My Child's Hair Stopped Growing - Another Reason Besides Breakage

My child's hair stopped growing.  
I hear that very often.

I wrote about this before, but elsewhere and never posted it here. Decided to share it with you all.

When I first started my daughter's hair journey, I thought the same at one point because it seemed as though her hair stayed stuck in one length for a while.  I thought it was because her hair was breaking. But her ends were always healthy.

Many of us who are currently on a hair journey went through the phase where we thought that the hair was not growing.  And many of us learned that the hair will always grow, it's just that maintenance and length retention was key to keep what has grown out of the scalp. 

But hair does grow unless there is an underlying medical condition hindering it.  We have to remember that the oldest part of the hair are the ends and we need to take care of it more. When the ends are not taken care of properly, it will slowly break off as fast as it is growing from the scalp.  Making it appear that the hair is not growing.

But what about our kids whose hair we take care of religiously?  We follow every routine in their hair regimen, moisturize every night, deep condition...etc.? But it seems as though he or she is stuck at one length.

The hair is still growing.  But with children....let us remember that they still go through a growth process and go through growth spurts as well.  As they grow taller, their height can take away from the length of the hair.

Being adults, we stop growing taller at around a certain age.  We stay the same height from then on.  During our hair journey, we will see the length fall at certain points on our bodies as long as we maintain it to retain it. 

My daughter is currently 10 years old. Her hair length has been toggling between below waist and tail bone length. It is not a big issue for me because I know how we have been working to maintain her hair length.  She is getting taller so I do not make her hair length an issue at this point.

In keeping track of your child's hair growth progress, I recommend that measuring the length of the hair, than to rely on where it sits on their body is better. Here are also factors to consider, your child's hair growth rate as well.  Side note: personally, mine grows less than half an inch per month.

Despite that, it is still important to continue to the healthy methods you have been using on your child's hair.

*Washing/Conditioning
*Cowash more and shampoo only as needed
*Combing from ends to roots with a wide tooth comb
*Moisturize the hair ends often or as needed
*Using Oils on the scalp to help promote healthy hair growth
*Using the LOC/LCO Method to help with moisture
*Avoid too much tension when braiding/styling
*Keep moisturizing and using protective styles to protect the hair ends and retain length
*Try not to use too much hair accessories with metal connectors or pieces that can snag the hair
*Using a satin scarf around their heads or have them sleep on a satin pillow case
*Try focusing on the health of your child's hair and the growth will be an added bonus
*Measure the hair instead of relying on where it falls on the back will protect youfrom discouragement & disappointment.
*KEEP YOUR CHILDREN HEALTHY!!!!! EAT RIGHT, STAY ACTIVE & TAKE VITAMINS!

Thanks for reading!

My Natural Hair Journey So Far

It has definitely been a while!

Making my story short, family was my priority during the past few months. Always been a priority, but focusing on the children, academics and activities.  Although I have been active on Instagram, that was an easier way to quickly post and keep it going.

Blog posting and Youtube, I scaled back on it for a while. But I thank you for your support on the other social media outlets I am on.

The only thing I want to say is that I have been loving my hair. The natural journey and my tapered hair cut.  I plan on letting it all grow out next year, but for now, I wanted to enjoy a certain look. And that look has been my signature look for a while. The tapered afro. 

I can no longer call it a TWA anymore because I do have about 6-7 inches on the top of my head.

I do see the barber regularly for my cuts and he has been great every time.
When I decide to completely grow it out, I will share the news. But for now, I'm enjoying this ride with this look and the fun I'm having with it.

I will be sharing my twist out techniques and new hair regimen as well once that is in place and organized. It hasn't really changed much from when I was relaxed.

I will share more soon. But for now, a pic of my healthy hair journey so far.  Stay tuned.

Got My TWA Tapered and Love It !

