So I'm asked a lot what we do for curly girls hair regime (not because we're perfect, but because curly hair care is complicated!). I'm sure there are lots of other curly mama's and dada's that have other tips/ tricks (feel free to share them).
When our beautiful curly girl first came home, her hair care was quite simple- it was short and didn't require a lot of work to style. Our goal during this haircare time was really to moisturize the hair and scalp to help prevent her hair from breaking.
We did her bath during the evening.
1) Shampooed 2x /week
2) Conditioner every day
3) Deep conditioner once/ week
4) Leave in conditioner after each wash
5) Coconut oil directly into hair and scalp (3+ times/ week).
6) Sleep Cap EVERY NIGHT!!! (I'll discuss sleep caps later).
During the day her hair routine is dependent on what we are doing:
1) Spraying down her hair until wet, every morning-Always
2) Finger combing leave in conditioner into hair-Always
3) If combing (for a style like braiding, or ponies) using a detangler prior to combing
-Body shop Buriti butter directly into the hair (when her hair was shorter, this worked really well for mild control and ++ moisture) We tend to use this now only for short loose styles. The hair does get a bit frizzy and product doesn't moisturize for the entire day.
-If cornrows: Using a shea butter with mild hold
-If loose braids: A leave in mild hold conditioner (just a bit stickier to prevent the fly-aways)
-If part up/ part down then a curl sealer on loose hair
Sounds complicated, but it really isn't. I'll try to chronicle my hair care regime later, 1 style at a time (and those of you who are experts can give me some guidance as well).
If I had to pick one must have item for curly kids I'd choose Coconut Oil. I can't emphasize this enough. I find it really leaves her hair shiny, is protectant, moisturizes her scalp and smells great.
I also can't emphasize the importance of sleep caps enough. The sleep cap prevents the hair from rubbing on the bedsheets. This rubbing mechanism dries out the hair, breaks delicate curls, creates tangles, and pulls hair out of styles (like cornrows).
Sleep caps should be used anytime your child is in bed, in the carseat, under bike or ski helmets (or other hats). It's not punishment have your children wear the cap, it protects your curly kids styles and prevents damage. Even in very small kids you can do sleep cap training to get your little ones used to wearing the cap. You don't want to spend all that time styling your curly kids hair, only to have it ruined when you get in the car!
The other great thing is that sleep caps are cute and look great. Our curly girl doesn't mind wearing them anymore, she sometimes pulls it off at night but she's happy to have it put on.
I've been ordering sleep caps through: "Africa Sleeps". The caps fit really well, look cute and wash up easily. For our curly girl she's currently wearing the "small size" and is just under 2 years old. You may need to order a slightly larger size depending on your little ones head size- Just ask and I'm certain they are happy to help make sure you order the right size.
When our beautiful curly girl first came home, her hair care was quite simple- it was short and didn't require a lot of work to style. Our goal during this haircare time was really to moisturize the hair and scalp to help prevent her hair from breaking.
We did her bath during the evening.
1) Shampooed 2x /week
2) Conditioner every day
3) Deep conditioner once/ week
4) Leave in conditioner after each wash
5) Coconut oil directly into hair and scalp (3+ times/ week).
6) Sleep Cap EVERY NIGHT!!! (I'll discuss sleep caps later).
During the day her hair routine is dependent on what we are doing:
1) Spraying down her hair until wet, every morning-Always
2) Finger combing leave in conditioner into hair-Always
3) If combing (for a style like braiding, or ponies) using a detangler prior to combing
With new hairstyles I've started to try various haircare products and I'm finding different products seem to work better for different styles:
-If cornrows: Using a shea butter with mild hold
-If loose braids: A leave in mild hold conditioner (just a bit stickier to prevent the fly-aways)
-If part up/ part down then a curl sealer on loose hair
Sounds complicated, but it really isn't. I'll try to chronicle my hair care regime later, 1 style at a time (and those of you who are experts can give me some guidance as well).
If I had to pick one must have item for curly kids I'd choose Coconut Oil. I can't emphasize this enough. I find it really leaves her hair shiny, is protectant, moisturizes her scalp and smells great.
I also can't emphasize the importance of sleep caps enough. The sleep cap prevents the hair from rubbing on the bedsheets. This rubbing mechanism dries out the hair, breaks delicate curls, creates tangles, and pulls hair out of styles (like cornrows).
Sleep caps should be used anytime your child is in bed, in the carseat, under bike or ski helmets (or other hats). It's not punishment have your children wear the cap, it protects your curly kids styles and prevents damage. Even in very small kids you can do sleep cap training to get your little ones used to wearing the cap. You don't want to spend all that time styling your curly kids hair, only to have it ruined when you get in the car!
The other great thing is that sleep caps are cute and look great. Our curly girl doesn't mind wearing them anymore, she sometimes pulls it off at night but she's happy to have it put on.
I've been ordering sleep caps through: "Africa Sleeps". The caps fit really well, look cute and wash up easily. For our curly girl she's currently wearing the "small size" and is just under 2 years old. You may need to order a slightly larger size depending on your little ones head size- Just ask and I'm certain they are happy to help make sure you order the right size.
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