Biracial Hair Care Tips

Here are just some real quick general tips. A five minute lesson in Black hair care. You should picture your 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 your hair, the easier it will be to grow and the better it will look. African hair will tend to be dryer and more prone to breakage because the structure makes it more difficult for the oils to work their way from the scalp to the ends of the hair. If you relax your hair, you’ve weakened the hair and reduced the ability for the scalp to naturally oil it. The points where the hair curls and twists are also points where the hair tends to break. The more of these points (as in African hair), the more the hair is prone to breakage. Also, because our hair is kinky, it tends to tangle more and pulling these tangles out can cause breakage.

• Either section the hair and plait it, tie it back or wrap it up using a scarf before going to bed, this will reduce the number of tangles you have to comb out the next morning, reducing the chances of breaking your hair.
• Sleep with a satin scarf or sleep cap on your head or with a satin pillow case. This helps avoid split ends caused by the rubbing of your hair against a “rough” cotton pillow case. It also avoids moisture being wicked out of your hair into your cotton pillow case.
• Wash your hair no more often than every week to week and a half. More than that can dry it out.
• Comb your hair out while you’re conditioning it to remove the tangles while it’s wet and relatively slick.
• Oil your scalp on a regular basis with a good natural oil like shea butter. A daily moisturizer is not a bad idea.
• Do a deep conditioner or hot oil treatment once a month.
• Massage your scalp on a regular basis to promote circulation and oil production.
• Avoid overuse of products with mineral oil or petroleum. They tend to block the pores and are not readily absorbed. If your mother used Vaseline^® on your hair, stop.
• If you exercise and sweat, rinse the salt out of your hair even if you don’t wash it. Condition it afterwards with a daily leave-in conditioner.
• Always use a leave-in conditioner after washing your hair.
• Put as little heat as possible on your hair. Heat, especially combined with perms is very damaging to hair.
• Avoid alcohol based products unless you have a need for a water-free shampoo to cleanse your scalp (for example while you’re waiting for your locks to lock).
• Remember that water (moisture) is your friend and get plenty- inside and out. If you used to press your hair or blow it out and learned to fear water on your hair because it would draw up, you need to get over this. Spritzing a little water on your hair every day is a good idea. Get a spray bottle and just spray it just a little.
• Eat a proper diet. Vitamins and protein are essential for proper hair growth. We have nutritional supplements specifically designed for hair and skin health. Hair Growth Supplements
• Find a style that works with your natural hair type and growth pattern. The less you work against your hair, the less stressed it will be.
• Do not relax your hair until it is bone straight. This is just asking for trouble. Why relax your hair until it has absolutely no body or curl and then put heat on it to try to get that curl back?

Some tools you should have in your kit

• A good shampoo: They will be more expensive. But, they’ll use more gentle cleansers and be more concentrated. You may find they save you money in the long run. And, your hair will definitely show the difference. We offer several.
• A good acidifier (a conditioner with a low pH): Acidifying the hair adds shine and detangles.
• A good hot oil treatment or deep conditioner: It is an all natural based shea butter treatment. Apply the conditioner or hot oil treatment to the hair and scalp, cover with a plastic cap and sit under a dryer for 15-20 minutes. Alternatively, you can wrap your head in a towel. Then wash the hair thoroughly. This is very important for dry brittle hair. We have several here: Hair Repair Products
• A good leave in conditioner or daily moisturizer: This is what you’ll put on your hair after you’ve thoroughly cleaned it to continue to provide oil and moisture.
• A comb for your hair type. Don’t try to drag one of those skinny toothed combs through your natural kinky or curly hair. You’ll just end up pulling it out and breaking it off.
• A good boar bristle brush (use sparingly though)
• A spray bottle to mist your hair
• A scarf, cap, or wrap to wear on your head at night- or a satin pillow case (well, two)

There have been several attempts to define hair “type”. You may ask “Why should I care?” Well, mostly you shouldn’t. But, knowing your hair type can allow you talk with others and research products, styles and regimens that are best for your particular hair. There are controversies surrounding hair type methodologies that use works like kinky, nappy and other words that have less than positive connotations for some people. Other systems use numbers. But, they tend to lump all African American hair into one big category with a few variations. So, how useful is that really? Considering everyone’s hair is slightly different and people can even have different types of hair on their head at one time, categorizing hair is a difficult proposition at best.There are two major systems that seem to be the most popular. There is a system called LOIS that uses the hair shape as the defining hair “type”. For more on LOIS, do a Google on “LOIS Hair Type”. Until many people switch over to the LOIS system, there is the numbering system by Andre Walker. This system is kind of the standard. Frankly, we don’t put a lot of stock into these hair typing systems. They are far from “scientific” or definitive, relying on subjective judgments and just as much as you would be using if you didn’t have a “system”.

