After the earthquake, when it became apparent Haiti would allow kids in the adoption process to go to their adoptive families, we had some major shopping to do. Kaylin and I headed out one night and picked up winter boots, sneakers, 2 outfits and hair products. I knew there were all kinds of blogs and websites I could look at, but I didn't have the time. So we headed to Sally's and asked the lady what we needed. We both felt super silly. We came away with conditioner, shampoo, detangling spray, and a comb.
The first few weeks the kids were here in Canada, their scalps were a mess. We could not control the scabs on either one of them. So I asked the experts. Black women. They had all kinds of advice for products we should try. And they had styling advice for Gaelle to prevent the scabs. So we bought them and we tried. Nothing worked with the scalps and we ended up shaving Peter's hair down to nothing. That worked.
Robin ended up, on his own with no input from anybody, buying Baby Oil and trying that. I don't know if it helped or it was just coincidence, but the scabs stopped on both of them. So in addition to styling products for Gaelle, we faithfully applied Baby Oil to their heads every morning and night.
We had a ton of hair products and when I finally had time to read some of these amazing hair blogs and websites, I realized why so many of the products that had been recommended to us, just didn't seem to do anything except stick to the hair. Most of these products contain petroleum and mineral oil. These ingredients clog the pores in the scalp and coat the hair surface. They give the hair a sheen and are cheap to make. They do nothing to help protect the dry fragile hair that Gaelle has.
So, I have tried to go with natural hair products. These are much more expensive and more difficult to locate, and not everything works the same on everybody's hair. So here are my product reviews for Gaelle's hair.
Silk Elements Silken Child Extra Moisturizing Conditioner was the first product Kayin and I came home with last January. It's a good product with a great price. I've since found a conditioner I like better but this is what we take to the pool. After swimming, we have the kids stand under the water and rinse, rinse, rinse, their hair, then I coat their hair with this conditioner. We rinse again and that's it.
Silk Elements Silken Child Leave-In Detangler is another decent choice that we can buy from Sally. It works well on Gaelle's hair and is very cheap. I use this when I take out a hair style or if I need some more "help" to comb through her hair. I'm not buying this at the moment but am using a little bit of conditioner if the hair seems tangled.
This is my favorite conditioner for Gaelle's hair. I was thrilled when a local store opened and started carrying Jane Carter products. I bought the Nutrient Replenishing Conditioner and since I started using it I can see a huge difference. Her hair is soooo soft when I take out the old hairstyle and it's so easy to work with. I used to leave the Silken Child conditioner on for at least 30 minutes and then rinse it out and reapply it. There's no need to leave this in the hair. It's just that good.
I've been looking for a styling product that will not leave a gunky residue in the hair and yet will still help hold the style without all kinds of fuzzies. I may not find a product to do this. As I become more skilled at styling and as Gaelle's hair becomes more healthy, her hair will not be as fuzzy. Anyway, I purchased the Twist and Lock by Jane Carter to help me style her hair. The jury is still out. It definitely does not leave any residue but I'm not sure it is really doing anything for the style. And it is very pricey. But a little goes a long ways.
This is not a natural product but I like this enough to use it until it is finished. I won't buy another bottle, but I do think it is an easy way to moisurize the scalp and the hair. Ketty Hair Lotion was suggested by the owner of a Black Hair Salon. She has been especially kind and helpful to us when we go in and so I spray Gaelle's hair with a little water and then put a little of this on the scalp and her hair every night.
Virgin Coconut Oil is one of those products that can be used in a multitude of ways. It is messy because it liquifies at warm temperatures and again, a little goes a long way. I want to use this as a deep conditioning thing. A couple of times, I have taken out Gaelle's hairstyle and left the coconut oil in the hair overnight. However, that just isn't convenient for us. Lately I have been coating the braids and the twists to help me take out the old hairstyle. This works really well for us.
Anyway, that's it for now. Just a few things i'm using.
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