[fredalina]

A few years ago, i was in Big Brothers/Big Sisters and was matched with a little girl age 7, too young to care for her own hair. We did a few overnight visits (like to visit my parents and we won a trip to California once). i was pathetically unable to care for her hair since it was so thick, and the added oils (i know they're essential) made it kind of hard to grip.

Since we're interested in foster kids age 4-7, either gender, i figure it's about time i learned more about AA hair. Are there tricks or hints you could give me? Any videos or places i could go for a real lesson? i know some basics, like not to shampoo but about once a week and to use natural oils and condition daily, but actually handling and getting through the thickness to get it combed out and styled would be great!

[meshsgrl]

I had 2 AA girls placed in the last 3 months. They have very different hair types so I am learning a lot!! I think snap aholics is a good website and melissas suggestions has some good starter ideas! I found with my girls practice and playing around is the best way to figure out how to care for their hair.
baby Girl will sit still for hours while I practice corn rows and braids, M will not let me even start anything other then boxbraids. Baby Girl has THICK LONG hair, M has coarse fine (if you can call it that) hair. I started out with box braids and worked my way into corn rows.

Motions lotion and Just for me detangler are my 2 favorite products.
I was their hair once a week and add a coconut conditioner. I add the lotion whenever I comb their hair. I am hoping to get Baby Girls cornrows where I can leave them for more then a week at a time.
Good Luck

[basimah]

You could try looking for books on african american hair care. But it's not very difficult. The first thing is to use a wide tooth comb (I like the kind with the handle) and get a good natural bristle brush. Get a moisturizing hair cream. I know a lot of people recommend Pink Oil Moisturizer but anything similar will do. And just a quarter size or less rubbed in the hair will do. Yes, it will probably get all soaked up. But don't put more in. It'll just make it greasy. You'll want a lightweight hair grease also to put a bit on the scalp and rub in. Wash weekly or every 2 weeks. Any shampoo and conditioner for dry hair will be ok. I tend to stay away from the less expensive brands like suave and white rain though because they are more drying in my opinion. But I don't necessarily use brands specifically for black hair. I usually go off of how I like the scent. Find a good detangler. I used to use aussie brand. One trick is to comb out while rinsing the hair. The water flowing through the hair will assist in detangling. And then blow dry in small sections with a regular blowdryer and pik attachment. People will have their recommendations on brands but all black hair isn't the same. Just experiment to find out what works.

[DoYaReallyThink]

At first we had an aweful time with hair care. I was using Pink and it made their hair dry. I will never use Pink again! We are using Olive Oil hair lotion. Olive Oil shampoo etc. The difference is amazing! Having a hard time getting the girls to keep their bonnets on at night but their hair looks so much better!.

[meshsgrl]

Having a hard time getting the girls to keep their bonnets on at night but their hair looks so much better!
I gave up on this battle!!! I keep thinking maybe if I would be satin pillow cases it would help, but for now they sleep "bonnettless" on regular pillow covers.

[Robbiesmomma]

We took a class at our state foster parent convention. It was great! It was taught by two hair stylists and they knew their stuff. They said not to use the pink lotion as well, instead to stick to olive oil type products.
They also recommended to find a beauty school or a salon that specializes in AA hair. They said that they don't mind doing a little product instruction if it keeps kids looking good so that might be a good way to go. They showed us that with consistency and good products, that AA hair wasn't that hard, just different that what we are used to.
Good luck,
Becki

[cabbagepatchkid]

Here is a link to help you get started.... African American Childrens Hair & Skin Care. Another product line that I've heard good things about is "Carol's Daughter".

There is another section of this board that might be able to answer some of your question.... http://forums.adoption.com/african-a...ptive-parents/ . I remember seeing some questions on this subject a few weeks ago and there were lots of good answers.