The short answer is “no”. You cannot remove a relaxer from your hair. Permanents are called permanent for good reason. If you are considering getting a permanent or putting one in your child’s hair, be prepared to have it for a very long time. To get rid of it, you will have to go through a transition process. But, the hair that is permed will never be natural again.When a perm is put in the bonds in the hair are destroyed. The part of the hair that has been relaxed will always be relaxed. The only way to get rid of relaxed hair is to cut it off or wait for it to break off. Waiting for the hair to break off is not a good transition option. But, some women choose allowing the hair to break off because they are uncomfortable giving up the length they’ve worked hard to get. There are ways better ways to transition from relaxed hair to natural hair. But, removing the perm is not an option.

You should be very careful when finding someone to put a relaxer in your hair. For something as important as choosing a stylist or someone to do major work on your house or car, we like to get first-hand references. If you can, find someone with hair you like and ask her where she gets her hair done. If she lets you touch her hair, touch it to make sure it’s healthy (please ask first!). Talk to the stylist before you make an appointment. Make sure she seems professional and knows what she’s doing. A bad perm is a horrible thing. You could end up with damaged hair, bald or even permanently disfigured. And, remember a perm is permanent. Mess one up and that hair is ruined permanently (until you cut it off).

Before she begins:

• She should check the condition of your hair and scalp before she begins. If your hair is weak or your scalp has any cuts, scrapes or sores, she should not do the perm. A perm on already weak hair can cause your hair to break off. A perm on a scalp that is not healthy can be absorbed into the body and cause problems.
• She should check for allergic reaction and test the perm on a strand of your hair
• She should choose a perm appropriate for your type of hair. Not all relaxers are the same. Some are more reactive (stronger) than others. The stylist should consider- whether your hair has been relaxed before (touch up or retouch), whether your hair has never been relaxed (virgin), whether your hair is colored and whether your hair is fine or coarse.
• She should protect your skin (and clothes) with a cape and or a towel
• She should protect your scalp with a jelly or thick cream

Once she begins:

• Once the stylist starts applying your perm, she should pay attention to your head and not talking on the phone, taking lunch breaks or attending to other clients. Applying a perm requires her complete attention. She should work quickly to avoid over-relaxing your hair and/or burning your skin.
• Retouches should only be done on new growth. This is a common mistake people make when putting in perms at home. I know I used to. Do not keep relaxing the ends of your hair over and over again.
• Your stylist should use a timer (and pay attention to the timer). It’s always better to leave the hair a little underdone than overdone. Even with the timer, she should check your hair continuously.

After she’s done:

• She should rinse your hair very well with warm water.
• She should wash your hair with a neutralizing shampoo. It’s important to use a shampoo with a lower pH to neutralize the high pH of the relaxer. The reason this is important is the pH of the neutralizing shampoo stops the reaction of the lye. Using a regular shampoo will allow your hair to continue to break down beyond the point where you want it to be.
• She should rinse your hair again.
• Before it is dried, she should deep condition the hair
• She should handle your hair gently as she’s drying and styling it.

