Getting Rid of That Cradle Cap! | Curls of Innocence

Heya, curlies! I am going to talk about treating cradle cap today.
My youngest child is 2 months right now. She has a serious case of cradle cap, or so she used to. My previous child, Jalani, didn't have half as much cradle cap as she did. I don't know what it is, but poor little Kyanah has had a ton of the stinky, white flaky stuff on her little scalp!
I always use coconut oil from birth on my children as a moisturizer for their hair AND body. It's the best. Very silky and smells good, no issues with skin breakouts or anything. So of course, I use it for cradle cap as well.

I made a post on Instagram about not worrying about whether or not to use 'regular' Shea Moisture products on your baby. Shea Moisture is supposed to be all natural anyway, so there's no real need to refrain from using it because you don't have the baby version. I always use it on all my kids as babies and they work just fine! No need to go broke using 'specialty' products. ;)

So for the cradle cap, I wash her hair using one of these SM shampoos and I massage really well. I don't use my nails at all, ONLY my finger tips. You don't want to pick the stuff off their scalps and create scabs. It's so tempting for me to pick at it because I HATE dandruff or anything that looks like it because it looks like dirt to me; however, I know that I shouldn't. lol

I wash and rinse like normal. No conditioner needed at this age. Afterwards, I just take a palm full of coconut oil and massage it all over her head. Then at this point, I take one of those tiny baby combs and gently comb her hair out, which is the perfect time to tackle the cradle cap because her hair is wet and the stuff is loosened up. It comes right up easily with the baby comb and it doesn't hurt her. In fact, she loves this process and nearly falls asleep. lol

After combing as much as I can out of her hair, THEN I go in with the baby brush and brush it down, slick it down. I put a hat on her so she can warm up quickly after the bath.

Doing this same process after every bath has significantly decreases her cradle cap issue. Like I said, in the beginning, it was really bad. Now it's almost completely gone! I am so happy about that.

Hopefully, these tips will help you guys, too. I'll probably make a video addressing this also.

What do you about cradle cap? How do you treat it?

~Curls of Innocence~

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Dandruff? What Dandruff?

Hey, curly mamas! Do you guys suffer from dandruff? Your kids have it, too? It's not that hard to get rid of it... for good.
My kids and I haven't had dandruff issues in years. We all used to, probably back in about 2012... I believe that was the last time I had issues with it. My youngest child, who is 11 months, has NEVER had dandruff, or even cradle cap thus far. Even my hubby used to have excessive dandruff and doesn't have it any longer!

So, here is what I do to keep dandruff away.. for good,

1. DRINK WATER! I cannot stress that enough. If your body is not hydrated properly, it will manifest itself in your scalp and you'll see those annoying, itchy white flakes that won't go away.

2. WASH weekly! A CLEAN scalp is a happy, non itchy scalp. Bi-weekly may work depending on how your hair is already trained, but if you have lots of dandruff, it is recommended that you wash it weekly.

3. DITCH the sulfate shampoos! Sulfates make your scalp even dryer, which contributes to MORE flakes. No bueno. Want to cleanse completely? Use a mud/clay wash or ACV (apple cider vinegar).

4. OIL your scalp! After you wash and condition your hair, oil your scalp with a natural based oil (EVOO, castor oil, grapeseed oil, avocado oil, etc) before using a leave in. If you don't seal that moisture in, it'll quickly be zapped away by the elements.

5. DEEP CONDITION weekly! Now, I don't have time to do this for all my kids, but I definitely do it to myself. But the kids actually don't need deep conditioning to keep dandruff away, and that's because I have their hair TRAINED. We all guzzle water as our number one drink, and when I moisturize their hair, I use water, then oil, then cream and/or shea butter, otherwise known as the LOC method.
Occasionally, I'll do the opposite... the LCO method. Both ways work well for us!

6. PROTECTIVE STYLING works wonders! Now, I'm not talking about weave, Ya'll know I don't do weave... no shade to those who do; it's just not me, I am talking about doing styles that last for a week. For me, because I'm always in the house, my hair is in twists or braids 90% of the time. If it's not in twists, it's up in a high bun to stretch it and also keep the ends moisturized. I only wear it out when it's moist enough or I'm going somewhere... or I'm about to wash it anyway, so it doesn't matter. lol 

For the kids, their hair stays braided, twisted, or coiled up some kind of way, and washed every two weeks. I do moisturizing 'sessions' in between, but maybe only twice a week. Still no dandruff!

