[aclee]

So Mr Ty bear had (as the nurse in st. Louis says) H-A-I-R...she also called it #10 hair, but I don't really understand all that, and I think it's great hair...anyway, it's extremely curly, and goes into very tight, curs right after ever washing. I keep it pretty soft by taking (I hope) good care of it, but it gets dry very fast if I miss a day with his hair care. Anyway...Ty is also VERY active right now (near 6 months old) and he HATES sitting still for me to brush it out. It's like wrestling and oiled bear literally. It takes both DH and I. Also since he's so active when he's sitting in his swing, or on his playmat, or bouncer etc, he's moving his head all around, and he's pushing off with his feet so he slides across the floor on his back. We don't have a bald "spot" we have a LARGE baldish, smiley mouth (that's what we call it) I really should post a picture. If he had two more bald eyes at the top of his head, he'd have the full smiley face. Now that he's sleeping on his tummy, and in his exersaucer more, the spot is growing back. It might be 1/4 inch long. Unfortunately the hair around it is between 4-6 inches long. Last night in the bath, the little patch of long hair below his bald spot, made curls down to the middle of his back. Now they curl back up so they aren't that long, but the problem is that the long hair next to the short hair is matting together. When I try to comb it out, he screams, and cries and pulls his head...Partly because he hates it, partly because no matter how much conditioner I put in there, and no matter how gentle I am, it's going to hurt to take mats out.

I swore I wouldn't cut it till a year, but I wasn't really picturing a little boy with hair down to the middle of his back a 6 months. Honestly, if he would sit still, I would try to put it in cornrows, or have someone put it in cornrows (that might cover the bald spot too?) I think the chances of him getting cornrows put in that lasted longer than one day are about zero. So I'm left with contemplating trimming the hair around the sides and back of his head so that they don't mat into the bald spot. I honestly could care less about how it looked, the bald spot didn't bother me at all till it resulted in all these mats, and a very unhappy Tyler.

Any advice on this? I really wish I didn't have to because his hair grows VERY fast, so I feel like by a year the spot will have grown in enough you couldn't even tell, but right now, brushing out the mats, I'm taking a lot of hair with it , so I feel like trimming it might keep more hair on his head.

Any thoughts are appreciated...

[Cjmeck]

My Savannah's hair sounds JUST like Ty's! I cannot believe how much hair she has; it also goes down her back when wet. And she has this habit of rubbing the back of her head back and forth when she's tired. So she has this HUGE bad spot. But OMG, her hair is just beautiful aside from the bald issue... Savannah is BR so I don't know if her hair texture is similiar to Ty's or not; its very soft and fine and tangles easily. But I can usually get the mats out without tears by brushing her hair with a widetooth comb while she's in the tub. I put the conditioner in and then brush through it. Or my friend told me (who is AA herself and has AA kids) to get Johnson's baby oil GEL. I just put the smallest amount in my hand and run it through her wet hair. And then comb it through. But if all of that doesn't help, I would totally just cut it. My son (who is CC, if that matters) also had really long hair as a baby and we finally broke down and cut it when he was 9 months. If Ty's hair grows fast, you're probably just better off trimming it a bit, or the matting may get worse. And on crazy hair days when I just don't have time to really deal with it; I put a bow on the top. At least it looks like I tried, lol... But I guess you don't have that option with Ty! I don't know how in the world you'd be able to braid his hair; I can barely get bows in Savannah's hair she moves so much. Don't feel bad about trimming it a little! Its only hair

[aclee]

Originally Posted by Cjmeck

My Savannah's hair sounds JUST like Ty's! I cannot believe how much hair she has; it also goes down her back when wet. And she has this habit of rubbing the back of her head back and forth when she's tired. So she has this HUGE bad spot. But OMG, her hair is just beautiful aside from the bald issue... Savannah is BR so I don't know if her hair texture is similiar to Ty's or not; its very soft and fine and tangles easily. But I can usually get the mats out without tears by brushing her hair with a widetooth comb while she's in the tub. I put the conditioner in and then brush through it. Or my friend told me (who is AA herself and has AA kids) to get Johnson's baby oil GEL. I just put the smallest amount in my hand and run it through her wet hair. And then comb it through. But if all of that doesn't help, I would totally just cut it. My son (who is CC, if that matters) also had really long hair as a baby and we finally broke down and cut it when he was 9 months. If Ty's hair grows fast, you're probably just better off trimming it a bit, or the matting may get worse. And on crazy hair days when I just don't have time to really deal with it; I put a bow on the top. At least it looks like I tried, lol... But I guess you don't have that option with Ty! I don't know how in the world you'd be able to braid his hair; I can barely get bows in Savannah's hair she moves so much. Don't feel bad about trimming it a little! Its only hair

