Tammy's interview - Mommies & Babies Series

Name?

-My name is Tammy Huggins.

 

 Where are you from and where do you live?

-I'm from Lethbridge, in southern Alberta [Canada].  My dad was Nigerian and my mom is Ukrainian/Hungarian.

What do you do?

-I am a social worker but for now I am home full time raising my 3 kids.

How long have you kept your hair natural?

-I'm a newbie to natural hair. It's been just over a month. 

At one time you had your hair relaxed. Tell us why you decided to go natural?

 -I've been relaxing my hair or wearing extensions since I was 14. I am now 33. I just got so sick of always hating my hair and having to spend so much time and money on it. I just want to be really authentic inside and out. I was never really happy with my hair anyway, so I decided, "what the heck what's there to loose."

How did you go natural? Did you transition or did you do the big chop?

-The BIG CHOP! I just went for it. Go big or go home! 

What’s your natural hair regimen?

-I'm still learning a lot about my natural hair. I'm watching lots of videos on Youtube and experimenting with product. I usually just wash'n go. Lately I've been co-washing, then a bit of leave in conditioner and gel. I use a sponge in a circular motion to define my curls (learnt that on Youtube).

Products you cannot live without?

 -So far, Gel and leave-in conditioner. (I'm not totally committed to a brand yet b/c I'm still experimenting.

You have two daughters whose hair you are keeping natural too?

 -Yes, I have beautiful little girls. They are strikingly different from each other. My 7 year old, Eden looks like me and has tons of thick, curly hair. My little Anna (20 months) has brilliant orange hair. No that wasn't a misprint, I said ORANGE hair. She is fair like her dad and although her hair is curly, it's more like her dads.

Why have you decided to keep their hair natural?

-I spent my whole life trying to change my hair. It took me 33 years to finally appreciate the beauty in my natural curls and hair texture. I would be ashamed of myself if I encouraged Eden to relax her hair.   I want her to spend as much time as possible with her natural hair and teach her to appreciate how beautiful it is . God knows, when she's a teen, she'll go through hair experimentation all on her own. It's so much more beautiful natural. Girls today already have so many pressures to change how they look to fit someone else's idea of beauty. No way am I going to contribute to that by changing their hair.

Did you ever relax their hair?

 -No. I used a Chi to straiten Eden's hair once for fun. It was weird. We went back to curly the next day.

Do you and your daughters use the same hair products? If not, what products do you use for them?

 -We use the same leave-in conditioner. The more I've been learning about my own hair, the more I'm starting to do with Eden's hair. She's just starting to pay a little more attention to doing her hair and trying things herself. Anna's still just a baby so I don't do much with hers other then piggy tails.

What hair regimen and techniques do you use for them?

 -Like I said, with the baby its mostly piggy tails for now. With Eden, during the school week we mostly keep it braided up. Sometimes cornrows. This makes our mornings much more enjoyable and minimizes the drama.

Do you make their hair or do you take them to the salon?

-I started taking Eden to the salon for hair cuts when she started school. It's tricky here in Lethbridge because there is hardly anyone trained to work on African hair. Sometimes I just do it myself.

Challenges in caring for their hair – Do they cry / do they dread "hair days" or is it a great time all around/ do people pass negative comments?

-Eden hates getting her hair combed out. She usually cries and yells at me. I try to saturate it very good with leave-in conditioner. Someday's are worse then others. If I let her "do her own hair" one day, then the next day is a bit of a nightmare to get untangled because she doesn't really comb through it all the way. Today while I was combing her hair, she said to me with clenched teeth, "It's not that I want strait hair and it's not like I don't like my hair, but sometimes I wish I had it so it wouldn't be so annoying to brush."

Are you teaching them about their hair?

Mostly that it is beautiful and a part of her. We talk about how lucky she is to have such curly hair and how many great things she can do with it. Because she is 7, I try to let her do her own hair every couple days so that she can learn to manage it herself. Like I said, it usually means more work for me the following morning but what can ya do? She's 7.

 Right now were working on keeping moisture in her hair. Teaching her to keep her cap on at night and introducing her to Shea Butter.

What are you learning as you care for your hair and your daughters' hair?

