Unfortunately, I can’t tell you exactly what’s best for you or for your child. I purposely avoided a cookbook approach in the original guide because proper maintenance of hair is more of an art than a science. Every person’s hair is slightly different and therefore requires a slightly different maintenance routine. Even my two daughters, with the same father and mother, have different hair types. I find that an oil that is great for one is too heavy for the other. After years of trial and error that I have developed regimens that work best for each of the three of us. While my own children are not biracial, I do have several biracial nieces and nephews and have helped many people with biracial children. So, I do have hands-on expertise in this area. I am still tweaking the routines for my daughters as I find new products and as I gain more experience. But, I will share my tips and routines with you. These should be useful starting points for you to develop your own routine. Biracial hair care can be even more difficult to figure out than African hair care. We are often approached by White mothers who have given birth to children with hair very dissimilar to theirs and what they are used to. Interracial (actually, transracial) adoptions are becoming more common, creating the same situation. Most African Americans are multi-racial. So, African American hair has a wide variety of textures and needs. Biracial hair care must cover an even broader range of textures and needs.

Expectations for Biracial Hair

The number one complaint we get about black hair is that it looks dry or dull. We get the same complaint about biracial hair, followed closely by complaints of “frizzyness” and difficulty in combing. Before you go too far to make your natural hair full of sheen and shine, it’s best to have the proper expectation. Natural Black or African hair will not be as shiny as permed hair or Caucasian hair. A major part of what makes hair shiny is the structure of the hair, not just the amount of oil or moisture it contains. If the cuticles lay flat (smooth hair), the hair will reflect light better (translated will appear shiny). If the cuticles are raised, the hair will absorb light (translated will appear more dull). Without changing the structure of the hair (as in getting a perm or relaxer for us African Americans), our hair will only be so shiny. By applying a lot of grease (see below for the types of oils I recommend) to make it shinier, you could end up damaging the hair. Having said that, natural African hair can appear healthy, smooth and have a nice healthy sheen. As I said, the second complaint we get most often about biracial hair is that it is too curly or too frizzy. There are some things you can do to control frizzyness and curliness. But, if you want to effect “permanent” (permanent until it grows out anyway) changes, you are looking at a chemical process. One thing we often advise mothers about though is please do not expect your child’s hair to be like yours. And, please do not make her feel as though something is wrong with her hair because it’s “frizzy” or curly. You should picture your child’s hair as a collection of fine fibers. You should treat it as gently as you would a fine washable silk blouse. The better you treat her hair, the easier it will be to grow and the better it will look. You should be aware that African hair and biracial hair tends to be drier than Caucasian hair. The structure of our hair makes it more difficult for the oils to work their way from the scalp to the ends of the hair. Because our hair is kinky, it tends to tangle more and pulling these tangles out can cause breakage. In spite of appearances, black hair and biracial hair tends to be more fragile than Caucasian hair. The lack of moisture and elasticity and the kinks that get grabbed when styling or combing make for hair that can be broken easily. Someone once asked me if natural hair is meant to be combed. Actually, the answer probably is no. I don’t think our hair was structured to be combed at all. So, as long as we’re going to do it, we have to do it causing the least amount of damage possible. Both of my daughters have natural hair. We receive a lot of compliments about their hair. They are technically not biracial. We have a mixed heritage (as do most African Americans). But, many of the same things I do for them can be adapted for biracial hair care. Here are my “secrets”.

Tools For Biracial Hair Maintenance

* Wide tooth comb or pick or brush made for African American hair. We like “detangling” combs and the Kakakiki Kombbrush
* Good moisturizing shampoo and cream conditioner
* Moisturizing solution or spray
* Deep conditioning treatment or hot oil treatment for once a month application
* Satin sleep cap and/or pillow cases
* Spray bottle to spritz hair before styling
* Microwaveable or Electric Heat Cap

How do I comb out kinky biracial hair?

