[jandn]

Hello All!

I am a fostermom and have an array of products that I use for everyday hair care on my AA babies, but I have a specific question. I have a little girl coming that her hair has not been properly cared for in her former foster home. It is so dry, broken and matted. I need advice on an intensive hair product/system so I can get it into a state where I can use regular products.

Another question: Does anyone use Aveda products that they can recommend?

[redhedded]

Hi jandn,
My hubby and I use only Aveeda hair products on ourselves. We use Deep Penetrating Hair Revitalizer. It is an intense deep conditioner intended for 2-3 times a week; we use it every other day (or every wash). It cost $30.00 per 8.5 fl oz. We purchase at the Aveeda store. We both have long and very very thick hair. His has no damage; mine however, has damage from years of coloring. I have never found anything that comes close to its effectiveness and have tried virtually all Aveeda (and other brand products). We use Shampure shampoo.

I have not yet used it on my dd, who is 2.5 years; though I imagine that it would be fine since it is an all natural product. Hope this helps.

[jmsteve]

You'll want to experiment a bit, but you may wish to either give up shampooing the baby's hair, or seriously diluting any shampoo you do use. Kinky hair has a problem with the scalp's natural oils getting to the end of the hair strand. Stripping the scalp with shampoo doesn't really help that process. Use shampoo sparingly or not at all. (I shampoo my fro maybe once a month, substituting a light conditioner for most of my daily rinses.)

You probably don't need to go so far as to use expensive salon products for the child's hair. You might wish to experiment with the drugstore brands designed for women with color-treated or permed hair. Natural products such as shea butter (as close to 100% pure as you can get), jojoba and coconut oils are also very moisturizing. Avoid hair pomades/creams with mineral oil, petroleum or petrolatum, as these ingredients tend to suffocate the scalp rather than allow it to breathe.

Good luck!

[LisaCA]

start inexpensive: suave makes a knockoff of the Nexxus humectress line, basically a moisturizing shampoo and a separate conditioner. love them, and they're absolutely cheap. used then on my hair when I had it (cut it pretty short now) and now on dd's long, thick hair. good stuff.

good luck,

lisa

[redhedded]

jandn, I just read the recent responses to your post. I must have been typing asleep to consistently spell Aveda with two e's. I wanted to add that we have always used Burt's Bees apricot oil and jojoba oil on my dd's hair; she is 2 1/2. A friend suggested I try grapeseed oil also and alternate them. Now we use grapeseed oil sparingly almost daily. It absorbs well and makes her hair look beautiful. I always get compliments from AA moms asking what oil I use. It makes me happy.

[leaabc123]

Burt's Bees makes something that might help, It is called avocado butter. They market is a "pre-shampoo treatemnt" but it can also be used between washes to help condition hair.
It is about 8.00 a tube but a little goes along way.

[jandn]

I picked up some of the Aveda Deep Penetrating Hair Revatalizer- it was what the clerk recommeded too. (I'm a thrifty girl- but I've had a gift certificate sitting in my wallet for a while ) I've used the Aveda once and another brand once. I put it on to soak for about a 1/2 hour when I went to go rinse it out her hair had just soaked it up and was still dry afterward. It's going to take a while to get her hair moisturized again. I think that not shampooing but using a light conditioner rinse will help also. I picked up some Jojoba oil previously for her ezcema so I'll start using that on her scalp too.

Two more days till "Gotcha Day"

[pattiw]

Good day my little girl has the most dry hair and nappy you could ever see from the day she was born I always use aveda for myself as I have lousy hair but what i found was they have a product that is expensive but awsome and keeps her hair like silk it is the conditioner for black hair it is messy though and does stain my hands for the day, I also use the reconstructive conditioner every 2 weeks. busy bee sells a product called apricot oil and I put this in her hair and it worked great as well all natural and does not stay oily once it hit hte hair. Hope this helps trim once a week a small omount off it really helps buy some good scissors

[jandn]

Update! Getting our little ones hair into shape has been the hardest task of her transition. So far nothing is working all that well. My latest recommendation from my neighbor is Glovers main? Any one tried it? L's hair texture is very coarse and her curl structure is so tight that is naturally dries into locs. I usually comb or pic out her short (1/2 - 1") hair everyday but by the end of the day it has formed her little locs and every piece of fuzz or lint in the house is stuck in it. Oils don't coat her hair at all and you can see her oily scalp through her hair. We rarely shampoo her hair (1-2 a month) and just condition with the colesterol tub or the aveda reconstructor. I havn't found a hair grease/oil that doesn't leave her hair sticky or pick up more fuzz/dirt/lint than usual.

Help ladies!

[ahimsa]

I use a hot oil treatment (sounds a lot worse than it is) on my daughter. Sally's has a great brand that I use. You heat up water and place the tube of oil in it for a minute, or so. In the meantime, I wash my daughter's hair. I put the oil on her hair. It is lukewarm, if even...not hot. I then take a warm, damp hand towel and wrap it around her hair and cover it with a shower cap for 15 minutes. After that, I shampoo again and condition like usual. It adds a lot of luster!

Good Luck!