Since moving to Iowa, the one thing I’ve seen more than I have anywhere else are biracial families. Probably one of the most beautiful things I’ve seen in awhile. However, one of the issues I’ve heard from a lot of them are, “How do I take care of my child’s curly hair!?” “Their hair is so dry; I’m not sure what to do with it!” or “What do I do with this?!”.
I’m hoping I can help out other parents who are struggling to take care of their child’s hair. Even if you already have an idea how to care for curly hair and you’re just looking for something new to do, these tips might help you.
Here are some of my most helpful tips for taking care of curly, mixed, biracial, or dry hair:
Wash
Wash (shampoo) their hair every three days or once a week. Washing any more than that will increase dryness. It can also increase oiliness as the natural oils of the hair are constantly being removed. So then the scalp will overproduce oil to help keep our hair moisturized. However, it is okay to wet the hair as needed.
Some shampoos that I personally love are: The Mane Choice Detangling Hydrating Shampoo, TGIN Moisture Rich Shampoo, MoroccanOil Moisture Repair Shampoo, and The Doux Sucka Free Moisturizing Shampoo.
Condition and comb
After shampooing, apply a conditioner. While hair still has conditioner in it, this is the best time to detangle! Be sure to use a wide tooth comb and comb from tip to root. Combing from root to tip not only breaks the hair, but is painful as well.
Rethink the towel
This might sound weird to some of you, but using a towel to dry hair is not the best! Towels also break your hair! Use a t-shirt or a microfiber towel to PAT & SQUEEZE the hair dry. Not rub.
Leave-in
While hair is still damp, apply a light moisturizing leave-in to the hair. You don’t need to add anything heavy at all. Just be sure it’s moisturizing. Some leave-ins I like to use in my and my son’s hair are: The Mane Choice 3 in 1 leave in, or Moroccan Oil intense curl cream, or even a simple DIY leave-in.
Once the leave-in has been applied, I like to comb this through and make sure it’s all distributed. I comb through after each application to ensure that all the products applied are distributed throughout the whole head.
Oil
After a leave in, I like to apply some kind of oil. Again, nothing too heavy–light yet moisturizing. Some oils that are my favorite are: Jojoba Oil, Almond Oil, Coconut Oil, Grapeseed Oil or Avocado Oil–all cold pressed & unrefined. I like to buy my oils online from EBAY, because I get a variety of pricing and what I truly want.
Moisturizer
What I like to do after applying oil is to apply a creamier moisturizer or butter. This ensures that the moisture is sealed in your hair. Apply the moisturizer and detangle/comb this through hair. Some moisturizers I like to use are: The Mane Choice Daily Hair Dressing, Aunt Jackie’s Curls & Coils Curl La La Defining Curl Custard & The Doux Bonita Afro Balm.
Style
After all of these have been applied, and the hair has been detangled again, then style the hair. This can be a ponytail, two braids, a bunch of individual braids, or twists to take out for a nice curly look.
Taking care of curly hair is not always easy, but neither is it hard. You have to find what works for you. Try new things, make some DIY products, and figure it out. Everyone is different and everyone has their own ways of taking care of their hair.
Let me know what you like to do to take care of your hair or your child’s curly hair!
Thank you so much for this post! Any recommendations for overnight hair/ bedhead? My kiddo WILL NOT sleep in a scarf and all the caps I put on her fall off at night.
Put her hair in braids (2 braids, French braid). Get her a satin pillowcase too.
Definitely with the satin pillowcase. Worked wonders when my son doesn’t want to wear a head scarf either. I also make sure to keep his hair moisturized since it seems to be more dry in the morning. So adding some extra oil, or hair butter.
Thanks for the tips!
Welcome!! 🙂