Help with bi-racial niece's hair?

My sister and her youngest daughter have a horrible time every morning with the daughter's hair. My niece generally ends up in tears and my sister is unsure what to do. My niece is adopted from Uganda and I only mention that as an explanation of why we have no close family with similar hair that could help. The oil that the beauty supply shop provided, similar to what was used at the orphanage, isn't really helping and my sister just aches for her when she has to try to comb her hair and she is crying. In the back of her hair it seems to become matty and tangly near the scalp. Any suggestions or products to try? My niece is begging to have her hair straightened, but we think she's too young (10) for such a chemical process and don't really want to do that either, as that's not really a solution.

Help with bi-racial niece's hair?

I am bi-racial, and this is a really long answer, but I hope it gives you a lot of useful information, so read the entire thing. DO NOT STRAIGHTEN IT!!! That is a decision that she should make when she gets older. I am bi-racial, and I have the same problem. I'm not sure what texture her hair is, my hair is very fine, but your niece may have a thick or course texture. Since combing hair like ours is the hardest part, you should try combing her hair in the shower every morning with leave-in conditioner in it, and then rinsing out the conditioner. Comb it in sections and start from the ends, working your way up, don't just pull straight down because that will cause split ends and make tangles turn to knots. Once you've combed it, you should try using a product from Garnier-Fructis called Curl %26amp; Shine. I swear by it. There is a putty-like version that comes in a small jar and there is also a leave-in conditioning cream. In my opinion, I've been using the putty for about 4 years and I am very satisfied. The conditioner does not seem to last throughout the entire day and leaves the hair way too puffy %26amp; frizzy. Again, I have very fine hair, so if your niece's hair is thick or coarse, it may not work very well for her. If you want to go with any type of permanent straightening, you should try a texturizer, it is a much milder form; but be aware, that once you use a straightening perm or texturizer, your hair never goes back to its original texture and it will likely need to be repeated. If the combing in the shower each morning is too much to handle, you could take her to a salon and have them give her a roller set, a.k.a. wash and set. From here, she could either wear it curly, or have them blow it out straight. This is much healthier for her hair than a perm or texturizer and actually helps condition her hair. She would probably need to have this done once every 2 to 3 weeks and, I'm not sure what area you live in, but you can likely get it done for around $20 or less, at the most $25 or $30, but likely $20. To make this style last longer and look better, you can try applying a spray oil sheen (not grease) or kimi (Kee-Mee) oil. And best of all, with this option, she can alternate the style from natural curls, to silky curls, to straight and bouncy. :) I hope this helps, but please do not use any chemical straightening as I would hate for her hair to be ruined. Oh, 1 more thing, no matter what you choose to do, it is really helpful and prevents breakage if you put a scarf on her hair before she goes to bed, not a du-rag, but a silk scarf whether it is curly, straight, wavy, or anything. This will make it easier to manage when she gets up in the morning (fewer tangles, less frizz, easier to comb).

Help with bi-racial niece's hair?

maybe try the straightening, if she is in so much pain, I'd try anything really

Help with bi-racial niece's hair?

that seriously sucks :[

i'm not sure what it's called, but my black friend Lauries family is from Haiti and they use this kind of cream that makes her hair really soft.

Even though you think she is too young, I say go for it.

Her hair is too tangly, I remember Laurie started permanantly straightening her hair when she was 8..

Help with bi-racial niece's hair?

you should take her to get her hair chemically striaghtened, i know you dont want to be it might be the only option or you could cut it off (some african americans do that) but could it get any worse? take her to the salon and see what they think about straightening it %26amp; or what else they could do with it.

hope this helps%26amp; good luck!

Help with bi-racial niece's hair?

Please don't go for the straightening, it will need relaxing beofre being chemically straightened and is a long process and, in inexperienced hands, may be permamently damaging.

A leave-in conditioner sprayed liberally will help. Do you have access to a supplier of afro-carribbean hair products?

Help with bi-racial niece's hair?

You can straighten her hair w/ out the chemicals. Go get a hot comb and do it. Or better yet take her to an African American salon and ask them to give her a press and curl. That should help.

Good luck.

Help with bi-racial niece's hair?

I'd suggest using a hair texturizer, which is definitely not damaging like a chemical relaxer.

the following website explains what a texturizer is and how it works

http://www.curlyhairsalon.com/texturizer...

hope this helped :-)