The Process of Getting My Hair Tapered

This past Sunday, I went to a barber shop and got my hair tapered.  The afro was cute, but the tapered look was more me.  When I called the barber shop, I was already armed with some photos.  Luckily the barber also cut/shape-up women's hair on a regular basis just as he does men's hair.  He told me to wash my hair, put no product and blow dry it out.  And do not cover my head so I don't press my hair down. That way, he doesn't have to pull on my hair so much when he combs it out and he can get a more precise cut. 

When I got there, I was not nervous but so eager to sit in that chair.  I kept staring at the photos that I had screenshots of.  10 minutes later, I finally sat in his chair and he hooked me up lovely. 30 minutes later, I was done. He told me when I wash my hair, it will shrink up and I will see the actual look I was going for.  I went home, cowashed and was extremely pleased with the results as it started to get into it's "natural" state. 

I decided that I may keep the sides and back tapered for a while and let the top grow out.  I love it, it is fun and new.  I also can't keep my hands out of my hair either!  I am loving my hair and it is going to be a fun journey although I have to go through this "trial and error" phase with hair products.
 
Thanks so much for reading!

After The Big Chop - Newly Natural

Hi lovelies!  I finally posted my video on my reaction after doing the Big Chop and cutting my transition process short.  Also in the video, I did not style my hair at all so you can see what it looked like after I big chopped.  I did not want to scramble and try to make it look pretty for the video, I want you to see the real deal.  I always want to be realistic with what I present.  At the end of the video, I had a little more hair cut.  Enjoy!


Thank you so much for watching!

Blow Drying The Hair Using The Tension Method

How I blow dry my hair, this video was recorded WEEKS & WEEKS ago. I was 8 weeks post at the time. Finally sat down and edited it. I don't like long videos and try to keep them under 6 minutes. This one is under 4 minutes long & straight to the point. Enjoy!

31 Weeks Post Relaxer - Transitioning Hair Regimen

31 Weeks Post Relaxer!  
This is not an easy hair journey at all !!!! 

Especially when you are transitioning to natural, relatively speaking.  Not only do I have to deal with my relaxed hair on my head, but also the several hair types/textures of my new growth.  So I have about 3 different hair textures/types of natural hair....and let us count the straight relaxed hair at the ends!

31 Weeks Post Relaxer

 

My hair journey has been a frustrating one.....from time to time.  I knew it was not going to be simple and easy.  I noticed that I experienced a lot more tangles with the RELAXED hair as my NATURAL hair grows longer. The areas that were the worst were the relaxed hair that was attached to the tighter natural hair strands.  I do have rough times with it.  I am not going to give you a fairy tale story on how perfect it is, because it is not.  But I have been managing so far with so much patience.

I definitely look forward to seeing what is in store for me when I do become fully natural.  I've been there and done that with my relaxed hair journey as I mentioned before and in video.  I am currently and still MBL (mid back length); the longest hair length I have ever been in my life.  The longest prior to that was APL (arm pit length) which was pre hair journey, pre-haircut in 2007.  I was going to try for WL (waist length) as I transition, but right now, I do not feel that there is a point.

As far as my new growth, when I comb through it with conditioner, it is absolutely a joy to deal with.  Goes through so smooth and....wow!!!  But when it comes to the relaxed hair at the ends, it tangles up so quickly.  Combing the new growth which has a spiral pattern to it will twirl as you comb, causing the straight hair attached to it to twirl simultaneously.  As a result, the relaxed hair latches onto the other straight relaxed hair.  Does that make sense? I do hope so...  But that is what I have experienced at times if I do not use enough conditioner to give it that "slip".  And it happens combing from the bottom up because all of the hair is not the same.  But with patience and due diligence, I manage well.

Hair shedding? Normal shedding for me.  I was shedding more about 16 weeks post.  But since, it has subsided a lot. 

Breakage? Some breakage, not much to be concerned with.  I have been keeping up with my protein treatments, deep condition and handled my hair with as much gentle care as possible.

