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African hair in general is delicate. Adopted children who have periods of poor nutrition and less than optimal hair care will often come home with damaged hair. But whether a child comes home with a little hair or a lot of hair, it can sometimes be hard for parents to decide to cut their child’s hair.
Little girls
My daughter who came home at the age of 20 months has extremely delicate, very damaged hair. The damage was the worst in the middle of the back of her head– you know, the typical place where baby hair gets broken off, leaving a bald spot.
At first when she came home, her hair was so short that I wouldn’t even think of cutting it. But as it grew, it became more obvious that her hair lengths were very uneven, and that that hair in the middle of the back was very damaged. The damaged hair got tangled very easily, and no matter how I patted and fluffed her little ‘fro I just couldn’t get it looking neat.
Finally I broke down and trimmed just a little at the bottom of the back of her hair. Though I was alarmed at how SHORT it now looked, the hair looked neater and healthier and was much easier to detangle. Since then I have continued to periodically trim small bits of her hair at the back. I always feel sad to take away some length, but I really notice that the small trims make the hair easier to handle.
Since then I have been told by a beautician that a little trimming actually helps prevent further breakage, since the tangle-prone damaged hair will oftentangle with the better hair causing breakage all over. That information made me feel better about my occasional trims.
Little Boys
Another issue that adoptive parents face is the one of trimming little boys’ hair. There is a custom in the Black community to not give boys haircuts until after their first birthday. Some people feel that a razor cut at too young an age will damage the hair growth.
However, lots of little boys have a lot of hair before their first birthday. Or the parents face the same dilemma I did– an uneven little afro that is hard to keep looking nice. Damaged hair is also quicker to pick up lint, which adds to the general untidiness of the hair.
Some parents do opt to wait until after the first birthday to cut the hair. But from the reading I have done, most experts feel there is no true harm in giving a little boy a hair cut before his first birthday if he shows signs of needing one.
Related links
Boys haircuts
(Photo credit: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/16768)
Hey folks.
I have been searching for information about dredlocks. Isn’t this the easiest natural style? Why can’t I find any info on this website- or can you direct me? Thanks.
I have adopted two children (one boy and one girl) from Sierra Leone, and we are now adopting from Ethiopia. We had to live in SL for 6 months to complete our adoption, but I learned how to braid, brush, cut, and do extensions. It is not as hard as it looks. U tube has a lot of videos on how to braid too. I spend 5-10 hours once a month on my girl’s hair and it’s good to go. Her hair has always been short and uneven, it actually was worse when we left it natural and healthier when it was kept in braids.