Mother + Daughter Curly Summer Hair Routine

I transitioned from relaxed hair to my hair in its natural state in 2010, and even though I normally prefer to wear my hair blown out & straight, I’ve been fully natural for 9 years. I’ve worn it curly on and off during the summers because it’s obviously tough to keep my natural hair straight in the humidity so some sort of summer hair is always a necessity, whether it’s curly hair, braids or some other easy/protective style. But also, for the past two summers in particular, I’ve worn it curly because I want Brooklyn to see why her hair looks the way it looks, and know that she got that from me, and be able to connect both to me and to that part of herself when she’s old enough to know the difference. 

So, since I’ve been wearing my summer hair for the past several weeks I’ve actually gotten inspiration for Brooklyn’s summer hair routine too, and I’m loving the results for both! Over the winter, I had to really get into protective styling for her at night, and do braid out / twist out styles because I couldn’t wet her hair every day. Those styles are great for stretching her hair and showing off the length, but I also love how her natural curls are able to pop through and be really springy and shiny in the summer from wet n’ go styling (I still do protective styling for her at night though. More on that below)!

The hair routine is very similar for each of us, with minor variances. 

For my hair, I usually saturate it in the shower, and add Kinky Curly Knot Today leave-in conditioner, detangling as needed. After slightly blotting, I add SheaMoisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie (if I need the curls to get springier) OR their Red Palm Oil leave-in (if I need the hair to stretch); I put Shea butter on the ends of my hair because they tend to get drier than the roots; and I finish with  a shine serum. My faves are Brazilian Blowout Açaí Dry Oil and Pantene Naturals Shine Serum with Argan Oil. And then I let my hair air dry, which happens really quickly once I’m out in the sun. 

At night, I’ll pull my hair into a ponytail, or do two braids or twists, and tie it down with a satin scarf so it doesn’t dry out. 

For Brooklyn’s hair, I lightly moisten her curls with water from a spray bottle, then I spray on So Cozy’s soy & kiwi Detangling + Leave-in conditioner. I use a few different SoCozy products for her because they’re formulated for babies and kids, and they’re labeled as clean (no parabens, sulfates, phthalates, synthetic colors, or propylene glycol); they work wonders. I discovered their products in a CurlBox baby, and have been reupping at Target ever since, which is super convenient! With the new routine, I’ve been adding the SheaMoisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie to her hair, and I find that it makes a difference in how soft it feels. Finally, I add Shea butter all over + a little coconut oil for shine and to seal in the moisture, and then brush her hair up into her ponytails. 

Because her hair has such tight curls, it tangles super easily, so I’ve found that I still have to do protective styling for her at night. I’m not so much concerned with the morning outcome (unlike winter because then I can’t dampen her hair in the morning) but moreso with keeping it from drying out / matting uncontrollably while she sleeps. Even if it’s just 2 fat twists at night, which is sometimes all she’ll sit still for, I “put it away” in some form or fashion. 

I’ve been doing this routine for about a month, and I’m loving the results! I am not a natural hair guru by any means, and I definitely reach out to my mama village when I have questions (like how the heck to get sand out of her hair from the beach!) but I’m happy to have found something simple that works for us, and I’m hoping that by sharing it might help you and your little too. 

Questions? Suggestions? Feel free to drop them in the comments!