I comb him through when we give him a bath with Burt's bees conditioner, then I add his lotion all over (Shea butter) and then top that with his spray, which is water and olive oil. I try not to use anything on him that has petroleum or mineral oil in it...it clogs his pores awful. He only gets a bath about 1 a week though because his skin gets really dry otherwise. I wipe him down in the "smelly areas" (neck, armpits, legs and bum) a couple other times a week. On non-bath days I just do the oil spray, or sometimes the lotion and oil, in the evenings when I know he'll have some time to sit in his bumbo or exersaucer for the oil and lotion to absorb a little.

I don't know if the matting is because that hair back there drys out quicker from the rubbing, or if it's because the hair is two different lengths. The way I figure, if the lengths vary THIS much (4-5 inches) they will have to be evened up eventually anyway, so I guess it doesn't matter when. Was just reaching out to see if anyone else had any other ideas...

If he was a girl I would just put the top in a puffs and wouldn't have this problem...DH says no puffs on his son...

[mommamarci]

Originally Posted by aclee

He only gets a bath about 1 a week though because his skin gets really dry otherwise. I wipe him down in the "smelly areas" (neck, armpits, legs and bum) a couple other times a week.

If he was a girl I would just put the top in a puffs and wouldn't have this problem...DH says no puffs on his son...

Aclee- my niece (who is CC) has eczema (spelling??) My sis took her to a pediatric dermotologist. He said my sis was not bathing her enough. She is supposed to soak in the tub for 20 minutes every night. Wash at the very end and immedaitely get out and put a heavy lotion (like Aquaphor) on. The time in the water is actually good for the skin, it is the soap that is not. I had always heard to bathe less when dry, so this was new to me. Just wanted to pass that idea along.

And the puff thing, I tell dh all the time Spencer would look so stinkin' cute with a pink bow. He has not yet caved to that one either...

[aclee]

Originally Posted by mommamarci

Aclee- my niece (who is CC) has eczema (spelling??) My sis took her to a pediatric dermotologist. He said my sis was not bathing her enough. She is supposed to soak in the tub for 20 minutes every night. Wash at the very end and immedaitely get out and put a heavy lotion (like Aquaphor) on. The time in the water is actually good for the skin, it is the soap that is not. I had always heard to bathe less when dry, so this was new to me. Just wanted to pass that idea along.

And the puff thing, I tell dh all the time Spencer would look so stinkin' cute with a pink bow. He has not yet caved to that one either...

Yeah it's totally different for CC than AA. Don't know why! I'm CC and have psorasis...I bath more frequently too. Ty's skin has been a lot better since we've been bathing him less. I could never use Aquafor on him either...love it for myself though It works great for me, and it turns his skin into a million tiny white heads...yuck.

[Celesyee]

We, too, wanted to wait 1 year before giving Devin his first hair cut. But with all the hair twirling and pulling and-like Ty-rubbing his head back and forth, we were forced to cut earlier than desired. He was wonderful during hair care (massaging scalp and hair with Hawaiian Kukui Nut oil and comb out twice a day) and his hair wasn't dry, BUT his hair was sooo uneven. There was the huge bald spot on his left side, the long straight hairs at the nape of his neck, and the top was longer like Don King. So, he had his first hair cut last Friday at 3-1/2 months old! BTW, he did wonderfully! He sat still during the entire cut!!! And get this...people are still commenting on how long his hair is!

In regards to bathing and products, we bathe Devin twice a week and use Hawaiian Kukui Nut shampoo, bar soap, and oil for his hair and skin. All the other baby products dried out his skin and scalp.

Aclee....I'm soooo happy we cut Devin's hair and I think he's cooler without all the hair. Good luck!

[OakShannon]

Nice to know Daniel's not the only one with hair that is totally different lengths! I think I would cut it rather than have Ty suffer through combing out the resulting mats. Like you said, it will need to be evened out eventually.

