Hair texture changes?

dmcalvarez

I adopted my daughter at 6 weeks old, she's almost 3 months old now and it seems her hair texture is changing. She's half black/half Mexican. I'm half Mexican and have very curly thick hair, but it doesn't have the same texture as the new hair baby is getting. Right now her hair is straight and fine on the top of her hair (which is what she was born with) and in the back and around the edges it's getting very kinky curly and coarse. I want to make sure I'm caring for her hair properly and could use some help figuring out how to care for it both while it's in this in between stage and as it continues to grow. She has a LOT of hair already and it's getting thicker every day. 

Right now we're using Aveeno Baby wash & shampoo combo in the bath about every other day or so. We comb and brush her hair every day. There are small tight knots in the coarser hair at the back of her head (which I think are made worse by sleeping/laying on it, she also likes to rub her head back and forth on things I think for the texture? Especially on soft/minky feeling blankets.) and I'm not sure how to care for those without hurting her or pulling her hair out. 

I just don't want to be one of those clueless adoptive moms who doesn't take care of her baby's hair properly. Do we need to use conditioner? Is there a specific comb/brush that could help other than the baby ones that come in most baby care kits? Is it normal for a baby's hair to change texture at a few months old? 

Any help or suggestions greatly appreciated! Thank you!

tracij12

DD is half white/half black. Her hair definitely changed texture. Was silky and straight at birth, mostly fell out and came back much more coarse and curly. I used J&J baby shampoo for the first year (they make one specific for curly hair) and then switched to a product specific for black hair. We wash every other day and comb through and use a moisturizer and detangler with each wash.

She's almost 4 now and has never had a haircut. Since its been long enough (about 18mo) I mostly put her hair in ponytails and braids to keep it from getting overly tangled.

One thing I will caveat all of this with is that her hair texture is only slightly coarse and I actually think it is closer to mine (the white half) than my husbands. If it is tight curls and very course I'd disregard everything I do b/c I have friends with mixed kids that never wash or comb.

Good luck!!

Squirtgun

Johnson and johnson's no tears tangle spray is awesome for trying to comb out the knots. My mom used it for me when I was little, and I use it on daughter now. You still have to be gentle with the comb, but it helps a lot.
Disclaimer: I'm totally white, but my hair is really thick and curly from the Jewish half of the family. It's not the same, but I find that a lot of products made for African American hair work really well for my hair too. And that detangler spray works well for any hair, because it just makes the hair slippery or something so that it doesn't pull as much when you're trying to comb out knots.
Oh, and also, it's totally normal for your baby's hair to change texture. My older daughter's hair was fine, dark, and straight when she was born. She's a toddler now, and it went through a thick straight and dark phase, and is now even thicker, curly, and very light brown.