Adoption is a beautiful and rewarding experience for both parents and children. When adopting a child of another race, hair and skin care is of equal concern for adoptive parents just as it is for biological parents. As a professional and as a person who loves children, I have the same advice for both types of parents as it relates to hair and skin care: Your child’s hair is unique to them as individuals and will, without a doubt, change as they grow up. No two heads of hair are alike. In theory, the life cycle of a strand of hair is six to seven years. This being the case, every seven years expect a change in your child’s hair. Their hair may become thicker or thinner. Their hair may become curlier or their hair may become softer. Whatever the case, it will change.

When you bring your beautiful baby home, you will notice little fine hairs all over their bodies. This hair is called lanugo. The hair they have on their head when they are babies, known as vellus hair, is technically not hair as we know it. It is more for protection of the scalp and to help ease their travel through the birth canal. During human development in the womb, the lanugo grows on fetuses as a normal part of gestation. But, the hair on the head is usually shed and replaced by vellus hair. Eventually, the vellus hair will drop off and be replaced by terminal hair. From there, hair care begins.

Due to its pH, baby shampoo is safest cleanser to use on your baby’s hair from birth until approximately five years of age. A great benefit of baby shampoo is that it will not sting your child’s eyes nor dry their skin. 

As your child’s hair changes, so should their hair care products and hair care regimen. If your child is active in outdoor sports, contact sports or physical activities, their hair will need to be shampooed and conditioned more. If your child is a swimmer, you must use a swimmer’s shampoo in order to remove the chlorine from their hair. It is essential to shampoo the residue of chlorine and other minerals from the hair to prevent dryness, change of hair color and brittleness. If your child wears braids, the braids can be shampooed and rinsed thoroughly.

Remember, hair care and hair styling starts at home with the parents. Parents set the tone for how hair is to be cleaned and groomed. When time permits, schedule hair care and hair styling dates with a professional to make hair care and hair styling less cumbersome and long-drawn-out. Everyone will win!

Watch movies, videos and play games that promote a positive self-image for your child. And, of course, read books such as, Curly Hair Adventures to spark your child’s interest in reading as well as to enhance their self-awareness, their differences and sense of worth.