Daniel had a bald spot in the back that is growing back with really tight curls. But the curls on the top and sides of his head are much softer and looser - a very different texture. His hair is getting thicker on the top and I can see a lot of new growth coming in, but it's more of the same loose curls. I expected the new growth on the top to match the new growth on the back!

I was using Soft and Precious leave in conditioner, which works great for the hair on the top, but doesn't seem to be quite enough for the corser curls in the back. So yesterday I bought some Kids Organics conditioner that is much heavier. It will work in the back, but seems too heavy for the curls on the top.

Anyone else have such different hair textures on the same head? I'm looking forward to Daniel's body making up it's mind!

[Celesyee]

Oakshannon--Devin has different hair textures...the nape of his neck and right side of his head is straight, the top has loose curls, and the left side of his head has tight curls. But since we've cut his hair, the different textures aren't as noticeable.

[sbaglio]

Interesting discussion...DD also has uneven hair, though it's not too noticeable yet (mostly because we can comb it over well!). The back and sides are thinner, and have what is a newer hair texture - less shiny, but slightly coarser, more straight hair. The top of her head still has baby hair (shiny, thinner) that is very long and in large curls and corkscrews. This hair is falling out slowly and steadily (we find tendrils everywhere), so I suspect that this will be changing soon as well.

We wash her hair twice a week with Johnsons & Johnson's Baby Shampoo, and while still wet, use J & J No More Tangles Leave-In Conditioner. Then we either leave it so, or massage in Miss Jessie's Baby Buttercreme if we're going out on the town. Either way, we can use a fine-toothed comb (that works better on DD than a wide-toothed comb) to gently work through any tangles. We tend to use the plastic brush that they gave us at the hospital when she was born; it works great for her hair.

We used to give DD a bath twice a week, but with her spitting up and dribbling, she was a right mess at the end of each day, despite any wipe-downs. We now bath her each evening (with Johnson's Bedtime Moisture Wash), and use Johnson's shea and cocoa butter cream (I swear, I own no shares of this company!) for her skin. We have never used soap on her face, and avoid it in her perineal area. It really moisturizes well, and we haven't had any problems with ashiness/drying (she's 5 months and biracial, black/white).

[keekee1006]

AA/BR infants do tend to have different hair textures at different points in their lives. You probably won't see the final change until your children are over a year old. Detangling products will probably work best when trying to comb their hair, some textures do tend to tangle and mat more. Once your children are older I recommend Cream of Nature Conditioning Shampoo. It helps me with tangles and leaves my hair so soft I have to double check if I washed out all of the shampoo.

[aclee]

Originally Posted by sbaglio

Interesting discussion...DD also has uneven hair, though it's not too noticeable yet (mostly because we can comb it over well!). The back and sides are thinner, and have what is a newer hair texture - less shiny, but slightly coarser, more straight hair. The top of her head still has baby hair (shiny, thinner) that is very long and in large curls and corkscrews. This hair is falling out slowly and steadily (we find tendrils everywhere), so I suspect that this will be changing soon as well.

We wash her hair twice a week with Johnson's & Johnson's Baby Shampoo, and while still wet, use J & J No More Tangles Leave-In Conditioner. Then we either leave it so, or massage in Miss Jessie's Baby Buttercreme if we're going out on the town. Either way, we can use a fine-toothed comb (that works better on DD than a wide-toothed comb) to gently work through any tangles. We tend to use the plastic brush that they gave us at the hospital when she was born; it works great for her hair.

We used to give DD a bath twice a week, but with her spitting up and dribbling, she was a right mess at the end of each day, despite any wipe-downs. We now bath her each evening (with Johnson's Bedtime Moisture Wash), and use Johnson's shea and cocoa butter cream (I swear, I own no shares of this company!) for her skin. We have never used soap on her face, and avoid it in her perineal area. It really moisturizes well, and we haven't had any problems with ashiness/drying (she's 5 months and biracial, black/white).

I envy you and your free use of J & J products. I recall sitting in the isle at Walmart while DH hands me anything that even remotely looks like it would be a natural product while I would flip it over and read the ingredient list for "Ty can't have lotion with that in it" or "that drys the skin" products. Any idea how hard it is to find lotion with no petroleum or mineral oil in it? Hard enough that I make my own now! Shea butter and coconut oil. I can even cook with my coconut oil...makes great stir fry!

[sbaglio]

Each to his/her own. Like I said, DD has wonderful hair and wonderful skin, despite the fact that she's drowning in J & J products. Don't knock it 'till you try it