Source: Cantu
As my daughter’s hair continues to grow and her texture continues to change, I’m always on the lookout for products designed for Black children. At the top of my list of priorities is always a product line that offers tear-free shampoo. You’d be surprised by the number of companies that market head-to-toe wash and shampoo towards babies and children that are not tear-free and will bring grown behind adults to their knees if it makes contact with their eyes. As a basic rule of thumb, it’s best not to assume and always check for a label that explicitly says “tear-free.”
Beyond being gentle to my baby’s eyes, I’m always looking for products that will hydrate her strands as well. Black hair naturally requires an immense amount of moisture to flourish, and babies tend to lose quite a bit due to the fact that many sleep without bonnets. Thankfully, when I tried Cantu’s Care For Kids line, it did not disappoint in either of these categories.
Nourishing Shampoo
The Nourishing Tear-Free Shampoo offers great slip and gently cleanses without stripping hair of its moisture. Aside from the fact that I don’t have to worry about it accidentally getting in my baby’s eyes and burning them, which is a major win by the way, it smells really nice. Additionally, this shampoo is free from sulfates, parabens, and all that other stuff we don’t want in our cleansers.
Nourishing Conditioner
Many haircare lines marketed towards babies and children forgo conditioners altogether because most of them are not designed for Black children and as a result manufacturers probably don’t fee the need to incorporate this step when designing their systems. Anytime I find a conditioner designed for children, I’m wide open. This conditioner instantly coats tiny curls, leaving them feeling juicy and hydrated when rinsed away. This product’s ability to yield results almost instantly is especially important because my soon-to-be toddler is not the most patient these days so it’s important that I’m able to get in and out with ease. Things can go south quickly and then wash day is unpleasant for the both of us. Additionally, the Nourishing Conditioner also works well as a co-wash. It’s especially helpful in those moments between wash days when my daughter does something wild like rub food in her hair.
Conditioning Detangler
The Conditioning Detangler is a wonderful follow-up to the Nourishing Conditioner. After spraying it into her hair, I’m able to detangle her curls using a plastic afro pick almost effortlessly,
Leave-in Conditioner
Finally, the leave-in conditioner is pretty helpful as well when it comes to detangling. However, I’ve come to recognize that I can’t use this alone as a moisturizer in my daughter’s hair because it dries out pretty quickly so I usually follow up with a little bit of a heavier moisturizer and some castor oil to seal.
Overall, I really enjoy Cantu Care for Kids. People make comments about how great my daughter’s hair smells for days after a wash and the members of my mommy group are always asking about the products that I use in her hair.
