[michellemartin]

My daughter has really really long hair. I wanted to do it in the rows of braids, but I did my hair once that way and my head got really itchy. So what do I do so my daughters head doesnt get itchy? And how long can you keep the braids in? And how do you keep the braids from fraying?

[michellemartin]

you cant really tell from that pic, but her hair does go past her butt. Its really a pain to get ready every day for school with her hair taking almost 15 minutes by itself!

[DebCsMom]

I don't mean to laugh But I had to at your comment about it taking 15 minutes alone to just do her hair! LOL Just to comb out my daughters hair takes about 45 minutes EACH DAY! Then to style can take 5 to another 45 minutes depending on the style AND my patience! LOL

Your head most likely itched because when you washed it with the braids in, I'm assuming, it didn't get rinsed out good enough. You should be able to leave her hair in braids for a few days if it's done properly. In an AA child, the braids can stay in quite longer.

Good Luck!

Deb

[LoveRiddenDad]

Argh! Long hair! My oldest daughter is CC with the same kind of hair. Who knew hair could make you feel helpless? C's also tenderheaded... I also have two AA daughters (even though the baby for all practical purposes is bald). Really... A.N.'s hair does not fray when braided although she just normally throws a fit, and she has a naturally beautiful afro that holds its shape. I've found with CC hair, especially the long sort, keeping it in a bun works best. It protects the hair! CC hair tends to be too fine to braid... It just gets "fuzzy." (I seriously didn't know this as I'm only half CC. I found out after my sister attempted braiding my oldest daughter's hair and oh my...) Both the girls usually get their hair "brushed up" before bed. Again, it will just be work. Sorry! (Haha! It's funny when it's someone else's problem! :P)

Mike

[Lindsie]

I can't help with preventing the "fraying" but if you make sure that you use a conditioner especially for fine hair it should help. As for how long you can leave the braids in, I would say probably only a couple of days before they get too messy. I just thought that I would add my 2cents as my hair was pretty much the same length when I was between 5-12 years old (and very fine). I'm not sure if you do it, but you will find that if you plait it before she goes to bed at night, it should only take a couple of minutes to brush in the morning as it won't be so tangled. Also, if you brush it from the bottom up in the morning it is MUCH easier to get the knots out quickly. Another thing is to make sure that you don't try to brush it when it is damp or some bits are dry while others are wet (eg after a bath or shower) because the brush will pull when it hits the wet bits and it hurts like crazy. If it is partly wet and you need to brush it, wet the whole lot and start from there.

[numbr1dbcksfan]

When my daughter's hair was long...i would put the sponge rollers in at night... it takes a while....but the morning was much easier as all you have to do is take them out and she would have perfect curls!

[DebCsMom]

I just posted this in another thread, but I think it iwll work here as well. I do this to our AA daughter's but I have done it with our CC daughter when she was younger as well. It isn't the best I've done! LOL She was squirmy today.

At night when she goes to bed, wrap a scarf around it to help with the fuzzys.

Deb

[DianeS]

Her hair takes that long? Really, or does it just feel that way?

I have long hair - it's almost to my knees now. And except for a period of time in elementary school when my mother forced me to have it cut, it's always been long.

The most important thing to remember is CONDITIONER! And LOTS of it!

The rules they give you for a "dime sized amount" don't apply. Except for a bit of it at the forehead (bangs, or hair that would be bangs if it were cut), absolutely slather it with conditioner each time it gets wet. Let the conditioner sit on the hair at least 2 minutes before rinsing.

The hair will be *much* easier to handle, and combing it out will take only a couple minutes instead of 15. Knots won't form as quickly, they'll be easier to comb out, and it won't be as flyaway because the conditioner will help keep it weighted down.

(That's why you don't use so much conditioner at the forehead, so that hair will still be bouncy and flyaway there instead of slicked back.)

Another tip is to have her sleep with it in a braid. That way the hairs will stay still instead of tangling overnight. It can be a single braid, ponytail braids, whatever. Take them out in the morning, and the hair falls almost where it should, and a comb should slip right through it. If she has it in a braid during the day, it'll be easier to handle in the evening.

Also, if you use a hairdryer on it, it really is worth it to use the more expensive conditioners that are made to work with the heat - like ThermaSilk. It really does matter. So does using a hairdryer with "ions" - sounds like baloney but really does make the hair less flyaway.

And remember that hair, especially children's hair, does not need to be washed every day. I don't think you mentioned how often you wash it, but once a week is probably adequate unless she gets something in it. My hair is hardest to handle the day after I wash it - everything slips out! So if you're washing every day or every couple of days, you'll have a lot of days it's hard to handle and doesn't stay where it's put.

Hope that helps!

[kikibrando]

Kiki is six years old and I have had similar experiences with her complaining of scalp itch. We have also had "fuzzy" braids. An African-American girlfriend recommended several things to cut down on these issues:

1. Wash hair only once a week (as suggested here previously).

I have learned that washing Kiki's hair in the kitchen sink, with her lying on the countertop, is easiest. She has the comfort of knowing water doesn't get into her face (both of my kids have an issue with this) and can lay her head on a rolled towel. The spray attachment on the sink allows me rinse her hair more thoroughly than washed in the bath tub.

