*Super* curly hair - Page 2

[Mamato2and2]

gabysmom617-thanks for that reminder about the relaxer thing. Most of the stylists around here are pretty cool about not recommending that to me, although I have had a few say that but I always just tell them that I want recommendations for what to do naturally!

I am always looking for good products-alot of them seem to work for a month or so and then I have to find something else. I was getting some spray in detangler type stuff from the local flea market called (I can't exactly remember) Thalil Falid or something but now the lady that used to sell it isn't there anymore. I think it was made in Georgia and was completely natural-anyone know what I am talking about and if so where I can mail order it?

[1growingsprout]

braids take time to get used to, even more so if she is used to just letting her hair go... how about just trimming the ends...

i have very curly hair...i use shampoo and conditioner every day... i switch my products around.. my hair seems to be ok for 2-3 months on one brand then i need another...

when i was a kid i lived in french braids...
good luck

[gabysmom617]

Originally Posted by APMom98

Thank you so much! Everyone gave such wonderful ideas and thoughts, and I really appreciate it. We tried braids today, she was NOT pleased afterwards, so we took them out. But we'll try again tomorrow. I do think maybe I've been overwashing it, she gets a bath every other day and gets it washed every time, I just never thought of that, as my hair gets all yucky if I go more than two days without washing it, kwim? I never thought of *just* conditioning it. I will try that when she gets her bath tomorrow.

Yeah, every other day is kind of a lot for supercurly hair. If you want to do something every other day, just condition, or either simply rinse it out, with nothing. Especially no shampoo. Shampooing every other day is a bit much for supercurly hair.

I hate to see her so unhappy with braids. They really are so cute. How old is she again? 7? (I think I saw 7 in your siggy, not sure, will go back and double check in a minute...)There are so many different kinds of braids you can do. YOu can do a lot of smaller ones, or you can do one or 2 big chunky ones. You can part the hair in an infinite number of ways making the braids frame the face differently. Or, as someone else mentioned, do you know how to french braid? Maybe she would like something like that better?

[TeaBag]

Ahh, no that's my ds that's 7, she's turning 4 in a couple of weeks. And we tried french braids yesterday, so today, we're going to try just one braid down her back and see how she likes that. I think I might have pulled it too tight, trying to keep it all in, kwim? But, she is understanding that her options are limited, it's either braid it, etc, or deal with the tangles. We're working on it.

[TeaBag]

It's in a french braid! We'll see how long it lasts!

[ChristaN]

Your dd has my hair . Mine's super curly and blond and I'm fair with green eyes. While I expected my dds to be darker than me since dh is Italian, we were surprised that our older one has stick straight, fine, very dark brown hair. Along with the dark skin and brown eyes she has, we get the same questions as you all of the time -- things like, 'is she your daughter?' or 'where did she get her coloration?' And I have a similar problem of not knowing how to deal with hair so dramatically different than mine. It looks stringy a lot b/c I just don't know how to style it other than to brush it and let it hang there (dd never leaves anything in her hair and she wants it parted down the middle with no bangs).

[1growingsprout]

the salon has this tool called 'thinning shears' they work like magic on my hair... the rings and curls are controlled after the hair is 'thinned' out... i also need to keep my ends trimmed...

how about a simple pony tail... dont use rubberbands... use those fabric hair twisters...

i still have memories of my mother pulling my hair so tight... it brought tears to my eyes...

[Jael]

I have super long curly hair (I can practically sit on it) and I absolutely love it. I go back and forth between flat ironing it straight or wearing it naturally curly.

When I'm curly, I use a lot of either coconut oil or olive oil after washing. My preference is olive oil, although I must admit that coconut oil (extra virgin of course) makes my hair even more manageable. It's a lot heavier than olive oil and goes on a bit oilier, but it keeps my hair from tangling as much. It's heavier though and tends to weigh my hair down to where it's still curly, but not as curly as it is with olive oil.

Olive oil (extra virgin), on the other hand, is a lighter oil, doesn't "look" oily after I apply it and smells a lot better to me.

