President Elect Barack Obama - I salute you.

Today is a happy, happy day.

Today a brilliant orator, intellectually impeccable, tireless, hard-working, mixed race, non-white man, a 'black' man, was elected President of the United States of America.

Today America chose to change, today America has hope and the rest of the world has hope too.

Thank you Barack (and Michelle).

Today I am so hopeful. And happy.

Braiding Daughters Hair a Labour of Love

Here is a heart-warming tale of father-daughter bonding and love.

I found this via my friend Beatty and there from Mulan's thread here on this forum.

Professor Clifton Green and his wife adopted little Miriam from Ethiopia as an infant. They were originally uncertain how to care for her hair (as it is a different texture to their own) but soon decided to groom it as other Americans of colour do with their children.

With a little bit of research and a little bit of practice, they learned how to moisturize and plait Miriam's hair.

"We wanted her to know her hair isn't a burden, but something really wonderful, something beautiful to be celebrated," said Mrs Green.

This story of ordinary parents, ordinary love and ordinary care is just the sweetest thing I've read for a long time. And I am thrilled that the Greens say that this part of caring for Miriam is a parent -child bonding experience (as I mentioned at the end of my post on caring for your child's curly/coiled/mixed race hair below).

After taking a peek in Miriam's hair drawer, you can see a wide-toothed comb (YES!!), packets of hair clips and baubles (or bobbles) to go on the ends of her plaits; some Carol's Daughter Hair Milk and what looks like a light Leave-In Moisturizing spray from the same brand.

Carol's Daughter is another fantastic natural hair product company, used by celebs like the Jolie-Pitts on their daughter Zahara, and will Smith's actress/singer wife Jada Pinkett-Smith. Alas, the products are so far unavailable in the UK and the website does not ship outside of the States/Hawaii/Canada.

With my overly obsessive, OCD tendencies, I am thrilled that the hair baubles are all one colour - I always feel ever so slightly peevish on spotting a little girl with a head full of riotous, multi-coloured clips, all done up like a Chritmas tree. Gosh, I am persnickety!

And there are not one, but two tubs of petroleum jelly in there! I doubt that parents as clued up as the Greens are using this on Miriam's hair - petrolatum is drying and cloggy and not to be used on mixed race hair/African Diaspora hair! I bet that they use that on elbows, heels, arms and legs - any bit of skin that gets dry and ashy.

You know, I just would love to give all the Greens a hug. You can see more photos of the very ordinary, (yet beautifully extraordinary) Green Family here.

Marvelous Mixed Race Hair Care for Marvelous Mixed Race Children

A long time ago, in a country that is now (hair care-wise at least) far, far away there were no 'biracial' products to help my mother work with my massively curly hair. None at all; my lovely frizz was shampooed and conditioned with products tailored to suit Caucasian hair - there simply was nothing else available. Now, Caucasian hair tends to be oilier than African Diaspora hair, as more sebum is secreted, which travels quickly down a straight hair shaft. African Diaspora hair has less sebum, which travels a comparatively shorter distance along a curly, spiral hair shaft.

Caucasian products are therefore unsuitable, in that they are designed to strip away unwanted oils. My mum did pretty well; she used the gentlest shampoos and the most moisturizing conditioners, and she would dab a little heavy pomade on my dry scalp and ends. The pomades and greases contained mineral oils and petrolatum - bad for anyone with very curly or coiled hair, and although these heavy oily products appeared to soften and moisturize the hair, they do not. They coat African Diaspora hair and prevent moisture entering the hair shaft - this is molto bad because moisture is our friend. Moisture is VITAL to maintain bouncing, happy healthy curls. (Mum also used Vitapointe when she could get it; again, it was wrong for my hair, but I will always remember the lovely smell and I will be fond of it forever!).

Years passed during which a huge market in African American hair products was born. At last I had access to gently formulated moisturizing shampoos and conditioners that did not strip my hair of every scrap of natural moisture. Alas, most of the leave-in conditioners and moisturizers proved way too heavy for my personal type of hair, a common problem for multi-ethnic folk. Still, hair-wise, things were on the up!

Today I am sublimely delighted to see that there are so many fantastic products to cater for the wide variety of different hair-types that our infinitely (and increasingly) mixed population wear on their lovely heads with pride. The very diversity of our hair does entail a certain amount of trial and error for the parent of a mixed race child, but the products are finally out there and you will eventually 'land' on one that truly 'works' for your mixed race child.

