Mixed Race Hair

[KatieMac]

If I start it here they can move it to the right place (If they decide to start a topic (& ever decide what to call it))

where do I start......

My DH used had nits a few times as a child, as did most kids in his family. This myth definitely isn't true.

cute... I'm a black mum with mixed children. I use Hedrin. Works beautifully without the hours and hours of combing.

I'm sorry if you find that some black women look down on you. The other side of the coin is that some white friends with mixed children talk about how difficult mixed hair is. It's not really. My DSes have "straight" hair. It's all about the care and if you can wade through enough of this ENORMOUS thread you should find some of the help that you need. Of course you could always CAT one of the other mums on the thread and ask for specific help. I'm happy to point you in the direction of some good products. In fact Franch (white mum, mixed DDs - completely gorgeous all of them) pointed out a couple of products to me that I hadn't seen.

my email (if you want to use it and don't think I'm trying to patronise - I just read back and it could seem that way but I promise it isn't) is lovelymarslady at aol dot com.

REVELATION! The tangle teezer really does work!

It was recommended to me a while ago but after looking at one I thought there was no way it could work on dd's hair as the prongs seemed too short and too bendy BUT I got one at Christmas and it has made dd's hair so easy to brush and she no longer cries while I'm doing it You do need a different technique to a comb but it really does get rid of knots and tangles...combing the conditioner through when I washed her hair took 10 mins instead of the usual 20-30 and it makes redoing her plaits so fast-yay!

Marsy I know what you mean and I agree that mixed hair isn't really difficult(well, it's not rocket science or anything) BUT when you are used to hair that you can just pull a brush through in 20 seconds flat, hair that gets so tangled and matted is more difficult than that. I think that is why you hear so many of us white mums complaining about it, especially when our kids are at the toddler stage and very few of the other mums are having to deal with much hair at all

That said, dd's hair is difficult mainly because she has so much of it-she has a full head of thick very tight curls and it gets matted within about 10 minutes of being combed when she wears it loose. Ds' hair however, has naturally grown into a fluffy mohican (which I LOVE!) and is so much easier to deal with than dd's, even when it gets matted it is easier to comb out than hers has ever been. So it isn't that mixed race hair is difficult, but that certain types of mixed race hair are (and probably no different to that of a white child with a full head of tight curls..)

Bit late for this one but i use baby afro shampoo from my local afro/carribean shop and use my own conditioner comb the hair while wet, then add baby oil then dry! If i want it neat without washing it i use baby love conditioning serum, it works wonders

hi if anyone checks this thread... i was despairing over dd's matted mess and couldn't find any of the products locally (up north) recommended. then discovered original sprout in a discount salon brands shop so half the price advertised on that website. the leave in conditioner works like magic and dd now has soft little ringlet curls and brushing is effortless. we no longer have to bribe her with chocolate buttons whilst combing matted clumps into frizz
so good i had to tell anyone who might be listening!

Just wanted to add that [http://www.ofcolour.co.uk] does a fab range for mixed hair children, with that focus in mind, I found the cleansing shampoo fantastic and used in conjunction with refine conditioner 3 worked wonders and DD's hair smelt wonderful!

Thanks for that mamamila and happycampers, these look really good but blimey they aren't cheap! I am always on the look out for good hair products for my dd. I think I'm going to order the "enhance curls" trial pack from of colour to start with.

Thats a good place to start as you can make sure the different conditioners do what you want it to! Did you see the t-shirts? I thought the idea is amazing have treated DD to mummy & me! (or treated myself!! lol)

Does anyone here use CURLS WHIPPED CREAM on their DDs hair?

DD is a Nigerian/British mix and I think if I could just find the perfect cream, she could have lovely soft curls all day!

The only place I have found it on sale is on ebay for around £15 including p+p

Do you use anything you can recommend?

I think it is an identity issue and it is sad that so many black poeople keep straigtening their hair to look European (the products are banned in norway luckily, or at least some of them)
By Mille Fri 14-Sep-07 12:07:26

With regards to the above post, I'd like to say that I am Black and British of Jamaican parentage and I straighten my hair and I don't look European! or even think I look European and I don't have any identity issues either. FYI a lot of people with hair like mine straighten it as it is more manageable than in it's natural state, as some people with mixed race children have found and they have half European hair!