This section will be particularly important to those of you who have not worked with kinky hair. Never try to comb out kinky hair while it is dry. Use a moisturizer to provide elasticity to the hair and to reduce friction. Be sure you have a wide tooth comb. You might want to look for a “detangling” comb. If you’re used to fine tooth combs, it might look a little strange to you. But, generally speaking, the farther apart the teeth the better. I generally do not use bristled brushes because I find they tend to grab the hair. I have a Kakakiki KombBrush, which does a great job on the girls’ natural hair. It’s a combination comb and brush in one device. It’s shaped like a brush, but has round teeth more like a comb. Be patient and gentle when combing kinky hair. If your daughter is screaming, you might want to consider that you are pulling too hard. I begin by working in sections. I part the hair and tie off the part I am not working on at the time. I gently grasp the hair near the scalp with my free hand and work the comb against that hand, rather than against the scalp. Comb gently beginning near the roots and work your way up- until all kinks are free. I then tie that section off and start on the next section.

How do I wash biracial hair?

You should begin by washing hair about once a week. In the winter this might stretch out a little longer. I wash more often in the summer when the kids are playing outside and sweating. But, one of the commonly made mistakes non-African parents of Biracial or African children make is to wash their children’s hair too frequently. Many of my Caucasian friends wash their own hair daily because they have fine hair that gets weighed down with their natural oils. In a biracial child, overwashing can lead to dullness and dryness. For biracial hair care, you may want to consider washing a little more often than once a week. But, you will rarely want to wash more than a couple of times a week. I like to use different shampoos to eliminate the possibility of build-up from a particular shampoo.

Between washings

If your child swims or sweats from her scalp, you may be tempted to wash too often. One way to stretch out the time between washings is to just rinse the hair with warm water, condition and go from there.

Washing an infant’s hair

If your child is very young (too young to keep her eyes closed), use a no tears baby shampoo. These shampoos contain agents that keep the eyes from stinging. These shampoos can be drying, especially for African or biracial hair care. So, transition to a nice mild shampoo as soon as possible.

How do I dry biracial hair?

Wash gently, but thoroughly, massaging the scalp while washing. When you dry, blot with a towel rather than rubbing vigorously. Avoid heat as much as possible for drying. Allow the hair to air dry or you can even use a conditioning cap to drive some of the moisture out before blasting the hair with forced hot air.

How do I condition biracial hair?

Immediately after washing, condition the hair following the directions on the bottle of conditioner. If the bottle doesn’t have directions, apply a small amount of conditioner to the hair, working it through. Allow to sit on the hair for at least 1 minute and rinse out.

How do I deep conditioner biracial hair?

At least once or twice a month, after shampooing, deep condition the hair. I use one several products. Put one of the deep conditioning products on after shampooing and use either a microwave or professional heat cap for 30 minutes or so. The gentle moist heat from the caps allows the cuticles of the hair to open and the moisturizer to penetrate the hair shaft. A good hot oil treatment could be done here instead.

How do I moisturize biracial hair?

The most important key to healthy African American or Biracial hair care is moisture. Because of the structure of our hair, it tends to become dry easily. Dry hair lacks elasticity and therefore is brittle. Moisturize with good products and do it often. Moisturizing is not necessarily the same as oiling. And it is certainly not the same as putting on what we used to call “grease” (see below). After the Deep Conditioning or Conditioning I moisturize. I recommend moisturizing at least twice a week. I moisturize whenever I style and often in-between, if we happen to be wearing a leave in style for several days.

Should I put oil on biracial hair?

The subject of whether to oil or not is controversial in African or biracial hair care. You’ll have to decide for yourself. My experience has been that, for my daughters, and me, oil is good for our hair. The right oil though is of vital importance. We only use all natural oils, mostly plant oils. We avoid mineral oil and petroleum based products. The one notable exception to the plant oil rule is emu oil (an animal oil). I love emu oil! Not only does it soften and lubricate, it contains essential fatty acids and reduces inflammation which helps hair grow. However, oiling is one of those places where you’ll really have to experiment. One of my daughters can use a heavier oil than the other. She can even use pure Shea Butter. The other daughter’s hair is too thin and looks weighed down with Shea Butter. My biracial nieces have different needs. One has very fine, smooth hair and needs no additional oils at all. The other can use a light oil which really helps control the frizziness.