Thinning? My relaxed hair looks thin when it is wet compared to the natural hair.  Looks like I am holding on to "thinning" hair when it is not really thin.

Edges? My edges looks good.  I keep them moisturized and I smooth them down with a scarf and hands as much as I can.  So much less use of a brush.  If I do use one, it is a very soft brush.

Hair Regimen?  I have pretty much kept the same hair care routine/regimen as I have always done when my hair was fully relaxed. 

* I part my hair in 6-8 sections. 
* I detangle with conditioner and oil.
* I wash in sections and in the shower as the hair is still in its' down position.
* I do protein treatments every 6 weeks using the ApHogee Protein treatment.  That is to avoid breakage at the demarcation line (where the relaxed and new growth meets).
* I have been clipping/trimming my ends each month.  A little less than half an inch, to avoid having split ends traveling up the hair shaft.
* I cowash more than I shampoo, same as I did before. 
* I keep my hair styles very basic, loose buns, sock buns, loose French Braids, or a simple ponytail pulled to the side or back. 
* I still moisturize!

With the exception of the hair relaxer being removed from my hair regimen, here are the minor changes.  Keep in mind that as I gain more natural hair, some things will change.  But so far, so good, I have been able to stay consistent with most of my products for now.  I moisturize my new growth and ends a little more than before and that seems to keep my hair feeling and looking healthy.

Some changes:

* I started doing the ACV (Apply Cider Vinegar) Rinse on my hair when I only see build up. The ACV rinse is a good way to clarify to remove product build up.  It is natural too. 

* And I also use Aloe Vera Gel to smooth my edges too.

* I have also been using the S-Curl "No Drip Activator" to spray my new growth.  It works beautifully and helps my natural hair "pop".  For me, it doesn't leave so much build up, which I actually expected at first, but I do not use a lot of it in the first place.

Here is the link to view my current regimen.  So far it has been working for me.
Transitioning Hair Regimen

Thanks so much for reading!

Stretching Hair Without Heat - "Banding Method" Video

Want to be able to manage your child's natural hair? Especially when he/she has so much shrinkage? Here's a video on one of the ways I stretch my daughter's hair without using heat. The "Banding Method."

My daughter has major shrinkage and I think it shrinks about 75% when completely dry in it's natural state.  It is challenging and frustrating to manage at times.  Most of the time, I stretch her hair after washing it to make it more manageable to work with.

There are several was to stretch the natural hair without heat.  I share one of them in this video.  This video was also narrated by my daughter, MadiMel since it is about her hair.  Please support her, she wants to do her own videos with my help!  Hope this video is helpful!

Here are the items we used in the video.  You can get them at a local beauty supply store or Sally's.  There are also online websites to purchase hair accessories.

The hair bands were purchased at a local beauty supply store.  
They look like this: Hair Bands & Shower Comb

Thank you so much and God Bless! We'll chat soon!

FAQ: "Should I Relax My Child's Hair?"

Before I get into why I did not or have not relaxed my daughter's hair, let us address the title to this blog post first.

When is a good age to relax a child's hair? I can not tell anyone that. That course of action is entirely up to the person. But I will say this, If you are not educationally ready or prepared to care for relaxed hair, do not do it.  If your daughter is not mature, is not responsible and old enough to understand what you have learned about caring for relaxed hair, don't do it. If your reasons include relaxing the hair to be a quick fix and a resolution to all, don't do it.

Just because there are relaxers marketed for young girls does not mean it is okay for them.  But consider the care after the relaxer treatment.  Plenty of times I have seen thinned out, severe breakage around the edges and matted hair on young beautiful girls.  It is obvious that the hair was not maintained or cared for properly.

No matter what you do with any type of hair (natural, relaxed, texturized); education, proper care, knowledge and understanding lead to a successful hair journey.

