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Dd's Curly Hair-Afro hair any advice?

27 replies

Amai · 31/08/2005 22:35

My dd's hair has got increasingly curly as it has grown. Is there a chance it will go more afro as she gets older. It started out soft and straight at about 6 months before which she was a baldy. Then at one year she developed ringlets and now at 1y3m it is a mass of curls at the back and wavy at the front. It has gone wooly at the back but this could be the shampoo. Her bio father is mixed race 3/4 white 1/4 black and has very afro hair when he lets it grow. I am white BTW so she is very diluted.

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MarsLady · 31/08/2005 22:39

It's not the shampoo. You need to put oil in her hair and brush it regularly.

Whereabouts are you? (you don't have to be too specific)

Amai · 31/08/2005 22:48

Thanks for the advise Marslady. I live in Barking, what kind of oil should i use. My friend uses serum but it is a bit pricey and has a chemically smell.

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MarsLady · 31/08/2005 22:58

I use Pink. You can get pink lite.

another oil that I use is Gold, but Pink is better.

Whatever you use you don't need a lot, especially as she's little. Just remember to brush it regularly, but you don't need to wash it too often.

You should be able to get a decent amount of stuff where you live. You can always ask in a black hair salon... but please don't straighten her hair. It won't make life easier and it will break her hair. (Pet peeve that).

As it gets longer you will need to plait it. Do you have any friends who can teach you to canerow (or cornrow as it's sometimes called)? Single plaits are also good. As long as you look after her hair regularly it won't be difficult.

Leaving it out is fine, but it will get knotty. Try to plait it before bed or put on some kind of night cap. You may get away with it for a while longer though.

Let me know if you need any more help, though I'm sure some more mums will chip in as and when.

Amai · 31/08/2005 23:11

Now I am really scared! High maintainance or what? Still it is gorgeous.

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4kids · 01/09/2005 16:09

I use a product called Motions its light & seems to work really well with mixed race hair whatever the texture.All my kids have different hair textures from course tight curls to soft ringlets. My twin girls have soft ringlets so i use the Motions oil miosteriser(cream) i also use this on my older dd who has long course curly hair (hard to manage)when she wears it down(she has hair like Diana Ross)When she has her hair plaited i use motions hair grease i also use this on my ds as he has very course tight hair & has his hair cornrowed back.

HappyMumof2 · 02/09/2005 14:27

Message withdrawn

Amai · 02/09/2005 22:03

Thanks 4kids and happymumof2. Her hair is less curly today and like my hair it must just get curlier with the high humidity. I will wash it less often as it is delicate and I'll try the oil when i brush it. Does detangler require rinsing out like a conditioner Happymumof2?

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HappyMumof2 · 03/09/2005 07:53

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Amai · 03/09/2005 11:57

Well I dont usually use shampoo either but I have been using my bubble bath in her bath to stop her finding the plug as she loves pulling it out. I think it is ruining her hair and I ought to buy some baby bubble bath again but have been a little forgetful

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HappyMumof2 · 03/09/2005 17:38

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mumofelise · 03/09/2005 17:55

my little girl has very curly as well, sure this a silly question but what kind of comb do use

sallystrawberry · 03/09/2005 18:08

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HappyMumof2 · 03/09/2005 18:18

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sallystrawberry · 03/09/2005 18:20

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Amai · 12/09/2005 18:40

I have bought motions and put some on the other day and it looks better. I tried it on my hair too, it is like serum.

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4kids · 14/09/2005 11:11

What Motions product did you buy was it the cream in a pink pump bottle? I use the oil moisteriser(light pink bottle) on my girls when they wear there hair down & the motions hair grease on the girls and ds when hair is cornrowed.You can also buy Motions shampoo & conditioners which are good i find some shampoo's don't get all the oil products i use on the kids out properly .

Amai · 14/09/2005 21:10

Hi 4kids, I bought the oil moisturiser (£2.70 335mls), is that hard to get out then, does it build up. I put it on my hair today and it made it shiny and curlier. I dont want to use it alot if it doesn't wash out easily. It was very miraculous on DDs hair. From a fuzzy mess to defined curls in seconds!

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4kids · 15/09/2005 13:41

It washes out easily i don't tend to wash the kids hair to often once every couple of weeks as to much washing dries the hair out . If i put Motions in every day it does build up (any oil you put in does)but not badly i find Motions is quite light compared to some of the products out there . What i meant about the shampoo was that ordinary Shampoo's meant for european hair don't tend to clean the hair properly thats why there are shampoo's out there meant for Afro hair (because of the products used on the hair)

4kids · 15/09/2005 14:05

Amai- see if you can buy the bigger bottle i buy the 976ml bottle for £3.99 its better value & lasts ages I only use Motions on my kids & clients (other products if requested). Once you find a product that suits the hair stick with it (some people try loads of diffo products & never find the right one)I've recomended Motions to my clients & friends & they have all started using it. Sorry bout the misunderstanding with the shampooing dont stop using Motions if it suits your dd's hair you'll have no probs shampooing it out as i said in last post its just that normal shampoo's are not very good on afro hair (some might disagree).Thats why i use motions shampoo it (& any other shampoo meant for Afro hair)gets the hair really clean . I'm starting to sound like a bill board advertisment for Motions (they better start paying me) lol.

4kids · 15/09/2005 14:39

Hi Amai 4kids again forgot to mention Motions do a line just for kids funnily enough its called Motions for Kids they do a range for young delicate hair frm shampoo's , detanglers to a lighter version of the moisteriser you are using. I havent personally used the Kids range but i'm sure its just as good or even better thought i'd let you know as your dd is young & the kids range might suit better .But theres nothing wrong with using the one you've got just that some people like to use the products specially meant for kids.

Amai · 16/09/2005 09:53

Hey you do work for motions promotions! don't you. Anyway DDs hair is not What i would class as african so european hair shampoos work fine, if she ever let me wash her hair these days.

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4kids · 16/09/2005 10:08

I should work for Motions should'nt i . No i'm just passionate about hair you might find now that you are using oil based products on your daughters hair you might need to change the shampoo but if normal shampoo works for you thats great.What are you planning to do with your daughters hair when older cos texture can change?

lucy5 · 16/09/2005 10:13

My sil used to use a product called baby love on dn. he's mixed race and has course wavy hair.

MarsLady · 16/09/2005 10:18

Just looked in my cupboard and guess what was in there? A huge bottle of Motions Oil lmao.... I also use Pink but they are both in pink bottles and I has been convinced that I hadn't seen Motions before lol.

Anyway, I've been using it the girls' hair for ages and 4kids is completely right to continually praise it.

(Before you think I'm daft for not knowing what's in the cupboard, my only excuse is that I have been too busy to make the trip into Finsbury Park to buy my hair products and my sisters' have been keeping me supplied. Lol. I just squirt and oil.... so there you go. Daft huh?)

4kids · 16/09/2005 10:23

Baby love is good but as far as i know not as widely available as it used to be i used to use baby love on ds & dd2 (going back 11yrs now)but that product was really the only good one available for young hair(my opinion) you can still buy it in some shops i did find it rather oily though. There are so many products now to choose from.Actually i still have a bottle i baught a couple of years back for dt's never got around to using it all.