Would you like to know how to straighten your daughter's hair with a blow-dryer every now and then? Braid with fewer fly-aways? Keep your daughter's hair in tip top condition?

So did I. That's why I went to a hair care class last week. It was taught by a 40-something Black woman with a ton of experience who actually specializes in helping adoptive moms work with their Black daughters' hair.

I showed up with my daughters in tow. We'd been told this expert would look at our girls' hair and give us care recommendations. There were probably a dozen adoptive parents there, with 15 or so little girls.

The teacher was lively and humorous and really knew her stuff. She could tell from across the room that my little girls' hair was different than most of the other little girls in the room. Most of kids in the room, due to their hair type, needed more moisture in their hair.

She said that my girls both had gorgeous, healthy hair, but that because of their very soft curls, I might actually be using too heavy a product on their hair. (I wondered if while trying to make their hair look extra nice that evening, I'd used more product than usual!)

When she asked what I was using, I was almost embarrassed to admit to my $1.50 'Suave 2 minute conditioner'. But she said it seemed to be doing a great job on their hair-- hooray!

During the presentation she talked about frequency of shampooing (2-4 times per MONTH is plenty!), the problem with 'tear-free' shampoo (the pH is gentle on eyes, but TERRIBLE on hair!), and the dangers of too-tight rubber bands (breakage, breakage!). Most surprising to me was that even wetting hair with WATER for combing each day can be drying and take some of the protective oil out of hair.

My girls were delighted to discover themselves in the company of a bunch of other little girls with hair and skin like their own. My 4 year old immediately began chatting up the older girls. My one year old mainly expressed her interest in the babies by swiping toys right and left, and keeping me hopping up and down. But in the midst of refereeing her, I did get a chance to talk to the expert, and picked up a few new products to try with my girls.

I'll talk in the next post about the products the beautician recommended to me, and about my foray into the world of blow-dryer hair straightening!