African-American hair presents styling challenges that white children and their families rarely have to deal with. Depending on the attitude and values of the family, this can be perceived as undesirable or awesome. (Hopefully awesome!) It’s always best to handle grooming issues in such a way that the self esteem of the child in question is never damaged.
Children are individuals, and no two children are alike. Some girls are tomboys, some are princesses, and some girls are a combination of these two types. It is very important to come up with a style for a little girl that is flattering, attractive, and easily maintained.
Because children tend to have problems sitting still, hot combs, curling irons, and flat irons should most likely be avoided. There are just too many ways a child could cause injury to herself – it’s better to be safe than sorry.
Among the choices available for children are the following:
Absolutely natural. No products, no chemicals. Just hair the way God made it. This is a good choice for young boys or older girls who are very secure about how they look. This is best for girls with oval faces.
Of course, there are other options for girls – cornrows, braids, flat-iron straightening, etc. These options require sitting still for an extended period of time – most children just aren’t up for that. There’s nothing worse than trying to deal with a child’s hair while that child whines, cries, and fidgets.
Then, there is the option of chemical straightening. It’s important to remember that every child is different, and that most kids cannot sit still for a chemical treatment to be administered. Oftentimes, children are brought to salons to have their hair chemically straightened, and no one seems to care that the chemicals applied hurt the child in question.
The deciding factor in choosing a hairstyle for your child is, well …. your child. You want a style that flatters her face, does not require more styling time than your child can handle sitting still for, and you want to make sure the chosen style does not cause any permanent damage to your child’s hair. The less elaborate, the better. Children are messy. They run around, they dig for worms using Great Aunt Edna’s silver spoons, and otherwise cause havoc. Just remember that when deciding on style options.
loved this article, really nice. Would encourage keeping it the natural way rather then going for chemical straightening though.
I like the fact that this site is for those that are natural as well as relaxed. Personally, my household (5) is all natural. But I would never bash anyone who chooses chemicals. Everyone is entitled to their own, personal choice.