*So those are the six things that we've been doing to keep dandruff at bay. Symari and Jalani have never had dandruff at all, and that's because I learned from the two oldest. Woo hoo!

I hope you guys take my advice and apply it to yourself or your kids if you're having dandruff trouble. These things work! 

Peace out till next time!

~Epic Realist~

IG: Epic.realist

https://www.youtube.com/user/curlsofinnocence/videos

Too Tired for Hair & My TMI Tag!

Hola, curly mamas! Getting closer to the end of this pregnancy (35 weeks!) and I am super EXHAUSTED. It's been kind of a struggle to even do my hair, so I have been keeping it pinned up a lot. I deep conditioned it today because it really needed it from Saturday's wash with the Herbal Essences sulfate shampoo. I used that to get the Kinky Curly Curling Custard from the previous post completely out of my hair this time, because the first time I tried to get it out, I called myself doing a deep condition right on top of the KCCC, and that was an ultimate FAIL from hell. I should have known to wash it out last week first and then deep condition, but because everything hurts lately, I was trying to take shortcuts and ended up with nasty white flakes STILL in my hair despite using ACV to rinse it out.
Natural hair doesn't like it when you take shortcuts, I see. O_o
So after the ACV rinse last week which did nothing for getting rid of the grimy product on my hair, I rinsed my hair over and over again at the sink, combing out as much flakes as I could until my arms got tired. Then I just threw in a leave in and some oil and braided it up. I had to take care of that another day. Finally, the product is all out of my hair. Whew... I see why people complain about that product (KCCC)! It's awesome, but as far as washing, you'd better not even think about co-washing with a normal conditioner. You'd better find a shampoo that has sulfates upon sulfates or you'll end up looking like someone just dumped a bucket of dandruff on your head. -__-
Today, I skipped Syriah's wash day because I washed it last week. Too tired to wash weekly right now. I took down her flat twists and re-moisturized with AVJ and water, a leave in, put whipped shea butter on each section, and gave her some sleek box braids. I am curious as to how long they'll last, but considering that I know how to do her hair well so that braids will hold for a bit, she'll be fine. As long as I keep it wrapped up, these box braids should last her about 2-3 weeks. Maybe baby Jalani will show up by then. LOL!
Little Mari's hair doesn't last at all in anything right now, unless I keep her hair sectioned in rubber bands with braids. But even that doesn't look good after she's slept on it. I think I'll just stick to low maintenance ponytail puffs or something for her, because ain't nobody got time fo dat!
Jam's hair still gets spritzed with AVJ/water and oil whenever I remember (about 2-3 times a week), but I still wash his hair at least twice during his baths because his hair gets uber dry from me not working on keeping it moist enough. Plus, he likes to keep his fat head on the carpet when he plays and outside dirt also gets stuck in his curls. Boys...sigh. So I constantly put moisture on his hair. It's growing well and he doesn't cry as much anymore when I try to comb it.
See the kid's hair regimens here: http://curlsofinnocence.blogspot.com/p/syriahs-hair-regimen.html

I did finally get around to doing the TMI Tag that everyone else on YouTube is doing. It was kind of fun. I'm so happy that I got a new camera so that my vids and pics can be of much better quality. Blogger is acting up again with the video posting (GRRRRRR!), so here is the video link. Hope you guys enjoy! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39t3xbbWfUQ

Peace out till later, folks! 
                                           ~Epic Realist~

Personal blog link: http://epicrealist.blogspot.com/

WARNING: If you are easily offended by religious debates/statements, DO NOT even attempt to read this blog.

Coconut Oil Review!

