[Cynthia H]

I am black and my sister-in-law is white. She and my brother have a 3-year-old biracial daughter. My sister-in-law does not know how to manage my niece's hair. It's curly, kinky and wavy all at the same time, so how do we care for it?

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Name : Cynthia H, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Baptist, Age : 45, City : Chicago, State : IL Country : United States, Occupation : Social work, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Andy23941]

Someone please answer this one fast!! I have a cousin who has a biracial daughter and she is such a cute girl, but if her hair is not braided tight, it is sloppy-looking. The mother and father are not together, so she gets no tips from anyone with experience in the subject. I feel bad for the little girl. Help

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Name : Andy23941, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, City : Columbus, State : OH Country : United States, 

[Erika25248]

Take your niece to a good hair dresser. Make sure you and your sister-in-law go with her and get recommendations on the best products for your niece's hair. You may want to check your local phonebook or the internet for hair schools. This is a good way to have your niece's hair taken care of for a more-than-reasonable price, and a good way for you and your sister-in-law to learn ways to start doing her hair yourself.

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Name : Erika25248, Gender : F, Race : Black/African American, Age : 20, City : Jacksonville, State : FL Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Education level : 2 Years of College, 

[Rhonda-P-Outlaw29994]

Black hair isn't a mystery, nor is it difficult to care for. I've been natural for years and have no trouble caring for my hair. You have to have the right tools to care for it. Example: Kinky/wavy/curly hair needs to be dampened, preferably with leave-in conditioner, before attempting to comb it. Also, an ACE comb won't cut it. A wide-tooth plastic comb that won't break or snag the hair is perfect.

You say you're black ... why can't you take care of your niece's hair? Or why can't the child's parents take the child to a black hair care salon?

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Name : Rhonda-P-Outlaw29994, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Lutheran, Age : 43, City : Laurelton, State : NY Country : United States, Occupation : Account Rep, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[jonny-borrows]

you got braids , extentions , weaves , cornrows dreadlocks , fros , you can blow it out , afor puffs . tell her to pick one .

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Name : jonny-borrows, City : new york, State : NY Country : United States, 

[Sophia27891]

Rhonda, is taking care of hair something that should be inherent for black people? I have a daughter and don't know the first thing about combing her hair. I usually take her to my mother or my mother-in-law to comb her hair and try to maintain it for a week or so. I hope I don't have to turn in my 'black card' because of this.

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Name : Sophia27891, Gender : F, Race : Black/African American, Age : 30, City : Lansing, State : IL Country : United States, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class, 

[Monteya Smith]

My son is biracial as well except he got the good hair out of it all its not to straight and not to curly. You still need to put pink hair lotion and hair grease on it. No need to use the heavy grease products try African Pride it works great.

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Name : Monteya Smith, City : Spokane, State : WA Country : United States, 

[Cynthia H]

Black hair is not a mystery, but bi-racial hair can be. Also, my niece is not my child. The responsibility of her hair care falls to her mother. However, her mother has asked me for pointers/suggestions. I did suggest that she take her to a black salon, which she has agreed to do. But in the meantime, my sister-in-law does need to know how to care for her daughters hair...........and how to teach my niece to care for her own hair.

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Name : Cynthia H, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Baptist, Age : 45, City : Chicago, State : IL Country : United States, Occupation : Social work, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Gina-G]

Try looking for a salon in the area that specializes in curly hair. A (white) friend of mine goes to one, and she swears by it. One visit might be expensive, but if they ask lots of questions, they can get some good advice that is definitely worth the price! Plus, the salon would probably carry styling tools and products that might be hard to find in a regular salon. You can probably get recommendations if you call around to some regular salons - one of them might have a specialized stylist, too.

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Name : Gina-G, Gender : F, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 26, City : Washington, State : DC Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, 

[W.C.]

Shave her bald... Problem solved. Scarring her for life is another matter

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Name : W.C., Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Asian, Religion : Atheist, Age : 21, City : Brooklyn, State : NY Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Rachel]

I have two biracial children and have found that biracial hair is NOT the same as white hair OR black hair. Obviously, with a boy, you can keep it short and moisturized if it tends to be dry. Curlier hair tends to be drier, but not as dry as pure black hair. Lighter moisturizers work well. I've found the very BEST moisturizer for my dtr's hair is olive oil (always extra virgin, so it doesn't smell). Her hair fully absorbs the oil and doesn't get tacky or attract fuzz like grease or other heavy moisturizers. Avoid hair brushes because they split the ends and make the hair more frizzy -- a soft bristle brush is fine for finishing, but use very wide tooth combs or pick combs first. I've found the 'just for me' detangling spray works great. Leave-in conditioners, too. Your SIL will find that her dtr's hair texture will change as she ages....it will gain more texture and may require even more moisture than olive oil provides. I put the olive oil in a spray bottle and spray it on after a bath. You can't wash biracial hair every single day like you can white hair because it is too drying...and biracial hair is drier than white hair. Once or twice a week is often enough with regular combing/brushing in between washes. Chemical straighteners should not be used as they are very damaging to the hair and can burn the scalp. You'll find that black girl's hair styles will not hold as well in biracial hair -- twists and braids will last about 1/2 as long and get frizzy more quickly. Tiny braids are damaging because they break the hair and should not be used very often. Use non rubber bands to hold the hair, latex ones or fabric covered ones are good. Once she's gone through puberty, she'll be able to chemically straighten her hair if she chooses. As for non-chemically straightening the hair (with a brush and blowdryer) there are straightening balms that work very well -- they're not greasy or waxy, so moisturizer still needs to be added, but these balms work with a hairdryer and brush and don't do the damage that hot combs or straightening paddles/irons will do. Again, this will only last one day in no/low humidity and would have to be touched up each day it's worn this way. Probably not a good idea at 4 years old, but your neice would probably like it when she's 8, 9, 10. I hope you've found this helpful. Feel free to email me if you have further questions.

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Name : Rachel, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 36, City : Niagara-on-the-Lake, State : NA Country : Canada, Occupation : Homemaker, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[T. Arroyo]

When dealing with a biracial child, you never know what you are going to get. Most of my family is biracial, so it is kind of simple for me. I have found that the most effective thing to do is to wash it, oil it well, comb it through and leave it be. Or, you can wash it and press it once a week. When all else fails, just take the child to the beauty shop. But don't try to perm it or cut it like you would a black or white person's hair because it is not. You have to be very careful about things like that.

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Name : T. Arroyo, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Baptist, Age : 23, City : Kansas City, State : MO Country : United States, Occupation : Managment, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, 

[Lynne]

I think what the lady was saying is is that the child's hair is hard to take care of because it has characteristics of both black and white hair.

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Name : Lynne, City : Gainesville, State : FL Country : United States, 

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