There are products on the market that call themselves “natural relaxers”. We have gotten many questions about them. After years of research, we finally found a natural hair manageability product we can sell with confidence. But, it is not a traditional relaxer. Read on for more information.The majority of product that pass themselves off as “natural relaxers” are just as potent and potentiall harmful as any “chemical” relaxer. After all, lye is, in a sense, natural. Lye was first produced by running water across ashes. So, don’t let the term natural make you think a relaxer is mild. If its effect on the hair is permanent, if it actually straightens kinky hair and if it instructs you do to things like wear gloves when applying, apply a neutralizer, not apply on chemically treated hair and/or isn’t clear about what its ingredients are, those are red flags that it is harsh, even though it might be “natural”.That relaxer is the Natural-Laxer MIX^TM from Baka Beauty Products. However, the term “relaxer”, in this case, may be misleading. We think that may be why the natural relaxers have gotten a bad rap. The natural relaxer we sell is an all herbal hair treatment. It is kind of an herbal texturizer. It is not a straightener. You simply are not going to get kinky black hair to become bone straight in an “all natural” (as in mild and not potentially harmful) way. What our relaxer does is gradually allow the natural curl pattern to loosen. This causes the hair to be less kinky and somewhat straighter. It also makes the hair softer. Some interesting side effects of this relaxer is that you end up with less tangles, less breakage and the hair is actually strengthened and encouraged to grow by the relaxer. The relaxer also helps prevent reversion of pressed hair. The relaxer works with a cumulative effect. After the first application or two, the differences will be subtle, but noticeable. Over time, the relaxer makes the hair softer and softer. This is an excellent treatment for damaged permed hair, an aid in transition from perms to natural hair or a conditioner/detangler for natural hair.

There is a myth that no-lye relaxers take all the worry out of straightening the hair. Pardon the pun, but that’s a lie (lye). No-lye relaxers are more gentle on the scalp. But, more gentle is relative. No lye relaxers are not without their risks. The FDA (Food & Drug Administration) has received complaints of scalp irritation from no-lye relaxers as well as lye relaxers. The same safety precautions apply to both lye and no-lye relaxers. Lye relaxers contain sodium hydroxide as the active ingredient. With no-lye relaxers, calcium hydroxide and guanidine carbonate are mixed to produce guanidine hydroxide. It’s the hydroxide that makes the relaxer reactive (basic) and the way they work is the same. Both work by being highly alkaline and breaking the bonds in the hair. In fact, many people have reported no-lye relaxers leave their hair more dull and have gone back to lye relaxers. And some beauticians actually recommend against no-lye relaxers. If you’re having problems with scalp irritation using a lye relaxer, you might want to try a no-lye relaxer. But, don’t believe that it’s somehow more healthy for your hair.

Time for a really quick science lesson (keep reading, it will be really quick and painless, I promise). There is a scale called a pH scale. Solutions (liquids) are rated on this scale. It ranges from 0-14. Water is right in the middle with a pH of 7 and is “neutral” (neither acidic or basic). Substances with higher pH are called alkaline, caustic or basic. Solutions with lower pH are called acidic. The farther from the number 7 (either high or low), the more the solution will do in terms of burning or breaking chemical bonds. Something very acidic or something very basic can take your skin right off. The pH scale is a logarithmic scale. What that means is a whole number difference is greater than you might think. A solution that is pH 8 is ten times more basic than a solution that is ph 7. One that is a pH 5 is 100 times more acidic than a pH 7. That’s as far as we need to go for our purposes. End of lesson. Most relaxers, whether lye or no lye, have a very high pH (very near the top of the scale). In other words, they are caustic. A few companies have come out with relaxers that are not caustic. But, that doesn’t mean they are milder. Many have just slid down to the other end of the scale using acidic solutions to do the job.Relaxers work on the same principle as commercial products like Liquid Plumr^® that you’d buy to remove hair from your sink or drain. Relaxers break the hair down. Relaxers work because they break the bonds that actually give strength to the hair. This causes the hair to straighten. Therefore, relaxed hair is, by definition, weaker than natural hair. Relaxers also deplete the hair of sebum (the oil your scalp secretes). Combine that with heat and you can really end up with a problem. That’s why it is of the utmost importance to be careful when putting in relaxers and to give relaxed hair the best care possible.Does this mean we are against relaxers? Absolutely not. If a quality relaxer is applied properly and the hair is maintained properly, your hair can definitely be healthy. However, your hair will be weaker than if it were natural and will be more prone to problems. These problems are not insurmountable as long as you are aware of how to take care of your hair.

Many people have asked us why we don’t sell relaxers. Our policy is that we do not sell relaxers because we think they should be applied by a professional in a salon setting.

