On being mixed
Growing up in Sweden being a child of the 80's and being mixed didn't make finding hair care easy. There were no Afro Salons in the town I grew up. And when some did show up, they weren't very well equipped to caring for mixed hair. And both of my parents couldn't relate to my hair. My hair is not thin and straight like my mother's hair. Neither is it thick in very many tiny, tiny curls, like my father's hair. My parents did their best, but needless to say I looked like... let's just say it was bad, really baaaad!
So part of the reason for starting this blog is to share what I know about mixed/curly hair with parents to mixed kids. Hopefully I can help prevent kids growing up having a messed up relationship to their hair because their parents didn't know how to treat their hair.
So if you are a parent to a kid with African heritage, let me give you some pointers:
1) Figure out your kids hair classification, this will make it a lot easier to choose products suitable for your babies hair.
2) To maintain your baby's natural curl pattern always detangle when s/he is taking a bath and has conditioner in her/his hair, then rinse and let air dry.
3) Make sure to trim those edges regularly, at least every 3 months. If you want you baby to have long hair, this is essential to ensure the hair will grown long and healthy. Which will also aid in caring for the hair once it is long.
4) Never comb/brush/detangle when hair is not wet or sprayed with leave in conditioner.
5) Wash/wet thoroughly a maximum of once a week, this to prevent the scalp from drying out and itching.
If you are maintaing a little girl's hair, make sure to make it a fun moment between you two. Showing her how to love her hair will also help her love who she is, now and in the future. Let her be a part of picking different clips and styles she likes. Also, don't forget to explain what you are doing to her hair and why, if you do this she will automatically learn why certain hair care steps are important. Have fun together, doing hair can be a great bonding experience between the two of you.
So part of the reason for starting this blog is to share what I know about mixed/curly hair with parents to mixed kids. Hopefully I can help prevent kids growing up having a messed up relationship to their hair because their parents didn't know how to treat their hair.
So if you are a parent to a kid with African heritage, let me give you some pointers:
1) Figure out your kids hair classification, this will make it a lot easier to choose products suitable for your babies hair.
2) To maintain your baby's natural curl pattern always detangle when s/he is taking a bath and has conditioner in her/his hair, then rinse and let air dry.
3) Make sure to trim those edges regularly, at least every 3 months. If you want you baby to have long hair, this is essential to ensure the hair will grown long and healthy. Which will also aid in caring for the hair once it is long.
4) Never comb/brush/detangle when hair is not wet or sprayed with leave in conditioner.
5) Wash/wet thoroughly a maximum of once a week, this to prevent the scalp from drying out and itching.
If you are maintaing a little girl's hair, make sure to make it a fun moment between you two. Showing her how to love her hair will also help her love who she is, now and in the future. Let her be a part of picking different clips and styles she likes. Also, don't forget to explain what you are doing to her hair and why, if you do this she will automatically learn why certain hair care steps are important. Have fun together, doing hair can be a great bonding experience between the two of you.
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