Help! My daughter's hair...

[Southernbella.]

My daughter is 18 months old. Her hair type is 3c/4A (I think). Here are some pics:

The problem is, her hair will only look that way for the first hour after I do it, then it gets dry and shrinks and looks rough. I have tried shea butter, water, leaving conditioner in, Mizani hairdress, and Loreal natural curl creme. I'm at a loss at this point because nothing has worked. Her hair just drinks any moisture. I'm going to get some activator today to see if that works. Any suggestions for me?

Second, I don't know how to braid. I stopped putting ponytails in her head last month because I could see some spots thinning, but now I find I have to put product in her hair everyday to keep her little fro from looking dry, which is a problem since I can't wash it often (she has a complete meltdown when I wash it). So now she has buildup, which is probably making the problem worse. If I could learn how to braid, I could do that and let her be for a week or two. If anyone has any tips on braiding, I would be much appreciative!

Thanks for reading!

 

[so1913]

She's absolutely ADORABLE!!!

I'm not a mom...so I'm not sure I can be of much help, but I'm sure you will get PLENTY of advice from these great ladies.

One think I'd say is to just be very careful testing out products on the little one. There hair is much more fragile and skin much more sensitive than ours.

I've heard of some mom's praising Oyin's Greg Juice on other boards for use on their children to keep it soft, moisturized and detangled. It also comes rosemary free. Hopefully you'll get plenty of responses from those with personal experiences.

http://www.oyinhandmade.com

 

[shoelover1972]

I'm sorry I don't have any advice but just wanted to chime in and say your daughter is a little cutie. Hopefully the ladies here who have kids will give you great advice. Also your hair is pretty.

 

[MeccaMedinah]

Your little doll's hair looks and sounds like my little girl's. I have found that coconut oil is the best thing for her hair. 100% virgin coconut, I purchased this through Puritan's Pride website. But, her hair never gets super shiny, like straight hair does.

 

[KiSseS03]

Hi! I'm not really sure what to do either, since I'm still transitioning to natural. I just wanted to say your daughter is a doll and both hair-dos look sweet!

 

[Height]

What exactly do you want your daughter's hair to do?
Do you want to retain length? Shrinkage happens. Does it look rough and feel rough or moisturized?

 

[MizAvalon]

I don't have any advice, just wanted to say that your baby is a doll!

 

[SweetNic_JA]

Your baby is sooooo adorable.

My little sister had problem hair and Just For Me Products worked very well for her. I would keep the products simple and not put too many chemicals on her hair . Besides, she's a peach and perfectly cute.

 

[Southernbella.]

Thank you for the responses and the compliments everyone!

What exactly do you want your daughter's hair to do?

The length isn't that important to me, it's the moisture that's the problem. It feels rough and dry to the touch, almost like a Brillo pad. I know there has to be something out there that can help put moisture in it so that it at least feels soft and isn't so dry. I know that if I could braid, it probably wouldn't matter so much, because the braids would hold the moisture in, but her hair is out most of the time in a little fro.

One think I'd say is to just be very careful testing out products on the little one. There hair is much more fragile and skin much more sensitive than ours.

That's true. Thanks for the reminder!

I have found that coconut oil is the best thing for her hair. 100% virgin coconut, I purchased this through Puritan's Pride website. But, her hair never gets super shiny, like straight hair does.

I'll definitely look into that.

My little sister had problem hair and Just For Me Products worked very well for her. I would keep the products simple and not put too many chemicals on her hair . Besides, she's a peach and perfectly cute.

I'll check those out too. My sister has 2 girls with hair like my daughter's, and the kid's products never worked on their hair. My sister used Pink Oil, but I know from this board that that's no good.

Thanks again for the suggestions!

 

[CandiceC]

Aww. She's so cute!

 

[good2uuuu]

What a cutie! Her hair is like my daughters. I started conditioner washing her hair and using a little EVOO and just started using Motions oil moisturizing lotion. Her hair is now soft to the touch and moisturized. Plus I also do braids to kind of help with protecting her hair in the winter.

 

[napgurl]

Get her hair damp and rub a quarter size of caster oil throughout and then finish with a small amount of kemi oil on the ends.

 

[Southernbella.]

What a cutie! Her hair is like my daughters. I started conditioner washing her hair and using a little EVOO and just started using Motions oil moisturizing lotion. Her hair is now soft to the touch and moisturized. Plus I also do braids to kind of help with protecting her hair in the winter.

See, that is what I need to do! But I have no idea how to braid. I can plait, but a friend told me I should cornrow it so that it lasts longer and keeps moisture in. EVOO is olive oil, right? That sounds good, plus it's natural. Do you mix it with the conditioner?

