Styling her hair with natural oils*
I don’t like to use any type of store-bought leave-in conditioners and creams. I instead use natural oils like marula, baobab or olive oil*. This leaves her hair with a nice shine and keeps it looking moisturized. I love the way the oils* help her curls become more defined, tempting me to leave her hair out, but I know better than that.
Protective hairstyles 24-7
I don’t ever allow my daughter to wear her hair out — one, because she’s four and it will become a tangled mess in less than an hour and two, because this will cause damage and breakage.
A handful of times, I’ve allowed her to wear ponytails that weren’t braided, but any other time, I give her braided ponytails.
I don’t corn row her hair for any particular reason. Just find it easier to maintain her hair with easy-to-remove braids. I give her 2-6 ponytails and call it a day. I also never use rubber bands on her hair. I prefer to use scrunchies that have no cotton on them to prevent breakage.
How often I wash and style her hair
I wrap her hair in a scarf every night whether her hair is nicely done or not. When it comes time for her hair to be redone, I still tie up her hair simply to prevent any drying and damage caused by her cotton pillow case and her wild tossing and turning.
I wash her hair every week and a half. I find this to be often enough, unless we go out somewhere and she sweats a whole lot. Only then would I wash it again to prevent buildup of dried sweat and dirt.
Until her next wash day, I redo her ponytails when they need to be redone. I take them loose and spray her hair with water mixed with oil. I then use a paddle brush* to get the kinks out and a regular bristle brush to smooth out the edges as I tie her hair into ponytails.
I don’t use protein or deep conditioning* treatments
There’s no particular reason why I don’t use these on her hair, I just simply don’t. I don’t find a need to, since her hair is well oiled throughout the week.
Her hair has a natural gloss to it and it appears to be healthy. I’m a minimalist when it comes to hair management, so if I can get away with doing less, then I won’t push myself or my budget to do more.
Caring for my daughter’s hair is very simple and the results are great. Her hair is just about as long as mine (tailbone length) and she’s not even in kindergarten yet! Growth and shine are signals of health and she has plenty of both.
So what do you do to care for your daughter’s hair? Do you find your method to be strenuous or simple?
Yinka Ola says
She deadlocked her oldest 4 something hair and raves about how she grew her 3b daughter’s hair to tailbone length someone tell me why this is an article worthy? Why did she decide to dreadlock her other daughter’s hair?
Jamina Kess Benjamin says
That struck a chord with me too! Hmmm….
BlessedandAssured Smith says
Same here..why not put the sane effort into both if their hair!!did not like that comment
Calandrial A. Afriyie says
I’m bothered by that comment and the emphasis on the hair type throughout the article.
Sandra Slayton-Phillips says
Exactly!
Tracie Bracey says
Yep when that was mentioned I was done with the article… she could have done the same to both
Corrie Journet says
I can’t deal. I thought yall just had noticed through pictures or if she just mentioned the locs. But she seriously said she loc-ed it because it was type 4. I don’t need any tips from you if you can’t manage multiple textures.
Flow Lis says
Why don’t she put all this damn effort into the other ones hair. People are obsessed with so called good hair. All hair that is healthy and strong is good.
Beatrix says
Couldn’t help but think the same thing.
Cali Réz says
Seems like with 3B hair you can just leave it alone and it will grow to tailbone length. Call me when you write about Type 4 hair at that length.
Flow Lis says
Exactly my daughter’s have 3b hair and it sprouts. But my Type 4 hair needs a lot of care.
Michaela Janae says
Exactly.
Erin Gray says
Amen!
Georgia Jackson says
It’s sounds like her two girls have the same hair as mine. I need some advice on type 4 hair. Because my youngest one hair grows no matter what I do to it. Now my oldest one hair I just keep it in a protective style but I want it to grow as well too. It’s seem like they only focus on people with type 3 hair. Type 4 hair need help too.
Nikki Nicholle Allen says
3B hair? Really?
Julie Uribe says
Not 100% sure but I believe my oldest daughter has type 4 hair. Can someone help me find what’s right for her. Her hair won’t grow past the middle of her back
Aaron Michael says
im just excited i finally found out im a mix of 3C and 4A hair lol ive been following 4C rules which is probably why ive been getting different results lol yayyy
Emanuett Heard says
I need info on type 4
Geraldine Murry says
Nothing that you put on the hair will make it grow. Improves the condition of the hair.
Sandra Slayton-Phillips says
Why rave about only the daughter who has 3b tailbone length hair like hers? What’s about the daughter with the 4c hair she dreadlocked? ??
Flow Lis says
This is exactly why it makes me angry when people tell my daughter’s they have good hair. My daughter saw this girl with dreads and told her i wish i had your hair. She looked at my baby like she was crazy. There is no way in hell they will grow up thinking there better than anyone. Because there mom has afro kinky hair and i love it!!!
Jean Gross says
This is news to me…what is 3b, 4a etc. hair…never heard of the…please educate me. Thanks
Khaliah Sherman says
It’s a hair typing system, that is supposed to tell you what type of curls you have. They say 3b hair is loose curls compared to type 4a which is tighter curls I think
Marquessa Henry says
You act like this is hard??? Where’s the 4C advice??? Stop the texture discrimination!
