to practice and do. This video is from a talented lady in Brooklyn, NY. I was going to do a series of pictures for my "how-to" posts, but I think videos will work better. So, as soon as I can, I will start recording how to do twists, cornrows, and braids. But for now here's the link to najahface's video on youtube. Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IlHSEf9BHo

Preventative Measures

After you take all that time to get those ponytails just right, it's ruined after 1 serious naptime or 1 fitful night's sleep. That happened to me one to many times before I figured out I need to treat my daughters' hair like I do my own. Thus, the head scarf, sleeping cap, bonnet, or whatever else you want to call it comes into play. I don't know about you, but when I have a fresh style I want to preserve, I definitely break out all preventative measures! So, for my girls, I have satin/silk scarves that they wear nightly. Even when they were little, like 3 years old and their heads were too little for the scarves, I bought the "doo-rag" wave caps. Yes, the ones that have the long back and the two long strings to wrap around your head. They work like a charm on that little one that sleeps wildly. My 6 year old still uses hers. My 9 year old has graduated to one of "mommy's scarves" now. I've even seen lately, the satin bonnets made especially for kids in the underground beauty supply stores If you don't have one, I suggest you try it.

Scheduled Hair Time

After checking my palm, I realized that it's M2's weekend to get her hair washed and styled. Out of my 3 girls, she has the most hair. So, I definitely have my work cut out for me!

As I said in a previous post, it's important to plan when you can do your child's hair and also how you are going to style the hair. You have to consider how long you need the style to last in contrast with how much time you have to actually "do" the hair. If you don't have much time right now, you should do a style that will last at least a week or two that doesn't take much time. My favorite time saving style is the 2 strand twist. It doesn't last as long as braids, but it's quick to do and it's way easier to take down when you're ready to wash the hair again. Now if you have more time, I would suggest a braid style, which would also last longer. The braids take longer to do and take longer to take down for washing. But, if you have the time to invest, it's well worth it, like during summer vacation or long holidays.

When I say "braids" I am talking about the individual braids that can be moved around or put into ponytails. Cornrows are the flat braids that do not move and just lie next to the scalp. Cornrows are a bit time consuming, but they are easy to take down. To me, they are somewhere between twists and braids as far as how long they last.

I will begin posting how-tos very soon so you can try some of these things on your little darlins'!

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.