Stretch it Out!

The back of her hair is pretty long. I wish it all was this long.

Thursday Nights- Happy Hair Washing!

 Here she is in the tub with Curly Q's Cleansing Cream in her hair. I had already bathed her, hence the soapy color of the water. She was playing with her rubber frogs, ducks and a plastic cup. (Don't ask)

& Here is she afterward, all dry, dressed and ready for bed. I applied the Giovanni organic Leave-In, and when she finally fell asleep I as usual, put her hair into the tiny tot twists.

Combs

 I call this my styling comb. I use this tool ONLY to part her hair. Initially, I found myself using the tail but the teeth on the left side of the brush allow more accurate parts. I never use the brush on the side for anything.

This is the wide-toothed comb I use. I love it. Wide-toothed combs better preserve her coils, and they do not induce breakage like combs with teeth that are closer together.

Washing Products

 This is Curly Q's Curlycakes Cleansing Cream. I use this to wash Blaire's hair once a week (Thursdays). She is 8 months and still uses the infant bath tub. She no longer needs the infant piece nor the supporting blocks the tub came with. She sits unassisted and often stands while I am washing her. As she sits and plays with her rubber ducks and frogs, (toys are a great distraction) I wet her hair with neither hot nor cold water (slightly cool) and then apply the Cleansing Cream. I gently massage her scalp with the cream and then using the slightly cool water and cup, I wash it out. I am careful not to get it into her eyes. Luckily she loves bath time and willingly tilts her head back slightly.

This is Curly Q's La La Meringue Daily Curl Detangler/Moisturizer. I use this to detangle her hair after her wash. I detangle gently using only my fingers. Her hair is so soft there is no need for any tool as of yet. If a tool is needed for assistance, I recommend using a wide-toothed comb.

This is Giovanni Tea Tree Triple Threat Invigorating Conditioner. I apply a tiny amount of this (dime sized) and distribute it evenly using my fingers. I then comb through her hair with a wide tooth comb. There are never any knots. I usually follow this routine with her bedtime snack (usually yogurt), brush her teeth, and put her to bed. When she is finally asleep, I put my Tiny Tot Twists in her hair to avoid drying and tangling in the morning. Please refer to my Bedtime Routine Post to see steps and morning results.

Additional Moisturizers

 This is Safi Hairsicle Cream. The ingredients include: Water, BTMS, Tangerine Butter, Lemon Butter, Tucuma Butter, Lime Butter, Shea Butter, Cocoa Butter, Coconut Oil, Organic Aloe Vera Gel, and Fragrance. I MUST say, before I say anything else, THIS STUFF SMELLS DIVINE. As you can see from the ingredients, it is one of the best moisturizers. If I apply a tiny bit of this, it instantly defines her curls, and adds shine. The problem I had with the Shea Moisture, was that it would not last as a moisturizer throughout the entire day. The texture of this Safi Cream was too thick and heavy for Blaire's hair so I added a tad bit of vegetable glycerin and VOILA. It serves as a great moisturizer throughout the day.

This is Carol's Daughter Hair Balm. Nothing needs to be explained here. It is another great moisturizer.

Shea Moisture

 This is Shea Moisture's Coconut & Hibiscus Curl Enhancing Smoothie. I use a tiny bit of this as a daily Moisturizer before I put anything else into her hair. Given the thickness of the texture, I advise that you use a very small amount (nickle sized) to avoid build up. It is essential that you follow up with an oil or an additional moisturizer to avoid the hair drying out.

This is Shea Moisture's Coconut & Hibiscus Curl & Style Milk. I also use this as a Moisturizer, mainly right before I style. Most times, I use this immediately after I apply the smoothie above.

Bedtime Routine

Given her age, I cannot really put anything on her head at night, like a satin cap. I am extremely overprotective and paranoid and I fear that a) she will suffocate and b) when I actually developed enough nerve to try, it wouldn't stay on. In the morning, we usually wake to Blaire's hair being a gigantic poof. This routine, inspired by other blogs, is similar to a twist out, but for baby of course. I call it the tiny tot twist out. I moisturize her hair with Shea Moisture Coconut & Hibiscus Hair Milk and make rather large twists. It is important not to part the hair, or else it will look sectioned when you take it out in the morning. Last night was a Tuesday, which is co-washing night for us. I co-washed with a homemade conditioner that included avocado, aloe vera, olive oil and coconut oil. (Well not really a conditioner, more like a concoction) I left it in for about 20 minutes before her bath, and washed it out during her bath. Afterwards, I put in a Giovanni Organic Leave-In conditioner, and put in the tiny tot twists when she fell asleep. Below are pictures of the process.
                                                              Blaire with conditioner in:

                                             Conditioner all washed out; with Giovanni Organic Leave-In:

                                               Tiny Tot Twists:

                                               Tiny Tot Twist Out (Morning Results):

 *Feel Free to refer to my products' tab to become more familiar with the products I mention.

First Post

I decided to make my first post an introduction. My name is Gigi, and I have a daughter named Blaire. She is 8 months old with a head full of hair. I knew I wanted to keep her "natural" and allow her to make her own decisions as to whether or not she wants chemically processed hair, when she is an adult. She was born with a head full of curls that excited the doctors and nurses in the delivery room. I too was excited until its texture changed and I faced a 5 month old with THICK, DRY hair. I searched the internet, high and low, for help. I went from one mom blog to the next but I too often found biracial children, and mainly toddlers/preschoolers. Although I fell in love with many of the blogs I saw, and became an avid follower of them (hence their inspiring this blog) I realized I was on my own. I learned that though the doctor advised me to wash her hair every time she bathed, that was wayyy to frequent and perhaps that was drying out her hair. I also learned the importance of reading ingredients. From the time she was about a month old, up until she was 5 months, I solely used pure Olive Oil in her hair. At 5 months, this was no longer a sufficient moisturizer on its own. I then gave Miss Jessie's Baby Buttercreme a try. Indeed, MJBB was good, but not GREAT and I felt it should've been GREAT for the price. Alas, after searching Target, and reading mom testimonies on other blogs & forums, I discovered Shea Moisture Coconut and Hibiscus products. She was already using Shea Moisture's Head to Toe Baby Wash and it did WONDERS for her eczema so I figured hey, why not give it a try. Let's just say that I am still using that today, nearly 4 months later. I have in fact found other products, and have even tried a few homemade mixtures but, I refuse to abandon Shea Moisture.

In this blog, I will feature Blaire's hair routines, hair styles, hair & skin care. I set out to be of some help to at least ONE mom out there struggling in search of advice and inspiration.