Cute "Tangled" Shirt At Wal-Mart!

C found this super cute "Tangled" shirt at Wal-Mart today.  It was only $7, but they didn't have one in C's size so she couldn't get one today! :(  Maybe next time though...



This picture looked much better on my phone!  I know its dark, but you get to see the shirt!

Random Braids

I couldn't decide what to name this hairstyle.  I don't really name my styles unless they actually look like something- like the peace sign I did a few posts back.
This is just simple cornrows, so there's no explanation needed there.  I will explain how I ended up with this style though!...
I parted C's hair into off centered, random parts and made some ponytails with braids in each section for school.  This was my way to stretch her hair a little for these braids.  It never really does me any good, but it is helpful when it comes to detangling, and saves me time having the parts already made also! :)   When C got home from school, I took out the ponytails and began to braid my cornrows.  I tried to make the braids in each section going a different direction, just to give the style a more unique look.  A lot of it was covered by braids in the other sections, but I still think it turned out cute and I liked it...

This is my least favorite view of this style, but I wanted to show every angle anyway.

This would be the front right section of C's hair, and just a little bit of the back right side.

I decided to be a little less plain and I braided an X into the front left side of C's hair. C has very fine, thin hair in the front, so I don't like to get too intricate with cornrows in the front.  Her short, thin hairs tangle very easily, even while braided, so its best that I keep it simple there.

Here is the back of C's hair.  This is where a lot of the different directions ended up hidden.  It isn't visible, but I did a few braids going straight down along with other braids going from side to side.  I just did this to make more braids that would end up on the sides rather than just the back, so its ok that a lot of that got covered up.

I also did 2 braids that crossed over from one section into another, but that isn't very visible... You can barely see the one crossed over braid if you look closely in the back of C's head in this picture!  It was noticeable in person, and I thought it showed up when I took these pictures- I guess I was wrong! 
I didn't add any decoration to this style because I just wanted something that would last the better part of the week.  Usually whenever I add beads, it seems to dry her hair out faster- especially at the ends.  C's hair just will not absorb any moisture at all unless I wet it first!  Even when I wet her hair to add some moisture, what happens is C's hair just looks like a frayed rope or yarn when its been braided together.  That's the best way I can describe it.  I might take a picture of it next time so you can get a better idea of what I mean.
And now its feedback time...  :)
How do you moisturize your child's (or your) hair once it has been styled?

My Styling Thoughts

Ive been planning on asking you all how you feel about hair styling.  Not just to find out if you like braids or twists etc, but how you actually feel about what message you are sending your child when you do their hair. For me, I always go on and on about a style I like, and if I'm having a hard time getting C's hair to do what I want, I try not to make any negative comments.  I admit, I do find myself thinking negative things, but I try not to let them out because I want my daughter to feel good about her hair.  If you are constantly making negative comments, your daughter will probably resent her hair for it.
I have been styling C's hair for years now, since she was old enough to have it styled.  When she was just 2 I would keep it simple, just 2 little ponytail puffs in the front, or even a headband.  As she got more hair, I had more and more choices, and I just kept trying new things.  When C was in pre school (at age 3) her pre school teacher actually told me that I was making her feel superior to the other kids because she had her hair done everyday.  C has never been the only biracial child in her class, even in pre school, but she is the only one with hair as curly as hers.  Now (and actually since kindergarten) C is the only one in her class who, by the looks of it, is natural!
I have had, and continue to have, several people tell me that by doing my daughters hair I'm making her 'stuck up' and she is going to be full of herself when she is older. Some of these people have been C's preschool teachers and my family!  I personally see nothing wrong with doing your child's hair, even the most extravagant styles.  I feel that if you are able to do it, why not?

