Hair Care Tips for African American Children
Overview African-American hair requires special care because it is dry, fragile and often curly. Properly caring for your child’s hair is important because damage to the hair follicles that results from improper care is likely to remain with the child for life.
Washing African-American hair dries out easily. Because of this, you should only shampoo your child’s hair every seven to 10 days, according to the University of Pittsburgh. For a child who has curly or thick hair, section the hair off when washing it to minimize tangling. Additionally, find a shampoo that doesn’t contain lauryl sulfate or laureth sulfate; these ingredients strip natural oils from the hair and can lead to breakage.
Combing When you choose a comb and brush for your child, opt for a wide-tooth comb and a boar’s hair brush. African-American hair is very fragile. Using a fine-tooth comb may snag the hair and cause it to break.
Moisturize Daily moisturizing is necessary for African-American hair because there isn’t enough sebum or oil produced by the scalp to keep the hair healthy. Use a product made specifically for African-Americans once a day on your child’s hair. Condition the hair with a leave-in conditioner before styling the hair. Once a month, use a heat activated deep conditioner to keep her locks looking lovely. Choose products that contain natural oils such as jojoba, coconut or avocado oil instead of products that contain petrolatum.
Styling Avoid using rubber bands when styling your child’s hair. Instead, opt for elastics or cloth covered holders. Rubber bands may cause breakage, and elastics and cloth covered holders aren’t as likely to break the hair. If you braid or twist your child’s hair, be sure to do so all the way down the hair. Any part of the hair that isn’t braided isn’t protected like the braided hair, and may have split ends.
Perms and Relaxers Perms and relaxers change the texture of the child’s hair. Once you begin using these on your child, you will have to keep up with treating new hair that grows after you perm the hair. These products are harsh and may burn your child’s scalp, especially if she has sensitive skin. Use caution when using these products on a child.
Resources: http://www.rizadoafroymas.es/c107748-ninos.html http://www.livestrong.com/article/107402-hair-care-tips-africanamerican/
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