I'm really learning to appreciate the uniqueness and beauty of my own hair. I hope I can pass on the pride and confidence that I now have to both of my girls.

What do you say to other mothers about caring for their daughters’ natural hair?

 -Youtube. There are hundreds of videos on all aspects of caring for and styling natural hair. I've learnt a ton and I'm still learning.

What do you prefer for mother – daughters time: crafts or manicures and pedicures?

-I would prefer mani/pedis for sure! But for now, we do a lot of crafts. I'll give the girls a few years to appreciate being pampered rather then gluing and painting ;-)

Uwa's interview - Mommies & Babies Series

Meet Uwa and her lovely daughter Etse. Enjoy!

 Name: Uwa Imhagwe.

 Where are you from and where do you live: I am a Nigerian currently living in Australia.

 What do you do: I am a working mum.

 You have a daughter whose hair you are keeping natural: Yes.

How old is she: Etse is 3 ½ years old.

Why have you decided to keep her hair natural: Well, it is two things really. First, I am not a big fan of using relaxer on young children. Second, Etse turns ‘hair making’ days into such a big production, I figured why put myself through that twice, with relaxer and then plaiting? As it turns out, I absolutely love her hair as is.

Did you ever relax her hair: No, she has been natural since birth.

Do you and your daughter use the same hair products? If not, what products do you use for your daughter: No we don’t use the same hair products. Etse’s hair is natural, mine is not. For Etse’s hair, I keep it very simple. I use shampoo; rinse out conditioner, olive oil moisturizer and detangler (which I absolutely love).

What hair regimen and techniques do you use for her: I wash out Etse’s hair once in two weeks (just as it starts to look not-so-neat); usually during a bath. Rub in some conditioner and try to comb through (I figure the conditioner starts the detangling process); I rinse out, then towel dry. While her hair is still damp, I section her hair into smaller parts, rub in the olive oil moisturizer (I like this one coz it does not leave any residue). Spray on the detangler, comb, and style into big braids or twists. Sometimes, I use rubber bands/ribbons at the base of her hair, other times not. I have found that when I use the bands/ribbons, her hair gathers dust around it.

 Do you make her hair or do you take her to the salon: I make her hair myself.

How do you come up with the styles? They are very creative. I just go with it. Sometimes, I think of it first, and how I want it (her hair) to look. Sometimes, it comes out the way I imagined, other times not exactly. And it also depends on how receptive, or not, she is that day. If we are having a good day, I am able to make the style smaller and add a little extra touch. If not, then they come out big and not very fancy.

Challenges in caring for her hair – Does she cry / does she dread "hair days" or is it a great time all around/ do people pass negative comments: Oh my! She cries!! So much so that I used to dread hair days, but not any more. I have developed thicker skin or blocked ears – whichever. Now I no longer tell her what is about to happen: thinking preparing her mind would be easier didn’t help. So now I just do it. One minute we are drawing, the next there’s a comb in my hand. Another thing is that there are not that many salons in our neck of the woods, and since it’s nothing too complicated I do it myself. As a result, Etse’s hair styles are usually very simple. Big braids, twists or the occasional cornrows and she always loves the finished result as do I.
So far, we get great comments from people, and she has a great time showing off her latest ‘do’ at daycare.

Are you teaching her about her hair: I tell her she has beautiful hair. Teaching ... mmhh not so sure. I feel she is still young. However, I do explain to her why I have to wash her hair, why I have to comb it, and why it’s not such a good idea to put sand in our hair. So far, I think she gets it.

What are you learning as you care for your hair and your daughter’s hair: Oh lots, and I am still learning. Most important thing I have learnt so far is that just because hair is natural, does not mean it requires less care or attention or even less products! For a long time, I only used Johnson’s baby oil!!. Thank God for the versatility of natural hair.

What do you say to other mothers about caring for their daughters’ natural hair: Dear mums, keep it simple: you can hardly go wrong that way. Keep it neat: your daughter will love her hair and so will others. It doesn’t hurt: really it doesn't hurt. And there is so much to do with natural hair; it can be styled to look amazing.

