Saturday, November 22, 2008

Bi-Racial Hair Care

I was recently asked advice on how to care for bi-racial hair and below was my response. I thought a few of you might find it helpful. After $100's and $100's we finally found what works for "Tr's" hair. If you have any other tricks, let me know :) "Tr's" hair does require lots of care but it's worth it and we have a blast trying all kinds of new things.
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Hair Products (in order of my favorites...we pretty much only use Paul Mitchell at this point):
1. Paul Mitchell Shampoo and Conditioner AND Leave-In Condition
2. Mixed Chicks shampoo and Conditioner http://www.mixedchicks.net/index.html
3. Pantene for women of color - shampoo and conditioner

Other products we use daily:
1. Just for Me spray detangler (Wal-Mart or Target)
2. V05 leave-in conditioning dressing (Wal-Mart..in tube or jar) This stuff is fabulous...only need a small amount

Hair tips for bi-racial children:
1. Only wash hair with shampoo 1x a week but use a conditioner at least 2x a week (let the conditioner sit for at least 5 minutes before rinsing) Also, use large tooth comb to comb conditioner through hair before rinsing
2. Have child sleep with satin cap
3. Have child sleep with a satin pillow case (cotton pulls the moisturizers out of the hair and satin does not)
4. Use a leave-in conditioner daily (only need a small amount)
5. Comb hair with large tooth comb and comb from the ends up towards the roots
6. YouTube has a ton of neat braiding videos...we have lots of fun with these :)
7. Never use rubber..rubber bands..use the cloth covered ones. Bi-racial is very fragile and can break easily. Treat it like you would a delicate silk blouse ;)

Our daily routine:
1. Wet hair with Just for Me spray detangler
2. Comb
3. Add Paul Mitchell leave-in condition (small amount)
4. Then add V05 leave-in conditioning dressing (small amount)
5. Comb again
6. Finish styling hair and we are good to go :)
(again, I shampoo once a week and use a rinse conditioner at least twice a week)

Another option is to use a gentle relaxer on her hair (if you are nervous about doing this yourself, I highly recommend having it done by a professional). I recently used the Just for Me relaxer on "Tr's" hair and it worked beautifully! She has long, loose, spiral curls right now and she loves it! It's very gentle on the hair and made for children & it's inexpensive (Wal_Mart or Target). If the directions are followed properly, the hair comes out great!

Hmmmm, I think that's about it. I hope this is helpful. Bi-Racial hair is tricky because it can have so many textures. The above works for "Tr's" hair because her hair is NOT coarse but dry and extremely curly. A lot will depend on your child's hair.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Adoption commercials

My friend, Debbie, posted some neat adoption commercials on her blog. This one really touched me...okay, I'll say it like it is...it definitely made me cry...
(oh yeah...pause the site music at the bottom)


"There are no unwanted children, just un-found parents"

Thanks for sharing these Debbie!

It's mine...muwahaha...all mine!!

I have successfully been able to pry my blog out of my hubby's hands. He had a little too much fun posting about my shoe quirk addiction collection. I have a sick feeling that he will be hijacking my blog sometime soon :) He thoroughly enjoyed your comments and has yet to let me live this down.



Prayer and spread the word!

Please be praying for this precious little girl and family AND pass this on!!
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Blanket permission to post. Please pass the following information to your groups or if you think you maybe able to help this woman please contact me privately. lavonned@mail.com


My daughter Lydia was adopted from Guangdong Province China on July 5, 2004. In August 2008, she was diagnosed with AML, a very pernicious and deadly form of leukemia. With the help of her Chinese-born doctor, we were able to locate her birthparents and some of her siblings in China that her family kept. We know she had at least two sisters older than she (born somewhere between 1993 and 2002) who were also abandoned. The birthparents have refused to assist with her bone marrow transplant, even though two of her already found siblings were a match. We are now looking for these other potential siblings to see if they were adopted and might also be a match. Lydia is part of the Hakka ethnic group, and so a match from someone other than a relative is unlikely because of her unique, almost bi-racial typing. Lydia has classic Hakka features: "Brooke Shields" eyebrows, and rather full lips and a round face. I will have my husband post photos of Lydia and her birthfamily. I cannot do so at this time, because I am in the hospital with Lydia and the internet connection here is too slow and rather poor. Thank you for any assistance you may be able to lend.


Blessings,
Monica Miyashita
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/lydialimeieikomiyashita or
http://www.caringbridge.org%20cut/
enter: lydialimeieikomiyashita
(photo's of family and Lydia are now posted on caringbridge)

UPDATE:
Hi All,Last night I posted regarding the little girl, Lydia, who is very ill and her mother is desparately trying to find her 2 sisters. Tonight a plea is being made in asking for your help. Lydia must find a donor. We urge you to please allow your child to be tested, cheek swab, for a possible donor match.Lydia is Hakka Chinese. The Hakka are concentrated in Guangdong, Jiangxi, Guangxi, Fujian, Hong Kong and Hunan. There are small numbers in Sichuan and Hunan Provninces. Source: Operation China 2000.Please, if you are interested in testing please contact me directly. Jl_rms@yahoo. comIf you are a member of Guangdong or Hunan sib find, just enter your information in the database section of the group.Thank you,Julie