I styled Mocha Baby's (MB) hair as she sat in the exersaucer pictured above. I used a spritzed bottle of plain water with 1 tsp apple cider vinegar as an acidifier to help lay down her shingles for detangling. It DOES smell strongly of vinegar but if you can stand it, the smell fades away completely once the hair is dry. I prefer using the Aloe acidifying mix I mention here, because it's odorless. I tried the ACV, because I'm out of aloe. I think it worked just as well.
I secured her puffs with small elastic rubber bands, found in any beauty supply store.
I wound the rubber band around 3 times for most of the puffs, making sure I could slide a finger easily under the rubber band to her scalp. I want to avoid pulling the hair tight enough to cause tiny bumps and breakage.When it is time to take down the puffs in a couple of days, I will use scissors to carefully cut away the rubber bands.
So cute! I'm curious about how old MB is. I know I shouldn't since everyone is different, but I'm comparing the hair on her head to my daughters. On an unrelated note, is there a particular sleep cap/scarf you'd recommend for a 19 month old? I've only tried one kind and it seems big on my babe...it's always slipping around on her head as she wiggles in her crib.
ReplyDeleteJust precious!
ReplyDelete@Char
ReplyDeleteMB is 11 months old. I don't use a sleep cap on her and I confess that none of my girls have used a cap all summer--even with the A/C their rooms have been too warm. I never got around to purchasing the satin pillow cases either. I think they've been OK because their hair is braided/twisted 99%. The sleep cap IS optimal and practical for moisture retention and making the style last but when it's been challenging I've been lax.
Also Char--
ReplyDeleteI've used a stocking cap successfully with my younger girls. HMG still uses a stocking cap sometimes and she's 11. I make them by cutting the legs off their tights. I take the panty part of the tights and make a knot to close up the holes I made from cutting off the legs. The knotted panty part is the stocking cap. I have found them to fit my girls as long as I use the size of tights they are wearing at the time. Most of us have big heads, but MG2 has a small head and the stocking caps work for her too.
Super cute! The photo in the first square is like sunshine! :-)
ReplyDeleteShe's so cute! :D
ReplyDeleteThanks for the stocking cap tip. I'm going to try that tonight and see how it works. Thanks again! I love your site!!
ReplyDeleteso adorable...do u also digg the rubberbands in an oil (hair-oil), wish I could have some of these protective rubberbands...they dont have it at where I live...(living in europe)
ReplyDeleteI love using a seam ripper for removing bands! You can get them in any craft department - Walmart, fabric stores, craft stores, etc. They work so well and make it really easy to keep from accidentally cutting the hair when removing bands.
ReplyDelete@Robin
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea! I have a seam ripper--I will try that.
shingles = cuticles...that's the proper terminology...
ReplyDeleteThank you, Anonymous, for your input. I've heard the cuticle described as the shingles of a roof and the term has remained with me.
ReplyDelete@Bridget
ReplyDeleteI don't dip the rubber bands in oil first.
I love your blog!
ReplyDeleteHave a nice time!
Paula
Thanks so much for this! I've been doing similar puffs on my daughter's hair (also 11 months old) and now I feel validated for doing so!
ReplyDeleteI'm a little late viewing this one. MB looks super cute in her puffs.
ReplyDeleteThe back of my 9-month-old's hair feels more coarse than the top. When I run a few strands through my pinched thumb and forefinger, I can feel a change in the texture about halfway down the strands from smooth to more coarse (almost as though there were something on the hair). Is that the shingle/cuticle you're talking about? Or is it something else?
I took a hair workshop in Chicago, and the woman told me that when you feel that "roughness," you know you have to cut the hair. But I don't want to cut a baby's hair to half its length! I'd rather repair it if I can.
I'd appreciate any advice you or your readers have.
Terri
@Terri
ReplyDeleteI can't tell you for sure what you are feeling half way down your baby's hair without seeing it. If it's any comfort MB's hair is coarser AND dryer in the back. All my girls' hair did the same thing. As their hair grew out the texture was different from, the initial silky hair. I noticed this first in the back. It needs even gentler care and extra moisture.
When I trimmed HMG's hair as a baby the only thing that happened was that it grew back the same.