My DD is nearly 3. She is an African/English mix, with thick curls.....more Afro than European, but not quite as tight as pure Afro.
I have only ever used Aqueous Cream when washing her hair & apply plenty of olive oil whilst still wet. I only use a towel to get rid of excess water & have never blow dried it. Aqueous cream is quite moisture rich & mild so it does not strip the hair of moisture.
I use a tangle tease to brush her hair, but only if it is wet. I used to use a wide toothed comb, but honestly the tangle tease does a much better job & does not pull on it as much as the comb did. I brush it in sections, starting at the tip & working back to the scalp.
I wash her hair whenever I want to do something to it. At the moment we have it in braids of various styles most of the time. If she sits still long enough for me to do a good job the braids will last anywhere between 3-5 days without looking too rough!
If I do leave it out, I wash, oil, brush, fix it with fingers & then leave it to dry naturally.
She has beautiful hair & I have lost count of the number of times people have stopped me to ask how I manage it.
DS (6 months) on the other hand is a different kettle of fish & it remains to be seen if this method is going to work as well for him!!!!