Mixed race hair - kids

[FannyFanakapan]

Im looking after a little child of mixed race. Her hair is glorious, but very dry and very curly. It looks fine immediately after washing, but within 48 hours just gets very frizzy. I have been using frizz-ease shampoo/conditioner which helps, but I feel like she needs a really nourishing shampoo/conditioner to improve condition. We have daily tears as we try and get rid of tangles.

I think products for afro hair would be too oily, as her hair is quite fine - there's just a lot of it!. Ive heard coconut oil is good, but dont want her hair weighed down. I also would prefer a natural product, rather than something loaded with chemicals.

Can anyone with experience give me some pointers?

Try johnson tangle free spray after washing - you can use a moisturising product - just a small amount.
This thread has lots of suggestions

Try mixed chicks products (you cab buy online), wash hair once every 3/4 weeks, plait hair and use a silk pillowcase or silk night cap.

Hi Fanny, we have a long running thread on Mumsnet about mixed race hair, I'll try and put a link to it.

Are there any Afro hairdressers in your area? They usually sell lots of products, you'll find something more appropriate than frizz-ease there. They have products specifically for children. I have found Naked products very good but they are very difficult to find now since the company's been taken over by Boots.

In the meantime, don't wash her hair too often, once a week at most. Never brush, always comb when wet using lots of conditioner. Keep it plaited if possible.

I'll try and find that thread for you :)

Here you go Fanny: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/multicultural_families/42050-mixed-race-hair

Mixed Chicks or the Superdrug rip-off version (can't recall name) are decent products. At the moment, I use Palmers coconut shampoo and the intensive conditioner on my DD's hair. Only just discovered it and it really works nicely on her hair. Agree that most afro hair products are too heavy.

The main things I find that work with my DD's hair:

• don't wash it too often as it dries the hair out (we wash it once a week, but wet and condition it every other day or so)
• only brush or comb when the hair is wet and properly conditioned. if you need to re-style on a day you're not wetting the hair in the shower, use a water spray bottle and/or detangling/conditioning spray or lotion and gently comb it through when damp before styling
• consider getting her hair plaited or plaiting it yourself to keep it neat and protected for school.

Thank you all - this is really really useful!

She doesnt like me doing anything to her hair - she is preschooler - but I have been brushing with a tangle teaser. I have done braids too, when she sits still long enough! I wills top brushing and start conditioning every other day.

Her big sis used R&B from lush as a leave on conditioner after normal wash/condition. Her hair did the same - looked fabulous for 24 hours and then a big dry frizzy mess. But maybe the wash once a week, condition every 2 days on wet hair regime will make a difference. I will look out for palmers shampoo too. Off to read the linked threads - thanks again!

Try a few drops of jojoba oil spread on your palms and then worked into her hair.

Thanks for the tips - washed, conditioned and braided littlies hair last night and finger combed this morning before rebraiding - easy. Thanks also - we watched 3 episodes of peppa pig while hair was being done and had not a peep out of her! I did try and do cornrow braiding as described in the other thread, but failed miserably, so its french braiding for now. I will also re-condition every other day!

Oldest wants to wash her hair every other day, but Im trying to persuade her not to - hair looks really good today, after lots of conditioner and some leave in moisturiser, hopefully she will be able to move to weekly washes if her hair stays looking good - its certainly flatter and more curl than frizz, plus she gets to use lots of nice smellie LUSH product on it, so that at least has "street cred" .