2. Use shampoo meant only for African-American hair because others tend to be drying. She recommended Pink products or Creamy Natural. Another shampoo that helps control scalp itch is tea tree oil shampoo found in local health food stores.

We used both Pink and Creamy Natural and like them quite well. But, my son won't let me wash his hair with "Pink" anything!

3. After washing, try using cholesterol to condition. Other conditioners she has recommended that have worked are egg and mayonnaise, rinsed with pure white vinegar, followed by water. Mix the 2 eggs, one tsp. mayonnaise, whip together with a fork. Apply to the scalp and hair, let sit for 5 minutes. The vinegar rinse clears away any residue and odor. The vinegar smell will disappear shortly. Also, any hair products are usually scented, too.

This has also worked well and is also suggested on a web site giving alternatives to chemicals based products for AA little girls hair.

4. When braiding, be sure the braids aren't set to tight in the child's head. The pulling increases itchiness.

This is something I've done. Once, I braided Kiki's hair so tight, she looked like she had a face lift.

5. Use a good moisturizer prior to and during braiding. Thoroughly "grease" the scalp with a guality hair dressing (not moisturizer). Products she recommended are "LIV," moisturizer and B&B "grease."

I like LIV (found at Sallys Beauty Supply), but find this and B&B have petroleum-based oils, which clog the pores and don't allow the skin to breathe. Again, natural oils have been great. We have used extra virgin olive oil, scented with natural essential oils like jasmin (have to be careful to purchase those that can be used on skin) or tea tree oil. Tea tree is great because it's smell is pleasant and has an antiseptic quality.

6. To control scalp itch following braiding, spray the hair once or twice daily as needed with either a braid spray or spritzer bottle containing light oil. This keeps the scalp moist. She also recommended "greasing" the scalp between the rows of braids.

7. To control fuzzies, if your daughter is old enough, use a doo rag or bandanna at night. These can be purchased cheaply at Wal-Mart. Another option is to use a boy's head stocking or simply cut the end off a pair of old panty house, tie it, and instant head cover.

Kiki likes the purchased variety because they are more light-weight and tend to stay on better. They have a stretchy material that doesn't constrict like her bandanas did. We have also used the panty hose thing when she lost her head wraps. These work great, too. The kids have gotten a kick out of watching me cut up my old stockings and make them into doo rags.

8. Don't use a plastic comb on your daughter's head. The seams have a tendency to rip the hair and can contribute to fuzzies. Using a bone comb with no seams can allieviate the ripping, and also cuts down on pulling while combing the child's hair.

Some of this I learned from my girlfriend and other information I received from Herspecialhair.com. (The web site is owned and operated by a wonderful lady, Cherie, whose commited to natural hair care for young black girls). She has a downloadable e-book on the web site that helped me immensely with my little girl's hair. It's very positive and and wonderful approach to taking care of our daughter's hair!

[pgecco]

Braids Braids Braids. It looks like everyone has made the conditioner thing clear. Sometimes heads are simply itchy from getting braided. The pulling irritates the scalp and can cause little clear scabs that will itch but are harmless and will flake off in a week or so. Also you asked about how long they can be worn. Well, it depends on how you braid. Corn rows (the ones tight to your scalp) do not last as long as singles (the loose ones) If you have her hair braided with senthetic hair added to the braids (the same way they do extentions) the braids can stay in a few months! Just be sure to make it clear you want only a tiny bit of senthetic hair added ( one or 2 bags only) more than that adds to much weight for children. Good luck.

[leaabc123]

Once, when I was a counselor at a sleep away camp. A 9 year old white (or hispanic ?) girl didn't wash or comb her hair for a week and a half. She was in the group that shared our cabin. Her hair was always in a pony tail so couldn't tell until they were doing hair for fashion night.

it took us 5 days of taking turns and combing whenever there was a break or quiet time to get it unknotted.

Before swim time and bed time, the hair that was no longer knotted was combed and braided into 1 or 2 braids. This kept it from getting crazy again.

[goknights]

sorry this has nothing to do with braids(we only have boys) but your lawn is so lush and green...what state so you live in? we live in florida and we don't see much grass like that!! anyway, just wanted to compliment it!!

take care and condition that hair!

anne

[Volfe]

I think the lush grass and the lush hair is all due to the water! It's in the water

<chuckling in anticipation of shelliemart getting to my post>

I agree with the LOTS of conditioner advice...

Maia

[michellemartin]

I'm in WI, and the grass is brown now!

She sleeps with the shower cap on! It totally works sooo much better than before. So we do up her hair at night, sometimes just the ponytail and toss on the shower cap and in the moring, we dont even comb it, cuz its ready already! Bought more conditioner. I only was using it when we went swimming, because I only wash her hair every other time she bathes/showers already, but now I slather condioner on like crazy when I wash it. I think I may be overdoing it, though. I've gone through almost half a bottle of conditioner to not yet a quarter of a bottle of shampoo!

[Volfe]

oh shellie... that's OK!

In fact, I'd bought the curly girl book and for certain curls it recommends washing with conditioner only (just scrub the scalp like always). shampoo is too drying which helps create the knots... etc etc. Sometiimes I'll do that now, but I also use shampoo sometimes b/c I have baby fine hair and if my hair gets loaded down with stuff it looks and feels greasy