What’s different about Black hair? Why do we need different products and routines from people who don’t have “textured” hair? African hair is made of the same “stuff” as non-African hair. The difference lies in the way those components are put together, or the structure of our hair. Hair is made of a strong protein called keratin. The structure of our hair can cause it to be more prone to breakage and dryness. Because of the structure and the potential problems, black hair care needs are different from those for other types of hair. Our hair can have up to twice the amount of “cuticle” or outer layer. This thicker cuticle layer makes our hair more kinky. Kinks make it more difficult for the oil secreted from our scalps to reach the ends of the hair. The kinks are places where brushes and combs can get caught and cause breakage. Using tools that aren’t made specifically for curly hair types can do a great deal of damage. But, keep in mind there is a continuum of hair types.The parts that make up your hair are:

Cuticle: Outer layer of the hair. It is made up of layers of scales which interlock with the cells of the hair’s inner root sheath to firmly anchor it in the follicle. This is a thin and colorless layer. Black hair’s cuticle layer can be twice the thickness of that of white hair.

Cortex: The middle layer. It is composed of cells which are tightly bound around one another. These bands provide the hair with elasticity and strength and are very receptive to chemicals. As a result, they can easily be influenced (or damaged) by dyes and relaxers.

Melanin: is contained in the cortex and is the substance that determines the color of our hair and skin. The more melanin, the darker the hair or skin.

Follicle: This is the name for hair before it emerges from the skin. Follicles are composed of many elements including carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. Healthy amounts of these elements can improve the hairs’ condition and appearance once it emerges.

Sebaceous/Sudoniferous Glands: Attached to the hair follicle are the sebaceous (oil) and the sudoriferous (sweat) glands. The sebaceous glands open and close continuously to release a waxy sebum oil into the hair follicle and onto the scalp. The sudoriferous glands contain many small structures with porous openings leading to the skin. They produce substances which dry on the skin including salts, acids, water and bacteria. If not completely dissolved and effectively removed from the scalp, they can help cause severe itching and dandruff. Thus, the scalp problems some people experience in the early stages of locs.

Especially since most of us are of mixed heritage, African American hair and bi-racial people’s hair can and does vary widely. Even within a single head of hair, there are different hair types. So, there is no one solution for the care of all African American hair. Intuitively, you might think African hair is “tougher” than Caucasian hair and can handle more stress or abuse. After all, it is coarser and thicker. Actually, African hair (especially if treated like European hair) is more fragile than Caucasian hair. For this reason, we suggest using products made especially for our hair, whenever possible. Today, there is a wide range of excellent products made specifically for the needs of African American or Textured hair. Treasured Locks offers a wide array of high quality, reasonable price products especially suited for textured hair types.

This guide is written to give you a little education on biracial hair care and to answer some of the questions we get most often. These tips on Biracial hair care should be helpful in developing a regimen to give you healthy hair. After a short introduction, we’ll move into a question and answer format. To immediately reach the section you’re most interested in, click on the question to be taken directly there.Introduction to Biracial Hair Care
Expectations for Biracial hair
What tools will I need to maintain my / my daughter’s biracial hair?
How do I comb kinky hair? My daughter complains when I comb her hair.
How often do I wash my hair? How do I wash my hair? How do I dry my hair?
How do I condition my hair?
What about deep conditioning?
What should I use to moisturize my hair? How often should I do it?
Should I oil bi-racial hair? How often? What should I use?
What about styling bi-racial hair?
How do I keep my natural ringlets?
How do I control this frizzy, curly hair?
Should I perm or relax biracial hair?
Ponytail tips
Sleeping
I’ve heard I should trim my ends. Should I? Why?
What about hair growth supplements?
Summary

I have written a short general guide called: African and Biracial Children’s Hair Care tips. It’s available on our website. I wrote that guide at the request of many frustrated mothers. We often receive emails from adoptive mothers of African American children and white mothers of biracial children. That guide gives some rules-of-thumb that are useful in developing your own hair care regimen or one for your child. But, I have found that people are requesting more detail as to exactly what to do. They want tips for bi-racial hair care that are more specific. 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 newphews 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 or satin pillow cases
• Spray bottle to spritz hair in case you just want to hit it with some water to comb
• Microwaveable or professional conditioning heat cap

Combing 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.

Tips for Washing 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. I alternate between:

• HumiNature Nothin’ But Nature Shampoo
• SheaMoisture Shea Butter Shampoo
• Treasured Locks H2G Awaken Emu Oil Shampoo (moisturizes and stimulates growth- my favorite!)
• Treasured Locks Huminature Moisturizing Shampoo
• Treasured Locks Free & Clear 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. We do not sell any no-tears shampoos. But, these shampoos can be drying, especially for African or biracial hair care. So, transition to a nice mild shampoo as soon as possible.

