Help, My Daughters her hair is out of control!
I can not tell you how many countless times I have heard this from my clients. Little girls all over the worlds of African and American decent have experienced many hours of torture carried out by the hands of mommy, grandma, auntie, sister: to make it plain, the “Kitchen Beautician.” I myself can recall the many hot comb tattoos I received on the back of my neck, forehead and ears. Not to mention, once my mother got fed up with my whining, flinching, and screaming, a quick whack of the brush on the top of my head usually caused me to suffer the rest of the nightmare in silence. Mom is tired and daughter just wants it to come to an end. There is an easier way. Together we will learn how to make this painstakingly task a lot easier.
First things first: get control. Most women shampoo their daughter’s hair and then attempt to comb through the massive afro with no system in place. Just tugging and pulling with a wide tooth comb from the scalp to the ends: first mistake. We must control the hair and not let the hair control us. How do we do that? Here I will give you the steps to take to make the task much more easy and enjoyable for both of you.
Comb and brush the hair thoroughly before shampooing.
Not removing tangles and knots before shampooing will cause the hair around the tangled area to attach to the knot during the shampoo process and create a great mess. Doing this beforehand will make the conditioning process easier. Also, make sure that the water is not too hot. Extra hot water does not mean the hair will be cleaner. Actually, having the water too hot can cause more tangles by stripping the hair of natural oils. Just keep the water at a comfortable, warm temperature.
2. Condition the hair well and comb through from the ends to the scalp.
You want to make sure that you have a good moisturizing conditioner.( There are many wonderful products on the market today that I will add at the end of this article.)
You want to apply the conditioner starting at the ends, where it should be the heaviest, and work your way up to the scalp. Most mothers do just the opposite, putting a glob of conditioner in their hands, and then smearing it at the scalp and commence to comb it through in the same manner. Just take your time and start at the back of the head. If your child has extra thick hair, use hair clips to separate the hair, and apply it in sections. Just don’t forget to comb through the hair starting at the ends and make your way up the hair shaft with the back of the head being first.
3. Rinse thoroughly.
Pretty much self explanatory: If you have problems with rinsing, take her to a salon, you need a professional.
4. Use a leave-in conditioner and section the hair.
This step is very important. This is where mothers begin to lose control of the hair. With my all natural little clients, I section the hair into 4 parts and plat the hair. This makes blow drying easier. If the hair is extra thick, 6 or eight sections might be necessary. DO NOT LEAVE THE HAIR OUT AND TRY TO BLOW DRY IT! To put it in the sections, always, always, always comb from the ends to the scalp. I know of a lot of women who put grease on their daughter’s hair and plat the hair up and let it dry. Never do this. African American hair holds a lot of water and by allowing the hair to air dry with grease on it, you run the danger of the scalp developing a fungus which will cause hair loss. If you have a hooded dryer, put her under the dryer for about 10 minutes to get some of the water out of the hair and dry the scalp. If not, just move on to step #5.
5. Blow Dry
Using a blow dryer comb attachment, take apart one plat, and start drying the ends first. Be sure to pull the comb attachment all the way through to the ends with every stroke. Starting at the ends will ensure the hair will be tangle free as you work your way up the hair shaft. Continue to do this section by section until the entire head is dry and tangle free.
6. Style as usual.
If you take these steps I have mentioned here, shampoo day will go a lot easier. You will find yourself having more hours to do what you both like instead of struggling with hair. Just remember to take your time and keep control of the hair. Here’s to a happy shampoo day.
Shampoo and Conditioners
1 .A decent supermarket brand is Pantene Pro V. Try to find the one that comes in the red package. I know they now have a line for relaxed hair, but I’m not familiar with it and not quite sure how it works with natural hair.
2. For a little higher quality product try Nexxus Humectress Shampoo and Conditioner. It works quite well on natural hair and detangles fabulously.
3. If you are looking for all natural products, which are what I recommend, try The Hair Care Company’s Clarifying Shampoo and Cuticle Sealer and Reconstructor deep conditioner. The Clarifying Shampoo gently cleanses the hair without leaving a film. The Cuticle Sealer and Reconstructor put a seal over the cuticle of the hair, keeping the hair straight longer, and minimize frizz.
*Please make a note that heavy conditioner does not make it better for the hair. Too heavy conditioners will leave a film over the hair, weigh it down, and minimize body. Just make sure that it is moisture based and not lanolin or wax based.