With that, I decided I should add something to my last post, 'Straight Hair'.  First of all, I wanted to thank you all for your comments!  I also wanted to add that I didn't mean to imply that just because a mother doesn't know how to do hair (or just doesn't want to one day or so) does not mean that I think they are all lazy.  I know several people who cant even do a simple braid, but they do still brush their daughters hair and can even make it look pretty just in a plain old ponytail. I also know of several mothers who don't do their children's hair because they actually are lazy- too lazy to learn and too lazy to put in the effort at all.  I know that there are special situations where a child may not be able to tolerate their hair being done also.  I was simply trying to get peoples point of view, just to find out what you all think of when you see a child- or even an adult!- with unkempt hair.  Like I said, you can tell if its laziness or inexperience and I hope I didn't offend anyone! :)I myself have gone several days without touching C's hair, and I have even taken her out in public with her hair not even brushed!  She doesn't like it and I don't like to take her out like that, but things do happen that sometimes out rank hair styling.  That is understandable.  I wanted to make it clear to everyone that I am not here to judge anyone by saying someone is lazy or a bad mother if they don't do their child's hair, and even if they don't take the time to at least try and do something to care for it.  However, I do feel that if you have a child- regardless of race- you have the responsibility to care for every part of that child, and that includes hair.  Even a child with a sensitive scalp deserve to have their hair taken care of just as the rest of their body.  The way I look at it is this... You wouldn't send your kid out to school or in public with a dirty face, or dirty clothes, so why would you send them out with their hair sticking up all over the place, all matted together?  The hair is one of the first things people notice about you (for me it is the VERY first thing I notice) so there should be some effort put into it, I think. I feel that having nice looking hair is especially important for a child who is AA or biracial.  There is already enough for them to worry about, just because they might look different from the other kids- even if they aren't the only AA or biracial child in the class.  I know that for my daughter being the ONLY one in her class with curly hair can be hard at times.  She wants to have her hair straight and just wear it down like the other girls do.  That is one big reason I put so much time and effort into my daughters hair.  If a child's hair looks good, they feel good and that's all there is to it.  I mean, wouldn't you feel good about yourself if you got compliments on your hair everyday? Especially if those compliments came from people who have completely different hair than you and who have hair that you would like to have?  I know it would make me feel good!

Honestly, I feel that everyone has the ability to care for hair and even to do simple styles... I just cant see myself letting my daughters hair go and sending her to school without having at least brushed her hair.
So now I ask you...
Do you think styling your daughters hair is putting too much emphasis on her looks?
Do you think by doing your daughters hair you're telling her she has to have her hair done in order to look 'pretty' or be appreciated? And lastly, do you ever feel guilty about doing your child's hair for any reason?

Straight Hair

Normally, I don't recommend heat for anyone's hair.  As everyone (probably) knows, heat is damaging and can make your hair look even worse in the long run.   But what if your hair is straight, or some what straight, and it just doesn't look good unless you do straighten it with heat?
Here are some photos of my friends daughter.  She was 6 years old at the time these photos were taken, and here is the story...
My friend used to live across the street from me, and her and my daughter started pre-school at the same time, and they became best friends!  Well anyway, she also has a biracial daughter.  (Also a C, so were going to call her C2 from here on out!)  C2 used to have a hair type between 2C and 3A  (somewhat curly, with a lot of straight hair.)  The curls C2 had were big and loose.  They ended up moving away, and when they came back about 2 years later, C2 had a completely different hair type.  That isn't too uncommon- hair can change texture.  But, C2's hair was VERY dry and damaged, with a lot of split ends and breakage.  To be honest, her hair looked like my friend had permed it.  She insists she didn't, but I cant understand why her hair would look permed. C2's mom refuses to take any hair advice, so she doesn't take care of it, and that is definitely contributing to C2's damaged hair (Ill get to that in a little while!)
I really wish I had a before picture, but I seem to have deleted it- I cant find it anywhere and sadly I'm no longer friends with C2's mom so I cant get another one! :(    Anyway, here is C2 after I used a flat iron to lightly straighten her hair...

Before C2's hair was straightened, she had chunks of hair sticking up all over the place and it just was horrid looking!  After I flat ironed her hair, it was all laid down in place, even the random chunks of hair.  C2 had gotten gum stuck in her hair, and her mom had to cut a big chunk out.  There was a patch of hair in the front of C2's hair that stuck up no matter what I would put in it.  (I used to do C2's hair all the time!)  Well, finally I talked C2's mom into letting me flat iron her hair.  C2 never ever had her hair done unless I did it, so she wasn't used to sitting still for it and everything hurt her even though I'm very gentle! Flat ironing it was the easy way for me to fix her hair so that's what I wanted to do.

