<sigh> DD's hair, I am struggling so much

[KatyMac]

When it's just washed it is beautiful, big fat curls full of moisture - 12 hours later it is dry frizz

We wash it once a week, only using conditioner

We use an oil moisturising condition & a spray conditioner

Poor poppet is fed up with it

So what can I do/use to keep it soft & full of moisture?

TIA

I've tried lots of things on DD's hair and the two best were coconut oil and murumuru butter.

The coconut oil was tricky to get the quantity exactly right, too much and it would be greasy, and made her smell like food. The mururmuru butter produces a better effect and doesn't seem to go greasy but it's solid and has to be melted in the palm of your hand before application. It's fine in the summer but in the winter when it's extra solid because of the cold it can be a pain.

DD has one Carribean grandparent and her curls aren't very tight, but it does go frizzy and matted if we don't keep on top of it.

Is it easy Bran? In the winter we have the fire on....I suppose we can leave it close by

DD's hair is quite tight curls

Once it's melted it's easy, we just spread it over our palms and smooth it onto her wet hair. (When I say "easy" I'm assuming that your DD will stand still for this process and not leg it with a greasy-palmed parent in hot pursuit.) My personal method is to dab at her hair all over so that the oil isn't concentrated in one area, when work it through with my fingers and then use a tangle teaser to get the knots out. She usually needs another application onto dry hair a couple of days later.

She sits very resentfully well, but very bored
I may give it a go but not the coconut oil.....if it's similar to coco butter I am allergic too it

Isn't cocoa butter from the cocoa bean (ie chocolate)? I don't think it's the same family as coconut.

Use a little bit of the murumuru butter at a time. We use a pea-sized lump. You can always add a bit more, but if you put too much on you can't take it off again.

Oh, I don't know; I don't use much on my skin but when I started going out with DH I started getting hand shaped allergy on my skin.....

Never mind

Awfully difficult to explain to family & friends

Hey KatyMac - check out the thread Mixed Race Hair and go to page 14(?). I wrote a little bit about how I manage my DD's hair. Shea butter is good for softening and manageability. Let me know how you get on!

Will do Bexstar5 (but I don't have pages....do you have a date?)

Oh my gosh - it is you KatyMac!!! So you still having problems 6 years on??? Oh dear...that doesn't give me hope hahaha!

Do you wrap her hair at night? It'll lose a lot of oil and get frizzy from her pillow. Worth getting a silk scarf to wrap at night. Also when having a bath/shower, wrap up so it doesn't get frizzy.

Oh it is so much better than it was

She wears a scarf at night but not a silk one - it's a nylon scarf designed for wrapping hair

We don't use shampoo anymore & that is a big improvement

Have you been to a hairdressers - have said on another thread - it's worth going as they might have more ideas. They might also be able to give it a trim and shape to help a bit?

Also do you leave it out all the time? In the winter it might be better protected if it's twisted every now and then so not completely exposed (hairdresser could help).

She wears twists, bumps, plaits (not cornrow) & bunches (some photos on my profile btw)

I did go to see a hairdresser once it was a disaster

Oh no that's terrible :( it's easy for me to suggest a hairdressers as I'm in London so a lot of choice.

Your DD looks lovely and her hair looks like mine and my sisters - very thick!

I use keracare on mine but it's straightened. My sister has to oil it every few days, wash it weekly. My sister hadn't been to a hairdressers but it's long and all one length. She could do with it being layered as it doesn't really last well between washes (mine was the same when natural). But my mum hasn't taken her (she's 13 so not able to go herself and mum won't let me take her!)

We think we are going to try the curly girl method (found it on MN)

OMG Katy, no idea about the hair, sorry, but your DD is soooo beautiful!

Thanks, I think so too (but I am somewhat biased)

We have bought Original source conditioner and some Boots curl cream which are apparently the basics for curly girl hair

products 1-4 on the right hand side bar

Don't balk at the price too much as a little goes a long way and it is amazing stuff!

Do not use western hair products, DH finds that they damage his hair and make it more frizzy, it takes him ages to get it back into good conditioner again if he does. Try Organic Root Stimulator olive oil shampoo and conditioner, my husband uses these, but mostly just uses water. Use a hair cream such as carrot oil conditioning hair cream or Taliah Waajid Kinky Wavy Natural Style and Shine, they sink into the hair more than oil (I use these on DD and my nieces who all have hair like your DD). You can cream single plaits to make them last longer and help keep the hair in condition.

When combing out you can add some olive oil to a water spray bottle and lightly mist the hair to make it easier if really tangled. Make sure it is naturally dry (no hair dryers) and then apply cream to hair and scalp and comb again before styling.

During the winter with the temperature changes going in and outdoors and hat wearing it will dry out more than usual.

Corn-rowing does help too, I taught myself from a book on a doll at first, DH and nieces. I was terrible at first when I started 3 years ago and took ages, but can do a full head in an hour now.

I'm trying the Curly Girl method.....if I read it right on here

So we got the conditioner (original source)

We got the boots curl cream

We have Mixed Chicks leave in conditioner

But the curl cream & the mixed chick stuff has things ending in 'cone' does it matter??

and I thought we had to use a tiny amount of the curl cream but DD's hair is long & it's not going anywhere......HELP