After all, mixed race brothers and sisters have varying types of hair, let alone cousins, neighbours and friends! But if you are the parent or guardian of a bi-racial or mixed race child here are some pointers that I have laboriously learned along the way:-

1. Avoid harsh, drying products formulated to strip off all natural hair oils.

2. Shampoo once or twice a week and always use a good thirty minute conditioning treatment afterwards.

3. Avoid products with petrolatum, mineral oils and alcohol (eg: isopropyl alcohol and anything with an 'ol' at the end) like the plague. These dry out curly/coiled hair.

4. Protect your child's lovely, delicate curls from excess heat, sun and chlorine. Put that big sun hat on when playing in the sand, (protects skin and hair). Put hair in plaits (and follow with a mega-rinse of water, plus deep conditioning treatment) when splashing around at the beach or the pool. Or wear a bathing cap, if this isn't too uncool!

5. Do not comb hair when dry - only comb during the conditioning process, (or immediately after rinsing) with a wide toothed comb.

6. Moisturize - Part 1!! After washing and conditioning, apply a generous amount of moisturizing creme to your child hair. be generous, because once all of the water from the washing process has evaporated off, the hair will be quite dry and will absorb a lot of product. (With practice you will know exactly how much moisturizing creme is needed to strike a good balance between dry, unmoisturized hair and clogy hair with too much product). These cremes vary in texture to match the texture of curly/coiled hair - some are thicker and heavier than others; Type 2 and Type 3a/b hair need lighter formulation product while Types 3c and Type 4 are good with a thicker, heavier creme. Again, with a small amount of trial and error you will soon figure out which formulation works best for your little one's hair.

Finish with a spritz of a light, Leave-In conditioner to the ends of the hair. Leave-In conditioners are fabulous - where were they when I was growing up! (Oh well, never mind - they are here now!). This product is a light, liquid, moisturizing spray that helps to lock in moisture and define curls, and it is a must for all African Diaspora hair!

7. Moisturize #2!! Daily maintainance - Mixed race/coiled/curly/African Diaspora hair is DRY, so the moisturizing proceduer does not end with the weekly/bi-weekly wash.

Groom your child's hair, as part of the morning routine, with a small dollop of moisturizing creme - as needed. 'learn' your child's hair - wavier Type 2/3a hair may not need the heavier cremes and may be just fine with a generous spray of Leave-In conditioner to redefine and lock in the curl. Type 3b. 3c and Types 4 hair will need a smoothing of moisturizing creme and a nice spritz of conditioning spray.

Keep to this routine until the next hair-washing day and your child's hair will be well moisturized and healthy!

8. If hair is worn in plaits, do not use bands or barettes that will rip the hair. Be gentle and use bobbles, scrunchies or bands covered with woven fabric (with no metal clips).

9. Go natural #1. The only products that a loving parent or carer should place on their child's skin or head should be natural, natural, NATURAL!!

10. Go natural #2. Do not straighten/relax/texturize the naturally curly hair of your mixed race, multi-ethnic or biracial child's hair. Just Don't Do It!


Grooming textured and curly hair is no longer difficult in our global village. Learning how to maintain and groom your child's hair is a loving, bonding experience for you both. It will also teach your child how unique, special and gorgeous he or she is, and promote self-esteem, confidence and a sense of pride in one's appearance.

I recommend Curly Q's for children (I have used both the kids and adult line). This is available from Nature's Parlour. Please do read Xina's professional advice about mixed Race hair care (my advice is purely self-taught!).

Please also have a look at the Curls website which is a mine of information.

Another product that I have used is Kids Organics Shea Butter Moisturizing Hair Lotion. Although Curly Q's is preferable, this lotion contains no mineral oils or petrolatum, and can be found in shops.

Coiled and curly hair-Do's (and Don'ts): brushing and combing.

Fashion is so cyclical isn't it - if you wait long enough everything comes back into style. Take the Seventies for example - long flowing dresses, boho skirts, chandelier ear-rings, skinny jeans, and anything by Diana Von Furstenbug have all been rebranded, revamped and imbued with drop-dead cool. And speaking as someone who was there at the time, I know I would feel very comfortable click-clacking around in my Dr Scholls, tripping over my maxi-dress, with a soft, unstructured bag slung over one shoulder. But I wouldn't feel comfortable with the big, giant, dry, rusty hair I used to have, no sirree!

Don't get me wrong - the new afro is moisturised, groomed, sexy and current, and the women that rock it are fashionable and cool. (In fact, when I'm in the mood I do wear the new afro out to parties and clubs). But I'm talking about the OLD afro! The one that grew out of my head from 1977 to 1981, that I had absolutely no idea how to work with, and that was dry, brittle, broken, damaged and unkempt.

