Who Came Up with Corn Rowing Anyway?

Goal: To Learn How to Corn Row My Daughter's Hair

There are some people who were just born knowing how to braid. I'm talking about long before the days of Bo Derek and '10' and well before Kizzie in Roots...I am not one of them. I used to watch my cousins and sisters braid and they could catch the tiniest hairs. I am convinced that braiding hair and the ability to jump double dutch (of each ability I have neither) go hand and hand.

Anyway, God blessed me with a little girl. I am so grateful for her, but Lord have mercy, I did not want my baby walking around looking like nobody loved her. I was able to do cute little styles as her hair grew over time:

Adorable Right?

Simple Enough.
Oh we're getting fancy!
Classic Chic!

As it grew, as creative as I tried to get, I quickly began to realize my limitations.

PoppaWheel loved to see it in a fro. Problem was is the detangling process afterwards.

I mean the heck with it, I could just throw a hat on the child's head!

But wait, I may know how to do a zig zag part! Advanced braid-dom huh?
I hear the secret to a good braider is a good part-er.

There goes that ubiquitous fro again. Love the look. Hate the screams from combing it.

The girl rocked puffs for long you'd thought we had stock in Stay Puft lol

Au NaturaleMommaWheel got smart and paid someone to braid it.
Highly technical skill. Note the precision by which the child can golf now that her hair is laid tight!

At present day, our girl has been rocking two strand twist or some variation thereof. I also have not been able to master the twistout.

I have learned which products work for the girl's hair. I use good, organic ingredients that keep her scalp healthy and don't harm her in any way. I kicked it old school with Bergamont. I've been through Carol's Daughter, Kinky Curly, etc, but my favorite has been Moroccan Oil. It has a nice smell and it really defines her curls and gives it a nice shine. I am still on the hunt for a good detangler. I tried Taliah Waajid by the recommendation of a mom who is a self-taught corn-rower, and it's ok, but I guess I am looking for that magic product that whilest it detangles it will infuse me with the sublime ability to corn row like the masters. Aint happening!

So, being the loving, resourceful momma that I am, I took to the internets for some advice. I started out a You Tube looking at videos of how to do my baby's hair. Here are some that I tried:

• Beads Braids and Beyond is my top fave. (Started off watching her on You Tube, then subscribed to the blog via Google Reader) This is a Canadian mom who is just gorgeous and her kiddo has a great head of hair. Because there is so much of it, it gives me hope that I too can tackle detangling the BabyWheel's head.

She has me wanting to try Bee Mine products.

She even has a corn row tutorial that I have yet to try. I WILL! :)

Corn Rowing for Beginners

I was then touched by the story of a white mom who adopted her girls from Haiti and learned to care for their hair:

Braids Beads and Truth

I also love how much this momma loves her girls and cares for their hair:

Family Going Natural

I have also learned that black hair is beautiful. I mean, I've been an owner of said hair for 35 years and I've always known it, but the media would have us to believe that blond str8 hair flowing down your back is the only thing of beauty. I take it as my personal responsibility to to advocate for my daughter and help her express her outer beauty by combing her hair and styling it the best it can look. I know, I know, you're ready to play this song:

I Am Not My Hair

In all seriousness, we are about to move to suburbia where our baby may be the only brown one in the bunch in many scenarios. Different is not bad. Different is well, different. So when she hops in the pool and her hair changes texture or she can't be Cher for dress up day without a wig, I want her to feel confident. She is not her hair. She is BabyWheel.