What do you prefer for mother – daughter outings: ice cream or the movies: The movies; where everything and anything goes …. Including ice cream ;-)


Keep it natural (and simple)!

Omozo

Christy's Interview - Mommies & Babies Series

Meet Christy and her daughter: Mom's hair is relaxed and her daughter's hair is natural. Enjoy! 

 Name: Christy Adelaja.

Where are you from and where do you live: I am a Nigerian and I live in Lagos Nigeria.

What do you do: I am a Banker.

You have a daughter whose hair you are keeping natural: Yes.

How old is she: 2 years old. 

Why have you decided to keep her hair natural: I really think kids should look like kids and not like adults!

Did you ever relax her hair: No.

Do you and your daughter use the same hair products? If not, what products do you use for your daughter: I use Herbal Fruit Shampoo and Damatol mixed with baby oil for her hair.

What hair regimen and techniques do you use for her: I  wash her hair thrice a month and weave (corn rows). No attachments (extensions) for now!

Do you make her hair or do you take her to the salon: We do " home salon". *wink* I do her hair myself at home. It encourages her to stay through the whole washing, drying and weaving (corn rowing) process.

Challenges in caring for her hair – Does she cry / does she dread "hair days" or is it a great time all around/ do people pass negative comments: She hardly cries. Motivation: beautiful beads, biscuits, apples and Caprisone drinks! People always appreciate her beautiful hair.

What are you learning as you care for your daughter’s hair: Natural hair is beautiful, great, and the best!

What do you say to other mothers about caring for their daughters’ natural hair: Keep it neat and beautiful always.  

What do you prefer for mother – daughter events: watching a movie or going out together: Going out and watching her enjoy her freedom away from home!

Keep it natural!

Omozo

Iyobo's Interview - Mommies & Babies Series

Here is the second instalment of our Mommies & Babies Series. Iyobo, the Mommy we interviewed below, does not have natural hair but has chosen to keep her daughter's hair natural. Enjoy! 

Name: Iyobo Innih.

Where are you from and where do you live: I am a Nigerian and I live in Lagos Nigeria.

What do you do: Asset management.

You have a daughter whose hair you are keeping natural: Yes

How old is she: 18 months


Why have you decided to keep her hair natural: My mum did that for my sister and she had beautiful hair before she relaxed it. I want the same for my daughter. 

Did you ever relax her hair: No. And I don't intend to anytime soon.

Do you and your daughter use the same hair products? If not, what products do you use for your daughter: No we don't. I use kids organics or organics conditioning shampoo. When I leave her fro out for a day, I use Miss Jessie's curly meringue and when we braid we use the baby buttercream by Miss Jessie as well.

What hair regimen and techniques do you use for her: I wash her hair every 2 weeks to prevent her scalp from drying out due to over washing. I moisturize her hair and scalp when I wash and every other day with a braid sheen to maintain her braids and keep them looking fresh for as long as possible.


Do you make her hair or do you take her to the salon: I do it myself. I am not ready to have anyone else do her hair yet. Salon visits tend to be stressful for kids. Don't want to bother her with that yet.

Challenges in caring for her hair – Does she cry / does she dread "hair days" or is it a great time all around/ do people pass negative comments: She hardly cries. Even when she does, once I pop Barney into the DVD player she sits still although grudgingly. 


What are you learning as you care for your daughter’s hair: Natural hair on a child isn't easy to maintain. Also, I am learning how to braid hair which I never thought was possible. 

What do you say to other mothers about caring for their daughters’ natural hair: Most important thing is to understand your daughters' hair texture and learn to buy the right products for her hair.

What do you prefer for mother – daughter events: dancing or singing: Dancing (Omozo says: especially when she carries her daughter on her hip and does this winding thing. Her daughter loves it!)

Keep it natural!

Omozo

Prof Mom's Interview - Mommies & Babies Series

So we kick off our Mommies & Babies Series with O'Naturals very own Prof Mom. Enjoy!

Name: Osayomore Ossuetta (aka Prof Mom).

Where are you from and where do you live: I am a Nigerian and I live in Lagos-Nigeria.

What do you do: I am a medical doctor.

How long have you kept your hair natural: 8 years.