After her hair was flat ironed, the hair in front of her head that was cut looked like it was actually meant to be cut- like bangs. (I knew it would look like that, and telling C2's mom it would look deliberate is what talked her into letting me flat iron it instead of trying to braid it into a style)

As you can see, C2's hair still looked really damaged (because it was obviously), but it looked much better! She got more compliments on her straightened hair than she ever got from any braided style I did on her hair before.  Everyone said she looked more Indian with her hair flat ironed, and I think she looked like Pocahontas! :)

C2's hair was very easy to straighten.  C's hair takes at least 5 swipes with the straight iron, burning her hair, to even take it down to a wavy texture!  C2's hair was straight and smooth in just 1 swipe, so it wasn't causing as much damage as it would to someone with C's hair type.  I really miss doing C2's hair, not just because I LOVE doing hair, but because it made C2 feel good- which also made me happy!  C2 used to get made fun of because of the way her hair looked, and she wouldn't ever feel comfortable wearing her hair down even though she hates having her hair styled!  C2's mom still doesn't do anything to her hair, and she uses rubber bands any way her hair is done... I'm talking about industrial rubber bands- not rubber bands made for hair!  Rubber bands from a newspaper were saved and used in C2's hair!  And the worst part is... When C2's mom would take these rubber bands out of her hair, she just rips them out!  She grabs her hair at the base (sometimes) and just pulls the rubber band out, ripping a glob of hair out in the process!
I tried to tell C2's mom several times that isn't good, but she wouldn't listen to me and that's why C2's hair is as damaged as it is now.
So this brings me to my questions for all of you!...
1.  Do you think that when a woman has a biracial child, they should be expected to know how to style it (even if it's just a simple ponytail)?

2.  What do you think of a mother of a biracial child when you see the child with severely unruly hair?   Do you think that the mother just doesn't know how to do hair, did she maybe not bother to do anything special because there was no occasion, or do you think she is just lazy and didn't feel like being bothered with her hair?
Or do you have some other opinion?  Id like to know!  :)

What Is Your Hair Type?

I have had a few people ask me how to know what your hair type is, so if you don't know yours and you want to figure it out, this is for you! :)

-What are the types of hair?
      There are many types of hair, including 1A, 1B, 1C, 2A, 2B, 2C, 3A, 3B, 3C, 4A, 4B, and 4C
You may have just one type of hair, or more than one type (known as combination of multi type hair)

-How do I know what my hair type is?
      Its easiest to identify a single hair type, but once you know what each type looks like, you will be able to find yours!

Type 1A:   (This is my hair type)  This is completely straight, very sleek hair.  It is also the most shiny because since there is no curl pattern to it, light reflects off of it easily.  When type 1A hair is damaged, it will look more dull.
Types 1B and 1C are not much different in texture, they may have a little more body and slight wave.



Types 2A, 2B, and 2C:  These types are wavy- 2A being slightly wavy, and 2C being very wavy.
Wavy hair can also be shiny.




Types 3A, 3B, and 3C:  These types are where hair is curly.  Most 3 type hair has a 'Z' pattern of curls.  Curly hair has different needs during different seasons- during the winter it requires a lot more conditioning to prevent it from dryness which will definitely lead to breakage.  In the summer, it need less products and if a lot of products is used in curly hair during the summer might lead to frizzing. Curly hair absorbs a lot of water especially type 3C and can break easily. 3C has the tightest curls of this hair type. Type 3A would be big, looser curls, and 3B would be smaller, tighter curls.

  

Type 4A, 4B, and 4C:  This hair type is known as kinky,tightly curled or coiled and has a zig zag pattern of curls and in most cases an 'S' curl pattern, and it’s most common among afro’s.  Type 4 hair is very fragile because of the tight curls and because its very fragile, it can break easily so this type of hair should be treated gently when combing or styling. This hair type has little or no shine. This type of hair has fewer cuticle layers (cuticle layers help to prevent external damages) than every other hair types and because of this, its less protected naturally which means combing, blow drying, straightening, etc can cause damage easily, so when you are caring for this hair type you have to take be extra gentle. 




So that's all the information I could possible think to mention on each hair type! Hopefully this helps you if you have been wanting to know your own hair type!  :)

Abstract Hair- The Peace Sign

So, do you ever ask your daughter "What do you want done with your hair today?"  And has she ever came back with something you think (or know) would be impossible for you to do?
I always ask C how she wants her hair unless I already have a plan for it.  Sometimes she gives me simple ideas, like a french braid or 2, braids with beads or ponytails. But sometimes she tells me things like "I want my hair to say Happy St. Patrick's Day with a 4 leaf clover and a leprechaun!" ... So of course sometimes I have to explain to her I cant do everything, and thank her for thinking I can! :)
A little while ago, C asked for a peace sign.  That sounded easy enough, so I decided to try it.  She wanted more braids, but this is how it turned out...