I can not tell you how many countless times I have heard this from my clients. Little girls all over the worlds of African and American decent have experienced many hours of torture carried out by the hands of mommy, grandma, auntie, sister: to make it plain, the “Kitchen Beautician.” I myself can recall the many hot comb tattoos I received on the back of my neck, forehead and ears. Not to mention, once my mother got fed up with my whining, flinching, and screaming, a quick whack of the brush on the top of my head usually caused me to suffer the rest of the nightmare in silence. Mom is tired and daughter just wants it to come to an end. There is an easier way. Together we will learn how to make this painstakingly task a lot easier.
First things first: get control. Most women shampoo their daughter’s hair and then attempt to comb through the massive afro with no system in place. Just tugging and pulling with a wide tooth comb from the scalp to the ends: first mistake. We must control the hair and not let the hair control us. How do we do that? Here I will give you the steps to take to make the task much more easy and enjoyable for both of you.
Comb and brush the hair thoroughly before shampooing.
Not removing tangles and knots before shampooing will cause the hair around the tangled area to attach to the knot during the shampoo process and create a great mess. Doing this beforehand will make the conditioning process easier. Also, make sure that the water is not too hot. Extra hot water does not mean the hair will be cleaner. Actually, having the water too hot can cause more tangles by stripping the hair of natural oils. Just keep the water at a comfortable, warm temperature.
2. Condition the hair well and comb through from the ends to the scalp.
You want to make sure that you have a good moisturizing conditioner.( There are many wonderful products on the market today that I will add at the end of this article.)
You want to apply the conditioner starting at the ends, where it should be the heaviest, and work your way up to the scalp. Most mothers do just the opposite, putting a glob of conditioner in their hands, and then smearing it at the scalp and commence to comb it through in the same manner. Just take your time and start at the back of the head. If your child has extra thick hair, use hair clips to separate the hair, and apply it in sections. Just don’t forget to comb through the hair starting at the ends and make your way up the hair shaft with the back of the head being first.
3. Rinse thoroughly.
Pretty much self explanatory: If you have problems with rinsing, take her to a salon, you need a professional.
4. Use a leave-in conditioner and section the hair.
This step is very important. This is where mothers begin to lose control of the hair. With my all natural little clients, I section the hair into 4 parts and plat the hair. This makes blow drying easier. If the hair is extra thick, 6 or eight sections might be necessary. DO NOT LEAVE THE HAIR OUT AND TRY TO BLOW DRY IT! To put it in the sections, always, always, always comb from the ends to the scalp. I know of a lot of women who put grease on their daughter’s hair and plat the hair up and let it dry. Never do this. African American hair holds a lot of water and by allowing the hair to air dry with grease on it, you run the danger of the scalp developing a fungus which will cause hair loss. If you have a hooded dryer, put her under the dryer for about 10 minutes to get some of the water out of the hair and dry the scalp. If not, just move on to step #5.
5. Blow Dry
Using a blow dryer comb attachment, take apart one plat, and start drying the ends first. Be sure to pull the comb attachment all the way through to the ends with every stroke. Starting at the ends will ensure the hair will be tangle free as you work your way up the hair shaft. Continue to do this section by section until the entire head is dry and tangle free.
6. Style as usual.
If you take these steps I have mentioned here, shampoo day will go a lot easier. You will find yourself having more hours to do what you both like instead of struggling with hair. Just remember to take your time and keep control of the hair. Here’s to a happy shampoo day.
Shampoo and Conditioners
1 .A decent supermarket brand is Pantene Pro V. Try to find the one that comes in the red package. I know they now have a line for relaxed hair, but I’m not familiar with it and not quite sure how it works with natural hair.
2. For a little higher quality product try Nexxus Humectress Shampoo and Conditioner. It works quite well on natural hair and detangles fabulously.
3. If you are looking for all natural products, which are what I recommend, try The Hair Care Company’s Clarifying Shampoo and Cuticle Sealer and Reconstructor deep conditioner. The Clarifying Shampoo gently cleanses the hair without leaving a film. The Cuticle Sealer and Reconstructor put a seal over the cuticle of the hair, keeping the hair straight longer, and minimize frizz.
*Please make a note that heavy conditioner does not make it better for the hair. Too heavy conditioners will leave a film over the hair, weigh it down, and minimize body. Just make sure that it is moisture based and not lanolin or wax based.
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