[mommytoEli]

we were not prepared for this either. we were fostering an AA baby boy, when it was discovered he had an older sister....so we got a call that basically said she is coming NOW. lol. the best thing we could think of was to take her to an AA salon. the ladies there did her hair SO cute and taught my dh alot of what he needed to know about her hair. after a week or so of practicing everything we had been told...we got into the swing of things and it was not hard at all. sometimes...i did send her hair things with her to her visit...but mostly because i know that for many children, this is a bonding time with their parent. her mom loved doing her hair, and i loved seeing new hairstyles i could try. i couldn't keep her little scarf on her head at night either....so by morning her hair was super messy and i had to do it every morning...although the goal is to NOT do this. i was just VERY careful and gentle to just restore the previous hair style...rather than to start all over. one important thing to remember is that AA hair is very prone to breakage.

[OakShannon]

Originally Posted by cabbagepatchkid

Here is a link to help you get started.... African American Childrens Hair & Skin Care. Another product line that I've heard good things about is "Carol's Daughter".

There is another section of this board that might be able to answer some of your question.... http://forums.adoption.com/african-a...ptive-parents/ . I remember seeing some questions on this subject a few weeks ago and there were lots of good answers.

There is also a book called, Kids Talk Hair by Pamela Ferrell that has suggestions for hair care and a lot of pictures for children's hair styles. It's a great book.

My son is 11 months and his hair is thick and tightly curled and is starting to get long. I've tried different products to keep it soft and free of tangles. (We can't cut it until after his adoption is final.) I love Carol's Daughter products. They are all natural - no chemicals - and they don't build up in his hair. They also smell really nice. I noticed that Motions and other conditioners I tried would build up after awhile and weigh down the curls or make them feel oily.

I use the Black Vanilla spray as a detangler. I use a comb to separate out a section of hair, spray it, and then gently comb it out starting from the ends. Once it's combed out, then I rub Hair Milk conditioner into his hair and pick it out to style it. His hair is really soft and looks great.

It takes some practice, but I agree that it's not hard to take care of their hair. It's just a little different than we are used to so it takes some trial and error at first.

[HopingforAlex]

I remember a similar post too! I found that you-tube actually has some very informative videos on hair and perhaps in a pinch you could watch those until you can get to a hairstylist.

I also talked with a few salons that do AA hair and they were very open to teaching anyone that needed to know, it may seem a silly question or a hard one to ask, but you will be surprised with the positive reactions within that community. Afterall, hairdressers make the best therapists! HA HA (that's a joke)

[basimah]

Originally Posted by meshsgrl

Having a hard time getting the girls to keep their bonnets on at night but their hair looks so much better!
I gave up on this battle!!! I keep thinking maybe if I would be satin pillow cases it would help, but for now they sleep "bonnettless" on regular pillow covers.

Have you tried tying a satin scarf on instead? I know I have a hard time keeping those bonnets on myself.

[DoYaReallyThink]

Yes ma'am, we sure did. These girls take them off too. FOr the first week they would be laying on their dresser when I went in to wake them up and they would tell me they fell off while they were sleeping. LOL I have bought multiple styles of anything I could find. I even bought doo rags cause they said they would wear them. Well, guess what? They grumble and whine that they hate their hair and they never have them on in the morning.

[meshsgrl]

These girls take them off too. FOr the first week they would be laying on their dresser when I went in to wake them up and they would tell me they fell off while they were sleeping

My girls would take theirs off and stick them under the bed!!! They were usually off the minute I left the room.

[jarian]

No joke...AA kids will NOT leave their head scarfs on at night. I'm an adult, and sometimes I get annoyed by my scarfs. LOL. One thing that is good is to use products without alcohol in them. You will usually spend more money on those products, but they keep our hair moisturized. Also, don't use a lot of grease. Olive oil products are great. And always, always, untangle the hair from the ends and work your way up to the roots. If you try to untangle roots first, you will break the hair and the it hurts.

[fredalina]

OK, here's what i have so far:

Hair products:
No alcohol
No petroleum products (petrolatum or mineral oil)
Natural oil products - olive, coconut, shea, jojoba

Daily care:
Rinse (no shampoo) with warm water, add conditioner, rinse
Add oil to hair and scalp, add leave-in conditioner to ends
Part in fourths
Hold firmly; detangle from ends upward
Braid or twist all the way to the ends
Use covered rubber bands only
Beg, plead & bribe to get them to wear bonnets or scarves all night

Weekly Care:
Shampoo
Condition thoroughly, particularly with once-weekly products or hot oil treatments