As you know our family is one big ol' swirl! I am black and white and my husband is black with strong Native American genes ( I think he is like 1/6).... It's not a lot but boy does it make a difference! You can really see it in his mother and grandmother!


When I was growing up, I lived with my "white" side of the family. The only person I kinda sorta remember from my "black" side was my grandmother.. and as the years would pass, her face, her name, her smell everything about her disappeared from my memory. I do however remember she loved me and my brother!

Now back in the 80's mixed kids were not as common as they are today. So you kinda just fell in one boat or the other. Since I didn't know my other side, my mother and grandmother were the ones that would take care of my "grooming" needs along with everything else! So what do you get when you mix an 60+ year old white woman and a young mother that had nooo experience in black or mixed hair????? That's right.... a mess! lol My hair situation was so crazy that my grandmother,  just up and cut it all off!! Now to this day my family and friends think I am over reacting, but I really was traumatized! I became obsessed with hair! Don't believe me? Ask one of my BFF's lol!

I wanted straight long hair one day, then I wanted crochet braids the next day.... I was truly obsessed with hair. I would even pretend that some of my shirts or scarves were hair (super cray). I didn't just let anyone play with my hair, which you should NOT! But I was border line afraid of going to the hair salon  Fantastic Sams'  because I never knew what to expect. I would look up and see a picture of a light skin lady who looked like me and I would think... " I want my hair like that". Even though it NEVER HAPPENED!

But as I got older and my circle of friends grew... I would always copy their hair styles or at least attempt to until I found my own routine and ways to maintain it. I would always tell myself " my kids will not have to go through this". It was such an up hill battle!

And that's what I did....

Of course they have bad hair days.. I still do and I'm 28. We can't all be Kate Middleton :). So as I was doing Thai's hair this evening, I started to think about the other people that are putting their kids through the same thing I went through.. Now yes, these days we have the internet, and YouTube videos and a whole world of knowledge out there. So why not share my experience, my trials and errors and my success....

These products are ones that I LIVE for! I use certain ones on my hair but these are my go to products when doing the kiddies hair..
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1. ANYTHING Shea Moisture! I love, love, love their line! Trust me!! I forgot to add in the shampoo. Since their hair is more coarse than mine, I use the  "Coconut and Hibiscus Curl & Shine Shampoo". It works wonders on their curly Q's.

2.COLD WATER. I know it sounds horrid, but when washing your mixed ones hair (don't do too often) use cold water. It helps lock in moisture and reduces the frizz. I just use ice water in my spray bottle in between shampoos, that way she isn't suffering too much.

3.COCONUT OIL. Coconut oil is great for frizz and added moisture. I find it works best after getting the hair wet and before applying any product.

4.CURL CREAM/ CURLING MOUSSE. When getting something specifically for curl definition, make sure it is SULFATE FREE. Sodium Laure, ammonium lauryl sulfate are examples of things you should watch out for. The alcohol on sulfate dries the hair out. When It gets too dry it becomes brittle, breaks easy and adds extra tangles and that is not fun!

5. WIDE TOOTH COMB. This is very, very important. Wide tooth combs work through the curls and cause less pulling. The curlier the hair, the easier it is to tangle and also too much pulling can cause breakage.

One easy route when styling or moisturizing, is to work in sections. In between shampoos, I work one braid or ponytail at a time. It makes it so much easier and takes less time. Lately, we have been going the natural route. Braids and twists have become the normal. Thai and I both love it because when it dries and I take it down, it is this wonderful curly little head of hair!

I hope this was helpful and maybe gave you some insight on ways you can care for mixed hair! If you have any questions or comments drop them in the comment section!!