Valerie Johnson says
Lol…yes that’s what it is…
Jeanine Johnson says
This article is not impressive it would be if she were saying I grew both my daughters 4b and 3b hair texture to tailbone she just throws hers into dreads and doesn’t care for hers at all then when she wants to take them out one day will have to be cut off smh
Paula Grant says
Can anyone post a link that explains the levels??? I’ve never heard of 3, 4 etc? Many thanks
Quani Morales says
Thats what I was thinking. To much emhasis on her daughter with3b hair, nd the daughter w 4c hair was put to the side and dreadlocked? No offense but I think dreadlocks are a decision the child should make when shes older . She might not like it when shes 16 nd would be horrified knowing shed have to chop her hair off just to maintain length again. I would have been more impressed if she would have discussed how she maintains both children’s texture hair
Sally Njoki says
How do i know my hair type?? I have very thick hair which i cannot manage when its natural soit is relaxed .
Valerie Johnson says
Oh she is 4c and I just dreadlocked hers…now to talk about my other daughters 3b hair…it’s almost laughable how the oldest one was quickly dismissed. I can imagine how she is treated in that household.
Ashley Fortenberry says
I personally didn’t like the fact that she just dreaded the oldest daughters hair (nothing wrong with dreads) just feels like she favors the younger daughter based on her hair type. Why didn’t she include how she keeps up the oldest child’s hair?
Winifred Thomas Robinson says
…..mommas can be a trip sometimes. SMH.
Monica Washington says
Well my Daughters hair Certainly isn’t The same as A Mix Child! I wanna know What’s Best for My African American Daughter!! I’m soo Tired of Seeing These Articles with Lil Girls that Are Clearly Mixed and Already have good hair!
Cheryl Williams says
Thank you… I thought I was the only one I saw that too
Flow Lis says
My daughter’s are mixed. But i feel natural products are the best way to go mixed child or not.I used conditioner more than anything, and apple cider rinse.
Alice M Higgins says
They show all the hair style and be talking about natural ingredients but what is the name of them and where do you get them .
Winifred Thomas Robinson says
They will highlight specific products in articles but those don’t show on my timeline. Go to the page and scroll to the bottom. There is a list of articles and more than a few give you specific products and most times with a video.
Tashani Reese says
I certainly didn’t like that comment as well in the article, but I’ll give the writer the benefit of the doubt. She herself said she’s been natural for four years. But her hair is a 3b? So she may ONLY know how to handles that type of hair, like her second daughter and thought dreading her 1st daughters hair more manageable. And I’m okay with that. She didn’t perm her oldest hair. She still tried to instill pride in both daughters with accepting their natural hair. And why can’t the oldest have long dreaded hair? I think the writer did a disservice by ONLY singling out her daughter with 3b hair.
Angela Harris says
“Hairism” akin to colorism. Both shameful.
LaKecia Jabberwocky Smith says
This was a nice article about 3b hair, BUT, that one sentence alone about her eldest daughter’s hair and how it sounds like she just locked it because she had 4c hair and did not really feel like putting effort into doing her eldest daughter’s hair care which I am sure is not the case, killed it for me. I’m not sure what the reason was for that mention.
Yanira Marrero Rodriguez says
My daughter is half Jamaican and she has I swear about 4 types of hair.
She has curl coils in the back, she has alot of hair on the crown of her head and the front won’t take a curl. I’ve tried to perm it, then I left it natural (It been like that for about 4 years). I’ve tried maroccan oil, all types of oil. It’s dry and it’s driving me crazy… can someone please help..
Leah says
Ok and … Who cares ?! Most girls with 3b hair can easily grow their hair super long. I think this is a slave mentality because funny how you rave out her then you mention your daughter with type 4 hair and say oh I dreadlocks her hair move on back to my ” loose curl good hair ” youngest child . Slave mentality. Why don’t you talk about them both ?! I want to see type 4 with super long hair . It’s nothing new for type 3 to grow super long hair . Oh and you and your daughter are no better just because you have loose curls . Get out of that slave mindset you mental slave ! Also I think it’s wrong to force a child to get dreadlocks . A child should only get dreadlocks if THEY WANT TOO ! Because when thy get sick of their dreadlocks THEY WOULD HAVE TO CUT THEM OFF AND START OVER AGAIN ! Mom’s like you who are so stuck on loose curls make me sick . I would never teach my child that if I had a kid . My child would know their history and love ALL BLACK HAIR NO MATTER WHAT TEXTURE ! I won’t force her to dreadlocks either ! Also I’m a 3c/4a by the way but I’m not CONSTANTLY STUCK ON HAIR TYPE BECAUSE IT’S JUST A HAIR NUMBER THAT’S IT! IT DOESN’T MAKE YOU ANY BETTER OR WORST !
Dorothy Dandridge says
She is beautiful
Vietnam_Remy_Hair says
wonderful