What’s your natural hair regimen: Right now I have dredlocs.

1. So I wash my hair every 2 weeks. After washing, I use Shea butter mixed with sulphur cream. Then I leave it to dry naturally.

2. I steam my hair once a month. I use Shea butter alone at the roots/scalp to do this.

3. I alternate between hair conditioner and shampoo when washing my hair.

You have two daughters whose hair you are keeping natural too: Yes.

How old are they: Samantha is 5 years old. Stephanie is 3 years old.

Why have you decided to keep their hair natural:

 1. They are too young, in my opinion, to use the relaxers and straighteners;

2. Natural hair in the long run is much easier to manage;

3. I am their mother and so what I say goes!

What hair regimen and techniques do you use for them:

1. Wash their hair once in 2/3 weeks;

2. Use a mixture of rosewater and glycerin which works very very well. This mixture retains the moisture and keeps their hair really soft and supple making it very easy to comb;

3. After washing their hair I do not dry it all up. I leave it damp and use the rosewater-glycerin mixture;
4. Then I style as is fit. Either weaving (corn-rows) or braiding.

Do you make their hair or do you take them to the salon: I used to make their hair myself. But now we get their hair done in the salon.

Challenges in caring for their hair – Do they cry / do they dread "hair days" or is it a great time all around/ do people pass negative comments: They cry when their braids or weaving are being taken out. Then we move on to looking forward to getting a new hair style. 
Yes, people pass funny comments. I hear a lot of "Relax their hair so it will be fine” and “Ah natural hair!!! It will be difficult oh." 

Are you teaching them about their hair: Honestly no. I just tell them that they have to wash their hair so it won’t smell and keep it clean always. 

What are you learning as you care for your hair and your daughters' hair: Patience and knowing what works.

What do you say to other mothers about caring for their daughters’ natural hair: We all need patience to care for their hair. Added to the fact that it is better to keep their hair natural for as long as you (MOMMY) have control. Explain to them as they get older about the benefits of keeping their hair healthy and clean.

What do you prefer for mother – daughters time: movies or manicures and pedicures: Movies! I can sleep through the movie without them noticing me. Except when I snore during the movie. :o



Keep it natural!

Omozo

Tribute (A Poem) - By Cabella

Source: http://www.womanist-musings.com/2011_05_08_archive.html

Baby's hands are in my hair
Pulling at my strands so carefully
It tickles
I get goose bumps down my body
I lift my eyes up to look at her
She keeps pulling my hair
Detangling some knots
She is gentler with my hair than I am with hers
I relax more
Baby's song is incoherent
But I recognize the tune
It is raining outside
"Mommy and Baby want to play"
She finishes and starts again
"Come and do my hair Mommy"
Baby commands me
I don't want to
I am enjoying the attention
"Mommy!"
Baby pushes me
"Come and do my hair!"
Baby has a way of getting me to do what I don't want to do
I sigh
Sitting up on the couch
I place Baby on my lap
Hugging Baby tightly brings out chuckles from both of us
"That tickles" Baby says through the chuckles
Before I start
Baby instructs me
"Be gentle like I was with yours"
And I know what Baby means

Cabella

Mommies and Babies all Week - So Join us!

Source: www.clipartof.com

First, we will say a big THANK YOU to the ladies who participated by allowing us to interview them for this series. THANK YOU! Thank you for honouring our request.

We have been collecting interviews from some Mothers who have decided to keep their daughter's hair natural and relaxer free. It has been exciting and eye-opening. Not all the mothers interviewed have natural hair so that was interesting! Getting their responses was like opening a box of chocolates: we didn't know what we were going to get! (Thanks Forrest Gump).

Cabella sent in a poem when she heard we would be running this series so check out the next post too!

The first interview will run tomorrow (Monday). We hope that you are inspired and encouraged by these women and their beautiful daughters. And we also hope you get some helpful tips. We enjoyed it and we hope you do too. As the French say a demain (until tomorrow).

Keep it natural!

Omozo

Tips on accesorizing your daughter's hair

Thanks to  Beads, Braids and Beyond, here are some tips on accesorizing your daughter's hair. I have added my own commentary in italics.:

•Do try to limit accessories though. Don't use too much because they weigh down your child's hair and too much accessories can be distracting to others around. Imagine the "clanging" of your child's beads as she turns her head in class!


