As a parent, you’ve been doing your hair for years and have mastered your haircare routine. So, it can be quite a shock when your haircare tips and tricks don’t work for your biracial child. Or even worse, they severely damage your curly kid’s hair. Everything from the products you use to styling tools, where they get their haircut, and daily styling differs from your haircare routine. Here’s what you need to know to minimize your stress and keep your child’s natural hair looking its best!
#1 Find A Local Black Hair Stylist
The first thing you must do is find a local stylist or salon that specializes in black hair. Most cosmetology schools don’t include ethnic hair as part of their cosmetology training. Stylists must invest in additional training to learn to style black hair. So, you must identify a stylist who has specialized training. Or who doesn’t have specialized training but has curly or kinky hair, so they know what they’re doing. A black hairstylist is not to be confused with a curly hairstylist. While some curly hairstylists do black hair too, they may not have the required training. Many stylists will claim they do all hair types when asked, so you must inquire if they have certified training to do black hair.
As you already know from styling your child’s hair, it’s not the same texture as yours. Even trimming natural hair is different than cutting straight hair or non-ethnic curls. As your child gets older, they may want to experiment with colors, bleach, and clip-in extensions. These types of treatments can severely damage their hair if not done right. Avoid a hair mishap and disaster with a black hair specialist.
When you call to make your appointment, feel free to inquire about having more than a cut, but also a hair care lesson. Black stylists understand your challenges and can help you create a weekly routine for your biracial child.
#2 Determine Your Childs Hair Texture And Type
Your child’s hair texture is either fine, medium, or coarse and their hair type is either wavy, curly, or kinky. If you have more than one biracial child, they may have different hair textures and types. This means different hair care routines. Your stylist can confirm each child’s hair texture and type, which falls into one of the categories 2 through 4 below.
- 1A = Straight hair that’s fine and thin
- 1B = Straight hair that has lots of body
- 1C = Straight hair that’s coarse and hard to curl
- 2A = Wavy hair that’s fine and thin
- 2B = Wavy hair that’s medium and frizzy
- 2C = Wavy hair that’s coarse with thicker waves
- 3A = Curly with the diameter of sidewalk chalk
- 3B = Curly with the diameter of a sharpie
- 3C = Curly with the diameter of a pencil
- 4A = Kinky with curl the diameter of a needle
- 4B = Kinky with zigzag curl pattern
- 4C = Kinky with no curl pattern
#3 Selecting Haircare Products And Styling Tools
Our scalp produces a naturally occurring oil called sebum. Sebum’s job is to travel down our hair strands from root to tip creating a protective layer. However, the coils of curly and kinky hair limit how far sebum can travel down each hair strand. This leaves black and biracial hair more likely to break and dry out. Even if your child’s hair is 2A through 2C, it requires curly hair products and tools. Biracial hair is prone to drying out, so most shampoos, conditioners, and styling products are too harsh.
By using products specifically formulated for curly hair you can shampoo without stripping away natural moisture. Even standard conditioners and styling products can dry out curly hair. Fro Babies Hair has you covered with a full line of curly kids products that are safe for children ages 12 months and older. Under the age of 12 months, wash their hair and scalp once a week with an infant-safe wash. Then apply a small amount of coconut oil to their hair.
Here are tips for detangling their hair with a curly hairbrush or comb. Detangling is something you must do at least a few days a week, possibly as part of the LOC or LCO method. Always use smooth and tangle-free barrettes and ponytail holders. If ponytail holders get tangled in their hair, carefully cut them out to minimize hair breakage.
#4 Creating A Wash Schedule
Even with curly kids shampoo and conditioner, biracial wavy, curly, or kinky hair shouldn’t be shampooed as often as straight hair. Confirm with your stylist, but you will likely only need to shampoo your child’s hair every 7 to 10 days. If they have wavy hair, no more than 2 times per week.
There are exceptions to this rule. For example, always shampoo when their hair is dirty, their scalp is oily, or after they go swimming. This may mean co-washing so that you don’t damage their curls. Co-washing is cleansing with conditioner instead of shampoo.
Also, always wet your child’s hair before they go swimming and apply a thin layer of coconut or jojoba oil. This will minimize the amount of chlorine or saltwater their hair absorbs.
#5 Sleep Bonnet Or Silk Pillowcase
You may have noticed black women in the movies and on TV shows sleeping with a silk headwrap. Or black men sleeping with a sleep cap. There are a couple of reasons for this.
First, the cotton of our pillowcases can zap the natural moisture of black hair. Even if it’s a high thread count. This can dry out hair and increase breakage.
Second, the scarf or cap minimizes morning frizz, keeps protective hairstyles in place, and helps keep straightened hair smooth. They also minimize breakage and retain moisture.
Your child may not want to sleep with a scarf or cap, so invest in a sleep bonnet or silky pillowcase. For the same reasons, you can find satin-lined winter hats.
#6 What To Avoid
Fro Babies Hair encourages parents to teach their children to love and embrace their natural hair. Our products are designed to effectively minimize frizz, define curls, and hold their natural hairstyles in place. All without feeling crunchy or sticky!
With the right products and hair care routine, we hope you and your child will choose not to relax their hair. Relaxers can severely damage their hair, so if you must, always go to a black hair salon.
Also, avoid heated styling tools such as hair dryers, curlers, and straighteners. These can rapidly dry out and damage their fragile hair. If you want to use a straightener or curler, it must be designed for black hair, and you must apply a product that minimizes heat damage.
Depending on their curl pattern, a diffuser hair dryer attachment used with a cool air setting can define their curls. Since the air is cool, diffusing won’t damage their hair.
#7 Online Resources
The Fro Babies blog contains a wealth of knowledge, answering every question you have about caring for biracial hair. This includes how to change their haircare routine for summer and winter.
You can also find a variety of black hair blogs and a wealth of information on YouTube. YouTube is an excellent place to learn more about different curly hair styling tools and to find step-by-step instructions for styling black hair.
If you have any other questions, reach out to Fro Babies Hair today!
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