To apply the product, I put a little of the product in the palm of my hand (and melt it, if it’s a solid product). I then rub it on the hair and massage into the scalp. I will not use anything that doesn’t melt at body temperature. If I happen to use something with a little beeswax (which has a relatively high melting point), I make sure it still melts at body temperature so that it doesn’t build up. I often mix a couple of the products. To be safe, I mostly use products that are liquid at room temperature. Some of my favorite oils are:

* Shea Butter Oil- has the wonderful properties of Shea Butter, but in a much lighter, liquid form. We began our company selling nothing but Shea Butter products. That was before Shea Butter was as popular as it is now. It’s still a key ingredient in many of our hair and skin care products. We use Shea Butter as the main carrier oil in several of our products.
* Emu Oil- unbelievably good for scalp health. Improves circulation, reduces inflammation and has natural antiseptic properties. All help promote hair growth.
* Jojoba Oil- the closest thing to natural sebum itself. Jojoba oil is technically a wax, not an oil. It can actually make oily skin less oily and dry skin more oily, In other words, it helps bring skin into balance. In the case of biracial hair care, we are generally seeking to add oil to the scalp.
* Castor Oil- nice all natural plant oil that helps humectify (draw moisture to) the hair and scalp

How often should I moisturize biracial hair?

This is very important. I repeat the Moisturize and/or Oiling steps above on a daily basis when I’m combing/styling the girls’ hair. Even if we’re in a non-comb style (like twists), I’ll touch them up just about daily, with something. I’m careful to avoid build-up and I don’t use a lot of product. You will have to experiment with your hair to see how often it needs to be moisturized and what weight of product you should use.

How do I style biracial hair?

Generally, I style the girls’ hair without the use of styling products. Since they are young, mostly, they’re in ponytails, plaits, braids or the like. But, I mix it up and am very cautious about overly tight styles that can lead to scalp damage and even a certain type of hair loss. I especially avoid any styling products that might be drying to their hair. You’ll want to be very careful with hair sprays, mousse products, gels etc. But, there are a few aids I use for certain hair styles to provide hold or some straightening.

How do I keep those beautiful ringlets in my hair?

Many biracial people have naturally beautiful curls when their hair is wet and would like to keep that look once the hair dries. If you have naturally soft curls, one of our clients has suggested a way that she styles her biracial hair that works for her.

For those with softer, natural curls who just want more definition, this is a great technique. This hair style is well suited to bi-racial hair types. For soft springy curls here is the procedure.

1. Wash hair at least 1x per week (the other days just rinse)
2. Detangle hair each day
3. Put in a leave in conditioner. Whatever helps detangle and leaves hair feeling soft. SheaMoisture Shea Butter Leave-In Conditioner is great for this step.
4. Saturate hair with Black Earth Protective Mist Bodifier
5. Put Treasured Locks Locks of Curls Curl Defining Pomade & Gel or other styling gel in hair
6. Apply a little hair oil
7. Let air dry if possible (you can put your hair in a ponytail to stretch it a little or just let it air dry
8. In the winter- use a blow dryer on the lowest temp, gently stretching the hair as you dry it.

How do I control “frizziness” or curliness in biracial hair?

As I said earlier, expectations are important when it comes to hair. Most of the time biracial children are not going to have hair that is as smooth as Caucasian or Asian children. So completely eliminating frizziness and/or curliness may require drastic methods and send a message that the natural hair is undesirable. But, we do have products that will help reduce the frizzyness, to an extent. Natural-Laxer MIX is a treatment that can be applied about once a month. It is all-natural and works to gently tame wild hair. We’ve had people of various ethnicities who are very pleased with it. It does not actually alter the structure of the hair like a relaxer would. It can be applied in the home and wears off after several weeks. For those looking for a more permanent solution, a mild relaxer, a texturizer or a kiddie perm might be something to consider. Before you do though, please read our precautions when it comes to permanents/relaxers (see below). If you’re not familiar with them, please be informed before you make that decision.

What about perms (relaxers) for biracial hair?

We often get questions concerning perms for young girls. Generally, we recommend against perms for prepubescent girls. Their hair and skin aren’t fully developed and changing their hair texture this early in life (especially a permanent change) can send the message to them that their hair isn’t good enough. Our nine year old is proud of her natural hair and says she will never perm it. But, our six year old says she will. Ironically, it’s the older one who has the thicker hair. When they are old enough, they can decide on their own. I use Natural-Laxer MIX on our older daughter. It has made her hair much more manageable and improved the texture. I can comb her hair in about half the time it used to take and I’ve seen a large reduction in the amount of hair left in the comb after combing. Perming or relaxing the hair might seem like an easy solution to the kinky/frizzy/hard-to-comb problem. But, there are several things you should know before heading down this path. We’ve seen unaware mothers actually make things much worse by not knowing this before getting started. Consider the following before you start perming.

