Using the right black baby hair care to make your baby’s hair grow is the key to setting up the building blocks for achieving long, beautiful, healthy hair for your baby. Braiding is good for your baby’s hair as long as the braids are not too tight. Braiding the hair too tight pulls on the scalp and can cause headaches, unnecessary tension and severe hair loss, even at a young age. It also can have a negative impact on the hair, pulling it out of the scalp by the roots causing thinness around the edges and hairline and then traumatic baldness. You can always tell if someone has worn braids too tight or for a long period of time without taking a break as the person’s hairline starts to recede and the braids will start further and further back off the face presenting a balding look from the front.
As for your baby, it’s okay to section the hair off and start to pinch up the hair in those sections and braid them if long enough. You can put the small hair bands around the pinched up braids, but be very careful. If your child is at the stage where she likes to pull on things, she may pull one of these off, put it in her mouth, and choke on it. You may want to wait until she is at the stage where she does not play with her hair and will not bother the bands. When my children were babies and I used to put them to bed, as a safety precaution I would remove their barrettes and bands because they often had wandering curious hands.
There are certain hair bands to watch out for and you should beware of them. The ones I am referring to are the hair bands that have a metal connector piece on them including the bands that have balls, trinkets and other odd shapes. Not only are they hard to get on, but they are even harder to take off, as the metal piece will get caught in the hair, and you will more than likely notice a good piece of your child’s hair tangled up in these types of bands when removing them.
I know this, in fact, is true as I used to use these bands on my children’s’ hair who have very thick curly hair. Sure, the balls and trinkets look pretty, but they can literally rip your baby’s hair out.
Braided styles are often used on our children’s’ hair not only for beauty, but for the fact that they are low maintenance. It is a neat alternative to having the child’s hair standing all over the head.
If your baby’s hair is too short to braid right now, simply use a small amount of mild cream moisturizer on the hair to keep it moisturized. Wash the hair as often as you bathe the baby to avoid conditions such as cradle cap where there is a buildup of scales and dandruff due to not washing often. If you are following this regimen, soon you will see the hair take off to new heights.
Another thing I have seen mothers do with their babies is they lay the baby down in one position repeatedly without ever changing the sleeping position. If you continually lay the baby on the one side every time she goes down for a nap, that side of the hair will never get a chance to grow and the baby’s hair will be rubbed out creating a bald spot. This not only happens to black babies, but I have seen this happen to babies of other races too. That is why it is important to make sure you change positions lying the baby on the right side for a nap, the left side for the next nap, and even on the back sometimes, but NEVER put the baby on the stomach. Putting the baby to sleep on the stomach can cause a fatal condition known as SIDS where the baby will stop breathing because the baby’s neck is not yet strong enough to support its head.
Make sure your baby or child is getting the required amount of fluids. Dehydration can starve the growing process. Not only do you need to hydrate the hair on the outside, but you can also do this from the inside. When the body is well hydrated, not only do the internal organs benefit, but your child’s skin, nails and hair benefit tremendously, and you are paving the way for successful hair growth for your baby and older children.