Hair issues are a big deal for women all over the world, and little girls are no exception. The evolution of black babies' hair is unique and each stage requires a different care regimen. We are now having to move from baby hair care to toddler hair care as the girls' hair texture has changed in recent months.
The girls were born with a head of loose curls (think jheri curls). With this hair, the normal routine was daily washing with baby shampoo and moisturizing with baby oil. I preferred something that wasn't based on mineral oils so I used Burt's Bees Baby Oil which is based on apricot oil.
Then we had our issue with cradle cap and my insane use of every drop of snakeoil acclaimed to cure cradle cap. At the end of it all, the babies lost patches of their hair and I ended up cutting off the rest. The cradle cap did eventually go with time just like the books and doctor said and we're now left with African toddler hair.
The toddler hair of black babies is just like black adult hair. A lot drier and the curls are more compact and tightly wound - detangling and moisture control are critical. With that, our care routine has moved to shampooing weekly and moisturizing daily. Right now we use the Miss Jessie's Baby Buttercreme
and comb our little 'fros with a small afro comb.
and comb our little 'fros with a small afro comb.
Next steps in our our journey includes
- Getting used to sitting still and having their hair made
- Sleeping with a satin cap to prevent hair breakage
- Procuring lots of beads and clips and doodahs for our little braids
I'm looking forward to #3 but I suspect #1 will be a bit of a challenge
