Chocolate Hair / Vanilla Care : Natural hair care for kids, adoption, and family life.

September 30, 2010

Book Review: Bintou's Braids

"I just got back from America," my 2-and-a-half-year-old tells me as she struts across the living room. "That's why I have braids." Um, okay. Then I remembered that we recently checked-out Bintou's Braids from the library and that one of the girls in the book is from America. Ah, now it's all coming together.

Product Review: Black Vanilla Leave-in Conditioner

I have to admit, this was one of the very first products we every used on Boo's hair. Carol's Daughter Black Vanilla Leave-in Conditioner has some good points. But it also has it's downside, which is why we probably will not be using it anymore.

Helping Hair with Humidifiers

Well, wouldn't you know it. The week after I complained that Boo's hair was feeling a bit dry we are hit by 100+ temperatures here in Southern California, due to the lovely Santa Ana winds making an early appearance. I think summer got ticked off that we moved into to fall without waiting for her so she decided to hurl some Santa Ana's at us out of spite.

For those who don't know about the Santa Ana winds, these are extremely dry winds that blow offshore. We live 5 miles from the ocean and regularly enjoy an onshore breeze of damp, salty air. This is perfect for keeping Boo's skin and hair nicely moisturized. But the Santa Ana winds gobble up every last drop of water out of the air, and then start slurping what they can out of Boo's hair and skin. Just imagine sitting in a house that has the forced air heater running until it's about 100 degrees. My sinuses are tingling as I type.

The Importance of Routine

By Robbert van der Steeg

One of the questions I get asked most frequently is, "How do you get your daughter to sit that long?" This is where having a routine has come in very handy. A styling routine allows for Boo to mentally prepare ahead of time for the expectations that will be placed upon her when we do hair.

The "Ballerina" Up-do

As strange as this may seem, with all the wacky styles I've done, this is my first time doing the ballerina-looking, cornrows-pulled-into-a puff-on-the-top-of-the-head style. Wow, that was a mouthful. Anyway, this is the signature style for many, many little girls and yet for some reason I had yet to give it a go. Probably because so many little girls wear it and I like to swim upstream. Keeps me on my toes.

Removing Cornrows with Two Asymmetrical Puffs

Today was wash and detangle day. The previous week's style, Cornrows with Two Asymmetrical Puffs, lasted really well and I debated whether or not to leave them in for another week. We only had one adjustment that needed to be made; on Tuesday the rubber band on the right side broke and I needed to reband it. No problem, that was easy enough to do. The braids were in good condition and the rows were holding nicely.

Cradle Cap

Boo had cradle cap. Not just a little cradle cap, she had it all over her head. She even had it on her eyebrows. And her face pealed for a good 2 months after she was born. Blech!

Product Review: Itsy Bitsy Spirals Moisturizer

Distributed by Curls, it's a curl's itsy bitsy spirals moisturizer is a pretty nifty little product for those who have little ones with just a wee bit of hair that needs a little moisture. I'm not sure when this product was released, but if I had known about it back when Boo was a baby I might have tried it out back then.

Our List of Essentials

My list below contains several items that we always have on hand. If we lose, break, or run out of one it gets replaced immediately....they are that important to our routine to manage without them. Everything else that we have (and we have a lot more) is really just icing. I included images with links below as examples, but there are tons of different varieties of each item from which to choose. Trying out different things helped me whittle things down to the items we have now.

Cornrows with Two Asymmetrical Puffs

Today's style was sort of happenstance. I had an idea in my head of what I wanted to try, but I wasn't sure how long Boo's hair was and how the ends where going to work out. Last night I did starter parts in her hair after detangling and put them into twists so that she could sleep on them.

Our Styling Routine: Age 2

Our styling routine has pretty much been set since Boo was a year old and I started styling her hair regularly. Up until that time I was more focused on growing her hair, filling in the bald spot in the back, and waiting for the cradle cap to run it's course. Below outlines our regular styling routine. This is generally a weekly routine, however some styles last up to 5 weeks (or 3 months when I put extensions in), but the days of the week and the process when washing, detangling and setting pretty much happen the same way every time. This helps us plan her styles as well as makes Boo more comfortable with the process; she is very familiar with the routine and knows what to expect and when, which makes her extremely compliant when it comes to doing her hair.

Two Puffs and a Cornrow

Boo is starting preschool this week and I needed to think of something nice to do with her hair that would: 1) stay out of her face; 2) not be distracting to her or other kids; and 3) be able to handle the rough-and-tumble play that will inevitably come from playing with other kids her size. I figured puffs would be a great way to start until she gets used to her school and her fellow students. That pretty much ruled out beads that may attract little hands or make noise. I'm sure she will wear beads in the future, but I opted out of them for her first day seeing as how she is new to the school and we don't really know anyone, nor how the staff might handle a "hair issue."

Doing Styles Over More than One Day

One thing that makes doing hair in our house relatively easy is that we have a very consistent routine. Friday night is hair washing night, and Saturday morning is usually when I'm setting hair for the week. However, Boo's first day of preschool is on Tuesday and I would prefer that her hair look newly styled, not a fuzzy-couple-days-old! So the way that we've come up with to address the issue of having a "new" style on a "non"-hair day is to do the style over the period of a couple of days. Yes, it does mean that I have to style more than once a week, but the time devoted to doing so is usually divided in almost half, which makes Boo a lot more cooperative when it comes to sitting to have her hair done.

Finger Coils

One of the best ways to help promote hair growth, and one of the first styles after wearing a headband that a baby can sport effectively, are finger coils. What makes finger coils so great for a first style? Well, 1) you don't have to have a lot of hair to do it; 2) it works on boys and girls; 3) no need to use rubber bands, so you won't be worrying about damaging the hair that you're trying to grow.

An Overview of Hair Types

Ever heard the terms "3a" or "4b" in reference to hair type? Knowing what hair type your child has can be the first step in developing a hair-care routine. The type of hair determines both how you moisturize as well as which tools you use to detangle and style the hair. Very often your child will have more than one hair type. For example, Boo has mostly 4a hair, except for the area where her bald spot once was, which is 4c. Curl pattern indicates how likely the oil produced from the scalp will move the the strand of the hair to keep it moisturized. Straight hair allows the oils to flow easily. Very curly hair does not. Knowing how curly your child's hair is will help you understand how unlikely the hair on the ends will stay moisturized on its own. But curl pattern doesn't tell you everything when it comes to finding the right hair products (please see our post "Understanding the Role of Curl Patterns in Natural Haircare" for more detailed information). Understanding porosity will also help you get a fuller picture of what hair needs to maintain moisture and stay healthy.

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Yes, they all get them. No, there's nothing you can really do about them. Unless we can come up with a device that allows our kids to sleep sitting up with their head suspended, there will be bald spots. Your child might have one in the back of the head as Boo did. Or on the side (one or both) depending on normal sleeping positions. Chocolate and vanilla babies get them. However, the darker the hair, the more noticeable it is.