How to manage your little black queen's hair.

Deciding on a hair regimen for your child can be scary. Many mothers AND fathers are afraid of neglecting or somehow ruining the health of their children’s hair. Braided hair is the most popular hair style for young black queens and toddlers simply because they are the safest and easiest way to manage their hair and avoid a lot of manipulation which may cause breakage.

But before you jump into the braiding, you need a hair care routine that works for you and your child. I know this sounds like a lot of time and money but frankly all you really need is some good ingredients and consistency.

So, first off you need to wash your child’s hair. I’ve heard and read a lot about mothers not shampooing their children’s hair because of how delicate and dry it is compared to adults. But honestly, its ok to shampoo once or twice a week because kids will never stop being kids, they will play and get dirty and you might need something stronger than just water to remove the dirt. There are lots of yummy smelling gentle shampoos that are sulphate free on the market. Once your child is old enough to keep shampoo out of their eyes, you can start using one.

Step two is to find a great moisturizer, detangling conditioner and detangling spray. Why do I need all these things? Children are vulnerable to dry and damaged hair so you have to be precautionary. Their natural hair has a lot of tiny curls that are forever hugging each other lol (for lack of a better way to describe it), so for you to keep their hair manageable, you need to detangle as often as possible. You can do so by using a detangling conditioner after every wash and for those days when you don’t have the time to wash, a detangling leave-in conditioner such as the MANGO-NO-TANGO DETANGLER from Kentaro Handmade Organics or just a regular detangling spray should do the trick.

Hair detangler is probably the most important thing you need for your child’s hair especially if it’s long and natural. Why? Because it smooths and moisturizes the hair, untangling each strand to make it easier to comb and manage. If you don’t have access to one or you’re looking to save a few coins, a homemade detangler is your next best option.

How do I make one?

When you browse through the internet, there are so many recipes you can find on how to make a detangler at home, but I will list two easy ones that you can try yourself.

Diluted Conditioner: this is probably the easiest and quickest detangler to make. Just combine your favorite conditioner with a few drops of your favorite oil in a spray bottle then add some water until its dilute enough to be sprayed.

Apple Cider Vinegar Hair Detangler:  You will need 5 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, 5 tablespoons of distilled water, 1 tablespoon of olive oil and a teaspoon of your favorite essential oil. Why do I need the essential oils? They have properties that benefit the hair and for people who hate the smell of vinegar, this is a great way to get rid of it. My favorite essential oils include, tea tree oil, which is great for dandruff and oily hair, lemon essential oils which smell amazing and can be used to create natural looking highlights and chamomile or lavender which are great for dry hair. If you’re in Kampala, you can get this at any of the LIVARA stores, or your preferred beauty store. They are really not that complicated to find.

So mix all the above ingredients in a spray bottle and use it as a leave in conditioner after shampooing. Shake well before using it then spritz thoroughly into the hair. Let the mixture sit for a few minutes then comb through.

Always detangle when the hair is wet and use a wide tooth comb to avoid a lot of pain. Section the hair so you don’t miss a spot, start from the ends and work your way to the top. When needed, you can use a spray bottle with water in it to help while you detangle.

Step three, trim the split ends because they tangle a lot and may cause breakage. You don’t have to cut so much, just half and inch to keep your child’s hair healthy.

Finally, style the hair. Just because they are young, doesn’t mean they don’t want to look fashionable. Some children will tell their parents they really don’t want to get their hair done. And its very ok, the time will come when they will want to do it and understand that there’s a whole process involved and they will be ready and willing to brave through it. But until then, you can style your baby with different afro hairstyles, play with head bands and cute hair clips and pins.

Now for those lil mamas that don’t have a problem with getting their hair done, braided hairstyles provide a huge field for fantasy – you can experiment with volume, different types of braids, braided designs, colored beads, pins and hairbands…you can literally create a masterpiece with each new style.

If you intend to do your child’s hair on your own, a little patience, practice and a few ideas from Pinterest and tutorials from YouTube will be your best friend. Just make sure the style is not too tight, too thin and too heavy and also avoid keeping the style in for more than two weeks. All this because you want your child to be comfortable when they are wearing the style.

I also always insist on styles that are practical, little girls are always drawing, painting and doing all kinds of activities with their heads facing down, you don’t want to do something that will keep getting into her eyes, so make sure the hair is away from her face. Some kids also don’t like hair touching their necks so anything in a high pony tail would be perfect.

If you’d rather go to a hair stylist to get your child’s hair done, finding a good and dedicated kids salon or a hairstylist who specializes in only children’s hair can be very difficult. I love children soooo much but doing their hair is a whole other story, especially if you’re the type of person who works on a tight schedule. So many adult salons do not like all the work and patience involved in doing hair for children, mainly because some mothers want what they want, so they’ll pick out hairstyles for their children without realizing that it could be too much for the child to handle, making the stylist’s work even harder than it should be.

But this doesn’t mean that it’s impossible. I’m sure there are some great people out there who are always ready and willing to work with you and handle your child with the care that she deserves. Mothers are always talking and sharing, if there’s a good person out there, you will definitely hear about her and her work.

Hope this blog post was helpful. If there’s anything i missed out that you’d like other parents to know, please message me and lets share this knowledge.

If you liked this post please don’t miss next week’s blog post on “Why Braids are the best protective style for your little black queen”

xxx

Marite