With either one, I wouldn't advise washing more than 3 times a week (2 if you can get away with it). What I do between washings is keep a spray bottle filled with water and a little conditioner that I use to wet my hair before combing (I never brush UNLESS I'm brushing the front of my hair back into a ponytail...otherwise, my hair NEVER even sees a brush). I used a wide toothed comb to detangle and I use a little olive oil on stubborn tangles or sometimes I'll mix a little olive oil with conditioner, put it directly on the tangle and then comb out. I always comb from the ends up too.

One or two days out of the week, I'll wear my hair in a chignon just to give it a rest (doesn't tangle as much, so my hair gets a break from combing) and a ponytail is my second best friend when working out or when it gets really hot.

A few key points to remember is that curly hair tends to be drier than straight hair, so you definitely want to use a good oil. Also, never attempt to style it while it's dry. And, finally, always tell your daughter that her hair is beatiful. Too often, as you mentioned, children grow up with a complex about their hair ESPECIALLY when they're one of the only ones in the family with curly hair. No one likes to feel different, so find a way to instill in her that different, in this case, makes her beautiful.

Hope my routine helps. I absolutely LOVE my curly hair and get compliments on it nearly every day. Curly hair can be a real joy once its care is mastered.

[chfriend]

Just wanted to share a tip I picked up on a thread about super tangly hair. Pantene shampoo and condition and the leave in detangler have saved our lives. Mine is 5 and I spent 3 years picking the tangles out while she slept, sometimes for hours, and it was still all knotted up.

It's not a natural product, but you might want to keep in the back of your mind as a back up. Once the tangly-ness was under control, she can wear it down or in a simple pony if she wants. (Nothing short of a miracle really.)

[supervee]

Just wanted to share that my trial with the Nexxus Humectress is a partial success. I am still finding that the dry parts of her hair remain dry, but it does great things for the curls. I didn't even try to comb it these last couple days. I think more time with it will do well. I am going to try a little oil, too, on the dry parts, so thanks for that idea!

Oh, I think the only complex this one will be getting is a big head from everyone telling her how gorgeous her curls are all the time! :

[Jael]

And another thing...

I went to bed after posting my last response last night and thought of a few other things. One, don't ever let her go to bed with her hair down. What I do is gather mine in a bun. I don't try to comb it out first, I just put it in a bun until the morning. Placing the bun on the top of the head works best, but a lot of times I'll wear it in the back. I also don't sleep with any sort of scarf or anything, but I know a lot of people do. One thing I want to remind you though, if you use a scarf, is to use a silk (or silky feeling) one. Cotton bandanas, scarfs, etc. are too rough on dry, curly hair and will weaken it, especially around the edges. Ditto goes for wearing any sort of headwrap in the daytime.

Also, I don't always worry about getting every single tangle out in the morning. Sometimes I do and sometimes I don't if it's not too tangly. As long as it looks good, I'll wet it down (like described in my last post), get the tangles out that I can and not stress too much over every single one. Of course, I'll only go one day with doing this as if I go more, my hair will begin to mat. And, I mainly do this when I'm wearing a bun or a ponytail and it depends on how much time I have to get dressed. If it looks good and it's not terribly tangly, I don't worry about it. This morning, I slicked the front back into a ponytail (with a wet brush), sprayed the back part which was loose, put olive oil in it, combed a few tangles out of the tail just to make it look good, left the rest in and was out the door in a matter of minutes. Stress free, trouble free and I look good, if I must say so myself.

I think oil is the most important thing for curly hair. I read somewhere that natural oils never make it completely down the shaft from your scalp on curly hair. With straight hair, it's a straight path from the scalp to the ends, but with curly hair, because it bends and turns, the oil never makes it all the way through. This accounts for a lot of dryness, breakage and even tangles. So, whatever product you use (and make sure they're alcohol free...alcohol dries), be certain that her hair is getting enough oil. Again, my preference is olive oil, but coconut oil works really well too.

Hope this helps!

[momto l&a]

my middle dd has wonderful curly hair, its coarse and there's lots of it. She gets lots of Shilrly Temple coments

The best ways to manage her hair are;
its washed and then combed once a week though she does get it wet at times during her daily baths.
she wears elastic hairband to keep the hair out of her face, this she can do all by herself and choose the colors on her wim
we trim off the dead ends once every 6 months or as needed, its a trim not a cut.
she did ask for a cut recently and that did help

I often comb her hair while the conditioner is soaking, really helps. We soak the conditioner about 5 minutes.