Drying 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.

Tips for Conditioning Biracial Hair

Immediately after washing I recommend conditioning with one of these products:

• Treasured Locks Nothin’ But Nature Conditioner
• Treasured Locks Shea Butter Detangling Conditioner
• Treasured Locks H2G Awaken Emu Oil Conditioner

Deep Conditioning Biracial Hair

At least once or twice a month, after shampooing, deep condition the hair. I use one several products:

• Treasured Locks Deep V Conditioner
• Treasured Locks Hot Hair Repair
• Baka Beauty Sahara Clay
• HumiNature Rhassoul Clay

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.

Tips for Moisturizing 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. I use one of these products:

• Treasured Locks Leave-in Spray Conditioner
• Black Earth Protective Mist Bodifier
• Treasured Locks Conditioning Balm
• SheaMoisture Shea Butter Leave-In Conditioner
• Treasured Locks Locks Of Curls Pomade & Gel

To Oil or Not to Oil 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

You can choose from the following products (from heaviest to lightest in order)

• Pure Shea Butter- Treasured Locks sells a premium grade raw Shea Butter
• SheaMoisture Shea Butter Herbal Pomade (contains some petroleum)
• Black Earth Strengthener- (contains some petroleum)
• Treasured Locks Herbal Hair Balm- Shea Butter based with other natural butters and oils. Solid product with a low melting point.
• SheaMoisture Shea Butter Leave-In Conditioner
• Treasured Locks Hair & Scalp Elixir
• Treasured Locks Conditioning Balm
• Treasured Locks H2G Hair Growth Serum- with Emu oil. My favorite.

Repetition

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.

Styling Tips for 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:

• Treasured Locks Curl Tamer- use this on the occasions when you want the hair a little straighter to completely straight. Combined with a blow dryer, this allows me to easily get their hair ready for styles for certain occasions.
• Treasured Locks Thermo Shield- spray that provides protection from heat damage when flat-ironing, using a curling iron or pressing.
• Nubian Heritage Raw Shea Butter Loc Butter- great all natural Shea Butter based loc butter that I’ll use for twists or styles where I want a little more hold
• Treasured Locks Locks of Curls Pomade & Gel- provides hold and moisture in one product. An aloe vera based gel product with Shea Butter oil and other natural moisturizers & softeners. This is great for two strand twists or to hold braids in longer and with less frizzing. Also can be used to work kinky hair into curly hair.

How to Maintain Natural Ringlets in Biracial 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.

Controlling Frizzyness & 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. Other products we offer that help when styling curly and/or frizzy hair include:

• Treasured Locks Conditioning Balm- Treasured Locks Conditioning Balm is a botanically rich, leave-in conditioning and styling balm that straightens and controls curly frizzy hair while, giving incredible shine and manageability.
• Treasured Locks Liquid Silk- A space age blend of silk proteins for redefining any texture hair. Curly hair becomes smooth and shiny.
• Treasured Locks Curl Tamer- just shampoo, towel dry, apply product and blow dry for those days when you want to wear your hair straighter. Fantastic product for biracial hair.
• Treasured Locks Locks of Curls Pomade & Gel- doesn’t eliminate curls, but defines them turning kinks into soft flowing curls or just smoothing out curls and making them more defined. With the proper styling technique, you can get those bouncy flowing curls you see on the stars (instructions are on our website)

Perms and Relaxers for Biracial Hair Care

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.

Ponytail Do’s and Don’ts

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.

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.

Trimming the 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.

Hair Growth and Hair Health Supplements

I use the Treasured Locks H2G Hair Growth Supplement and Treasured Locks H2G Hair Strength Supplement. 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 our 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. We’re available at http://www.treasuredlocks.com.

Peace,
Tywana

If you have very sensitive skin or are allergic to air-borne chemicals, you are probably concerned about the use of fragrances in your products. Basically, there are three alternatives for cosmetic products-

• unscented products
• products scented with fragrance oils
• products scented with essential oils

You should understand the differences between fragrance oils and labeling requirements so that you can be a better-informed consumer of these products.

