the hair. oh, the hair!
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If you've talked to me in the last few months (or hung around on Pinterest long enough to see my latest pins), you know my biggest concern about this adoption:
I'm white.
I'm not in control of my own hair most days, and I average one or two haircuts a year.
Black hair?
In a word: YIKES.
I once told a friend that I'd only consider adopting a black boy, because hair for him would be easier. The options and tips and styles for girls? For a girl who either wears her hair down or in a ponytail, black hair maintenance scared me.
Then we said yes to our precious sibling group of three, including not one but two girls.
Then came the whammy for me: Our children's first mother was a hairdresser.
White girl, meet a high bar set for black hair care.
I'm anything if not determined. And I decided that if my two newest girls had known a mama who loved to care for their hair, I would do everything I could to be the second mama to do that.
All three of our darlings had very short hair when we arrived, which is typical in orphanages due to the difficulty in caring for longer hair and avoiding things like lice in institutional settings. This was a good thing, because it means I have some time to learn.
Now, their hair is around an inch long, if you stretch the curls. I'm beginning to realize that they each have a different hair type: Patience is a 4b, Philip is a 4a, and Patricia is a 3c.
This means we cover the gamut of types, since Lee is a 3b, I'm a 2c, Robbie is a 2b, Jocelyn is a 2a or 1a (depending on the humidity), and Zoe is a 1c. So much for being a low-maintenance mama!
I don't know if this will be helpful to anyone else, but I know the product chase was one of the most daunting parts. So here's what we've been using, first for washing:
Now, for upkeep and daily care:
To be honest, I'll probably be on the search for another pair of products for washing. The ones we're using work great for me and Zoe and Patricia and maybe Lee (though he hasn't tried them), but they're not enough for Patience or Philip. They're working for now, but I'm not in love with them. I'll be on the hunt for something new, particularly a shampoo that strips the hair less of natural oils and a conditioner that moisturizes more. Given that most washes will be co-washes (that is, washing with just conditioner and not shampoo), the conditioner is the most important of the pair.
The upkeep and care, though? I'm in love with these products. The pink oil one I picked up at a store here. It's made in Kenya, so I'm going to have to find something similar in the US (though I'll probably pick up one or two more bottles here to bring back). I spray the detangler, brush with the Tangle Teezer, massage in the pink oil (using the most for Patience since her hair is the driest and the least for Patricia), and the follow up with the olive oil cream.
If you're on the hunt, I got the olive oil cream at RiteAid, the Tangle Teezer and just for me products at Amazon, and - as I mentioned - the pink oil at a local store in Entebbe, Uganda. The olive oil cream was sold at the store in Entebbe too, which made me feel a bit validated since I figure they know best here about black hair!
All in all, the hair care isn't as scary as I made it out to be.
That said, Patience is begging for a style soon (and for some reason, the girl doesn't think wearing a headband qualifies as a "style."), so we'll see how that turns out. I have my trusty Pinterest board, so I'm hoping those pins won't fail me!
I'm white.
I'm not in control of my own hair most days, and I average one or two haircuts a year.
Black hair?
In a word: YIKES.
I once told a friend that I'd only consider adopting a black boy, because hair for him would be easier. The options and tips and styles for girls? For a girl who either wears her hair down or in a ponytail, black hair maintenance scared me.
Then we said yes to our precious sibling group of three, including not one but two girls.
Then came the whammy for me: Our children's first mother was a hairdresser.
White girl, meet a high bar set for black hair care.
I'm anything if not determined. And I decided that if my two newest girls had known a mama who loved to care for their hair, I would do everything I could to be the second mama to do that.
All three of our darlings had very short hair when we arrived, which is typical in orphanages due to the difficulty in caring for longer hair and avoiding things like lice in institutional settings. This was a good thing, because it means I have some time to learn.
Now, their hair is around an inch long, if you stretch the curls. I'm beginning to realize that they each have a different hair type: Patience is a 4b, Philip is a 4a, and Patricia is a 3c.
This means we cover the gamut of types, since Lee is a 3b, I'm a 2c, Robbie is a 2b, Jocelyn is a 2a or 1a (depending on the humidity), and Zoe is a 1c. So much for being a low-maintenance mama!
I don't know if this will be helpful to anyone else, but I know the product chase was one of the most daunting parts. So here's what we've been using, first for washing:
Now, for upkeep and daily care:
To be honest, I'll probably be on the search for another pair of products for washing. The ones we're using work great for me and Zoe and Patricia and maybe Lee (though he hasn't tried them), but they're not enough for Patience or Philip. They're working for now, but I'm not in love with them. I'll be on the hunt for something new, particularly a shampoo that strips the hair less of natural oils and a conditioner that moisturizes more. Given that most washes will be co-washes (that is, washing with just conditioner and not shampoo), the conditioner is the most important of the pair.
The upkeep and care, though? I'm in love with these products. The pink oil one I picked up at a store here. It's made in Kenya, so I'm going to have to find something similar in the US (though I'll probably pick up one or two more bottles here to bring back). I spray the detangler, brush with the Tangle Teezer, massage in the pink oil (using the most for Patience since her hair is the driest and the least for Patricia), and the follow up with the olive oil cream.
If you're on the hunt, I got the olive oil cream at RiteAid, the Tangle Teezer and just for me products at Amazon, and - as I mentioned - the pink oil at a local store in Entebbe, Uganda. The olive oil cream was sold at the store in Entebbe too, which made me feel a bit validated since I figure they know best here about black hair!
All in all, the hair care isn't as scary as I made it out to be.
That said, Patience is begging for a style soon (and for some reason, the girl doesn't think wearing a headband qualifies as a "style."), so we'll see how that turns out. I have my trusty Pinterest board, so I'm hoping those pins won't fail me!