Top of the morning mommies! I hope you are all doing swell.
My morning went oddly smooth. I woke up before my alarm, peed, and was able to just relax in bed. By the time I got up, hubby had just showered, Mo was already out of bed, and we started our get ready routine. I did a little prep work the night before by giving Mo her bath, and partially having her outfit picked out. ( I ended up changing it into something a little more comfy) She had her breakfast, I packed our lunch, and walked the dog. When I tell you I felt amazing, it was a small victory.
Everything was all good until I realized I had to do her hair. Now let me tell you, she had gotten her hair braided a few weeks ago and shawty was looking like a walking crisis this past weekend. I finally bit the bullet and took her hair out. I found myself becoming so frustrated because I am just not used to her grade of hair. She has super kinky, poofy, extra shrunken ( is that a word), 4c hair. Now let me not front, when that hair gets wet, it literally melts and her little tresses are so beautiful. Then, her hair and scalp vacuum sucks all the moisture out of it. IT drives me CRAZY!
The hardest thing I’ve had to deal with and I am still struggling with is finding the right products for her hair. I watched a few tutorials and saw that applying olive oil to her hair prior to adding a gentle cleansing shampoo helps to lock in moisture. So I would do that, wash her hair, and condition with a moisturizing tea tree oil conditioner. Once her hair is completely washed, I add a little Jamaican black castor oil to it to help seal in some moisture.
Once her hair is all blow dried and clean looking, it’s DRY! All my hard work down the tubes. I’ve noticed that Mo can sense my frustration and she started to dislike her own hair. It broke my heart that my reaction was able to influence how she viewed her hair. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE HARMONY’S HAIR, I just need to figure out better ways to maintain it.
Embracing the natural hair movement is beautiful. We are teaching our young queens to love our hair no matter what texture you have, and we should start that love when they are young. By me outwardly expressing my frustration about her hair, she always tells me “Mommy I want long hair, or a ballerina bun.” It kills me because though her hair is beautiful, she doesn’t have the same silky long hair as some of her classmates she talks about. One day she was in tears telling me about how much she didn’t like her hair. I told her to put her hand in her hair and feel that beautiful texture. I let her brush her own hair, and she told me she wanted to wear an Afro. For the first time, I sent her to school with a little pineapple hairdo, and she received so many compliments.
I could tell that her confidence was through the roof, and I couldn’t be happier. As a mom, we have to realize that we need to teach self love. That one thing I did, lowered her self esteem and it crushed me. I felt like a horrible example. Something that has helped me was actually taking her to a salon to get a wash and blow dry. (Shout out to The Gifted Suite!) She felt like a princess and got the princess treatment. I also started doing a wash day with her, so she can see that Mommy has to do the same thing to her hair as she does. Little things like that make all the difference.
Do not get it twisted, I STILL NEED HELP WITH HER HAIR!! Please send all the juju my way. Shawty’s parts are usually always crooked, ponytails all uneven, and her baby hairs are never laid. Please send me a care package on how to braid and part my child’s hair correctly.
What are some tips and tricks you guys do for your sprout’s hair?
xoxo – Freckles
ps. if all else fails ..just throw a lace front on
