Cherish My Daughter

Our words have power. Sometimes the way we say things conveys a message we never intended to our children about their hair. Consider the following scenarios and leave a comment about what you think. Scenario One A mother sits down on Saturday night after a hectic day to style her daughter's hair for Sunday worship. She plans to do a small corn rowed style, which she hopes will last two weeks. The mother gathers her supplies and calls for the daughter. Within five minutes of their grooming session a struggle begins. "Sit still Baby. Let me grab this section." "Stop! I can't get this part right." "Does that hurt? It's alright Baby. You're going to be so beautiful." "It's not too tight. Don't you want it to be smooth and pretty? You'll see...by tomorrow it won't hurt anymore." "No Baby, if we leave the back out I won't be able to comb it." "Let me finish two more braids and you can go potty...

I will be adding to this list: Understanding the growth cycle of nappy hair Cornrow part designs by Mimi Braids

To stretch out the hair without using heat try the following: 1. Wash and detangle hair. 2. Braid in 6 big box braids. Position your braids with the twisted style you have in mind. 3. Allow to air dry overnight. 4. To style, take down the big box braids one at a time. Spritz the hair with plain water on the mist setting before applying shea butter mix/oil of your choice. Finish twisting the entire section before repeating the process with the next big box braid. If you mist and twist one section at a time, the hair won't remain loose long enough to shrink back up. Maintenance 1. Put in a ponytail ( don't pull the hair tightly). Wrap ends of ponytail around the band and tuck under. Cover with a silky wrap or cap. 2. For bath/shower, keep hair bunned but allow the hair to be exposed to steam. It may get damp, but the tension of the bun works well to prevent it from shrinking back up. Allow the hair to dry before removing the bun. We usually take ours down after break...

In the beginning I was amazed to discover I could groom my daughters' hair easily-- from shampoo to deep conditioning---with products I have sitting around in my pantry. I've never tried the entire process from start to finish solely with these items, instead I alternate pantry items with commercial ones. However, there's no reason it shouldn't work if the hair is responding well. I started trying pantry items out of concern for all the chemicals we find in commercial hair products. We hear so much about things being carcinogenic. Some of us are so overwhelmed by the information we put it all on ignore , figuring we may as well just enjoy life, because everything causes cancer. Others of us go completely organic, and spend a small fortune. Personally, I'm somewhere slightly past the middle, inching towards more natural items. I'm ever cognizant that the skin, our largest organ, absorbs so much. My girls are young, and I want to expose them to as few synthe...

I haven't been doing much with Mocha Baby's hair. I will occasionally run a super soft brush through it to loosen what little cradle cap she has. When she takes her evening bath she loves for me to slowly pour water over her head. The plain water is enough to rinse away sweat and even spit up. I'm careful to keep her face dry. I always have my face buried in her hair. If I don't like the smell I may do a gentle shampoo with diluted castille soap. Otherwise, I leave her hair alone. The other day, I noticed some dryness and tried the following: 1. Wash with diluted castille soap. Try 1 tbsp castille soap to 8 oz water (you'll have plenty left over to use many times). 2. Rinse profusely. 3. Pat dry with soft towel. 4. Dime size Trader Joe's Refresh Conditioner (suave natural tropical coconut may be another good choice). Massage through hair and leave in. 5. Dime size drop of Grapeseed oil (may also try jojoba,unrefined coconut, or other light oil). 6. All...