Hair Products!!
I have had MANY of you reach out about the products that we use for MJ's hair. I love when people share their tips and tricks so I was excited to put this together for all of you! Over the past 3 years, through trial and error, we have found hair products that work so great for MJ's hair! Not only do we notice a big difference in terms of the health of her hair but also a difference in the process of doing her hair and how she feels about it. Because, let's be honest, screaming through the tangles isn't fun for her OR me!
Below you will find a list of products as well as the links to view/purchase these on Amazon. A couple of the items are not on Amazon so I will share where we purchase ours.
MJ is 3yrs old. She is 3/4 Jordanian (Middle Eastern) and 1/4 African American. This is her hair routine on wash day, not every day.
Shea Moisture Shampoo & Conditioner: We recently switched from the orange label (coconut & hibiscus) to the white label (100% virgin coconut oil). They are both from Shea Moisture but I found that her hair feels less dry with the coconut oil kind.
Wet Brush: This is the style hairbrush we use for her hair. If you are using a standard paddle brush you are going to want to switch ASAP! This style brush is used for curly hair. We bought ours at our local grocery store but I added an Amazon link at the bottom if you want it. This brush can be used on wet or dry curls.
Detangler/Leave-in Treatment: Spray throughout the whole head BEFORE brushing. I spray a generous amount. It makes a big difference in getting through those tangles. I start with this. If her hair is extra tangled I will add the Agadir Curl Creme (#5) throughout her whole head and finish brushing the tangles out.
Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie: I use this only on her ends and around her hairline. This gives moisture to those little baby hairs around her face. This is also a product that you can add a small amount of when their hair is dry to touch up frizz.
Agadir Curl Creme & Miss Jessie's Multicultural Curls: I listed these together because I use one OR the other. I do not use both at the same time. More often than not I go for the Agadir Curl Creme. This is one of my favorites and I feel it has made a big difference in the texture of her hair once it dries. As an added bonus it smells like HEAVEN!!
Curls Control Paste: I use this for edging. I can't say I love it because I honestly don't feel that they stay in place very well. But that could be the product or the fact that I'm just not that great at edging! This is an area that I am still working on!
Spiral Hair Ties: These are the ONLY hair ties I will use for MJ's hair! Unless I am putting in braids or small ponytails, I only use these! Waaaaay less breakage for her hair and they never get stuck in the curls! 100% recommend switching from standard hair ties to these if you haven't already! You can find these at your local stores.
Smoothing Brush: This is only used when the hair is DRY. If I am putting her hair in a ponytail and need to smooth it out and make it look sharp and shiny, I spray a little hairspray for hold and use this to brush up the ponytail. But you only want to brush up to where the hair tie will be. If you brush the curls all the way to the ends of their hair with this brush you will create a fuzzy MESS and destroy those gorgeous curls you worked so hard to shine out!
The last part of our routine and the MOST IMPORTANT was the Satin Bonnet!! If you have a child that is ANY ethnicity and has curly hair, it's a must! I hesitated on whether or not I should get MJ one. I had heard many times that these were needed for African American hair but I hadn't heard much on biracial hair. I wasn't sure if she needed one.
I am so thankful we decided to give it a try! These bonnets make a HUGE difference! She wears one for nap and bedtime. I had a wonderful African American woman explain the benefits to me and here's what she said:
"The bonnet is there to not only protect the hair from breakage during sleep, but also to keep those products on her hair instead of transferring to the pillow or sheets."
I am always the person who will go outside of my comfort zone to ask biracial and African American women hair care questions. I have never once had anyone of those women treat me with anything but the utmost respect. Because of each of those women who have helped me over the past 3 years, I have not only gained knowledge but also confidence in my daughter's hair. It really does take a village!
All of the products that are available on Amazon are listed below with a link!
Please reach out or leave a comment if you have any questions for me!
K Monsma