Labeling requirements

Unfortunately, you are not going to be able to rely solely on labels to avoid artificially scented products. You can buy hypoallergenic alternatives to products, which usually leave out the colorants and fragrances. These often come in smaller containers and cost more. With these, at least you have some hope that you are not being exposed to unnecessary chemicals. In general, all ingredients in a product are required to be listed on the label. But, there are two very large loopholes when it comes to fragrances.

1. Fragrance formulations are considered “trade secrets”. So, companies are not required to list their composition.
2. When a scent is added to a product to “mask” (cover up) the odor of other ingredients, it does not have to be listed. So, if a product would offensive smelling without the additional chemical, the chemical used to cover the offensive smell does not have to be listed on the label.

What we find then is “fragrance free” and “unscented” are very loose definitions. Even when a scent or mixture of fragrance chemicals is added to a product, this can be listed as simply “fragrance” in the United States or “parfum” in the European Union. By law, even if the label says “essential oils”, this does not guarantee that the product does not contain fragrance oils. This is perfectly legal. In our opinion it’s unscrupulous. But, that’s just our opinion. So, you must buy from manufacturers you trust and make sure you ask the right questions. Treasured Locks and HumiNature products disclose, as fully as possible, exactly what we put into our products. If we list something as “fragrance oils” or “fragrance”, we are using a synthetic compound. If we list “essential oils”, we are using only a few pure, unadulterated essential oils. Generally, when we use essential oils, we will list the individual oils.

What are Fragrance Oils?

Fragrance oils can and usually do contain many different components ranging from natural essential oils to purely synthetic compounds. Many perfumes contain more than 100 components. The problem, for those who are sensitive, is there is no requirement to list the compounds contained in a fragrance oil. Many of the compounds are known skin irritants. Most quality synthetic fragrances do include small amounts of organic material to give them the more natural bouquet of natural scents. However, real organic materials, such as essential oils, are usually used in very small quantities because of their expense. Today, there are over 5,00 aroma chemicals available to create synthetic fragrances.

What are Essential Oils?

An essential oil is a highly concentrated and potent extract from plants, leaves, flowers, roots, buds, twigs, rhizomes, heartwood, bark, resin, seeds and/or fruits. Essential oils should be extracted by distillation using either steam or water or by mechanical processing of citrus rinds or dry distillation of natural materials. These methods yield the most pure essential oils. Use of solvents extracts the harder to get essential oil but also leads to the possibility of contamination. Treasured Locks uses steam or water extracted essential oils. Steam or water extraction produces a two-phase liquid. The essential oil floats on top and the water used in the distillation process falls to the bottom. The essential oils are physically removed from the top and the water phase, which is a by-product, is often sold as a hydrosol or distillate water. The use of the word “oil” is a little bit of a misnomer. Essential oils are not oils in the way most people think of an oil. Essential oils come in a variety of colors and consistencies from clear and watery to dark, thick and syrupy. Essential oils contain the true essence of the plant. Essential oils are very concentrated and therefore should be used sparingly. Essential oils are difficult to obtain though and can be very expensive. So, while they can be a good value, the initial purchase might be a little expensive. Also, essential oils can be dangerous if applied directly to the skin. For this reason, Treasured Locks does not sell pure essential oils. If you are going to do aromatherapy though, you want to find a source of pure essential oils and avoid companies that sell fragrance oils. Since fragrance oils do not contain the true essence of the plants, they are usually worthless for aromatherapy purposes. Essential oils are often blended (diluted) with carrier oils for safe use. Common carrier oils include sweet almond oil, apricot kernel oil and grapeseed oil. Essential oils can very greatly in quality and price. For example a quality essential oil might cost four or five times what a cheaper essential oil of the same plant costs. Treasured Locks resists the temptation to buy cheaper runs of essential oils and insists on oils produced using no solvents (other than water) and oils produced from the best sources. For example, we use Rosemary from Spain and Lavender from Bulgaria. Various factors affect the quality and price of essential oils. These include the rarity of the plant, the conditions that the plant was grown under, quality standards of the distiller, and how much oil is produced by the plant.

Summary

Now that you know the difference between essential oils and fragrance oils and the labeling requirements, you can make a more informed decision about the products you buy. But, as you can see, it’s extremely important to buy from companies you can trust because even companies who are complying with the law can put fragrance oils in products without fully disclosing what they are putting in. If you are sensitive to fragrance and/or essential oils don’t hesitate to ask questions of the manufacturer.  We hope you find this article useful.