Braids, Beads, Truth
African hair. Good Hair, bad hair, kinks and curls. Some embrace it. Others disdain it. Some never make any peace with it at all.
Insults have been hurled against it. Cries of indignation raised in defense of it. Mothers and daughters have bonded over it while ancient history passed through their fingertips.
Tears have been shed over it. Countless tears.
Tears on the auction block. Tears in the cotton fields. Tears in the slave cabins as once cherished locks fell into weary hands due to malnutrition, abuse and neglect.
More tears still as the master’s wife punished the house slave by shaving her crown and glory. Tears again as harsh products slathered to make it straighter and therefore more pleasing to the master peeled skin right off the scalp. Lye was never meant for beautiful African hair and skin.
Freedom came but tears remained, for African hair was still scorned by those in power. Anything to straighten it, make it more like them, but it was never quite good enough.
Tears.
Now, at the dawn of the 21st century so much has changed and still so much remains the same. My daughter’s introduction to racism concerning her hair came so suddenly it took our breath away and now the tears are hers.
And mine.
Tears.
It is the dream of this little blog to just for a moment wipe the tears, whisper hope and share a smile by celebrating the crowning glory of Africa’s children.
So come, let us whisper truth while we braid and bead.
WHAT’S NEW AT BBT!
Hi we have a daughter adopted from Haiti. She has been home 2 1/2 mo. The hair thing was going pretty good until swimming came into the picture. She swims in a swim cap and we moisturise her hair twice a day but she is having alot of hair breaking off. Do you have any wonderful tips. I have used up everything I know. I would appreciate any tips you would have. She is a good swimmer I sure don’t want her to have to give it up. Thanks Sharel
I would like to thank you for such wonderful information that you have on your website. Let the truth be told that I am African American and have used alot of your hair information so that I can have a variety of hairstyles for my 3 year old daughter. This information is wonderful!
Also, you are very blessed to have such a beautiful family. I’m glad to see that you opened your home and adopted to increase your family. May God continue to bless you and your family!
We have a 9-year-old daughter adopted from South Africa one year ago. She too is a water baby: the pool, the ocean, the lake… She also has a swim cap which is helpful but not always enough–I’m especially afraid it will get lost in the ocean. I tried covering her hair with Pro-line Coconut Oil (in the little tub with the brown cap) before swimming in the ocean. It’s thick, so I just take fingerfuls and run a thin layer of it over her scalp/parts and twists/braids. It worked wonderfully (shampoo out with warm water in the tub later on). The only draw back is that it contains petroleum and mineral oil (which we usually try to avoid). I’m going to experiment with other thick products (like pure shea butter) that don’t contain petroleum/mineral oil.
Thanks so much for this website! I am a white mother of 2 beautiful bi-racial daughters, both who very much favor their AA side, and have VERY thick tight curls. My in-laws don’t help me out with how to do the hair or what hair products to buy, they just make fun of me when I don’t do it right! So I have no choice but to browse the internet for hair tips, but I must say that I can now do cornrows, singles, and beads quite decently. My daughter is so excited to finally have beads in her hair like all the other girls in school!
I am an african and i hav african hair…im only 11 and my mom wont let meh hav a weave..help me!
im joking i dont need a weave, but i want a cornrow then into braids but i want cornrow at the top BASICALLY!..but i live in crawley..and is straightnin ur har wit hair straightners a good idea for african hair…or is it bad and will brake the haair!!! i need your help and guidence
Kyla,
You know, I realize that you may not be a little girl in need of a braid, but actually a 40 year old white guy in Kansas City who is just messing with me, but just in case you are for real, here goes…
Whether or not you straighten your hair is a personal decision. There is no right or wrong answer. I personally do not want my daughters to use chemicals on their hair while they are young. A friend of mine who is African American and a stylist suggests that chemical processing be delayed as long as possible to allow the child’s hair to get “established”. The thing is, hair changes as we age, whether we are black, white, Latino, or Asian. She feels that it is good to get past puberty if you can, so that your hair can reach a good length and thickness before you put chemicals on it that can damage it.
Now, as far as cornrow instruction…It is a strange day when a white lady teaches a little brown girl how to braid, but I have been needing to do an article on cornrowing for a long time. I plan on braiding my daughters’ hair this weekend, and I will take pictures, and possibly even video for a new instructional article.
Thanks for reading!
Best,
Sherri
Sherri,
I’ve been looking all over the internet for an answer to dealing with fuzzy braids! I have yet to find an answer. My daughter is mixed, I am white and her father is black. Through research I’ve determined her hair is around 3c in texture/curl pattern. She loves to have her hair in cornrows but every time I braid her hair it turns all fuzzy by the end of the day. I cant get that CLEAN braided look. Whatever advice you could pass my way would be greatly appriciated. Thanks very much
Sara
Sara,
When my girls first came home, I really agonized over this issue. Finally, a friend of color let me in on the truth: Some hair types just friz very easily. There are a few things you can do to help.
1. Try mixing just a little bit of hair gel in with the conditioning product you are applying when braiding. Don’t use the gel excessively, because it can be drying.
2. Search around for a good product for cornrows. I say search because I am in the process of searching for a new one myself. The one I loved, is no longer in production.
3. Now, here is my new secret: Use a ceramic flatiron (be sure to follow the directions! You don’t want to burn your child’s hair!) before braiding. The goal here is not to perfectly straighten the hair but to make it easier to braid. This will allow you to grab all of those little hairs near the hair line, as well as enable you to create a cleaner braid which will hold longer without frizzing.
3. Purchase a spray-on hair sheen oil. I do not use this every day, because I do not want a greasy build-up in my girls hair, but I do use it when it begins to get dry. This allows me to moisturize without touching the braids. The more you touch them, the frizzer they get!
4. Are you followng one of the cardinal rules of black hair care? Does your child wear a sleep cap to bed? You have to get one. If not, at least purchase satin sheets. It makes a world of difference.
As a matter of fact, I make my girls wear their caps under their bike helments as well.
Best of luck!
sherri
I have two daughters.The oldest is 11 years old and the youngest is 7 years old.My oldest has a perm and likes her hair braided. I dont have a clue how to braid.She also likes her hair in cute preteen styles. My youngest has deep naturally wavy hair thats thick.Thats how my hair was before i permed it in highschool.I have not permed my hair since Apriland i need tips on going natural and getting my hair back to its natural grade.I also would like simple instructions on how to braid, new ideas for two daughters and tips for me as well.