C was expecting a braid going around her head for the circle, but I wanted a style I could use a little decoration with, so I went with pigtails around the 'peace sign' braids. 
This was a pretty easy style, and didn't take too long. All I did her was made a braid straight down the middle of C's head, and made smaller braids on each side near the middle- like a peace sign.  Then of course I put the leftover hair into ponytails.  C said that people could tell what it was, so I guess it was a pretty good choice.
*For this style I wet C's hair with water, then combed some ORS Carrot Oil through her hair with our Curl Tamer brush.  I used Bee Mine Curly Butter to do the braids and ponytails, and did some quick 2 strand twists (which you cant really see in the picture) coming from each ponytail with some matching purple barrettes at the ends. The style took about 25 minutes all together.  I don't usually time myself even though I mean to since everyone is always asking me how long things take!  I'm pretty slow, especially when it comes to braiding, because her hair always ends up clumping together, and little hairs are always wrapping around each other so I have to be careful that I don't end up snapping her hair while I'm braiding or doing pretty much anything!  This happens no matter how much banding and moisturizing I do- her hair just wants to stick together!
Anyway,... if I didn't tell you what this was supposed to be, would you have guessed it right?

Very Simple, Quick Style

A lot of times, I want an easy style that doesn't take a lot of time but still looks pretty enough for school.
Unless I already have a style in mind, I always ask C what she wants done to her hair or what accessories she wants to wear.  Yesterday, she told me she wanted to wear her big purple flower clip to match her purple shirt. So here's what I decided to do...

I know this is a horrible picture- the flash was too much but without it, the picture was too dark. Anyway, you get to see the flower!

I didn't get the chance to get a picture of C's hair before she left for school, so I had to wait until she got home.  By the time I took this picture, her hair was a little fuzzy and messy, but not too bad.  Considering this was taken at the end of a long school day, playing at the park and running around outside, I think it held up pretty good!  It looked nice enough that I could have even left these braids in another day, but this morning C wanted to switch her style to  "ponytails all over!"  :)

This is a very obvious style! I did want to say that the parts are deliberately off centered... sometimes people think I just cant make a straight part, so I wanted to say that isn't the case. I did a style on Tuesday with these parts, since they were already made and I had zero time, I kept them and worked with them. Just to make it a little more creative, I decided to braid the 2 french braids together at the ends to make one single braid.  I didn't even have to use anything to tie the braid off at the end, as you can see.  Most of the time I don't need anything, I just like decoration but didn't have time for any.  :)

*For this style, I wet C's hair slightly with water, added ORS Carrot Oil to her hair for moisture and shine, and I used a little bit of Kids Organics Soft Hold Styling Pomade by Africa's Best for hold.  Whenever I put hair into big braids or big sections, I get little baby hairs sticking up all over and this really helps hold them down.
I found another product that Ive been wanting to try, so Ill be having another review on that soon! I want to give it at least a week to make my decision, so be sure to come back and check it out!

Protein- When Does Your Hair Need More?

There are a lot of hair products that have protein, and a lot of people talking about using or needing protein in their hair. But how do you know when or if your hair NEEDS protein?
Ive been wondering about it lately, so I figured someone else must be too and I decided to tell you all what I found out!
While I was shopping at one of my local beauty supply stores today, C found something she thought smelled good. It just happened to be a product containing protein! There was a little booklet on top of the tub, so I decided to  read it and find out what protein is really about.
 Grab one of your shed hairs that came out during your normal washing/detangling.
Stretch it.

Did it snap right away without stretching at all?  If so, it probably has enough protein, but needs more moisture.

Stretch one of your shed hairs out far.... When you let it go of one end, did the hair return to its original shape (or just about?) If not, it needs protein.

Stretch a shed hair (slowly)... Did it stretch to about 20-30% of its original length then return to something like its original length when you let go of one end?  If so, it is perfect!  You should still check every once in a while to make sure- hair can change fast.


I didn't buy this product, because I decided C didn't need it right now.
I actually usually check C's hair this way when I get done with detangling, just to check the elasticity of her hair.  Even if you're not sure your hair needs protein, I don't see where it would hurt anything to use it anyway!
The protein products I found today were not of high quality, but there is a cheap and easy (natural) way to give your hair a protein treatment at home!    (The best time to do this would probably be hair washing time, since you need to put it in your hair while its damp!)

Just beat 3 eggs with a tablespoon of lemon juice. Completely saturate DAMP hair with the mix, and let it soak for 15-20 minutes.  *I would probably cover the hair with a shower cap!
When the time is up, rinse your hair with cool water. That's it!

