Spinoff of best hair products for biracial kiddos: Best way to care for curly hair?

[HIU8]

DD has curly hair with big ringlets. I have been letting it grow out. DD is 22 months. I wash her hair nightly b/c she loves to put her dirty hands through her hair during dinner so she has food all through her hair. I have been using For Kids Only Mild & Friendly Hair Wash. Although it washes the food out of DD's hair, it sometimes can leave her hair dry and frizzy. Any suggestions on what to do for curly hair that has to be cleansed/rinsed in some way almost nightly to get the food out of it? Also, DD's hair is still somewhat thin. Is there a leave in product for curls out there that won't weigh down her hair?

[Melaine]

They say it is better not to wash curly hair too often. My hair is thick and curly and only recently have I found the best way to keep it looking healthy is washing no more than 2 times a week.
My DDs' hair is like their Daddy's....SUPER curly and frizzy. We wash their hair at this point once every 5-7 days and it definitely looks better when washed less. It sounds like this product might work well for your DD:
http://www.oopsydaisybb.com/catalog.php?category=1
I've never tried it but I like the idea.
Someone somewhere suggested watering down plain old conditioner and using it as a leave-in spray and that has worked pretty well for us. Combing the girls' hair is a pain.

[citymama]

One thing I have learned - California Baby shampoo/wash does NOT work for curly/frizzy hair. DD's hair is like straw after washing with CA baby. I agree that infrequent washing is the way to go. I use my own conditioner for her after every wash (CA baby detangler doesn't work, but I'll try the conditioner on reading the recommendations in the other post).

[HIU8]

Where can you buy california baby? I'm going to try the no washing except a few times a week and see what happens. I'm praying DD doesn't see fit to put chicken in her hair tonight, but maybe just rinsing it really well will do the trick.

[Melaine]

I have sprayed with leave in conditioner then combed out in a pinch rather than washing.

[HIU8]

Leave in conditioner for children or something for adults? I am so used to doing my own hair, which is extremely curly, but washed daily b/c I run at 5 am and I'm gross afterwards. Daily I use a very mild shampoo and a heavier conditioner so my hair doesn't dry out.

[MamaKath]

Get the book Curly Girls from the library. It has lots of tips and is geared more towards adult hair, but she talks about what ingrediants you DON'T want to put in because it will dry it out and frizz. She recommends using water and a small amount of conditioner as if it is shampoo, then rinsing. Just a teeny bit though or it looks greasy. My dd has beautiful curly hair and she hates it. :( It dries and frizzes really easily.

[fauve01]

Get the book Curly Girls from the library. It has lots of tips and is geared more towards adult hair, but she talks about what ingrediants you DON'T want to put in because it will dry it out and frizz. She recommends using water and a small amount of conditioner as if it is shampoo, then rinsing. Just a teeny bit though or it looks greasy. My dd has beautiful curly hair and she hates it. :( It dries and frizzes really easily.

:yeahthat:
Definitely check out that book; here is a link:
http://www.amazon.com/Curly-Girl-Lorraine-Massey/dp/0761123008/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1239720892&sr=8-1

the author has a web site too. I think somewhere there is a section or message board about kids hari (can't remember though, sorry):
http://www.naturallycurly.com/

good luck!
A

[american_mama]

Ahh, the hair struggles. I know them well. Shampoo less, condition a lot with anything (I find thinner/slippier and cheaper works better) and don't worry about rinsing it out well (or at all). Then try "Shea Butter Oil Moisturizer" by Fantasia, sold at CVS. You can read my description of it in the last post here, plus get ideas from other ladies.

http://www.windsorpeak.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=245215&highlight=oranges&page=2

[HIU8]

I tried a very very light conditioner on DD's hair (put a very small amount in a spray bottle and mixed with water). I spritzed it on my hands and rubbed it into her hair (very small amount). Turns out DD's curls went almost totally limp. I have tried another conditioner (wash and then condition b/c her hair was gross) and the same thing happened. So now I am back to just using gentle shampoo. It was sad. DD's hair is so beautiful with the curls, but it seems to be mixed with wavy to straight parts. Also her hair still seems to be fine and thin (but getting thicker I think), so I figure her hair is still to fine to manage with conditioner. I'm still at a loss of how to handle the frizz that occurs unless I don't care if the curls turn into little waves if I condition.