Hair Care Advice for Parents of Bi-Racial Children

There is a large population of mothers and fathers struggle on the proper way to take care of their children’s hair because their children are bi-racial. There are endless products on the market which may be confusing and costly especially when you just can’t find what works best in your child’s hair.

Many parents may feel uncomfortable asking others for guidance on how to care for their children’s hair. You may also live in a predominantly white area where natural hair care or black salons are not accessible which is challenging to get the appropriate products and care for textured hair.

The expectations of having a mixed child is to assume they will be born with a softer hair texture. However, a bi-racial child may not necessarily have wavy, ringlets of loose curls and could possibly have a variety of softer to coarser textures in their hair. It’s the parent’s responsibility to research and find out what’s best for the child.

The worst thing imaginable is having a parent put a relaxer in a young child’s hair when there is no need for chemicals. Parents may have a desire to experiment due to curiosity, lack of knowledge or misinformation on how to care for ethnic hair textures. Unfortunately, even softer, wavy hair textures have been severely damaged due to applying chemicals on a child’s hair.

Placing chemicals on a child’s scalp is serious business. It’s very unnecessary and unwise to alter the texture of a child’s hair before they even get a chance to develop and grow. Once the follicles is damaged, the hair may not grow back the same or it may change the texture. It may even take longer to heal. The child is also susceptible to undergo severe burns due to a sensitive, tender scalp.

A child is still developing and their skin and scalp is delicate and must be handled with care. You do not want to damage the child’s opportunity for healthy hair growth before they even get a chance to develop.

Also, be mindful of diverse styling options. Ponytails and braids are the go-to styling options for children. Pulling the hair to tightly can cause breakage. You should always diversify your styling techniques. Be gentle with shampooing, combing and brushing the hair which is prone to tangles leading to breakage or damage. Simply, comb the ends first to detangle hair before moving closer to the roots.

The key is making sure the hair is moisturized. Look for products that have water as the first ingredients in products and always avoid alcohol or sodium laurel sulfate which is very drying to the hair. Do not use curling irons or blow dryers to straighten hair on a regular basis.

There is many organic products on the market that will provide manageability without damaging baby tresses.

Please take the time out to research, seek sound advice from a professional stylist or the natural hair community to find out how to care for natural hair textures. There are many blogs and videos that will educate parents on proper hair care and styling options.  Just be fair to your child and let her embrace her own natural hair texture and encourage her to love her hair!  Also, just be mindful that your child may have allergic reactions to the ingredients so be aware of how they react to the products. 

The best practice is to patch test products prior to using to be on the safe side. The majority of products listed below are made with natural ingredients however I have a frend who's  allergic to coconut oil! I just couldn't even imagine not using it in my hair regimen!

By any means, just take precautions. You may simply just need to use products like Johnson & Johnson's shampoo and baby oil, VO5 Shampoo or Pantene Pro V, but just make sure  that you also use water-based products that provide moisture to the hair.

Here is a list of product recommendations for young tresses listed below:  Mommy Budget: Shea Moisture, Creme of Nature, Organic Root Stimulator, Kinky Curly, Mixed Chicks, Cantu Shea Butter  Luxe: Miss Jessie, Carol's Daughter