•Soak rubber bands or elastics in Extra Virgin Olive Oil or melted Extra Virgin Coconut Oil. If you do not have time to soak them, quickly dip then in and use them like that. Soaking them reduces the possibility of the rubber bands snagging on your daughter's hair.

•Do not make ponytails too tight and do not wrap the rubber bands around the ends too many times (when she has beads or barrettes in), wrapping them a million times is unnecessary. It also puts too much stress on your daughter's hair.

•Try not to keep rubberbands in her hair for too long. Whether they were soaked in oil or not.

•Try using hair snaps on the ends to hold beads in place instead of rubber bands. Check out these hair snaps

•Chose ponytail holders carefuly because: Ponytail holders are not created equal!

Here is a video on hair snaps.

 Then check out this video on how to make a party bow at home. Really easy and simple!

Keep it natural

Omozo

"Mommy is my hair fine?"

While chatting, swapping stories and laughing with my sisters, my older Sis (Prof Mom) told us that her older daughter had asked her "Mommy is my hair fine?" Of course Sis immediately told Little Niece that hair is fine. After some time, Sis thought about the question and felt it was a bit odd. Little Niece is four years old. Sis asked Little Niece a series of questions and discovered that Little Niece's teacher had commented that her hair was not fine.

As Sis was telling the story, I was putting on my gym clothes and sneakers while removing my rings, prepping for the invitation to head over to Little Niece's school and give her teacher some 'education' on natural hair. Thank God Sis is mature and was in her "church mind'! Sis said she would ask Little Niece's teacher about the comment.

Sis went to the school and spoke to the teacher. The teacher said that she told Little Niece that her hair was "rough" and that she should tell her mommy to make her hair. Then Teacher proceeded to give Sis some advice. "You should relax her hair. It will make her hair nicer". Gun shots in the air!!

Sis, still being mature and in her church mind, carefully explained to Teacher that the locs she had on her head were not extensions but REAL locs. Little Niece's Dad has an afro, Little Niece's Aunties have natural hair, Little Niece's sister has natural hair, Little Niece's Grandma has natural hair. "You see where I am going with this Teacher?" Sis asked. "NOBODY is getting their hair relaxed. So remove that from your mind. Plus, her hair is not rough. It is curly and frizzy. When did curls and frizz become bad?" Sis educated Teacher some more about natural hair. Finally, Sis told Teacher to give Little Niece notes instead of telling her things that make this little four year old feel unsure of her God-given beauty.

Prof Mom and her family

*Still in my gym clothes just in case someone needs some more education*


Keep it DEFINITELY NATURAL!

Omozo

Flashback! "I Love My Hair" Sesame Street Song

Remember the Sesame Street song "I love my hair"? Well here it is, if you do not remember or if you never heard or watched it. The video was posted onYoutube by Sesame Street on October 12, 2010.  Curly Nikki interviewed the writer of the song, Joey Mazzarino. He and his wife (Kerry Butler) have a daughter, Segi, adopted from Ethiopia and Segi is the inspiration for the song.

-----------------------------------

Interview from Curly Nikki

It's time for a Youtube pop quiz... Who is Antoine Dodson?

If you answered "Mr. Hide Ya Kids, Hide Ya Wife," you'd be correct.

Too easy? Let's try a more difficult one. Who is Joey Mazzarino? Not so sure? ...

Does the Sesame Street song "I Love My Hair" ring a bell? That's right... Joey Mazzarino is the man behind the Muppet--the writer of the wonderful song that hit Youtube a couple weeks ago [about a year ago] and quickly became an overnight sensation. I was recently granted the opportunity to sit down with Mr. Mazzarino and ask him the questions that you most wanted answered. He has already given stellar interviews to NPR and the Huffington Post, but I still wanted to take the opportunity to ask the questions that may have been overlooked. So, I reached out to the talented and lovely ladies of the CN.com community to help facilitate the interview. Hopefully, we have covered everything and more that you wanted to know. :)

CN: I started my blog for the same underlying reasons you wrote the song for your daughter. I'm sure you're tired of repeating it, but could you give the CN.com community the background story?

