Serenity is my beautiful biracial baby girl, and one of the very first things people notice about her are her wonderful curls. Let me tell you — she doesn’t jump up from bed every morning with her hair in perfect little ringlets. It takes a little time, effort, and some awesome products to create curls like this.
Serenity’s hair was very soft and fine when she was a baby, but as she’s gotten older the curls have definitely intensified. When her hair is wet, it actually reaches the middle of her back! People are always asking how I care for her hair — I’ve had black and white grandparents and parents ask me for tips. When people see her hair they usually assume her hair is easier to manage — it’s not. It’s not hard, either — it just takes a little more effort and care.
Every year it becomes more of a challenge to find good hair care products — traditional “black” and “white” hair products don’t work on her hair. Luckily, after a bit of online research, I found a few products that I love.
Serenity’s hair is very temperamental — some days it’s extremely dry, and other days it’s not. A product that has been getting awesome results for days on end will sometimes suddenly stop working! I suggest that you rotate different products and try new product lines regularly.
Here are my favorite products (editor’s note: you can see the full list of products and items at Angie’s blog — it’s very detailed and long, so we just put a few from each category in this post):
Shampoos, Conditioners, and Moisturizers
Curly Q’s For Kids
Curly Q’s For Kids has some of the best biracial hair products I’ve ever found — the line has a wonderful light coconut scent that is perfect for kids. The downside? It can get pretty expensive. We’ve tried their entire line for kids and I love all of it, but my favorite is Curly Q Milkshake — this stuff is priceless. It conditions Serenity’s hair, defrizzes her curls and leaves hair easy to brush and style. I usually order the larger 32 ounce bottle every three months.
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Another favorite is Curly Q’s Moist Curls Moisturizer/Detangler. My friend’s little girl (who’s Caucasian), has the some of the thickest, curliest hair ever. When she used Moist Curls, she had no problem combing her hair! Moist Curls works on ANY curly hair type — it’s not just for biracial children.
It’s A Curl
Curls is another favorite — I love the It’s a Curl Itsby Bitsy Spirals line that’s made for babies and young children — all the products are organic!
Mixed Chicks
Mixed Chicks makes wonderful products for biracial and/or curly hair — my favorite is their leave-in conditioner. If you’re using it on your child mix it with water — too much left Serenity’s hair kind of crunchy. The smell of their products is also a bit strong for kids, but they do have a kid-friendly conditioner.
Brushes and Combs
Use the best.
Period.
It’s better to invest in a good brush and comb that will last for years, rather than a cheap one you have to replace over and over. You definitely don’t want to use cheap hair brushes on your child’s curly hair — a good brush is just as important as the products you put in your child’s hair. I mostly use two different brands — the Tangle Teezer and the Denman’s Tangle Tamer.
The Denman brush (I would recommend using a real one — NOT a copycat) is a high quality brush that’s been around forever. I use this brush to put ponytails in Serenity’s hair and for curl definition — but only after her hair has been detangled!
Watch the video below to see how amazing this brush is for curl definition:
The Denman Tangle Tamer is made specifically for kids and I think it does an excellent job. I’ve never had a problem with it and it goes through Serenity’s hair fairly easily — it’s perfect for ponytails too!
Hair Care Tips
I currently wash Serenity’s hair with the 2 in 1 Suave Smoothers (I like Cowabunga Coconut) once a month. I then condition her hair with either HE Hello Hydration or TRESemmé Naturals. While conditioning I grab sections of her hair and sort of squeeze the conditioner into her hair and comb out the tangles in her hair using the Tangle Teezer or wide tooth comb. You leave it in for 10 to 15 minutes then rinse well in cold/cool water.
When drying her hair, I squeeze the hair so it’s not drippy wet — but not completely dry. Then I add TRESemmé leave-in conditioner all over her curls. I like to brush Serenity’s hair in sections. Starting on the ends of her hair, I brush sections of her hair using the Tangle Teezer (or a wide-tooth comb, or one of the other brushes I’ve listed above) until it’s completely detangled. Then I warm a little bit of Olive, Jojoba or Monoi oil (starting with a dime size and adding more if needed) between my palms and apply it all over her hair to lock in the moisture.
When Serenity wakes up in the morning, her head looks just like fluffy cotton candy! It doesn’t help that Serenity has a habit of twirling her hair around her finger as she falls asleep either. So here’s what I do to tame that mane.
I NEVER brush or comb Serenity’s hair dry, and I always add as much TRESemmé leave-in conditioner (mixed with water) as needed to detangled it. I also add a little bit of Olive, Jojoba, Monoi oil or Juicy to the ends if they are really dry. If she’s having a very dry period, I lightly apply the oil all over her head too. Starting on the ends of her hair, detangle using the Tangle Teezer (or Tangle Tamer). It takes about 5 to 10 mintues. If needed, I’ll add about a dime size of oil over her hair to lock in the moisture.
Depending on what style I do in her hair for the day, I can get awesome curl definition by using the Denman brush — or just throw on a pretty flower headband!
My hair is thick, course and blonde and highlighted. I have been using Kerastase for years and it has gotten to the point of being so dry I can barely wash it – it is hard and brittle even when wet. Silicon build up is the culprit. It doesn’t wash away and takes a while to wash out, even with a silicon free shampoo. But after one wash with the Shielo Hydrate Shampoo, my hair is back to feeling baby soft again! I love Shielo and I have never even heard of this brand! I am going to use this as my regular shampoo until it is gone. Its from the Shielo brand, called Shielo Hydrate Shampoo.