We have had a busy summer and enjoyed every moment.  This weekend was one of the rare ones that we had free.  I had finally badgered my husband enough to get him to do some of the items on his honey to do list.  One of which was to hang a TV I got a couple months prior for our screened in porch.  Ladies do you feel me?  It takes a lot of effort to recruit help around here.   The TV was practically free with my Costco rewards points, that’s either an indication of a great rewards program or my habitual shopping trips to Costco.   I bought a TV Mount to go with it and on this evening,  I decided to do the girl’s hair out on the patio daybed while they watched the movie Sing.

Inspired by the film,  I chose split pigtails for our freshly washed hairstyle this week.  They both had upcoming water days at summer camp scheduled for the week.  We had spent a lot of time swimming over the Fourth of July holiday, so the girls hair was thirsty.  I choose smaller braids when I am looking for a style that will hold up for a couple days..

Disclosure- While I am a wellness expert I am not a hair stylist.  These are simply ideas, styles and techniques that I have found to work for my biracial daughter’s hair type.  I have done hours of research and trial and error to find what works for us.  I am not good at making straight parts, my priority is keeping their hair healthy and minimizing maintenance time.  I am embracing my faults with the hashtag Croaked part join me if you have the same struggle.

I have scheduled both girls with trims at Studio 100 with Brynn who has given them all of their hair cuts.  I typically have been doing trims twice a year, when I notice that their ends are looking dull and dry and even after we do a deep conditioning or clarifying treatment the hair does not retain much moisture.

We followed our regular wash routine and used Cantu beauty products to set the curls into braids.  While the hair is still wet we add in a generous amount of Cantu leave-in conditioner repair cream.  If the hair begins to dry from the time we are done with bathing the kids and the time I start styling their hair, I simply rewet the hair with a water spray bottle.  I find that starting with wet hair is important for detangling the curls with a wet brush with minimal discomfort.

Laufty Tip– when the kids are occupied with a movie, show, book or project they are less likely to complain about the detangling process.

Next we add a heavier curl cream, since we were following up a week of swimming and the hair is very dry.   I used Cantu hydrating cream conditioner instead of a curl defining cream knowing the kids will rinse most of this out during their subsequent water play.  If you need a visual guide, I cover about 1/4 of my palm with each product I use.  I apply it from roots to tips and if the hair immediately soaks it up, I apply more.

After I applied these two products I use a fine tooth comb, the pointy tip and I part their hair, usually not very straight despite my best efforts.  Once the hair is divided I detangle from the ends to the roots with a wet brush, it’s important to flip the hair over and detangle it from both sides.  Sometimes I also go through with a wide tooth comb or with a denman brush on the ends.

Once the hair is free of tangles I use a bristle brush to smooth the hair into a ponytail.  Repeat on both sides, and then I simple divide that ponytail into two halves and braid.  I secure the ends with a smaller ouchless band and curl the tip around my finger to create a pretty swirl.

As of now the girls like to wear the same hairstyle so I repeat the same steps on the other kid’s head.  These little piggies sat still, these little piggies were calm  and these little piggies enjoyed their outside movie viewing before bed.