Hiya, guys! I've been doing more research on coconut oil. I've done this before already; I use it in my shea butter mixture. But lately, I've been using it on skin as well. It's awesome.
Sometimes, if it's not extremely hot in the house, the shea butter doesn't 'melt' enough on it's own to be soft, soft enough to spread easily onto skin. Microwaving it repeatedly will eventually make it lose it's properties, so I don't even do it. Plus, I make it in a glass jar, and I don't exactly feel comfortable putting glass in the microwave for a long time. I get this feeling like the glass will somehow crack, and then when I open the microwave, it'll explode in my face or something. The jar I use is, well, huge. I wouldn't want that exploding on me. That'll be the end of my eyes. O_O
So, on those days I feel overworked and I give the kids quick showers one at a time or even when they have 20 minute baths together, I use something that's much easier and faster to spread onto their skin. Coconut oil is perfect for that. I used to use EVOO for their skin, before I ever created a shea butter mixture. But I like coconut oil better, and it smells awesome. It's so light and absorbs easily. And it's also edible, so I won't freak out when my greedy two-year old son licks whatever I moisturize his face with it.
Of course, EVOO is edible too, but it doesn't taste good. Then again, this little boy eats anything. Literally. -___-

I even use it for little baby Mari's body and hair. She's almost two months now. She has so much hair already and I plan to keep it very healthy by using natural products from the start.
I like the fact that this oil has certain acids that have antimicrobial properties which help prevent hair loss. People from all around the world use it in their hair, places like India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, etc. It melts easily, maintains moisture, prevents dandruff, and is great for styling purposes. I'm glad that I can find coconut oil right in the supermarket. I hadn't realized that before, but recently I found it right in the oil section! The first batch I'd bought came from Amazon, and I paid about $6.99 plus shipping. That's too much... heck to the no!
I was relieved to see it for sale somewhere I go every week, so no shipping costs. Yay!
So, that's my little coconut oil review.
Tip of the Day: If you're looking for a light carrier oil, something not too heavy or sticky or weird smelling, try coconut oil. Make sure you get one that's unrefined/virgin/unprocessed. They should all mean the same thing. Hopefully. You never know sometimes. You can also use this oil for conditioning purposes, as in leaving it in your hair for one or two hours before shampooing it. I tried that and it worked like a charm. My hair was lighter and fluffier. If you want to avoid shipping costs, check your local supermarket. You might get lucky. =)

Peace out, curly mamas!

P.S.: I've recently started my personal Facebook account over, so the Curls of Innocence page that's affiliated with that page might go bye-bye when I officially delete the account. Not sure. As of now, I don't think there's a way of transferring it. I will let you guys know if I restart the COI page so people can continue to follow me.

~Epic Realist~

New Hairstyles and... Dandruff?

So, I've been doing it up with Sy's hair lately. Random hairstyles. I have to find time to put the pics together and update them here. Sometimes it takes forever. I'll have several new styles siting on my computer for weeks at a time because I'm so busy and tired lately. But I have some to show now... finally. Hope you enjoy!

The second style on the first pic was when her hair was straight, and so was the second picture. I had never gotten a 'perfect' curved part before, so I surprised myself when I actually got it. So she had an S for her name. She loved it!
Now I need to practice my cornbraiding. I put cornbraids in Sy's hair recently, but they were a bit sloppy looking. Her hair is so silky. What makes it worse is that I can't stand doing anything on dry hair anymore, so I have to put something on her hair to moisturize before braiding. My hands are always slipping all over the place. Sigh... practice makes perfect. lol
I made another batch of my shea mixture a few days ago, and I added another ingredient... honey. Just wanted to try it out. I don't notice a difference in texture, but that's probably a good thing.
Tip of the Day: Best way to combat dandruff is to of course, constantly moisturize! By moisturize, I mean water and water-based natural oils or products. I've heard that tea tree oil works great; haven't used it yet, though. DO NOT use anything with petroleum jelly. It will only clog your pores and make your hair and scalp feel overly greasy, and it will attract dirt as well. So all you grease lovers... yeah. Back away from the Blue Magic and grab some EVOO and water! If your daughter has excessive dandruff, any type of grease will probably make it worse. I know it did back in the day when I used to use grease. Oh, and gentle brushing will definitely help. Use a boar's head brush only. It's soft and gentle to the scalp and the dandruff will fall right out.
Syriah barely has dandruff anymore because of how I moisturize her hair. I might see some flakes in her hair like, once a week, and that's usually before hair wash day.
Alrighty guys, I'm out. Enjoy the hairstyles. Tips? Comments? Let me know! =)
Peace out, curly mamas!
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