* We do not recommend home box perms. People often ask us to recommend specific perms to them. We do not recommend any perms because we do not sell any. A beautician has told us that they are not the same quality as the salon perms. I don’t know if that’s true. But, even if it is not, a chemical relaxer or perm is a process that is best performed by a professional. Serious damage can be done to the hair (that can never be repaired, it has to grow out). A relaxer, improperly applied can do permanent damage to the scalp. The only compromise we would even contemplate on this would be to take your child to a local beauty school, if you just cannot pay the money the salons are charging. At least they’ll get the perm under professional supervision. And, the cost is usually a pretty small fraction of the cost in a salon.
* If you insist on applying perms at home, please read and follow the instructions carefully. Do not keep perming the part of the hair that has already been treated. Only apply the perm to the new growth (the kinky stuff underneath). Perming the same part of a strand of hair over and over again thins it a little each time. Eventually, it will break. This is not an “if” question. It’s a “when”.
* If you begin to relax your child’s hair, you must keep on doing it. When the natural hair reaches a certain length underneath the relaxed hair (hair grows from the root), the hair begins going through a transition stage. At this point, the hair is very vulnerable to excessive breakage. Generally speaking, a perm will be required every 6-8 weeks unless you are prepared to transition back to natural hair. Transitioning, without taking proper precautions can be very traumatic because of the breakage.
* If you relax your child’s hair, you weaken the hair and reduce the ability for the scalp to naturally oil itself. Permed hair is especially delicate and must be cared for even more diligently than natural hair. But, it’s better to perm hair than to fry it with excessive heat trying to make it straight or to end up breaking it off by combing it too aggressively.

How should I handle pony tails?

As I mentioned earlier, these bound hairstyles are great for little girls. They keep the hair from going wild and from tangling. I can often get a few days out of a style, too. But, these bound styles can lead to hair disaster- as in severe, and even permanent, hair loss. Here are some dos and don’ts you will want to be aware of:

* Don’t- use common rubber bands to hold her hairstyles. Also, avoid the bands with the metal clips, which grab and break kinky hair. Rubber bands cause too much friction on the hair and will eventually cause breakage. Buy covered bands or smooth bands made especially for hair.
* Do- remove any bands from the hair every night before bed time. Even the best bands should be removed before retiring for the evening.
* Don’t- pull the hair too tight. While it may be attractive, if you see your daughter’s eyebrows arching like she’s just had a face-lift you could be doing damage to her scalp. If you start to notice bumps around her hairline or elsewhere on her scalp, you could be causing traction alopecia. Normally, changing the hairstyle easily reverses this. But, if it is continued, this practice can lead to permanent hair loss.

What should I do when sleeping?

As instructed above, please remove tight bands from hair before sleeping. Using a satin pillowcase or a satin sleep cap will reduce friction with the pillow and help retain moisture in the hair.

Should I trim my ends?

The ends of the hair are the oldest parts because hair grows from the root. If the ends are neglected, they can begin to split; causing damage even further down the hair. It may be counterintuitive. But, trimming the ends can actually lead to having longer hair. If you notice the ends of the hair are very dry, you might want to make sure you are doing a good job conditioning. If you notice they looked frayed, more tangled than normal or split, have them trimmed. I neglected this for a long time with my girls. But, since starting, I immediately noticed an improvement in the manageability of their hair. It was actually easier to comb just after trimming the ends.

How can I make my hair grow faster?

I take a supplement for hair strength and another for hair growth.. I have had a noticeable improvement in the condition of my hair and nails since using these supplements. Proper nutrition is essential to good hair health.Supplements can certainly help with that. However, we do not recommend these products for children under the age of 13. They are formulated for the needs of an adult. I can recommend the use of Treasured Locks H2G Hair Growth Serum. I use it for both myself and the girls. The blend of essential oils and emu oil help promote hair growth by stimulating the scalp and by keeping the hair well oiled and soft.

