Busy moms around the globe face the same challenge day in day out. Get the kids fed, dressed and content before school all before the crack of dawn. Then starts the process of working on yourself… the struggle is real! Curls Understood™ asked working mom Angie Adams to give us breakdown of how she manages to get her twin girls, Logan and McKenzie, up and out the door every morning with minimal fuss. Here we share some natural hair care tips for moms.
1. You have 2 year old twin girls with two different textures – must make things more fun! How did you discover what worked for each of their hair types?
Before having the girls I didn’t pay too much attention to hair texture and type. In fact, I did not know how much their texture would change from birth to now. The first year of their life their hair was pretty silky and straight (especially Logan), as they entered their second year their curls started to tighten up. Logan’s hair completely changed and became even tighter than McKenzie’s.
That said, the first couple of months of their life I used “newborn” shampoo (I think Mustela) and no conditioner. At around 6 months I began to use California Baby shampoo and conditioner. After they hit a year old, as their texture changed I switched to Fairy Tales. This brand has a great leave-in conditioner and “curly shampoo”.
Now that the girls are 2 and a half years old and have slightly different texture I have incorporated Paul Mitchell’s “The Conditioner” into the mix. This is a thicker leave-in conditioner that my entire family uses. It keeps their hair moisturized, shiny, and manageable.
My tip is to try to find a style for your child that does not create too much stress for their delicate hair and edges and to keep it manageable by braiding it at night so that all you have to do in the morning is tidy up the braids.
2. As a working mom how have you perfected your routine to work for your lifestyle? Any tips for other working moms?
I am always trying different things – especially hairstyles for the work/school week. My goal is to ALWAYS keep their hair manageable so that I do not have to spend a lot of time in it in the AM. I have two, two year old heads to do. My tip is to try to find a style for your child that does not create too much stress for their delicate hair and edges and to keep it manageable by braiding it at night so that all you have to do in the morning is tidy up the braids. I keep it to three braids maximum. If I french braid their hair it will typically last for two days which saves me tons of time.
Lastly, I want to stress that I am a firm believer in making sure that I do not over process or stress their hair. For instance, I do not make their braids and ponytails tight unless we are going out for a special occasion (party, church, event, and etc…). During the week they are at school playing all day and no matter how nice their hair is done before they leave the house it’s a shell of it’s former self when they get home!
3. What are you currently using on their hair?
Fairy Tales Curly or Detangling Shampoo and Fairy Tales Leave-in Conditioner and Paul Mitchell “The Conditioner” for extra moisture.
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4. Do you prefer products formulated specifically for kids or do you mind trying adult hair care products?
I’d prefer to use kid products exclusively (like Fairy Tales), but they are generally formulated for the masses and do not meet all the needs that I currently have. The kick is, kids shampoos and conditioners tend to be more natural and do not burn their eyes. This is KEY!
5. What was the biggest lesson you learned about caring for you daughters’ hair?
As their hair continues to grow and thicken I discovered that after a wash it drys beautifully into a super curly top – but because they are so young it starts to deteriorate by mid-day. Meaning, they begin to pull on it, grab it, get food and dirt in it. This means I can only leave their hair “out” after a fresh wash and expect the style to last for half a day. Therefore, I only do it for special occasions. During the week I usually french braid it or let them wear pigtails.
6. What’s their current hair care regimen?
I/my husband will wash their hair on Wednesday and Sunday nights – this includes shampoo + leave-in conditioner. We rarely deviate from this schedule. My girls are intrigued by their own head of hair, therefore I cannot afford to do it any less than twice a week or it will be filthy!! After a wash I/my husband will create three braids – center part to create pigtails and a back part to create one braid that hangs down toward their back. In-between washes I use a spray conditioner or Hair Milk (Carol’s Daughter) to keep their hair moisturized, but again not too much as I do not want it over processed.