JM: Sure! A year ago, when my daughter was four, I started to notice that she wasn't happy with her hair. She repeatedly expressed a desire to have straight hair like her mother's. She wanted to be able to toss it, and flip it back and forth. Like most girls her age, she has a collection of Barbie dolls-- a mix of African American and White ones, and unfortunately only three of them have curly hair. It's incredibly difficult to find Barbies with curly hair! One day, while playing with one of her White dolls, she said, "I'd like to have long, blonde hair like her". I thought the problem was unique to us-- being two White parents raising an African American daughter. But then when Chris Rock's movie Good Hair came out, I realized that it was a much larger issue. I spoke to my executive producer about it and asked her if I could write a song that touched on hair and self-esteem. We were just finishing the writing season for the year, but she gave me the go-ahead anyway. I wrote the lyrics and we got Chris Jackson, a wonderful composer and Broadway star, to do the music. He turned it around very quickly and we were able to shoot it!

CN: Was the song particularly difficult to write? Was it hard finding the right words?

JM: Not at all. I would always tell my daughter, "I love your hair! It's great! It's so beautiful and curly! Plus, you can do so many great things with it!" And she would always respond, "But I want hair like yours, I want hair like mommy's'!" So I found myself reflecting on the stuff I told her while I was writing the lyrics, and it was actually one of the easier things I've ever had to write.

CN: Maria G, a CurlyNikki reader, wants to know how your daughter reacted to the video?

JM: I took it to her the day we taped it. This was at the end of last year-- we didn't air it until now because our new season didn't begin until the end of September. It wasn't edited at all, so I just showed her the first take we did, and she absolutely loved it! She was dancing around and singing, it was great! Time passed and she sort of forgot about it. Now that it's aired and getting all of this attention, she's been asking for it again.

The other day, she was looking in the mirror and bouncing her hair up and down and smiling. My wife asked her, "Are you looking at your curls?' and she said, 'Yeah!' She loves her hair now. I don't think it was just because of the song… I hope it has more to do with our parenting and the excellent African American teacher she had last year. I'm really happy that she's loving who she is.

CN: Will this new character appear as a regular in future shows?

JM: Initially she was just for that sketch, but I think we will have to resurrect her, give her a name, and have her tackle some other issues.

CN: Maria G asks, 'I've been watching Sesame Street since the early 70's and I have never seen a video such as this one. It brought a tear to my eye. Will the show add more segments on self esteem?'

JM: I think we will. I think we've always done it, but may not have touched on it in a while. After reading some of the comments on the boards and FaceBook, I actually remember a character from childhood, Roosevelt Franklin. While I don't remember all of the stuff he said, I can recall some great songs, one was called 'The Skin I'm In'. I went back and listened to it, and it was wonderful and talked about having brown skin specifically. I think there is definitely room to tackle some more self esteem issues.

CN: Do you see anywhere that websites like CurlyNikki could help be a resource to parents like you -- is there anywhere earlier in the process that we can provided information and support?

JM: Luckily on Sesame Street, we have this guy Gordon Price, he's a wonderful member of our crew, and his wife is Lisa Price, the creator of Carol's Daughter. So when we adopted our daughter, I knew it would be different taking care of her curly hair, but he told me not to worry, and that Lisa would hook me up with a bunch of stuff and teach me how to do everything. So luckily I had them as a great resource. With the popularity of the video, I've been getting so many tips and products that I'm like, 'whoa, I only have one!' The wealth of info and help has been great. I'm definitely going to check out your site and others, especially when it's Dad alone and I have to do her hair, so that will help to do it better.

CN: You're good! My dad didn't touch my head... that was all Momma. [Laughter]

[Laughter]

JM: Well, my wife, she's an actress and she had to go away for the whole summer. My daughter and I were alone and we were traveling back and forth to Seattle, so I had to take care of her hair on a daily basis. I told myself I wouldn't leave her hair wild, I had to learn how to do it. So my wife and my daughter's baby sitter showed me how to do braids and how to comb it out. So yes, I'm getting better and better.

