Adopted African American toddler and need help with her hair

Hi,

We just adopted an african american toddler and I need help with her hair. She was abused by her parents, and then in foster care, so she was taken by the state. We prayed to God to give us a baby, and this was the baby He gave us.

When she came to us, her hair was all matted, her clothes were about 2 sizes too small, and she was just very unhappy. She's 18 months old.

In the last 2 months since we've had her, her smile has come back, she's talking up a storm, and laughing all the time.

But, I need help in what to do with her hair. I took her to a salon that helped me take out her braids. Her hair was a mess, so they cut it to about 2 inches long.

So far, I've been sectioning it on the top and puttingin clips, etc.

But, I need help with grease. I've read a lot on AA hair, and am told that I have to keep grease on her head...but what is grease? How often do I put it on?

I know to wash her hair every 2 weeks or so, and I'm learning about styling her hair, but the grease part has me stumped.

(If you haven't figured it out yet, I'm white). So, any help you can give me on taking care of this sweet little girl's hair is appreciated.

Hi,
I'm a little too young to have children. But, I have taken care of my little baby cousins. There is no need to grease the babies hair. Grease - is like oil except in a hardened form. It's just a big mess and if the baby plays in her hair it's even a bigger mess. Just use a spray moisterizer in the babies hair. You can find it even in wal-mart in a little bottle. It really helps with touch ups when your putting her hair in pony tails etc. Also, after you wash her hair, you can spray a little moisterizer, style..and she's ready to go. Believe me, when I was smaller my grandma used grease, I'd play in my hair and the grease would get in my eyes..(Not good) P.S. If you can find a spray moisterizer including detanger, you'll be in heaven. (This can also be found in Wal-Mart in the baby section.) God Bless

You must also go to http://naturallycurly2.com/home/index.php

This is another site that may be very helpful to you with managing your daughter's hair. It's greatly helped me with mines. I am AA and my daughter is bi-racial with very beautiful but her curls are extremely tight corkscrew curls type curls...I'm not sure if yours have this problem with cursl..My suggestion to you is go to the above site and READ the different topics pertaining to your needs. The boards are VERY helpful. You can even make up your own topic with ALL your own questions you may have, then simply wait for replies. I am sure you'll get MANY. There are all types of nice people of all races on this wonderful site as well. Before any of this, I'd suggest 1) putting a pic of her hair ( you don't have to show her face if you don't want) 2) I would also suggest that you find your daughter's hair type on there (ex. my daughter has 3b/3c type curls). This way if you write your own topic looking for answers, most of the replies will be from people with similiar hair type as hers and can help you much better. I wish you much luck and altho you're blessed to have a precious lil one like your daughter, she is equally SO blessed to be loved by someone UNCONDITIONALLY such as yourself. Good luck and God bless.

Here are some websites that can help:

www.longhaircareforum.com (black women caring for their hair with or without chemicals)

www.nappturality.com (black women caring for their hair without chemicals)

www.blackhairmedia.com (black women discussing hair care in general)

www.motowngirl.com (informational site)

www.naturallycurly.com (women of all backgrounds caring for their curls, kinks, waves, naps, etc.)

I would suggest not using grease. It's too heavy and messy especially for a child. Use liquid oils such as olive, avocado, grapeseed, sweet almond, jojoba, and coconut and use them lightly. Conditioner washes are a great alternative to the harshness of shampoos. You can read about all of this and so much more on the previously mentioned sites.

God bless you and your family!