I am one of those lucky moms (for lack of a better word) whose baby was born with a head full of hair. But sadly I had to cut it cause in my culture, babies’ hair has to be cut soon after birth so at 10 days old Khanyas hair was cut because…..I wanted to give you a profound reason but I can’t, I have no idea why. I just know that a child needs to get rid of the hair they are born with.
Taking it back a bit, see when I found that I was pregnant with a girl, all I could think about were tutus, pink tights, hair bows and frilly dresses – most of all, hair in a cute little afro. And maybe on days when we are feeling cheeky, I would let my long dreadlocks down while she walks pretty by my side sporting bantu knots…..such a lovey vision ……but skrrrr back to reality. She is 7 months old now and has typical black African hair. Her hair is beautiful, it is a pitch black mini afro; curly, looks strong but unfortunately it loses moisture quickly, which means that I have to take extra care of how I treat her hair. In the beginning I made a few mistakes due to lack of understanding of how delicate black hair is, but now I think I have it down on lock. We all know being a mother means you wear many caps and hairdresser is one of them. This is why I was not as stressed when my mother gently insisted we give her one last hair cut because now her hair grows faster and is stronger. Gone are the days of breaking hair…phew.
After a recent hair cut.
Dealing with the texture of black hair
Any black mother knows how difficult it can be to tame babies hair. And black hair can be tricky .Texture of black hair varies from curly to coily. Because of its texture, moisture in the hair finds it hard to go down the hair shaft. Water and sebum are not able to reach down the shaft easily like other hair types. This leads to dry, brittle and breaking hair. This breaking is the reason why there is a misconception that black hair does not grow long.
A number of factors also affect the rate at which your babies hair grows. The factors are genes, nutrition and products you use on the babies hair. There is not so much you can do in the genes department, however the other two are factors you mommy have control over. Nutrients in food contribute in helping your babies hair to grow. The proteins and vitamins in food is essential for growth as well as hair development, so feed them foods high in proteins, vitamin A and B . In this article however, I will focus more on the products you can use to repair and maintain healthy hair that does not break.
If you are stressing, trying to figure out ways to grow your baby’s hair and the hair seems to not want to cooperate. You are definitely at the right address because I have been there done that and got the T shirt. The number one culprit could be breakage. Black hair is naturally curly,looks tough and strong yet it is prone to moisture loss. So the number one rule of hair growth is to feed the hair by moisturising it. Always remember that lack or loss of moisture causes a dry scalp and hair breakage. This breakage is the reason why most people feel black hair does not grow I mean if this really was the case would my dreads be this long.So moisture is the key….
Causes of hair breakage in children
- Dryness caused mainly by over washing and not moisturising the hair correctly
- Lack of proper nutrition
- Constant pulling of the hair by combing, putting it into ponytails or braids for the cuteness factor
- The texture of the hair-since black hair has a curly texture, it loses moisture a lot more than other hair types so hair tends to break as much as it grows. This hinders the length gain.
All of these factors can be dealt with so that your babies’ hair can grow strong. Once your babies’ hair is treated it will grow strong and longer in length guaranteed.
Tips to grow your babies’ hair
- Wash once in a week especially if they don’t get their hair too dirty. If they do you can do it twice a week .Washing my babies hair often is a mistake I used to make. This result was a dry scalp and breaking hair due to moisture loss from constant washing will strip
- Condition their hair once a week. I personally use Johnson and Johnson baby soft & shiny conditioner. It keeps the hair moisturised and has a great smell too.
- Use a moisturizer every second day or so. After applying a moisturizer, put oil on the hair to act as a seal. The oil will seal in the moisturizer into the hair.
- If it is not a hair washing day, just spray with water to add moisture and follow with a small amount of oil. Choose any oil of your choice massaging the scalp for 2-4 minutes. This is easier said than done as most babies don’t appreciate being kept in one spot for too long. But persist finding ways to entertain them while you do this.
- Make sure the products you are using on your babies hair and skin are suitable for baby by reading the labels at the back. If there is an ingredient you don’t know or understand, search it in google. There is no reason for you to put products that are not safe for your baby and possibly toxic…..just reach out and reach
- Protect the hair even better by using a satin pillow case for their hair.
Oils to use for babies hair
| Oil | Benefits |
| Jojoba oil |
Anti-bacterial, Anti-inflammatory, Anti-viral, Hypoallergenic, Reduces pain, Its highly recommended for hair use as the composition matches that of the hair oil therefore preventing dry scalp, adds shine and softens the hair, Strengthens hair from the inside. |
| Coconut oil | Anti-bacterial, Prevents hair loss by getting deep inside the hair
follicle, Stimulates hair growth, deeply moisturises the hair. |
| Castor oil | Has an anti-bacterial and anti-fungal property, Strengthens weak
hair, helps with dandruff, smooths frizzy hair and aids growth. |
| Extra Virgin Olive oil | Strengthens frizzy hair, Locks in moisture preventing dryness,
stimulates hair growth |
| Avocado oil |
Antioxidant, Anti-inflammatory, strengths, moisturises and repairs damaged skin. Also makes hair shiny. *You can add it to your babies’ hair moisturiser. |
This is daily routine hair schedule
For a sealer I mix
- Jojoba oil
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Bergamot oil
*I mixed equal amounts of oils you can also add in peppermint oil as it gives a great smell and also stimulates hair growth.
- To maintain moisture -Daily
- Spray with warm water
- Massage the sealer into hair
- To moisturise- Second to Third day
- Sof n free Avo & Honey
- To condition-Once a week
- Johnsons baby conditioner
Good luck growing your precious ones hair. Also remember that the oils work very well on us mommies,especially if you are struggling with growing out your natural hair.
Remember your baby is precious.
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