If you pay attention to any of the online forums, blogs or email groups that have to do with transracial adoption, it will not take you long to find parents talking about hair and skin care for black children. Unlike black parents who have had a lifetime to learn how to care for their own hair, parents who have black children through transracial adoption often find there is a steep learning curve to caring for their children's beautiful hair.

Taking care of your child's hair will take some extra work and effort, but it is important that you do so. Doing so will not only show respect to your child's culture, but will also help your child build a healthy self esteem.

I have written quite a few posts on this blog about hair care, and the adventures we have had in finding the right products for Belane's hair. Being from Ethiopia, her hair is much more coarse and curly than many people's hair, but it is not as coarse or curly as our African American children that were born in the U.S. This is one of the challenges of finding the right hair products. Every child's hair is different, and it seems to take a good amount of trial and error to find the perfect products for your child.

Belane's hair has a medium texture. Her hair needs more frequent washings than the hair of my other black children, and she has a very, very tender scalp. I had been doing well with the Blended Cutie line of products from Blended Beauty (love the almond scent), however I felt that they left a lot of buildup on her hair, even with frequent washings.

I was finding that the products that left her hair feeling soft did not control the frizzies well, and that the products that really defined her gorgeous spiral curls left her hair feeling sticky or hard.

Belane's hair looks great just down and natural (it does not get tangled or matted), or it is textured enough to last two to three days in braids or twists.

I have had several people recommend to me the Jamaican Mango and Lime line of products, and the Jamaican Mango and Lime Cactus line of products by Rasta Group, so I decided to give them a try. I am in love!

These products are all natural, and were designed for people with black hair being worn in natural styles. While many of the products say they are for people with locks, they work wonderfully on other natural styles, and from the large amount of positive reviews I have heard from adoptive parents, these products seem to work great on a variety of hair textures and lengths.

The first thing I liked about these products was the price. Compared to the other specialty hair products we have tried, these are by far the most reasonably priced. A large bottle of shampoo (32 ounces) was only $12, and a little goes a long way.

We bought the "Tingle Shampoo", the "Protein Conditioner", the "Lock and Set Styling Lotion", the "Island Oil" and the "Leave in Moisturizer" for hair, and I couldn't resist trying the Mango Shea Butter Lotion for skin.

All of the products have worked as well as advertised, and better. The shampoo and conditioner left Belane's hair tangle free and super soft, with very defined curls. After washing I have been working through some of the Leave in Moisturizer and finishing with a bit of the "Lock and Set Styling Lotion", and her hair has never felt so soft, looked so good or smelled so delicious. Her gorgeous curls have looked great all day long, and even bounced back after naps.

The lotion is fantastic (and again, all natural), and all of my kids, even the boys, have been wanting to use it. It absorbs quickly, is not greasy at all and does a marvelous job of moisturizing. Belane does not have overly dry skin, but my little Marcus does, and even his knees and elbows have been looking great since we started using this stuff.

Belane does not need the oil on her head, but for my older girls, I have been using it in their braid parts, and I have been rubbing a little on the boys heads, and they all love it. The smell is "beachy", but not overpowering at all, and is great for girls and boys. I have a bunch of people in this house who are all very picky about smells, and all of us are really enjoying the scents of these products.

So, this is my latest recommendation for transracial adoptive families looking for products for their black children's skin and hair. This stuff is natural, reasonably priced, has a great scent that is not overpowering and does a wonderful job.

I found the products in many places, but I ordered my products on the Rasta Group site, as they had the biggest selection in products and sizes.

If you try these products, leave me a comment and let me know what you think.

Learning to Do Hair

Adventures in Hair Care - Part One

Adventures in Hair Care - Part Two

Adventures in Hair Care - Part Three

Hair Adventures Follow up- Our new favorite products