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DIFFICULT TO MANAGE HAIR IN MIXED RACE CHILDREN
As with all hair types there are difficulties associated with maintaining this type of hair. Where the hair is leaning more to the Caucasian side, little is needed to keep this hair in good condition. Sometimes a Mousse is enough. However, it is often the case that the hair leans more towards the Afro side and this is where difficulties can start.
I often hear that everything has been tried but the hair remains difficult to manage. Unfortunately mixed race hair can be a real problem but....read on and maybe I will be able to offer you a little relief.
- A lot of problems arise when it is felt that the hair cannot be let down because it bunches up and goes frizzy. There are a lot of products available to help combat frizz and it is important that these are used correctly or the desired results wont be achieved. If the hair is really tight and tough then the only route open is to relax or perm. However, I strongly advise that you don’t use chemicals on children under 12 years of age as there is a high risk of permanent damage to the hair.
- If the hair is more towards ringlets then you can control the frizz by following these few simple steps.
- Shampoo the hair with a good quality moisturising shampoo such as Motions Lavish Shampoo or Fantasia IC Frizz Buster Shampoo to name but a couple. Don’t be tempted to shampoo your child’s hair too often as this will strip the hair of it’s natural oils, and no amount of products applied afterwards will replace the natural oils and compensate for this. Once every 7 - 10 days is the correct frequency.
- Follow up with a good quality conditioner such as Motions Moisture Plus Conditioner, Porosity Control Conditioner or L’Anza Straight Line No.2 Conditioner. The conditioner can be left on the hair for about 10 minutes. Rinse out thoroughly.
- Deep condition the hair fortnightly with treatment conditioners such as Nexxus Keraphix or Keracare Humecto Conditioner.
- Apply L’Anza Temporary Curl Relaxer and Smoother No. 3 (this is not a chemical relaxer!) And, with a fine toothed comb or brush, coat the hair strands. Alternatively you could use Fantasia IC Frizz Buster Serum applied as above and for best results allow the hair to dry naturally. (If the weather is cold or you are going out, you could use a hair dryer but make sure the setting is warm and not hot. Hold the dryer about 12” away from the hair and allow the air current to gently dry the hair. This will take a while but is quicker than allowing the hair to dry naturally.)
- When the hair feels semidry, apply a light moisturising lotion such as Lustrasilk Moisture Max Lotion or Keracare Oil Moisturiser Lotion with Jojoba.
- A possible alternative is to use a texturiser to soften and drop the curls enough to allow them to be left out. Fantasia IC Frizz Buster Serum or L’Anza No. 3 can still be used to keep the hair curly. Of course, the hair can also be blow dried straight and worn straight.
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