Not to say straightening is the answer for everyone coz it's not - straightened hair takes a lot of looking after.

The plus side to this, is when your in a hot night club and you've straightened natural afro hair - as soon as heat and moisture hits your hair, your back to your afro, you don't have this problem with relaxed hair!
It also dries naturally quicker!

So people like yourself shouldn't make sweeping norrow minded statements about things you don't know!

Interesting site, I'm black and have 3 mixed race children, my husband is white. All my children have different hair textures. The eldest boy(9), has more European hair, the second b(4) has more afro hair, his curls are tight and defined more individual when his hair is short and my daughter(3) has more difinatively half and half, you can see the European hair, it is more 'wavy ' than curly and looks and feels European and the afro hair which is corser and drier and feels more afro.

I use Dax products on all there hair (Blue tin for the eldest, Purple for the middle and Dax pomade (green hair oil) for the girl). I only skim the top of the product for the boys and lightly coat their hair, after washing and it defines there curls beautifully, use too much and you attrack dirt and dust.

For the girl, I mainly oil her scalp after washing the hair and I use the product sparingly. Centre part hair, oil that, then part the left side from the centre (back to front) about an inch apart, oil the scalp, do the same for the right side, a little an the hair, both sides, then part again (ear to ear) then do in four individual plaites, then I leave it to dry naturally. I have used the drier once but this really strips the hair of its natural oils and it doesn't look or feel the same as when naturally dried.

I just use Johnsons products for washing and conditioning though I don't think this is working as well as it did as her hair is very dry at the mo, though this could be the weather, so was looking for alternative products - hence comming on this site, though will stick to Johnsons if I don't find anything.

Coming to this late and forgive me if this has been mentioned as I have not read the whole thread but for those that are still looking for support, I would really recommend sites such as www.naturallycurly.com/. Although American it has a wealth of information.

Hi - I'd just like to say that my daughter is of mixed black African and white British (me, her mother). I have bought a cream called Baby Love but think it may be a bit too greasy. I feel like I am failing my daughter as I do not know what shampoo or hair products to use. She is 18 months and hair is growing FAST! Her hair is not so afro but very curly and soft. I manage to put her hair up in little nodules/ringlets or bunches (I can plait but only plain ones). Where can I learn to corn row or French plait??? Any help will be gratefully received!!

I'm black British and have 3 mixed race children: 1 boy & 2 girls, each with different hair textures. VO5 Moisture Soak products are fantastic, especially on dd1's long, thick hair. Compared to other products, I only have to use a little shampoo & it suds up in no time. I've used all sorts of styling products, including Baby Love which I agree is too greasy. I finally settled on Elasta QP Recovery which I heard about on mumsnet & it's the best for all of my kids' hair.

Bexstar5, I'd recommend buying It's all Good Hair if you don't know anyone who can show you how to cornrow. Start practising as soon as she's got enough hair & you'll soon become an expert. You're already half way there since you can plait. You'll probably wind up with loose, crooked plaits at first but don't be put off. It's worth the effort. Her hair texture is still likely to change (thicken) since she's only a toddler. But, if it doesn't, you might find it doesn't hold the plaits so you'll probably need to secure the ends with a clip to stop them unraveling.

Hi guys, with 315 posts, do forgive me if some of this has been said before:-

As we all know mixed race hair comes in a wide variety of curl types and textures, so for each child you may have to try slightly different things to groom and tidy hair.

Natural products are best on small children, of course; shea butter is brilliant, and imes olive or coconut oi'. Sadly, these oils do not work on my own hair (I am mixed race), only watery gels and things that lock in moisture do.

For me, 'Texture My Way' and 'Kids Organics' work very well for my type of hair (pencil circumference curls, very dry). 'Mixed Chicks Leave In Conditioner' and Aveda 'Be Curly' are pretty good for curl definition, but they can leave the hair a bit dry. 'Herbal Essences' Conditioners are BRILLIANT by the way. Just simply leave it in - don't wash it out!!!

