[Marie8888]

Ok, I am a little confused. What exactly is kinky hair?
My son (AA) had straight hair that fell out between 2-4 months and has been replaced by very dry, very corse, but beautiful loose curls (now 6 1/2 months old) I put Pink conditioning lotion on his hair and I think his hair look georgeous.
I am CC and have bought several books on AA hair care but still am unsure about what exactly kinky hair looks like. From the pictures in the books it looks like tiny curls that are so curls that they fro. Am I completely off base here?
When I have told my AA friends that his BDad had curly hair they get excited but when I tell them his BMom wrote she had kinky hair with a big smiley face on his adoption paperwork, they get this really worried look on their faces. What exactly is kinky hair and why does everyone look so worried?

[traceyk]

I can't answer that, bit I am interested to see what others say. I personally LOVE Drihan's very tight curls. Perhaps her hair is considered kinky.

[kakuehl]

I'm not sure how to answer your question about the difference between curly and kinky. I have two biracial grandsons. The 12 year old keeps his hair short, but when it gets more than about a half inch long it begins to curl. When he was little it was long and very curly. The 2 1/2 year old has curls that can be loose or tight. My daughter simply sprays his hair with water and pats it place and the curls tighten up. I do know that it's important to use products designed for AA hair and to not overwash it.

[MargieMe]

I say that is beautifully, glorious kinky hair! It makes me think of my childhood.

DS has thick, kinky hair and I keep it cut short. I am impressed that you can keep Drihan's hair so pretty. If my hair was that long it would CONSTANTLY be a mess!

[Linny]

I say "kinky" is hair that is extremely tightly curled. My 4yr old has this, and it is soft and manageable with a daily spritz of water, towel dried and the use of biosilk conditioner on it.
My 3yr old's hair is not so 'kinky' and is not so thick. Her hair is more difficult to manage, because it is thinner and 'looser' than her sister's.
I can only say this, I don't understand why people would be 'worried'. I find this hair amazing and wonderful. I know that when I first spied a tiny piece of it next to me after combing dd's hair, the circle was perfect, tiny and incredibly fasinating to me. So much so, I wanted to save every itty-bitty circle of it I found! (In time though, I DID stop saving it.... )
If your son's hair is dry, try changing the conditioner. Pink lotion was not enough to condition dd's hair----but every child is different. (We have well water too, and I know it is harder on their hair.)
My straight blonde hair is sooo boring! Kinky and loose curls are so much more!!!! I love it! LOL

Sincerely,

Linny

[traceyk]

Linny, I too have long, straight blonde (yellow as Drihan says) hair, my oldest has long straight red hair and my middle DD has long straight brunette hair so having curls finally is exciting to us too

[hotspice58]

Let me start by saying I'm AA. Kinky hair is REALLY dry hair (IMHO). Lack of conditioner makes hair APPEAR to be kinky.

[Linny]

Really, hotspice???? Our dd's hair is very soft and 'comb-able', other than the younger one's hair having more issues with being more sparse than her sister's.
I've also been told by other AA people, that the girls' hair is very healthy........

I've never known anyone (AA or otherwise) to say that when defining 'kinky'......But, I've learned something new then.....

Sincerely,

Linny

[nickchris]

Kinky hair is a descriptive term used to say tight curls, it has a bit of a negative twist as previously said if the hair is dry looking or unkept looking..someone may say "that person has some kinky hair" to mean the hair is not taken care of. Again our history has something to do with this, but the spoken term may get different reactions based on the person views, and experience. Some folks prefer the term natural, or tight curls...all depends. There are a few sites online that will show the many different types of hair that AA folks have. AA folks have a wide varity of hair types; tight curls, loose curls, wavy..straight, and scalp conditions. I love the variety myself

[Synesthesia]

My hair is kinky and rather natural.
it tightly curls. Usually I like to cut it very short myself.