Loreal Ever Sleek Sulfate Free Shampoo- A Review

I have been using this L'oreal Ever Sleek Sulfate Free Shampoo and Conditioner for 4 weeks now.
The shampoo and conditioner both smell GREAT! The shampoo had a lot more lather than I expected, which was nice. It cleans C's hair just as well as any other shampoo, no better, no worse.
I have noticed a lot less frizzing in C's hair since we started using this, but I also have recently changed our CO washing routine and started using ORS Carrot Oil, so I cant say the reduced frizz is owed to the Ever Sleek alone.  The shampoo is a little slimy, so its kind of messy.

The Ever Sleek conditioner is my new favorite! Its a silicone free conditioner, which means it gives moisture without weighing the hair down.  C's hair usually likes the more heavier products, but this conditioner is light and still helps keep her curls defined with less frizzing. After using the Ever Sleek shampoo, I use Tressemme Flawless Curls conditioner (review coming next!) and do finger detangling with that.  Once its time to rinse, I use about a handful of the Ever Sleek conditioner in C's hair as a leave in.

*Both the shampoo and conditioner are silicone free and say they control frizz for 48 hours.

Ingredients: AQUA/WATER,COCAMIDOPROPYL BETAINE,SODIUM LAURYL SULFOACETATE,DISODIUM LAURETH SULFOSUCCINATE,SODIUM LAUROYL SARCOSINATE,GLYCOL DISTEARATE,SODIUM CHLORIDE,DECYL GLUCOSIDE,PARFUM/FRAGRANCE,POLYQUATERNIUM-10,PPG-5-CETETH-20,SODIUM BENZOATE,COCOBETAINE,PEG-55 PROPYLENE GLYCOL OLEATE,PROPYLENE GLYCOL,SALICYLIC ACID,CARBOMER,BENZOIC ACID,HEXYL CINNAMAL,LINALOOL,BENZYL SALICYLATE,HELIANTHUS ANNUS SEED EXTRACT/SUNFLOWER SEED EXTRACT,LIMONENE,BENZYL ALCOHOL,CITRONELLOL,SODIUM HYDROXIDE,CITRIC ACID

I bought both the shampoo and conditioner for $6.99 each.  As I said, this is no miracle product- it does no better or worse than any other shampoo and conditioner we have used, but I like this shampoo and conditioner, and were going to keep using it until I find something just as good or better!

Cornrows Into Braided Pigtails

I wanted a cute cornrow style that would be somewhat quick to put in C's hair. I started braiding, and this is what I ended up with...

There's nothing really special about this hairstyle, I just like the way it turned out.  It's a little different from what I usually do because  I don't use braids as big as these very often, I mostly only do small braids.

For this style, I used nothing but ORS Carrot Oil and some water.

I'm not very good at explaining how I did a style, but Ill do my best! :)
This is a fairly basic style.  I just started from the hairline above C's left eye, and parted all the way back behind her right ear.  I put that hair into 2 cornrows, then I braided 3 cornrows on the left side.  Once I got the front part braided, I just kept braiding in a straight back pattern until I ran out of hair.

Once I got all of C's hair braided, I put all the cornrows on the left side of her head into a braid, then all the cornrows on the right side of her head into another braid, sort of making pigtails.

My plan was to either add beads to the ends of each braid or leave them to hang as they were, but I like the look of braiding braids together so that's what I went with this time.

*Check back tomorrow or maybe even later on tonight for another review on some new shampoo and conditioner we've been using!

My First Award!

Wow! I was so suprised to find out that I won this award! :)

Thank you so much to KandyLandKurls for nominating me!

 

To accept this award the recipients are asked to do a few things...

-Thank and link back to the person who gave you this award.
-Share 7 things about yourself
-Award a few blog you feel deserve the award

The blogs I nominate are...

KandyLandKurls

Curly Hairdo Ideas

KJ Braids

Kurly T Spot

Seven things about myself...

1. I have a son who is turning 9 this month! (April 16th)  :)

 2.  I am a MAJOR picture and movie hoarder!

3.  Two different times last school year, I drove my kids to school with a flat tire so they wouldn't miss a day of school!

3.  I taught myself how to cornrow and do lots of styles- WITHOUT any help from a person or the internet! (although some things I did learn later from the internet!)

4.  My favorite food is pizza
5.  I lock the bathroom door to shower even when nobody else is home

6.  I like older TV shows (late 80's, early-mid 90's)

7.  No one in my family has ever liked ANY styles I've done with C's hair!