There are some great blogs out there; 'Tightly Curly', Nature's Parlour', 'Curls' (and please do pop by and say hi to me at 'Marvelous Mixed Race Hair' )

Has anyone posted about the Tangle Teezer? Fantastic! Thanks HoochieMomma

Love it! Don't know how we did without it.

Mixiepixie, did you follow Terri's method on Tightly Curly? I have been wondering whether it works on those of us with frizzier drier hair (hers looks a bit softer and more liable to fall into a defined curl pattern than mine). I haven't tried it yet (still using my other products and still have very short hair) but would like to.

I like mixed chicks too. Better since I stopped processing (texturising) my hair. I find you can mitigate the dryness it can cause by using a watery/glycerin based leave in conditioner like African Pride or African Royale Daily Doctor (or even Aussie Hair Insurance) beforehand when hair is blotted dry/a bit damp after washing.

I'm still growing short hair after going back to natural. Anyone know someone who's REALLY good at cutting curly/frizzy natural growing out hair in North/North West or Central London?

Hiya Love2dance - I have tried Teri's method and it does work. The Herbal Essences Coconut conditioner (in the blue bottle) is the best one for me. Believe it or not, you do not end up showering dry flakes of conditioner everywhere, (which is what happened when I tried the same thing with Motions Conditioner).

The hair is left softer in 'feel' than with the Mixed Chicks product, which is great.

And the amount of breakage is SO MUCH LESS! Breakage from dry products is the bane of my life! My ends will soon be thick and healthy.

Give it a whirl! She also recommends a Tresemme conditioner too (I haven't tried that one).

mixiepixie

After 8 years of trying things out for my dd's tight corkscrew curls, I have started using the "no-poo" method on dd's hair after reading about it on Mumsnet. This is where no shampoo is used, the hair is washed in conditioner, and the results are fantastic. Until now dd had her hair in plaits or cornrows most of the time, but with this method I think it will be possible for her to have her hair loose and long, with lovely defined curls instead of a frizzball or a huge afro (although will probably keep it plaited for school because of the threat of headlice), and I am even hoping the day will come soon when she will be able to look after her hair herself. Can only recommend it to anyone who has to deal with curly hair!

I also strongly recommend the Tangle Teezer hair brush, expensive but well worth it.

Tried Terri's method on the DDs yesterday and DD2 in particular (more afro than DD1) looked amazing - loads of lovely compliments.

I didn't find the Tangle Teezer any good at all!

Does anyone else have this issue?

DD has different textured hair on different parts of her head. Most of her hair is in loose curls but a patch at the back is in tight corkscrew curls with a tendency to frizziness and knotting. Her hair is fairly short except for this bit at the back which is thicker and longer, although the tightness of the curls means it doesn't look longer. I'm not sure what to do to minimise the contrast.

What a great thread!

I am white and my DS is mixed race.

His hair is brown with sofr loose curls and straight bits around the face.

His scalp is always very dry and now I see maybe I am using the wrong products on him! I normall shampoo him with J. Baby (yellow one) twice a week.

I have ordered the trial pack from "Of Colour" as looked very good.

QUESTION

What's this about the lotion? DS has olive skin (I am very pale myself) and I use J. Baby Naturals Intensive Cream on him after his bath. Should I be using a special product on him?

We live in Devon and my DH is literally "the only black man in the village" and so I don't have anyone to get this sort of advice from!

He is 18 months so I hope I have not being doing it all wrong for this long! !

PDR - I'd wash your DS's hair less often if you can get away with it. The tightlycurly site's advice is excellent (find the 'little ones' page) - basically minimise shampooing by either washing with conditioner only, or once with shampoo and then with conditioner; then condition again and leave it in.

Re his skin, if it looks and feels ok you're probably fine. Our DDs both had eczema as babies and we got Diprobase on repeat prescription which we've continued with (in fact we all use it now - wonderful stuff) - if you want something richer than what you're using it's worth a try. (You can get it over the counter.) Otherwise there are good natural products you can try like shea/cocoa butter. As long as he hasn't got ashy knees you're fine