I have been on blogs, forums and facebook fan pages geared to children's hair care.  On several ocassions, the questions from mothers/caregivers wanting to relax their daughter(s) hair and should they comes up.  I have also received the same question a few times, although my daughter's hair is natural. The question is, Why? And I am not asking the question as to why do you want to put chemicals in her hair, obviously there is more to it.  But what are your reasons behind wanting to relax your child's hair?

Here are the reasons I have seen with the question above:

* It will save me time.
* It will be easier to manage the hair.
* It will show my child's hair length.
* It looks better.
* My daughter's hair is so "nappy". (I cringe at the word nappy.)
* Styling is easier with relaxed hair.
* She cries when I style her hair.
* I don't like her hair texture.
* I don't understand why her hair is not like my family's hair.
* The children at school make fun of her hair.
* She wants to be like her friends.
* Her father complains on how the hair looks.
* I want her to be like her friends.
* My family feels that she needs it.
* She is the only/few girls that are (insert racial background here) with afro hair and her classmates have straight hair.
* My friend's daughter's hair is relaxed and it is beautiful.
* My daughter cries because she feels different from every one.

These are just a few I have seen. Just a FEW! My thing is, the reasons above will be relevant to the person and makes sense to them...maybe not to me nor to you.  I know some of you are saying that some of the reasons are shallow.  But to the person, the reasons may be shallow...but valid, emotional or thoughtless to some. But it is what they truly feel, because they have to deal with their own situation at hand.

If you relax your child's hair, are you ready to care for it the way it should be cared for?  Did you do research to see what relaxed hair needs?  Did you consider how it will affect your child's developing scalp? Are you relaxed yourself, with a beautiful head of hair and plan on taking your daughter with you to get her hair done too (extra $$ spent)? Are you going to teach her how to care for it?

Now let us briefly talk about me.

My daughter, MadiMel, as you all know, has natural hair.  Am I planning to relax her? No.  Has the thought crossed my mind? Yes, before I started her natural hair journey (when mine started). I had my goal set on relaxing her hair when she turned 8,9 or 10 years old. My reasons were: Her hair was coarse, it was challenging to manage, thought it would look cute.  Basically, I just wanted to relax her hair and keep it moving.

Since she was a toddler, my train of thought was, How can I care for her hair now before I start relaxing it?  And guess what, I learned and conquered.  Since I educated myself and researched, there was and is no need for it.   It completely changed my mind about doing it at 8, 9 or 10 years old.  I just won't any more and you can see why.

And yes, she just turned 8 years old. I feel that she is young now and does not need it since I have done research to care for her natural hair while she was and is young.  She is extremely active, sits upside down to watch a show or movie, cartwheels, flips...she is too active.  If she decides to do it when she is much older and can afford it, I will share my techniques because I have been doing a decent job with my own relaxed hair.  She is currently learning how to care for her natural hair and she may just stick with it into her adult years.

Things to consider when relaxing your child's hair (some reiterated):

* The child's age
* Scalp sensitivity to chemicals
* Breakage if not cared for properly
* New growth
* Dryness
* Maintenance
* Time
* Knowledge is key, but will you put in the effort
* Money

Think about the things I mentioned above, before you make a big step as to relaxing your child's hair.

What other things would you say to someone who wants to relax their child's hair?
(Please be respectful within your comments below :-) )

"That's That Stuff I Don't Like" (Hair Bloggers Edition)

The lovely Tathiana, the blogger of My Pound Cake, came up with an idea to do a bloggers edition on stuff that we don't like.  Many of you may be familiar with several YouTube Tags on the same topic sharing their pet peeves.  This should be fun and tell me if you share any of my pet peeves! 

That's That Stuff I Don't Like....

1. I do not like the phrase "mixed hair".  Everyone has mixed hair because of the several hair types we have on our head.  What is mixed hair?  I thought we all, as a human race have straight, curly, kinky or tightly coiled hair.  Maybe, SOME people who are biracial tend to fall in a category with a certain hair type, but to me, it would not be "mixed" hair.  Then I'm mixed since I have 4 gazillion hair types on my head.