CN: Jasmine A. asks, 'What are your daughters favorite hairstyles? What products are you guys using?'

She loves braids and she does what Willow Smith does and she 'whips them back and forth'! She whips them around like crazy. Sunday it was Halloween, and she went as Princess Tiana. So we found a picture of her and created a similar hairdo. She loved that. She was too cute.

CN: Favorite products?

JM: Carols Daughter Princess Tiana line is our current favorite, mainly because it has Princess Tiana on the bottle and my daughter loves her. We're also loving the Loc Butter, so yeah, we mostly use a lot of Carol's Daughter in my house.

CN: Naterra asks, 'If your daughter gets older and asks for a perm, how will you and your wife react to that?'

JM: That's an interesting question, and I honestly have no idea. I take it day by day and I want her to love who she is. I don't' know how I'm going to handle any of the tough questions that will come up, like 'can I pierce my ears', 'get a tattoo'... I don't know what I'm going to say! I just want her to love herself and respect herself and be proud of who she is and hopefully she won't ask me that question. What would you do as somebody that is a big advocate of Natural Hair? What would you say?

CN: Wow. I guess I'm in the same boat as you. I'll cross that bridge when I come to it! I just had a baby about 9 weeks ago. Growing up, relaxers weren't allowed in my household, so my dad made it easy [laughter] it wasn't even an option. I guess all I can do is educate her and hope she makes good decisions.

JM: My wife is very careful about what she puts on our daughter's skin and hair. So I think we would definitely use education- explain that the chemicals aren't good for her. She might be old enough to make her own decision by then, but we'll definitely educate her about chemicals and make sure she has the skills to care for her hair in its natural state.

CN: What message would you like to send out to the Curly Community?

JM: I'm thankful to all of the bloggers and the women who put it on their Facebook because all we want to do here is reach as many kids as we can to hear the message. So thanks to all of you for getting the message out and for letting the little girls see the video. And I just encourage anyone who has not shown it to their nieces, or their friend's kids or their kids, show it to them, even if they don't have an issue, it's important to see that they should be proud of their hair.

Keep it natural!

Omozo

Tips on caring for your daughter's natural hair

When I first started plaiting / making my daughters’ hair, I was not very observant or better still I was quite non-chalant about their routine and hair maintenance. But as time went on and I realised how much time I spent taking care of my own natural locs, I decided it was time to take my daughters' hair into full consideration. So what did I do? I had cut my daughters’ hair after they turned 1 year old. By the time I had learnt how to manage both their hair my second daughter was 2 and a half years old.

The first thing I learnt was that combing their hair did not have to be such an ordeal all the time. I learnt to finger comb their hair when wet. Sometimes I immediately braided their hair and while braiding, I would comb each section separately.

As I read up on stuff concerning my hair, I also read about children’s hair. There are two important treatments I use for my daughters' hair.

1) In a 30 – 35 ml bottle of water (tip: use an empty bottle of coke; properly cleaned) put 5ml of glycerine, 5ml of Jojoba oil and shake it all up together. When properly shaken add between 15 – 20mls of Castor oil or 10 – 15mls of baby oil (Pears Baby Oil brand is a good one). This mixture is very good to use as often as you can on the hair. It gives it a very nice shine and helps retain moisture.

2) In 30 – 35ml bottle of water (Same as above) put 10ml of glycerine and either 15ml of Castor oil or 15ml of Coconut oil. Once again shake very well. This also retains the hair moisture while also softening the hair.

3) Coconut oil and Castor oil are very good for hair. They replace lost oils and soften the hair especially when used consistently.

4) Be cautious when using Eucalyptus oil for children. It can result in unwanted effects on children. Some children break out in rashes, some have inflamed skins and other forms of breakouts. It is best to talk to your doctor before using Eucalyptus oil on your child's hair.

5) A friend uses the following monthly therapy for her daughter’s hair. Wash hair with shampoo. Mix mayonnaise with egg yolk and coat hair with it. Leave the mixture on the hair and cover with shower cap for about 20 – 30 minutes. Then rinse off thoroughly. Please rinse off very very well. Then use conditioner to finish off. Doing this over time also softens the hair.

