Daily Conditioning

This topic is by far one of the most difficult to tackle (or should we say detangle), only because with babies, you have to be so careful that what you use is gentle enough for a baby. Of course, when you have a fro-baby, the other concern is whether what works for non-fro babies could work for fro-babies too!

The answer is sometimes yes, sometimes no. Don't get me wrong (before you go calling ACS), I don't use my child as a human guinea pig! No really! :D I simply don’t believe in continuing to use the same thing if it’s not working. If it doesn’t work—try something else! That said, we were relatively fortunate to find some products early on that work great for her hair. Below I will list my current faves, as well as product recommendations from friends and family.

Earth Mama Angel Baby Angel Baby Oil - Light oil, sold as massage/skincare oil, primarily comprised of grape seed and jojoba oils, both of which are good for the hair. Gives definition to baby-fro curls and completely prevents and eliminates dryness. Pump bottle makes for minimal mess. (Side note: I also use it on my own hair for dryness and the occasional “hot oil” treatment. It’s great!)

Rave: I really like this one because you can apply just a drop if baby’s hair is not too dry, and not have to worry about baby’s hair being too oily, or you can apply a whole squirt if baby’s hair is really dry, and it moisturizes it right away and smoothes out any frizzies or knots. It helps give fro-baby curls definition and sheen and makes the hair look really healthy. Although it is all-natural and has a “natural oil” scent to it, it is not fragranced and the scent is very light.

Noodle and Boo Conditioning and Polishing Mist: Surprise, surprise! A good leave-in for fro-babies! I will never forget the excitement the day my mother bought “Johnson’s No More Tangles” and the disappointment when I found out that the tangles had survived. It just wasn’t enough to tame the savage beast that was my Chaka Khan fro. Back to Noodle and Boo. I was skeptical, but curious, because I’d heard good things about the product line. Apparently the product was developed by a mom of babies (from the picture on the front of the bottle I’m assuming they are not fro-babies) with very sensitive skin, so it is supposed to be good for babies like Georgia who can’t use just “anything.” It has a wonderfully sweet smell, too, which if you’ve been reading closely, you know I’m a sucker for.

Rave: Releases tangles in Georgia’s hair instantly. This smoothes out her hair enough to make parts (Gotta love the parted baby-fro), tame it enough if I want to clip it (which I never do) or just let her fro fly free without being dry, frizzy, or tangled. The nice fresh scent is an added bonus, and does not conflict with the above-mentioned hair oil.

Other recommendations:

Since what we have going is working pretty well for us, these are not products I have tried, but I have heard good things about:

California Baby Calming Hair Detangler: Similar to Noodle and Boo, it is not a Fro-baby specific product, but seems to do well on curly fro-baby hair.

Carol’s Daughter Hair Milk: My husband actually uses this on his ‘fro, but one day when I was in the store going to buy it for him, I overheard a mom raving about how nothing else worked for her little toddler fro-baby except this product. Although we haven’t used it on Georgia *yet,* I’m familiar with the product because I used it myself and my husband uses it now. The product consistency is more liquid than cream or lotion (hence the name). It has a natural product “no fragrance” scent, but is pleasant. It’s a moisturizer, light holding agent and sheen product all in one. As Georgia gets older and her hair gets longer, this will definitely get a test-run.

Curly Q’s – Don’t know anyone who’s tried it, but it’s an entire hair product line designed specifically for fro-babies and fro-kids, so we gotta shout it out! If you use it/have tried it, I’d love to get a review!