So what was I doing wrong?

1:- Brushing and combing dry hair. I was told never ever to comb out my hair wet, because wet hair is elastic and stretchy, and combing would rip and break it. So I would dutifully brush or comb my hair every morning, not realising that every bend in tightly curled hair is a breakage point, and wondering why there was a veritable carpet of snapped-off hair on the floor tiles after I was done. Combing African diaspora hair when it is bone dry is a complete no-no; combing or brushing should be done only on wet or very damp hair, preferably after washing/conditioning/moisturizing.

2:- Brushing and combing every day. Now I wash and condition my hair once or twice a week. After a generous application of deep conditioner (plus a handful of olive oil for good measure) I part my hair in two (or four, or as many as necessary) and comb my hair out very gently, working from the ends towards the scalp. Then I rinse, towel dry (gently!), moisturize, style and go. This means I only comb my hair once or twice a week - when it needs smoothing or grooming, I apply more moisturizer and gently arrange it into sections with my fingers.

3:- Using the wrong tools. I used to wrestle an cheap, hard-plastic ordinary comb through my frizz; it was difficult, eye-wateringly painful and very damaging to my hair. Now the only comb that gets anywhere near my head is a very smooth, large handled, wide-toothed detangling comb, and the only brush that I would use is a Denman, rubber-padded hairbrush with nylon bristles. To be honest, I rarely use the Denman, I prefer the wide-toothed comb, and combing wet, conditioned hair is easy and painless.


So there you have it! It seems so obvious now that small comb + dry hair = huge, brittle, dry, damaged 'Fro.

Ah well - wisdom comes with age - pretty much the only good thing about aging I guess ;-)

'Politics of Fear' or Politics of Hair?

This little blog is not meant to be political - it is just a chronicle of my complex love-hate relationship with my mad frizz, and my personal 'journey' from afro-denial, lol :-), to love, understanding and appreciation of my natural, God-given, madly curly locks.

But then I am forcibly reminded by the liberal media that even in the 21st century, a peaceful, healthy, choice to wear my hair au naturel broadcasts an unintended negative and aggressive message to Those In Charge (see the incredibly disappointing, deeply unamusing New Yorker cover entitled 'The Politics of Fear').

Throughout history, a Euro-centric beauty standard has been imposed on the women of the African diaspora; if your hair wasn't straight, you covered it with wraps or straightened it with lye. Even as late as the Sixties, the only available ethnic glamour came via Shirley Bassey, the Supremes and the Ronettes with their big, bouffy, wigs (well, done girls - we admire your guts and ambition, we love you and we thank you). But black only began to be beautiful when the wonderful model/actress Cicely Tyson, who appeared on a TV show called East Side/West Side with her natural hair cropped softly short. The Afro style was born - needless to say it caused a sensation. Cicely was also one of the first prominent women to wear cornrows; gosh, even as I write this i find it very hard to believe that something as simple and ordinary as maintaining neat, groomed African hair was once so very controversial.


And it still is; the New Yorker chose to depict the very conventionally smooth, straight-haired Michelle Obama as a radical, gun-toting, Black Power, afro-wearing revolutionary, with all that that entails. The unspoken message of the New Yorker is depressing; why am I not afforded the right to grow my hair without artifice (the way Asian, Indian, Caucasian and Semitic women can) without being cast as a scary, political bogey-man? Naturallycurly.com and Toya at Life of a Ladybug have clearer thoughts than I on this issue, so please take a look. Also here are links to the Guardian and the Independent newspapers for a UK media view of this little issue.

Liberal elitist New Yorker editor David Remnick seems taken aback by the furious backlash, poor fellow. Let me help you out David - your cover is not satirical; it is merely a tasteless, unfunny caricature. Does that make it any clearer?

Phew, thank heaven that's over! No more politics, please! Normal service (aka rambling on about my favourite hair products!) shall be resumed as soon as possible!

And just to be mischievous, I leave you with the radically beautiful Angela Davis.

Brit Singer Jamelia "Why I'll never wear extensions again"

An interesting article in the UK Daily Mail by English pop singer Jamelia. While I'm not a fan of extensions and weaves (for a whole variety of reasons) I can't help thinking that Jamelia (who is very tall , as pretty as a china doll and with a figure to die for) would look fantastic even if she shaved her head completely bald.

You go Jamelia!