Summary

I hope you find this guide useful. We know that what you really want is a cookbook approach. But, for the reasons we stated at the beginning, that just isn’t possible. If you follow these general guidelines and learn how to look for signs of hair health, you can easily begin to make your or your child’s hair more manageable and healthy. After a few days, weeks and months of using the right products and the proper techniques, you will see a noticeable improvement. If you have any questions after reading this, please do not hesitate to contact us. We’re glad to help. At our website, we have another version of this article with detailed information on the products we sell that might be useful to you.

Article submitted by Tywana Smith- Owner of Treasured Locks, LLC. Please visit us at http://www.treasuredlocks.com to find our products and other articles like this one. Or, if you have questions, visit our database of information on hair and skin care at http://www.treasuredlocksfaqs.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tywana_Smith

The styling products that you can use for applying above-mentioned styles are hair spray, mousse, volumizer, styling gel, paste, putty, pomade, finishing gloss, frizz, and cure control hair straightener etc. just choose the perfect one that can give your hair a new look and style which you want. Styling tools can create a look that can be exactly like the ‘fresh-from-the-saloon’ look and you can get hair expert about the proper usage of the products only to have a damage free hair.

1. Short spiky hairstyle: Using styling gel and wax you can give your hair a funky cheeky style. Apply styling gel thoroughly your hair like a way that all the hair get equal proportion of gel. After sometime use a blow dryer with a directional nozzle on that. When you dry your hair lift each sections of the hair and create height at the roots. Now when your hair is dry back comb it to give additional height. In order to create a spiky look take little wax between your palms and apply it to the hairs to give the spike a ravishing look.

2. Airwaves: Airwaves is a look that creates long lasting curls. Perfect touch of moisture and heat make this cut happening. The curls are like airwaves. At first shampoo your hair and then apply conditioner. Dry your hair. While drying your hair use the brush attachment on the styler and dry your hair. Lift each section to allow the heat to dry the roots properly.

The above-mentioned styles have been done with gel and blow dryer. For short hair using a good quality gel you can get some spiky and chicky look. Dryer with various kinds of nozzles and branches can give you some instant style. Sometime gentle heat, as sometime moisture is important to have a look, which is different from each other. Apart from gel and styling brushes wax, paste and pomade are very useful and they can help you introducing a gorgeous style in your hair.

But, too much change is not good for hair care. If you want to have different kinds of hairstyle for different moods then your hair will face some harsh treatments, as frequent change in style is not healthy enough for good hair. So try to apply a style, which is simple. For any occasion you and give your hairdo a new look but nevertheless too much styling is required.

Besides there are also other factors determining the health and growth of the hair. One such factor is the lifestyle you are accustomed to. As for example if you are giving your body too much stress or if you are not providing your body the adequate amount of sleep then your hair is going to suffer damages. Therefore to help your hair from getting damaged keep yourself out of stress and get enough of sleep. As we all fear the problem of hair loss it should be kept in mind that it can be caused because of deficiency of adequate and proportionate supply of essential vitamins and minerals. But along with that it should also be kept in mind that there are some vitamins, which are essential for the health and growth of the hair, but may also lead to hair loss if taken in excess amount. Therefore the fact that should be kept in mind is that you must maintain the proportionate amount of supply of the essential nutrients to the hair. Not more nor less, as they both can be harmful.

Besides caring your hair from inside, it needs some external care also for the healthy maintenance of the hair. And this starts with proper cleansing and conditioning of the hair. It is the best way to take care of your hair if you have a shampoo on every alternate days along with conditioning the hair after every wash. This not only helps your hair to remain clean and tidy but also it helps in proper moisturizing of the hair providing smoothness and shine to it. And along with that comes the question of scalp care. Massage the scalp with the balls of the finger tips in a circular motion every time your have a shampoo. This helps in soothing the nerves as well as relaxing the muscles. Massing the scalps also helps in proper scalp circulation and helps it release natural oils, which is much essential for the hair.

Never let your hair go dry, avoid blow dryers and the application of other heat treatments to the hair. With the use of the heat treatments the hair loses it natural moisture and the natural oils and becomes rough and brittle and prone to hair breakage. Therefore it is seen that to prevent the hair from getting damaged it is essential to have an over all protective measure for the hair and only then you can have the desired shine and styling done on your hair.