Short history of my wavy hair
I used to envy long straight hair of those girls from school and TV commercials. Mine is naturally wavy. There are days that they perfectly crowns my head and I am showered with compliments, but most days they were just frizzy and all over my galaxy. My only solution back then kept them tightly tied up.
Asian's white skin and straight hair obsession
Being an Asian, we grew up believing that in order to be categorized as beautiful, we needed to have "White skin".It ain't just fair skin, but it has to be white as Snow. Our hair has to be long and straight.
So for those born with not so fair skin or even with dark skin tone by birth or due to sun-exposure and with wavy /frizzy or worse curly hair,---You're doomed!
Not only that you will not fall into the good-looking category the
society set, you will be called names too.
Sad to say, these perceptions of beauty doesn't only come from naive kids but from adults and parents as well.
Beauty standard was instilled in our minds earlier than we can remember. Thus it brought forth 'insecurity' in us. We started wanting to change ourselves instead of improving.
If the Internet was readily available back then, I would have known how to take care of my hair to avoid frizz and will never resort to hair relax nor hair rebond when I was in college.
There's endless agonizing cycle after my hair's major treatment;
Hair Rebond
Hair Hot oil
Hair Spa
Haircut due to dry ends
Hair falllllllll
Then the cycle goes on and on.
And that growing wavy hair on top of the head with the odd-looking straight hair from the middle to the ends was so ugly I have to tie my hair in a bun all the time until there's a go signal from hair technicians to undergo rebonding session again.
Fast forward to Present
I now have three lovely daughters.
The hair of my eldest has started showing signs that it will have the same natural curls that I had when I reached her age.
The second little girl has straight hair.
My third is a mixed race baby girl with soft curls.
My mission now is to take care of their beautiful crown naturally, so that they don't have to go through the same dilemma I faced.
Why curly hair is drier compared to straight hair
I want to focus on my third baby's curls.We call her 'Mandy' our little Filipino-Nigerian baby.
She has this beautiful soft curls on top of her head but it isn't as curly as her father's.Some parts are still straight or just wavy.It might be our genes still trying to figure out who will dominate or just share the said area hahaha.
Anyway, my decision to start my research on this was when I noticed that her hair is starting to show dryness on the tips.
Then I later found out that 'Curly hair' is shaped irregularly and the oil has a hard time finding it's way throughout the length of hair because of the bumps and ridges thus causing this issue.
So what can I do about it?
For Now, I would like to settle on the advises I have been collecting from people I know who has curly hair, mixed-race as well, moms of kids with curly ha, r, blogs and our beloved friend Google.
Here's my Top 3 Rule from now on.
Tip 1: Use only conditioner on baby's curls!
- Shampooing a curl can leave it dry and frizzy
- I tried the twice a week even the once a week shampoo sessions and uses conditioner alone on most days but it shows dryness so I'll take this 'conditioner only method'
Tip 2: Use only cotton towel to towel-dry hair!
-This isn't just for curls but for all hair types.
-Regular towel fabric can encourage frizz.
-an old t-shirt would do the trick,check this
-diy head cap from a T-shirt would be better
check this video and skip to 03:45 for the tutorial but instead of old towel use cotton T-shirt for the fabric.
Tip 3: Use essential oil on a regular basis.
-Essential oils has shown its powerful benefits on hair, which can be traced back to our ancestors.
Essential Oils for Waves and Curls
Olive oil
-strength and shine
-penetrates hair shaft
-frizz reduction
-softness
I am currently using this on baby Mandy's curls.
Her curls turns into heathy-looking salad instantly heheheh
Grapeseed Oil
-promotes hair growth
-rich in Vitamin E
-helps in hair loss reduction (antioxidants that block DHT production)
-strengthen the strands
Sweet Almond Oil
-high in vitamins A, B, D and E, magnesium, zinc, potassium and healthy fats
-increases blood circulation in scalp
-makes hair shiny
Avocado Oil
-detangler
-dandruff remover
-highly penetrates the hair
-can be used as leave on conditioner
Castor Oil
-thickening properties
-hair sealant
-scalp stimulant for blood circulation
-detangler
This is a heavy oil and not to mention very sticky to apply.
The key is to use it in moderation.
I am using 2 drops and let them warm up on my fingertips before gently massaging my baby's scalp and hair from root to tip.
Macadamia Oil
- rich in fatty acid which helps fight hair loss and brittle strands
-antioxidants help with damaged hair
-strengthen
-shine
Argan Oil
-protects hair from for salt or chlorine water (Yey, a must-have during summer break)
-helps to treat split ends and frizzy hair
-makes hair shinier,softer and silkier
I am looking forward to be using this on my baby's curls and on my postpartum hair too.
Jojoba Oil
-capable of moisturizing hair and its follicles without leaving any residue. It can help hair cells to reproduce themselves at a rapid pace.
-Promotes hair growth
-helps in treating dandruff
These are the oils that I wanted to collect, personally use it and compare its benefits to one another.
I wanted to take note on how it would react to our different hair types as well.
My biggest mission is to make them realize how beautiful the way God made them.
They do not have to live up to people's standard of beauty.
Improvement and enhancement doesn't mean copying somebody else but rather to the true meaning of these words. Enhancing and improving the beauty that one already has without losing herself in the process.
My children will be taught to glow in their own unique selves.
There is no need for them to forcibly change themselves and be someone else.
All three of them will bloom as they were made by God.
Daughters, be humble, yet walk day by day being yourselves with confidence.
Love, Mommy
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