The article is here:-

What's your type? ;-)

Following on emphatically from the post below, please join me in refuting the old, inherited perceptions of black/bi-racial/multi ethnic hair; let's put them to rest forever. There is no 'good' hair other than healthy, happy growing hair and there is no 'bad' hair other than neglected, damaged, unloved hair. However, to best maintain and manage one's fabulous ethnic or curly hair one needs to understand the way it behaves and its personal likes and dislikes. This is where some knowledge of the various 'types' of hair come in handy, which is where Andre Walker and his brilliant book come in.

A couple of months ago, while in the throes of my bi-annual hair crisis (ie: what shall I do with my hair, I'm so bored, should I cut it all off, should I straighten it, it looks terrible, I hate it so much, etc, etc) I searched the Internet for inspiration and came across several brilliant websites that described Andre Walker's hair type system (Curls.biz and naturallycurly.com ). As someone who was raised in the Caribbean where regular-strength French Perm was slapped on the head of every girl child over the age of seven, this really taught me something new. If you understand what you have got, you can learn how to groom it, care for it and work with it: result - healthy happy hair.

Andre classifies hair into four basic types: Type 1 - straight, Type 2 - wavy, Type 3 - curly and Type 4 - kinky; straight is pretty clear-cut, nuff said, but the other categories are divided further into sub-categories as follows:-

Type 2 WAVY - wavy hair with a definite S pattern to it. This S-pattern hair lies flat to the scalp and does not spring away from it as curly hair does.

2a:- fine /thin. Easy to manipulate with blow dries, ceramic straighteners or curly tongs. Singer Joss Stone has 2a hair.

2b:- medium-textured. More resistant to styling. I think Rozonda Thomas (Chilli from TLC) has this hair.

2c:- thick and coarse. More resistant to styling with a tendency to frizz. Mya's hair is described as 2b, (but it seems more like 2c in the link photo, maybe even 3a).

Type 3 CURLY - Type 3 hair gets much straighter and longer when wet, and will then 'shrink' back to its normal, curly state when dry - the length difference between wet and dry can be substantial! Humidity is the enemy of type 3 hair, making the curls tighter or making it frizzy. It is not difficult to straighten it completely with heat (although long term heat treatment will be damaging). Curly hair is fragile - the S-shape will break with rough treatment, sustained heat or harsh chemical treatment. Andre defines two subtypes of curly hair, and Naturallycurly.com readers have suggested a third Type 3 subtype: 3c.

3a:- type 3a hair is usually very shiny with big curls. The shorter the hair, the straighter it becomes, and the longer the hair, the more defined the curl. Andy McDowell's hair looks like this, and here is Nicole Kidman.

3b:- 3b hair has a medium amount of curl to tight corkscrews. Many people have a mixture of these types growing on their head all together (I know I do, plus type 4 as well!). A mixture of finer and coarser hair is often to be found as well. Rachel True has a lovely head of 3b hair, as does Gloria Reuben from ER and English actress Angela Griffin.

3c:- Naturallycurly.com defines this hair as growing in tight curls, in corkscrews. These can be either kinky or very tightly curled, like pencil or straw circumference. Some people refer to this as "big hair." Getting this type of hair to blow dry straight is more challenging than for 3a or 3b, but it usually can be done. An example of 3c hair.

Type 4 KINKY - Andre Walker has defined type 4 hair as kinky, or very tightly curled. Generally, Type 4 hair can be wiry, is very tightly coiled and must be treated gently as the tight curls make it fragile. Type 4 hair appears to be 'coarse', but healthy type 4 hair is soft to touch and although the coils mean that it won't shine like wavy hair, it still has a distinct sheen. The tight coils and subsequent fragility make type 4 hair easily breakable, leading to the myth that this hair doesn't grow. Well it does; if you treat it gently, with the respect it deserves it will grow very long - if you don't comb it at all it will grow even longer!

4a:- Type 4a is tightly coiled hair that, when stretched, has an S pattern, much like curly hair, with a coffee stirrer circumference. Here is the divine Jill Scott .

4b:- 4b, which has a Z pattern, less of a defined curl pattern (instead of curling or coiling, the hair bends in sharp angles like the letter Z). I'm guessing the equally divine India Arie might have hair like this from her photographs.

As many women with Type 4 hair straighten it or wear weaves and extensions (for convenience or different perceptions of beauty), lovely Type 4 hair rarely seen these days. This is a shame as beautifully maintained and natural Type 4 hair is gorgeous; the good news is that there is a growing trend for natural afro diaspora hair of all kinds which I think is cause for celebration.

If you know and understand your type of hair, you can learn to give it the best, loving care. So what's your type? :-)