Friday, January 01, 2010

Hair: Daily Conditioning

[I'm keeping track of Kendi's hair evolution through the blog. I figure I might need to look back on this stuff one day to see what worked and what didn't.]

I really hadn't invested in product for Kendi's hair since she came home, because she had so little to deal with. We have been cleansing once a week with conditioner (only conditioner) since she got home. And I had bought very inexpensive products from Sally's/Target/Wal-Mart to condition her hair with. But none of them were organic or chemical free (I know, big no-no).

By December her hair was feeling super dry and brittle. I took the plunge and bought expensive chemical-free products to try on Kendi's hair (from Curly Q). It was like $25 for a sample pack of 4 different products. I was so excited! We bathed Kendi and did the 4-step process to add in all of the product. Then we followed up with the recommendations for how to apply 2 of the products daily. By the second week I felt very discouraged. I thought this stuff was supposed to work magic?! Maybe Kendi's hair was healthier, but it didn't FEEL any better. It still felt dry and brittle.

Then I read on someone's blog that Walgreen's was having a sale on Organix products. I am so NOT a hair product person, so I had never heard of the brand. But they were good enough for her daughter, and they were 2 for $5.99 (WAY better price than the other products)! I headed to Walgreens. There were a few choices but I ended up buying the "Nourishing Coconut Milk Conditioner." Hmm...now what to do with it? I only wash/condition Kendi's hair once a week in the bath, so this stuff wasn't going to help in that area. On a whim I decided to squirt some into a spray bottle, and add some water (maybe 1 part conditioner to 2-3 parts water), and see what it would do if I added it once a day to Kendi's hair.

BINGO!!! I just spray down her hair once a day, massage it in for a few minutes, wait for it to dry, and her hair is super soft and actually shows a bit of her curls, rather than just fuzz. The pictures don't really tell the whole story, but you can see a bit how it helps. Her fro just looks much more cared for after we do the conditioning.

This is the back: Before
Before the conditioner and combing her hair is seperated and clumpy.After, the hair is more unified, and shows some of her tiny curls.After the hair is wetted down I comb it through. I can actually see Kendi's curl pattern at this point. One day when her hair is much longer she might actually have an awesome set of curls!This is a bad representation of what the front looks like before conditioning. It's sort of stretched out, patchy, and fuzzy. No defined curls.Again, it's very hard to see, but in the AFTER the hair appears shorter. The curls absorb the moisture and curl up tighter than they were before. Her hair is also a lot shiner AFTER.Maybe, a better chance to see her little organized fro, after conditioning.
.At any rate, it's cheap, it takes 5 minutes a day (TOPS!), and it's working wonders on Kendi's hair

5 comments:

Anonymous 9:20 AM  

Another great daily conditioner is from the motowngirl.com website. Mix water, olive oil and a hair conditioner together, shake well and rub it into her hair. We've been using it since our son came home and his hair looks great. Plus, the original supplies I bought (olive oil, spray bottle & conditioner) back in March cost me about $5 and I haven't had to restock yet. :)

Dr. Sarah 12:34 PM  

Anita,

This is great. . .I'm going to check out the organix! I've seen many olive oil products out there as well. . .might try that too.

SJ

frogglet 12:40 PM  

Looks good, I am glad you found a good combination that does not cost an arm and a leg.

Robin 3:43 PM  

Have you also tried sleep caps and/or silk pillow cases? They also do wonders as it helps the hair from harsh wear while they sleep. Grow baby grow! :)

A. Gillispie 4:41 PM  

Abby, I was thinking I want to add some oil in there too. I used to use coconut oil on Bright's hair. LOVE that smell! I might go that direction. Robin, I've tried sleeping caps but Kendi just rips them off so far. I hate that big bald spot on the back of her head. It didn't even show when she first came home because her hair was so much shorter than it is now. SLOWLY it is filling in. Still on the hunt for the Kendi-proof sleeping cap. We have a silk pillow case but she usually ends up without the pillow under her head.