2. I do not like when a product worked on my hair and it made it look amazing!  Then next time, it makes my hair look like crap, even if I used it the same exact way.

3. I do not like to spend a lot of money on hair products. I am one of those who will pick up the product, check out the price, look at it and start thinking of all my uses of the products.  I go through a mental list of 100 reasons why I need it and a list of 5 reasons why I do not.  I put it back down on the shelf, walk away. Then I charge down the aisle to find myself picking it up again, to get to the register and tell the cashier that I will not buy it while he/she is ringing up my purchases.

4. I do not like when I get questioned by cashiers for the hair products I purchase, such as VO5 and/or Herbal Essence's products.  "I thought that was only for white people..." Yes it does work for many of us too!

5. I do not like negative comments from people I know who thinks documenting my "hair journey" is silly and pathetic.  But then come to me later for hair advice.  I'll let you guess if I actually help them.

6. I do not like after I do my daughter's hair, she complains about the way just ONE twist falls over her head. 

7. I do not like when I get comments that my hair is long because my mom has long hair and therefore my daughter will also have long hair.  Hair length is not hereditary. There are many who never had long hair in their families, but acquired long hair because of their healthy hair journies.

8. I do not like when I have no clue what to do with my hair, especially if I am going out with friends or my husband. I want to look hot!

9. I do not like RANDOM people touching my hair, I do not know you, so kick rocks and bounce.  Do not just ram your fingers into my scalp without even having the audacity to ask.  Last time someone did that, her hand was smacked hard...and it happened in church too ;-)!  Don't bother to touch my childrens' hairs too...we are going to fight!

10. I do not like when I am told that I do not look Haitian because my hair is long...and that Haitian people have short, brillo pad looking hair.  Stop watching TV all the time and believe everything you see.  Black people all over the earth come in all colors of the spectrum along with different types of hair.  Everyone is beautiful!

That's That Stuff I Don't Like...

I originally started tagging bloggers, but consider all of you tagged, especially if you are a hair blogger!

What's the stuff that you don't like?

Daughter's Hair: A Natural Hair Journey

Hey All!

A lot of you are familiar with my daughter, MadiMel who has very coarse hair and the length of her hair is almost down to her waist for her current height. 

For those of you who did not or do not know, I started my daughter, MadiMel's natural hair journey at the end of 2007.  This was when my sister in law told me about Fotki, a photo sharing site, where so many women documented their hair journies and share information.  I became fascinated and fell in love with the idea of taking care of our own hairs since I was on my own healthy hair journey.  It also meant that I would be saving so much money in the process!  Prior to MadiMel's proper hair care routine, I did so many things to her hair that probably would have made her scalp length right now.  We are talking about the use of Vaseline, tight rubberbands, hard brushed, bands with metal prongs, etc.  But I was left with was dryness and and damaged edges and ends. I was using Johnson & Johnson's baby shampoo to wash her hair.

 

MadiMel was born with a full head of curls and over time they started becoming dry as her true texture starting coming through.  At first and prior the major hair care change, I was using Johnson & Johnson's Baby Shampoo.  I changed her shampoo while looking at some of the natural sisters regimens on Fotki.  Added natural oils to her routine and moisturizers.  I started to incorporate healthier techniques....after a while, I noticed that her hair started flourished.   I rarely used the rubber bands, I learned a technique to comb her hair, I learned to cornrow and most importantly...I learned more about patience. I always say that if you have patience, you waste less time than if you rushed.

 

I felt that it was also important to start her healthy hair journey too since I was on my own.  As she grows and matures, she will in turn learn techniques until she cares for her hair completely on her own.  But for now, my stance is to let her see what I do with her hair so she can be armed with knowledge.  

 

I will have future posts about her hair journey, techniques and styles!  Stay tuned for more of MadiMel beside myself of course!

Watch our video I posted today!