Hair Care 101

Notice it says 101. I am NO expert. I'm just going to share our routine and what has worked for our boys. I realize that once we have a girl it could completely change. Over a month ago I sent an email of our routine and products to someone that had just adopted an African American baby boy. She had no clue what to do with his hair. And I know that I went through several products before we found what we preferred. So maybe this post can save someone a little money and time.

We only wash the boys hair every 2 weeks, unless something weird happens. Like they finger paint in there hair, or smear peanut butter in it. But those things are VERY rare. The easiest way for us to remember when to wash, is by saying the 1st and the 15th. Those are normally the dates we wash their hair. But we condition their hair at every bath. Jeremy normally gets bath duty. So he wets down their hair first, applies the conditioner and then lets it sit and moisturize while he washes their bods. Then he rinses. So that's that.

As for our daily routine, here it is. I spray down their hair with water. Then I take the wonderful Tangle Teezer and comb through their locks with no tears and no pain. The brush is incredible, if you don't have one! Next I apply the leave in conditioner and work it through the hair. And last I take a wide tooth comb and pick through the hair. And it's just as beautiful as can be, in my opinion. :) Granted Holden has NO hair right now. But even when he barely has any hair, I still apply the leave-in conditioner to moisturize. And the bath routine would stay the same also, regardless of the amount of hair on their heads. Also, I've noticed that when Jeremy does their hair in the mornings, his routine is a little bit different, but with the same end result and obviously the same products.

So here are the products we use: Carol's Daughter
They are free of Sulfates, Parabens, Petroleum, Mineral Oil, and Artificial Colors. And that stuff is important to me. Originally, when I began ordering their products, we started with the Hair Milk Original Curl Defining Trio. We used The Curl Perfecting Shampoo twice a month, The Curl Perfecting Conditioner at every bath and then the Original Curl Definer as a leave-in conditioner daily. Then I came across their Princess Tiana line. It was specifically created for kids and a little cheaper than the other stuff. So I started ordering that instead. I loved that line just as well. And right now we are running low on the boys hair products so it's almost time to re-order. Well, guess what. The Princess Tiana line is gone. Bummer. So I'll probably be going back to the Hair Milk Original Curl Defining Trio. I get the company emails, so I normally just wait for a sale and then stock up enough to earn free shipping. Because we have 2 boys with shorter hair, these products last for months. So even though, the cost is high, it really isn't. We can also just say we make up for it in haircuts since Jeremy is the only one that cuts their hair. I mentioned The Peanut in my last post. Jeremy had used a different trimmer kit in the past. Then someone from our Families Like Us group mentioned The Peanut. Jeremy immediately went out and bought it. It's made his job of being the family barber much easier. And the boys haircuts look much better because of it.

Here is Pax with his head full of hair. It is at it's longest point right now. His hair grows pretty slowly, especially in comparison to Holden's. I think he has only had 2 hair cuts, in his little life so far (almost 2 1/2 years). The boys' hair is very different from one another. Pax's feels like cotton candy. It's so soft and not as tightly curled as Holden's.
And here is my bald boy again, who will need very little hair care for a while. Last night, after the cut, I sent a picture to a friend of Holden's new do. She responded by saying "he can wear his hair so many ways." I agree. I think he's just so handsome with a head full of hair, or not even a single strand.
I love Holden and Pax's curls and I love caring for it. So that is our little routine. Hope that is helpful to someone out there. And I would love to hear what products work for you.