Calling all moms of color!

[prettyBamboo]

LydRen606 - I use the Hair Milk (sparingly on my scalp) about every other day...the smell is a bit overwhelming to me, I use the Kizzi hair pomade for my edges for when I wear my hair in a puff or am brusing the edges back a bit ( i personally hate gel) and this stuff seems to work and has a great smell, I also use Lisa's hair elixr on my scalp about every 3 days (a little goes a long way) and I dab a bit on the ends of my hair about every other day (the elixr also works well as a hot oil treatment), the last carol daughter product that I am using is the hair balm which I have found to be my favorite. the Hair balm makes my hair so smooth and definitely detangles it! I too seem to suffer from the "Africa roots" at times but the hair balm really loosens up the coils and makes it a lot more manageable. I haven't tried any other products, I just happened to read the reviews and picked the products that most people seemed to have the best comments about.
I have Kinky, coily, curly hair...mostly curly in the front but my goodness the back is very kinky-coily. I haven't tried the virgin coconut oil....I will have to try that. I swear by shea butter! I love it on my belly mixed with a bit of olive oil and the same mixture works good in hair too but I havn't been using it because I wanted to see if the carols daughter products exclusively would make a difference. I will have to try the shea butter on my lips....I have the worst chapped lips too!
When is your due date?

[jcrane45585]

Hello Everyone! This is my first post so I am not yet acquainted with all the forums that the website offers, but this seemed the most appropriate. I am White and American Indian, my husband is Black, and our son, Hadrian, is a beautiful mixture of all of the above. Therefore, we often have a hard time styling his hair and finding products that work well with the texture of his hair. My long curly hair reaches my waist. I haven't had a cut in almost three years. My husband describes his hair as 'good hair' (whatever that means) and keeps a short cut. I am a fan of natural hair (i.e. braids, dreadlocks, twists, afros, etc.). My husband and his family think that Hadrian should keep a short cut. After two years of a short fro of medium size curls, I finally caved in. He got his first haircut by the same barber that cuts his Daddy's hair with the same clippers. Hadrian shocked me with his attitude. He hopped up in the chair and said proudly and matter-of- factly: "Hadrian get a haircut!" He continued to behave well until the edge-up. We literally had to hold his head in a semi-stagnant position while he jerked about and cried hysterically. I have never had an edge-up. Does this hurt?
Anyway, after this ordeal I decided that haircuts were just $15 worth of public humiliation and uneven side-burns. His hair is growing back out now, but my husband's family often makes nasty and hurtful comments about his 'nappy half-breed hair' (for some reason they think this is funny) and my lack of expertise in hair care. My family thinks that a short cut is more approachable. I had no idea that hair could be such a racially-divisive issue. I would never criticize a baby's hair or attempt to downgrade a parent for their choices. I am coming here for advice, because the endless array of opinions elsewhere are often demeaning. Assuming that it is my right as a parent to decide what is best for my son until he reaches an age where he can do so himself, what are the best products and styling tips for natural looks for bi-racial kids? And what is the best way to dodge the 'advice' of bossy family and friends?

[rabuali1989]

For me what I have experienced after I had my first baby was that my facial hair is more visible now, I waxed and now I just bleach it, is there another alternative to removing facial hair or just making it not noticeable. Now my hair is another story after 3 months my hair is now falling out when I shower and when I brush it I did cut it a month after the baby was born but not soon after that my hair started to fall out and I tried plenty of things and nothing worked what should I do?

[LydRen606]

rabuali1989 - You may want to try Vaniqa - it'a a prescription med that removes facial hair. Mind you, when you use this type of cream, it usually irritates the skin some at first (i.e. redness, irritation) before it gets better. You could also consider laser hair removal but if you are a woman of color (basically any race other than Caucasian), you run the risk of hypopigmentation (lightening of the skin), hyperpigmentation (dark spots on the skin), burns, and scarring from the laser. If you choose to go that route, be sure it is a DOCTOR (not a drive-thru laser center where an assistant or a nurse is doing the laser) who is properly trained to treat ethnic skin. People often complain of melasma during pregnancy when their skin darkens, well my face has become lighter. I look like Louie the Lightening Bug but I don't worry with it. Hope this helps you.

jcrane45585 - Good luck in dealing with your "Outlaws" (i.e. critical inlaws. It's unfortunate that they are criticizing you about your son's hair rather than trying to help you. I wish I could offer you some good advice, but it really depends on how you would want to style his hair. If you want to keep the curls, you could probably use some Children's hair care product lines but if you want to use natural products, you could also do some research on-line on biracial hair care. I have recently decided to go natural, so I myself am playing trial and error with hair care products. Virgin coconut oil works wonders on hair, so that may be something to research too. You can buy it at walmart in the cooking oil section for about $5+. It smells wonderful! It's a very soft solid but I heat mine slightly in the microwave to make it a liquid. In the summertime, it will usually stay a liquid form if your home is humid or you may put the jar outside. Sometimes, I put the oil on my scalp even in a solid form and it melts from your body temperature. If your son has soft hair, he will require very little of the oil... rub a dime size in your hands and then rub your fingers thru his hair. There's some good stuff on the internet and you-tube about coconut oil.

prettyBamboo- thanks for the advice. I'll have to try some of your tricks. I'm due June 15th and we are having a boy.

OK ladies, it's been real. Keep the blogs coming... I really enjoy reading them. I think this will be a popular blog as there's just not much out there for skin and hair care for women of color, and especially pregnant women of color... our skin and hair requires REAL TLC!

[cacf]

The Coalition for Asian American Children and Families (CACF), the nation's only pan-Asian children's rights organization, invites you to celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month with us!!

CACF's Children's Book Reading Fundraiser will be held Saturday, May 22th (5:30pm to 7:00pm) at The Children's Museum of Arts (CMA), 182 Lafayette Street between Grand and Broome Streets.

Author Michele Wong McSween will read her new book from the "Learn Mandarin with Gordon and Li Li" children series, which will be followed by a book signing and arts and crafts activities. The suggested minimum donation is $10 per person and $30 for a family of 4. Proceeds will benefit the Coalition for Asian American Children and Families. Please come and invite friends!

For more information see our attached flyer or visit: http://www.cacf.org/

[AnactualDAD]

HEY your magazine has no DAD section WTF doesn't it take too or do you guys just don't think men are parents. Hello I expect to see DAD section writen by DADs in your up coming issue don't be a bias media group.

[crystele]

I have really enjoyed Mixed Chicks products for my "mixed up" hair. It is now carried in a decent number of salons nationwide but is also sold online. As someone whose hair has stylists saying "you must be mixed" after their initial exam there is a lot of difference in hair and keeping it healthy.

[laurenkorn]

Do you feel that there are specific challenges when it comes to parenting a tween of color?
Seeking Tween & Parent Writers for New Web-based Newsletter: We are seeking families with kids aged 8-13 to contribute journal posts and/or articles to a new web site that will
be targeting parents of kids in this age group. We are looking for families with kids who are interested in writing and can express themselves honestly and openly and share their daily experiences and perspectives. The families whose content is published will be paid for their work. If you are interested in applying to become a journalist, please email journal@8to13.com to receive an application.

[liz_santos@ymail.com]

I went to go enter my son in the baby contest and the year does not go to 2010 it goes 2001 2002 2003 than year helloooo can someone please fix this

[StarMom]

I have natural hair. I put olive oil and water in a spray bottle and moisturize my hair that way. Plus a hot oil and conditioner treatment at least every 2 weeks.