Looking after your mixed-race child’s hair can be quit intimidating, particularly if their hair type is very different to your own and you’ve never dealt with that texture before. The type varies from very frizzy/afro to straight and every variant in between.

There’s always the issue of what products to use and some people consider relaxing the child’s hair using harsh chemicals to remove the kinks/curls. If you follow these five tips, you’ll find that managing your child’s hair need not be so difficult and can actually be a time of bonding for you both.

1. Use products specifically for your mixed-race child’s hair

Afro products tend to be too oily and European products tend to be far too drying. Use products specifically for mixed race hair. Curls has a children’s line called Curly Qs and Blended Beauty has a children’s line called Blended Cutie – they are a fantastic organic range of products specifically for your mixed range child’s hair.

2. The curlier/frizzier the hair, the less often you should wash it.

Afro hair tends to be very dry and shouldn’t be washed as frequently as straight hair. The wash hair once or twice a fortnight depending on how curly the hair is.

3. Comb the hair whilst conditioner is in it.

Always condition your child’s hair after shampooing as it needs to be more moist than straighter hair types. Conditioner makes the hair very slick, so this is a good time to use a wide toothed comb to comb knots out of your child’s hair. Gently rinse all of the conditioner out of the hair, taking great care not to create more knots

4. Use a moisturising cream/spray after towel drying

Ensure that your child’s hair is maintained in a (very slightly) damp state using a moisturising cream/spray. The hair must not be allowed to get to a dry/brittle state as this encourages breakage

5. Practice looking after your little one’s hair

Practice, practice, practice looking after your little one’s hair. After watching and learning how to look after your own hair, you had to practice until you got it just the way you wanted it. The same is true for looking after your mixed-race child’s hair. You may not get to the stage you’d like to be at with it straight away, but don’t give up! Be proud of your child’s curls and instil a sense of pride in your child too. If you want to learn advanced hair techniques like cornrowing/canerowing then find the resources and practice either on your own child or on a or hairdressers manikin or Girl’s World doll – that’s how most people who use these techniques learn at first.

If you have any more tips (or would like some more!), we’d love to hear from you. Please post your comments below.

Yours naturally

Xina