HOW TO: Protecting your baby-girl’s afro hair

Baby girls are about the cutest beings you can set your eyes upon. Maintaining that cuteness is however beyond shopping for all the pink items at various sale points. Hair to me is a conversation that existed before I was born, is still on, and will forever be talked about. Perhaps this is because it is affixed to your head, above your face, which is the first place people look at when they see you. I hate to see balding babies or toddlers.

Dear Mothers/sisters/aunties (and every other person who has a little girl in their care), irrespective of your race, hair grows. Long hair is not the exclusive preserve of oyinbo people. A lot of mothers complain that their girl’s natural hair is too nappy, kinky, hard, strong, whatever-else they say. Sometimes I think the problem is that we try to force these strands to behave the way they were not created to or treat them as we treat our own. What we should strive for is called -Length retention, a hair care system that reduces the incidences of the hair breaking so much you dont notice the hair growth. So here are some very small tips on protecting your baby-girl’s hair and keeping the length.

Here is what I have done with 100watts hair;

Right

and

Left

WHAT YOU NEED:

A very big comb
Water
Good hair conditioner
Sealing oil (Could be coconut oil, Olive oil, jojoba oil, shea butter)

1. Part hair into four sections, wash with conditioner, dry with a cotton material (I use an old shirt), this is so you can retain some moisture. I advise that the hair is always handled while damp. then I applied a mix of coconut and olive oil, the coconut oil was smaller in quantity.

2. Her hair was then made into three big corn rows, and the scalp lined with shea butter. Today is not sunday, neither will tomorrow be, so she is just staying at home. If something impromptu comes up, I can quickly loosen it and style into something cuter. The cornrows prevent her hair-ends from being exposed or getting tangled as it is with kinky hair.

3. I avoid braiding her hair from the front to the back or from the back to the front. Also please do not hold the hair to tight as you braid. All of that causes the hair to fall off around the hairline. Hence the start point of the corn rows was the side and middle.

4. When you have to do that puffpuff hair for your girl, please do not pick it too tight. Forget that thing we like to do to make the hair look ‘neat or last longer’. You are simply inviting hair loss from too much tension.

5. I don’t use hair cream on her hair or Vaseline, strictly the oils. Reason: Those creams usually contain petrolatum or mineral oil and while it looks like the hair is shiny, it actually seals the hair from absorbing anymore moisture.

6. I have a water bottle I keep for spraying her hair. it is 95% water and 5% a mix of some of the oils. I spray her hair a few times during the day, this keeps her hair shiny and moisturised. nappy hair thrives on moisture.

7. I would usually keep that hair in for about a week. When its time to loosen, I spray it real good again, like I said, I handle her hair only damp. Carefully take out each cornrow and comb and proceed to the next. When you are done, comb hair together. Combs are my second choice in detangling hair, I prefer my fingers. When you need to use a comb, please ensure they are the big wide tooth ones. A friend complained that her daughter’s hair usually broke combs and I asked to see the combs. Lo, it was a medium-tooth comb.

8. Final tip, learn to take care of your baby-girl’s hair yourself. Those hair dressers did not follow you to the labour room o, no matter how good they are, no care like a mother’s!

That is about it for this corn-row method of protecting hair.

Do you have any questions? Comment below or click the contact page above. Suggestions are also welcome on whatever baby-girl hair issues you want me to write on.

Advertisement