How to properly hydrate?

Toya10

Hello everyone, my name is Toya and my 4yo has tight curls (not sure what # her curls are) but her hair always stays so dry. What can I do to keep her curls hydrated so she can wear her hair down vs always in a pony tail (s). Here is a pic of her in the tub with her curlies and another one with her curly poofs. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

virgo76

*** BUMP ***

I am interested in hearing what others have done to remedy this as well. My daughter loves wearing her hair down also but it ends up dry and poofy by mid-day.

Chocodiva007

I will just have to put this out there. I have a 6 year old with curly 3C hair, at least that is what it started out being. But, after trying a multitude of "leave ins", expensive products, all regular conditioners used as leave-ins and just a bunch of unnecessary products, techniques and time lost getting a "tangled mess" on her head and both of us getting through wash times in a way that should be bonding but ended up being anything but . I found that less is more.

For whatever reason, I cannot load pics onto this site. I can send you pics of her hair or I will try FOTKI when I get a chance and you can see the stages of her hair.

In any case, this is what I do now and last night I washed her hair and it took all of 15 to 20 minutes to have it combed out and styled. Here are my "HAIR RULES"

* Prep hair by using melting Virgin Coconut oil and dividing the hair into four sections. Go through each section applying warm coconut oil throughout the section. Coat well and on the ends. After completing whole head, put a plastic cap on the child and let her watch SpongeBob.

*Prep the bathtub for washing hair and bathing. Get a BIG OLD PITCHER, shampoo of choice, conditioner of choice .

*Remove plastic cap and set aside. Take a Pitcher full of warm water and saturate child's hair while in the tub. Get it really good and wet.

*Takes squirt of shampoo and apply to each of the four sections to the scalp. Shamppoos of preference for me have been Jane Carter and my ultimate favorite that is no longer sold, Ojon Tawaka (bought HUGE bottles on HSN/QVC..supposed to last 18 months) and thoroughly cleanse the scalp. Terri on tightlycurly.com was so right about this. Use your fingers on the scalp and concentrate the cleansing on the scalp without disturbing the hair. Rinse very well and don't get heavy handed with the shampoo.

*Take good amount of conditioner and via the four sections, apply conditioner from root to end. Concentrate on the ends of the hair. Get it good and saturated with conditioner. I live in New England and it is critical that the Lil Diva's hair gets well conditioned because it is dry inside and out up here. Put the plastic cap back on the child's head and let her play and get bathed for 20 to 30 minutes and the RINSE OUT the conditioner. I do not leave conditioner in her hair that is meant to be rinsed out. I have found that this draws lint and tangles the hair.

*Put the plastic cap back on the child's hair and get ready to get her dressed and sit down to braid her.

*Using a wide tooth comb or clips or tail part of rat tail comb, section the hair again into the four parts. Use clips or tangle free bands to section off hair. You can have spray bottle handy if you need one, but as I have been doing this method for about 2 months, her hair has become tangle free and trained. I don't need the spray bottle anymore, but in the beginning I did.

* Now, I was using a spray leave in conditioner in the beginning. I love the Jane Carter Solution leave in conditioner. However, now that her hair has become so well conditioned, last night, I didn' t use the Jane Carter solution. The Tawaka is very, very hydrating and moisturizing, so it was not necessary. But, if you feel the hair and you "feel" it needs more conditioning, lightly spray a leave in conditioner into the hair section.

*HOLY GRAIL...GET SOME JOJABA OIL from Whole Foods. They have this HUGE one for about $25. Take that and pour it into a smaller container that allows you to squirt the oil into the scalp and onto the hair. JOJABA is very similar to our sebum and it will literally go right into your hair without a second thought. Massage the scalp and work through with a large toothed comb that section of hair and braid..Not twist, but braid. Complete the whole head.

I mentioned that my daughter was a 3C..she had beautiful corkscrews, but they were getting tangled all the time and her hair was getting HARD. I could not understand because I was doing conditioner washes, staying away from cones and using highly recommended products, but she starting getting more and more tangles and her hair started dulling. I cut about 5 to 7 inches of her hair and I started this technique and her hair is now a 3B with long, silky S patterns throughout her hair. Conditioner washes do not work well on her hair. It has to be washed. Leaving in conditioner that is supposed to be rinsed, has to be rinsed. These are her hair rules.

I had bought her a silk bonnet and silk pillowcase and the bonnet gave her the funkiest looking hair in the mornings. Her hair would be straight and dried out. Now, I plait her hair at night and unravel lightly in the morning. Her hair has never looked better. I put a small amount of Jojaba in my hands every other day, rub them together and smooth it through her hair.

My husband is white and has wavy hair and I have locs. My hair is 3C/4A and I just assumed my daughter had hair like mine. After doing this routine for 2 months, her hair is more like her dads than mine. The "feel" went from "Springy Coarse/Afro 3 C" to this Silky, shiny, 3B hair that is more like the hubby's than mine.

If I get a chance, I will post her before and afters on Fotki.

Lil Diva's hair got a good cut by me and the right technique for her. I don't know if it will work for you and yours, but give it a shot and good luck!