For parents like us, who have a mixed race baby with hair that is VERY different from our own, dealing with mixed race hair can be a huge challenge! At the start, I had absolutely no idea what I was doing and I am still learning every day!
So, what’s the best method for dealing with mixed race hair? There are a number of things you will need to do…
- Find out what type of mixed race hair your child has
- Find which products work best for your child
- Wash and condition weekly
- Follow the three-step routine
- Embrace those beautiful locks!
1) What type of mixed race hair does your little one have?
When finding out the best method of dealing with mixed race hair, you first need to establish what type of hair your child has. Hair texture is broken down into numbers 1 to 4, and letters A to C. The numbers equate to the hair’s curl shape and the letters equate to the size of the curl.
The easiest way to figure out what type of mixed race hair your child has is to separate one strand and gently extend it using your finger tips.
Once you’ve extended it and then released it, what does it do? Does it hang straight like 1a, 1b and 1c? Bounce back in to tightly coiled ringlets like 4a, 4b and 4c? Or is it somewhere in between?
If you’re still struggling to establish what type of mixed race hair your child has, have a watch of this short video about finding your hair type.
2) Find which products work for your child
Now that you’ve figured out what type of hair your little one has, it’s time to start shopping! We wasted a ton of money on hair products before we found the best ones for our little girl! Here they are…
We’ve found that when dealing with our daughter’s mixed race hair, these are the best products! They’re easily accessible on amazon, won’t break the bank and most importantly will help your child’s hair bounce with pride!
3) Wash and condition once per week & dry using a microfibre towel
Wash and condition your child’s hair once per week using an appropriate sulphate free shampoo and lots of conditioner! Then use a microfibre cloth to gently pat dry the hair and avoid any unnecessary breakage or stress on the hair.
By minimizing the number of times you’re washing your child’s hair you are allowing the natural oils in their hair to their job. Mixed race hair and curly hair in general can have the tendency to become very dry, especially when over-washed. Instead of washing the hair regularly, simply let the hair be! The curly girl method also encourages this approach – wash weekly and then follow the 3 step care routine below.
4) Follow the 3 step routine
Cleanse – using a sulphate free shampoo gently wash your child’s hair once per week with warm water.
Condition – this is a very important step! Mixed race hair can be very dry! Use a good amount of conditioner for the amount of hair and gently start on the end of the hair and massage in until the roots. If your child will allow you to, leave this in for 5 – 10 minutes while they play in the bath before you rinse out with warm water.
Style – do not use any form of heat on your child’s hair! Although it can be tempting to run the blow drier through their hair – avoid this at all costs. Instead, use our suggested curly girl approved products to enhance those beautiful curls. After a day or two, you may notice that the curls become slightly frizzy – a simple solution here is to apply a small amount of water to the hair and reapply your styling products.
5) Embrace those beautiful locks
Regardless of the colour, texture or look of your child’s hair, we as parents should be encouraging them to embrace their natural beauty!
Whether black, white or somewhere in between, teach your child self-love and acceptance. Teach them to have respect and pride in how they look and the features of their wonderfully mixed heritage.
Most importantly, teach them that regardless of the colour of their skin or texture of their hair, they are beautiful and brilliantly unique just as they are.
Top reads for our wonderfully mixed children
As teachers, we massively encourage reading, research and constant learning!
We have personally read each of the books below and thoroughly recommend them on the topic of growing up mixed in today’s fantastically mixed world.
The first two books are for you! ‘Half Half‘ is a real eye opener! The book comprises of eighteen essays. Sounds boring right? The essays all confront the challenges of being a part of two very different cultures. The writer speaks through personal experience and offers a real insight for the reader! A must-read in my opinion.
The second book ‘Raising Multiracial Children’ is another fantastic read about the art (and it is an art) of raising mixed race children who are strong, resilient and proud of who they are. It looks at strategies and gives parenting advice on how to talk to your child about issues that may arise as they grow. Another must read!
The second two books are for your little one. ‘I’m Mixed’ and ‘We All Belong‘ both follow characters as they accept and love themselves and others for who they are. Wonderful reads with really positive and affirming messages! I would highly recommend them both!
For more reads on encouraging self love in mixed-race children, check this out ‘Growing up mixed race, happy, healthy and secure’ and ‘How to go about raising resilient children’.