I forgot to mention, I can't comb through her hair. Am I even supposed to comb it? ( erplexed I feel so dumb for not knowing these things). I have a detangler by Loreal Kids, but that stuff is garbage.

 

[Southernbella.]

Get her hair damp and rub a quarter size of caster oil throughout and then finish with a small amount of kemi oil on the ends.

Can I find castor oil at the bss? I know I've seen Kemi there.

 

[lkg4healthyhair]

My daughters hair is the same way. When it dries it is very dry and it collects lint too

Recently I put moisturizer in it (Olive oil moist lotion or BB w/Castor oil Lotion and I added a little Jojoba oil and it made the world of difference.

I stopped the ponytails because it was breaking her hair line now I put very loose french braids in it or curly fro.

 

[simplycee]

When I was trying to help moisturize my daughters hair I used pure jojoba oil on her wet hair and let it dry that way. Pure coconut oil will work too. My god daughter had the same problem and her mom was using pink oil (yuck!). I made her throw that stuff away and gave her pure jojoba oil from the Vitamin Shoppe. Try two strand twists instead of braids. Don't rush to do cornrows, we want to save her edges. Do two strand twists and remember to take out any barrettes before she goes to sleep.


HTH

 

[Super_Hero_Girl]

I think the "rough feel" of her hair is just the nature of natural type 4 hair. Since you are keeping it moisturized, that feeling probably doesn't have to do with how moisturized it is. Nautral hair may feel "rough" if you're not used to it, when that's just the texture and feel of it.

I forgot to mention, I can't comb through her hair. Am I even supposed to comb it?

I would only worry about combing it when detangling when it's loaded with conditioner.

 

[napgurl]

Can I find castor oil at the bss? I know I've seen Kemi there.

You can find it at pharmacy and walmart. As someone in the pharmacy department.

 

[Sistaslick]

Conditioner washes really help keep my son and daughter's hair moisturized. They are type 3's but, it really works well for type 4 hair too. I don't use shampoo on them at all, b/c its much too drying for their hair. For moisture, I use NTM leave in, Salerm 21, or mango butter, and seal with an oil like olive oil or coconut oil.

 

[Southernbella.]

My daughters hair is the same way. When it dries it is very dry and it collects lint too

Recently I put moisturizer in it (Olive oil moist lotion or BB w/Castor oil Lotion and I added a little Jojoba oil and it made the world of difference.

I stopped the ponytails because it was breaking her hair line now I put very loose french braids in it or curly fro.

She's beautiful! And I know what you mean about the ponytails and the lint!

Try two strand twists instead of braids. Don't rush to do cornrows, we want to save her edges. Do two strand twists and remember to take out any barrettes before she goes to sleep.

Ok, twists, I can do.

I think the "rough feel" of her hair is just the nature of natural type 4 hair. Since you are keeping it moisturized, that feeling probably doesn't have to do with how moisturized it is. Nautral hair may feel "rough" if you're not used to it, when that's just the texture and feel of it.

That's good to know. I knew enough not to expect her hair to be shiny, but I thought the roughness meant I was letting it get too dry. So maybe it's not as dry as I originally thought. I'm glad I'm learning all this because I don't plan to ever relax her hair.

You can find it at pharmacy and walmart. As someone in the pharmacy department.

Will do, thanks!

Conditioner washes really help keep my son and daughter's hair moisturized. They are type 3's but, it really works well for type 4 hair too. I don't use shampoo on them at all, b/c its much too drying for their hair. For moisture, I use NTM leave in, Salerm 21, or mango butter, and seal with an oil like olive oil or coconut oil.

Yeah, those baby shampoos are very drying, even though they're supposed to be gentle.

So, I'm going to be getting oils. Jojoba, coconut, and olive. And CW. And no combing without conditioner. I knew you ladies could help me. I love this board!

 

[caligirl]

I think the "rough feel" of her hair is just the nature of natural type 4 hair. Since you are keeping it moisturized, that feeling probably doesn't have to do with how moisturized it is. Nautral hair may feel "rough" if you're not used to it, when that's just the texture and feel of it.

I would only worry about combing it when detangling when it's loaded with conditioner.

Yeah, my hair feels "rough" too unless I brush thru it with my denman d3. Natural type 4 hair feels rough because the cuticles are raised and the hair has such a tight curl. The denman brush helps to smooth the hair and straighten the hair. Try it on your baby with her hair damp with a little conditioner. Then plait the section RIGHT after you brush thru it. It should dry smooth and shiny.