6) Another friend taught me the following. You do not have to use shampoo every time when washing your daughter’s hair. You can alternate between a shampoo and conditioner. So, wash with shampoo one week and then wash with conditioner the next week. Reason being that shampoo, even though it cleans the hair, leaves it completely dry. So washing every time with shampoo does not do your hair any justice. I also use this principle for my locs: shampoo wash one week and conditioner wash the next week.

Prof Mom

All about awesomness

My nieces and I play the "Awesome Game". One person starts by telling the other that they are awesome. Then the other person responds by saying "No, you are awesome!" and it continues back and forth. One day, my nieces came into the room while I was taking out my twists. "Aunty are you doing your hair?" they asked. I said yes and they got excited. "We can help you! We know how to do it!" they said jumping up and down.

I was thinking that it would be nice to teach them some basics of natural hair care. After all, they will have to take care of their natural hair by themselves one day. (And I am a cool Aunty). So I agreed to their offer. Excitedly, they ran to my dresser to grab their tools of choice. As they worked, I instructed them on what to do. Really, it was so that it would not be too painful for me. "Comb from the tips Samantha". "Hold the section you want to comb Stephanie". And on it went.

When they were done, they both stepped back to behold their work of horror art. "Wow Aunty you look so bootiful!" Stephanie exclaimed with wide eyes. I would have believed her if I had not looked in the mirror. Eeek!

Not to dent their self esteem, I responded by pointing to them and saying "You're awesome!" Stephanie leaned forward and responded "No! You're awesome!". I looked at Samantha and said "You're awesome". Samantha looked at me and replied "Yup! I am awesome."

Keep it natural!

Omozo

Sesame Street Song- I love my hair

My Girls and their natural hair

I have 2 lovely daughters......Samantha and Stephanie.  Samantha, the female version of Samuel, means God has hearkened. And Stephanie, the female version of Stephen, means crown. Lovely names!!!

My daughters have natural hair. Their hair regime is really simple. It’s imperative to know how your children react to weather. Some children sweat a lot even if all the sun does is to give us a peek of its golden rays while some do not sweat much. But remember kids will be kids...i.e. they must run, jump, fall, fight e.t.c. So regardless of anything they must sweat and get dirty.

If they tend to sweat a lot; for boys you have to wash the hair daily and you can keep it low. While with girls you have to wash weekly and do very simple styles such as single big braids or simple cornrows. With my daughters I wash their hair once in 2 weeks usually during their evening bath. I use a leave in conditioner and then comb it when the hair is damp. The following morning I use hair oil or very small amounts of Shea butter. These don’t leave any residue on their scalps.  For children hair products should be simple and mild nothing complicated.

Then I either braid or just weave. Instead of beads I use coloured rubber bands at the tips of their hair. I really like the beads but my daughters are small and they still put all sorts of stuff into their mouths. So I can just imagine when either one sees the coloured beads on their hair, that they are thinking ‘’oh my .........those look like sweets on my sister’s hair. I am sure she won’t mind if I take 1 or 2 and eat.......’’ Then I start hearing this gurgling noise and I am wondering what is it again? Then I am on my way to the nearest hospital for removal of a foreign ingested object or the same in her nose.....brrrrrrrr......scary!!!  Rubber bands and beads are ok accessories to use as decorations for hair. Try not to use them too much as they can put a strain on the hair. Sometimes it is okay to just let the hair be or use the usual hair clips. 

I know some of you will be wondering what if my daughters’ hair is like Olumo rock i.e. tough/strong/difficult to comb. You could finger comb the hair when damp. Perhaps even not combing the hair with a comb - try using a brush (when damp) like the Denman described in the products article or even sectioning the hair with the fingers and putting the hair in twists. We really don't have to comb our hair all the time. I know many of you will revolt when I say this..........but why not just keep your daughter’s hair low until she’s older. I can assure you between ages 0 - 5/6 years children are not really looking to surpass their fellow companion on the looks''O''meter.......they are more about having fun........So keep the fun rolling and less on their looks........

Would really like to know any more insider gist from you mothers on your children’s hair male and female alike.


Prof Mom.