My name is Indhira Castro. My daughter is Gabrielle Julien (prefers to be called Gabby”>, 6 years old, NYC. Gabby has worn her hair naturally curly since birth. She was born with all that curly hair! Asides from trimming, we’ve never drastically cut it, or put any chemicals in her hair.
Gabby has a lot of hair and in order to make mornings easier (for both of us”> I usually style hair at night. During the school week I do a lot of protective styles on her (braids for the most part”> or if she wants to wear her hair out (which she loves to do”> I do three-strand twists or Bantu knots at night. In the morning I take them out and she can wear her fabulous hair out without mommy having to worry about her beautiful child coming home from school with her hair all matted or tangled up—every parent’s biggest nightmare, right?
Challenges with Gabby’s hair
The biggest challenges with Gabby’s hair are all related to wash days! First of all, Gabby has never been a fan of getting her hair washed. Due in part to the fact that she has so much hair and is so tender headed she really dreads the process of getting her hair washed. What has worked for us so far, in terms of getting her to sit still while she’s getting her hair washed and in efforts for her to actually enjoy the hair grooming experience, is washing her hair in sections. I literally part her hair into four sections and wash each section at a time.
The other big challenge on wash days was finding the right products for her hair… I feel like we’ve probably tried every shampoo out there! After having such bad experiences with most shampoos, now we officially stay away from shampoo altogether (with the exception of using a homemade carrot oil and raw honey shampoo soap bar”> when it comes to Gabby because the chemicals in shampoo dry out her hair way too much. We’ve transitioned into co-washing her hair and it’s made a huge difference!
Gabby has grown to love her curly hair! Through a lot of conversations about hair, and explaining that we are all born with different hair textures, she has really started to embrace her natural hair! She loves to read, so I buy her books that are targeted to girls with natural hair.
Braids are pretty, too
Last year, I even hosted a braids and cupcakes party for her because I wanted her to understand that “braids are pretty too”-she was having some self-esteem issues regarding wearing her hair in braids to school because one of her classmates at the time (kindergarten”> who has straight hair told Gabby that she didn’t like her braids. Gabby is a very confident, positive, cheerful child by nature and as a parent I want for her to continue to be comfortable in her own skin and not let others opinions about hair change how she feels about herself and her beautiful hair!
Gabby’s holy grail products
- Cantu for Natural Hair- Complete Conditioning Co-Wash
- SheaMoisture- Coconut & Hibiscus Kids Curling Butter Cream
- Curlykids Haircare- Super Detangling Spray
- Mayonnaise & Olive Oil hair serum- Product from the Dominican Republic called “Mayoliva”
Keep up with us!
Instagram: @GabbysFabLife (her account is managed by mom!”>
Also feel free to keep up with her under the following hashtags: #GabbysFabLife #GabbyJewelz #Braidsareprettytoo
