Adoption: A Family Choice
African American Childrens' Hair & Skin Care

Extensions or Not?
Do they have extensions for bi-racial AA/CA hair?
What is the care needed for the extensions?
How long do they last ?

YES. You can get extensions put in her hair for around $40., a little more or less depending on where you live, and with almost *no* care at all, they will last up to six weeks before getting 'nappy.' At that time, you can have your daughter take them out (cheaper, but requires your disciplining your daughter to stay on task til the job is done), or you can do it yourself, or you can let the person doing the braiding do it. If you opt for the latter, you can expect to leave your daughter wherever you're having her hair done for around four hours.

I recommend the big (thick) braids on the extensions until you know your way around all this, as the small ones get entangled with the natural hair after the amount of time they are in, and are quite difficult to take out unless you know what you are doing, and even then it can be a chore.

Extension care: Wash and wear. Spray daily with oil spray, available in a spray can by TCB, or you can get that Braid Spray in the pump plastic bottle. Sort of like using hair spray, it's that easy. Both are available where Black hair care products are sold. Other than that, just a little smoothing in the front, and if you want her hair to look especially nice, get some Black hair care gel, in the little plastic jar, there's a brown kind and a clear yellow kind and it REALLY DOESN'T MATTER WHICH ONE YOU GET, despite labels to the contrary. They all flake a little, and if you use it regularly you'll have to wash her hair -- or she will, easier now, with extensions. You *should* use the gel for church, or programs, or the like. It doesn't really matter to anyone, white or Black, if you use it for school or play.

As for the matted hair, AA girl children often really aren't ready to take care of their own hair until they are 16 or so, and even then may use the help of their friends. The matted mess is common. She either needs to have it done professionally, or have you learn to do it, or have a Black friend do it (you still pay her, just not as much as the beauty salon -- which BTW, has to be a BLACK beauty salon.) The easiest way to find a 'friend' to do your daughter's hair is to look for some other kid with great looking extensions, say in the store, or at school, and then talk to her mother. Ask her where she got her daughter's hair done. Ask if she thinks that person would be willing to do your daughter's hair. This process of word-of-mouth is the accepted way to find someone to do Black hair when you don't have anyone in mind, everyone in the Black community does it all the time.

*Ask how much her friend usually charges, because it's kind of bad manners to ask the friend, it's just a Black thing :), you're supposed to KNOW unless she tells you.* The way you know is, you ask the last person, your referral, how much *she* paid her... and then, since you don't know this lady and she does, you might kick in a few extra bucks.

And as for cutting her hair cuz you would have if she were white, please try not to feel too bad, you can't go with what you don't know. White culture finds short hair cute. Black doesn't. It's that simple.



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