Basic African Hair Care – Washing

Supplies needed:

1. Moisturizing shampoo and conditioner
2. Shower cap
3. Wide tooth comb
4. Towel

Step One

Wet your child’s hair with warm water. Rub shampoo between your palms and then begin to apply it to your child’s hair. Begin to massage and clean your child’s scalp with the pads of your fingers, not your fingernails which could scratch and injure the scalp. Once the entire scalp is clean, massage the hair to remove any product build up.

Step Two

Rinse, rinse, rinse! It is very important to remove all shampoo and if the hair is thick, this may be difficult. Keep at it until you are sure it is all gone.

Step Three

Apply a deep moisturizing conditioner and then place a shower cap on the child’s head while you finish bathing the child. There have been times when one of my daughter’s hair seemed particularly damaged from pool water that I actually allowed her to eat dinner while still wearing the shower cap to allow the conditioner to penetrate her hair.

Step Four

Remove the cap. At this point you may want to comb through the hair while the conditioner is still applied with a wide tooth comb. If so, begin at the end and work on only a 1/2 or so at a time, gradually moving up the hair shaft. As always, work with one small section at a time and then secure it at the top of the head with a clip once it is tangle free.

Rinse the conditioner from the hair but do not over rinse. The hair needs moisture.

Squeeze excess water from the hair with a towel. Do not rub as it will cause the hair to frizz