[traceyk]

Drihan has VERY tight curls, but it is 6 inches when stretched out. DH loves it when it is wet because the curls are longer and almost spiroly (sp?) is there something I can put in her hair to keep them like that from time to time so she can have a new style? But I don't want anything permanent or chemical like straightener stuff!

[joskids]

Not that I'm aware of. My daughter is 7, biracial, with very long hair. It is BEAUTIFUL wet and out of the tub but when dried with a blow-dryer, the curls come out and I can't ever get that same effect. I either braid it, which brings it down, particularly with beads, or blow it and straight-iron it to make comb-through a bit easier. Drihan's hair definitely looks long enough for some braids. She's a beautiful child. Whatever you do with her hair, her beauty will continue to shine through. I have found a couple of good hair moisturizers. One called "Liv" by Summit, can be bought at Sally's. It's a white creme and brings lots of nice moisture back into our daughter's hair. The other is Carol's Daughter -- hair butter. Smells very nice.

Josie

[traceyk]

I loved the hair butter but it has soy in it and she is allergic to it and even when she comes in contact with it she has problems. Yeah it is long enough to braid, but getting her to let us is a whole other ballgame

[joskids]

Have you tried a hair dresser? They can be pretty quick and maybe she'd be less likely to fuss if someone other than mommy is doing it.

[traceyk]

My fear is them getting half way through it and she screams. We don't let her cry. Do you know if it is pricey for braids? I would love to see what she would look like with them in.

[hotspice58]

Try MODERATOR REMOVED RETAIL LINK. It's a curly-hair salon; they don't use heat or chemical processes. they bring out the natural wave/curl of hair. They have a children's section of products. You can also try MODERATOR REMOVED RETAIL LINK.. Good luck!!

[traceyk]

Can you PM me those links?

[joskids]

I found a hairdresser that will braid Samantha's hair, with beads, for $30. That's pretty reasonable and it lasts for a couple of weeks. We wrap it at nite with a little gel to keep it nice for as long as possible. Although my daughter is 7, she still cries at times during the braiding but she's learning it's part of being beautiful. My AA husband tells me he remembers the times he listened to his sister cried while his mother did her hair. If you get braids, send some photos. Drihan's hair, up in the two pom-pom's, reminds of Samantha when she was 2 years old. Darling!!!

Josie

[SchmennaLeigh]

Are you using any leave in conditioners? Do you wash it daily; if so, that may be too much for it. Munchkin's curls have started to hang beautifully. D uses a leave in conditioner made for AA hair. She also only washes her hair once or twice a week (or as needed as kids get things like paint and mud in their hair!). I don't know if the product she uses has soy though. Blah to that allergy, indeed!

[traceyk]

I have to condition daily, otherwise it would be so brittle. I only wash it once a week. But even with the petrolatum based conditioner/hairdress it curls right up tight. We love her curls so much but was looking for a different look for her once in a while. We do NOT want her to straighten it at all because her curls are a part of who she is. But your birthdaughter is also biracial right? I would imagine the hair is probably straighter, but I am not sure. We see some AA people with their curls that are longer and hang, but maybe their hair is just longer so it is waited more.

[Kat-L]

Originally Posted by traceyk

I have to condition daily, otherwise it would be so brittle. I only wash it once a week. But even with the petrolatum based conditioner/hairdress it curls right up tight. We love her curls so much but was looking for a different look for her once in a while. We do NOT want her to straighten it at all because her curls are a part of who she is. But your birthdaughter is also biracial right? I would imagine the hair is probably straighter, but I am not sure. We see some AA people with their curls that are longer and hang, but maybe their hair is just longer so it is waited more.

Hanna's hair is very, very curly. From the pictures, it looks similar to Drihan's. What I do sometimes instead of braiding is part the hair in small sections into little puffs (like you have in the picture- but section it into smaller sections and puffs). And then take the little puffs of hair and put a good quality conditioner in it. While its still damp with conditioner, comb it out to get out any tangles, hold it straight so it's long, and then twist the hair around and around to make a spiral. When you let go, it will spring a little- but the spiral will stay in and look like a little braid. But it's much faster than braiding. The smaller your hair puffs when you start, the neater the little spiral braid will look. If you do a couple of big puffs (like in your picture), then take each puff and separate it into 3 or 4 sections and make 3 or 4 spirals from it.

Hanna's hair looks really cute this way. And it's a real time saver

[hotspice58]

AVOID shampoos with sulphur and/or sulphate. That's a drying ingredient.