How-to Guide: Taking Care of Your African American Daughter's Hair

African American hair requires a lot of attention and time. I was never taught how to take care of my hair like a lot of African Americans because I was adopted and my parents were white. I had to learn to take care of my hair through trial and error and asking hairstylists for tips. When I became a mother of two daughters, I was overwhelmed with trying to make their hair look cute. I cannot cornrow their hair, but I can make them look quite adorable at times. This guide has been designed to help you take care of your African American daughter's hair.

Step 1 - Buying Products

African American hair requires products specifically made for this type of hair. Many beauty supply shops will carry many products you will need to use on your African American daughter's hair. Here are some products you will need to ensure your daughter's hair remains healthy:

• Shampoos like Motions Lavish Conditioning Shampoo or Crème of Nature
• Leave-in Conditioner
• Hair and Scalp Conditioner (also referred to as "grease")
• Detangling spray

Along with these hair care items, you will also need to purchase barrettes, black rubber bands, hair clips, a satin scarf, a rattail comb, and a wide tooth comb.

Step 2 - Shampooing and Conditioning

The first thing you will need to do is wash your daughter's hair. You will only want to wash African American hair once a week. If you wash African American hair more than once a week can leave the hair dry and it can cause the hair to become damaged. The easiest way to wash African American hair is in the shower because when you rinse the hair it helps straighten the hair out, leaving it easier to manage later. Once the hair is shampooed, apply the leave-in conditioner, starting at the roots. Comb the hair with a wide tooth comb and apply detangling spray as needed. Once you have the hair combed through, it is time to move on to the next step.

Step 3 - Applying the Hair and Scalp Conditioner

Applying the hair and scalp conditioner is often one of the most time consuming parts of taking care of African American hair. To begin, you will need to part the hair, using the rattail comb, down the middle, from the forehead to the nape of the neck and again from ear to ear. Once you have the hair parted, twist and clip three sections so they are out of the way.

With the remaining section of hair, you will need to part the section into small squares. As you create squares, apply the hair and scalp conditioner to the scalp and add a little bit to the hair. Once you complete each square, take a rubber band and apply a small amount of grease and use it to hold the section of hair. Once the rubber band is in place, twist the hair and clip the end. Repeat this step until all of the sections have been completed.

Step 4 - Braiding and Twisting Hair

This is the step where you can be creative with your daughter's African American hair. If you know how to cornrow, you can make the hair look really cute by making the cornrows into a design. If you are like me and do not know how to cornrow hair, there is still hope. I like to do box braids or twists with my daughters.

You can do box braids using the same small ponytails you created during the application of the hair and scalp conditioner, or you can start over and make a design. To make a box braid, you simply make a small ponytail and part the ponytail into three sections. Then you braid the hair by taking the right strand and placing it over the middle, so the middle strand is now the right strand and then twisting the left strand over the new middle strand and repeating. Once you reach the end of the braid, twist the end and wrap it around the thin part of a barrette and secure. You will repeat this until all of the hair is braided. The thicker your daughter's hair is, the more box braids you will need.

The twists are easy and faster than box braids and they are a lot easier to take out. I always use twists when I am in a hurry. To twist the hair, you will start out making small or large ponytails and divide each ponytail into two parts. Once the ponytails are parted all you need to do is twist the right strand over the left strand and repeat until you reach the end of the strand. Once you reach the end of the strand, wrap the hair around the thin part of a barrette and secure. Repeat this step until all the hair has been twisted.

Step 5 - Taking Care of Braids and Twists

Once the hair is braided you will still need to take care of the hair. Everyday you will need to apply the hair and scalp conditioner to prevent flaking of the scalp. Also, you will want to spray water or some detangling spray on the braids and twists so the hair will not dry out. At night, you will want to wrap your daughter's hair in a satin scarf or stocking. This helps African American hair retain the moisture you just worked hard to put in the hair.

Taking care of your African American daughter's hair takes time and special attention. Following these steps can help you ensure your daughter's hair remains healthy. Hopefully, these tips will help you manage your daughter's African American hair.