It's funny how sometimes you look and look for something, only to find that what you wanted all along was right in your own backyard.

That is how it has been with shampoos for my children of color. When Ben came home six years ago from China, his hair was incredibly dry. I tried a plethora of different conditioning shampoos, but none seemed to do much for his hair. When we were at a Families with Children from China event, I looked around and noticed that many of the little girls in attendance also had very dry and dull looking hair.

Across the room at one event, however, I noticed a family who had 3 daughters from China, all with hair that shimmered and shined and looked incredibly healthy. Their hair looked like it came straight out of one of those Pantene hair commercials....the ones where the long, gorgeous, auburn hair repeatedly flows across your T.V. screen.

I approached their mother and hesitantly asked if she would mind sharing with me what she used on their hair. She laughed and said, "Believe it or not, I buy shampoo that is meant to be used on African-American hair, and the best part is, it's very inexpensive. To top it all off, it is easily available in the ethnic hair section of Walmart!" That was when I first learned about Creme of Nature shampoo.

I started using it on Ben's hair, and what was brittle looking became shiny and soft. I could never use it on my own hair as it has way too many moisturizers in it, but it has worked its charm on Ben's hair.

When Micheline came home, I hunted far and wide for different shampoos that might make her hair soft and manageable. After all, everyone's hair is different, and no two people have the same hair needs. Micheline has one of the tightest curls I've ever seen, and I spent quite a bit of money on a variety of products from AA hair salons and the internet. None worked any better than the Creme of Nature I already had, although we don't often use shampoo on her hair at all now.

After talking with some AA women, I decided to try their "No -Poo" method, which means not even using shampoo. Instead, I use the Creme of Nature Ultra Moisturizing conditioner regularly, really rubbing it in thoroughly down to her scalp. It has enough cleansing ingredients to clean her hair without stripping her hair the way that shampoos do. It makes both her scalp and hair moisturized, and keeps her hair much softer. It has also greatly reduced any breakage she has.

Now that Caleb is home, we are trying to eliminate the "cactus" feel of his short hair. It too is very dry, but I have faith in this shampoo that has worked for us for the past six years. It has no harsh cleansers such as sodium lauryl sulfate, and it also is free of petrolatum and mineral oil. Some internet sites sell it for as much as six or seven dollars for a bottle, but my local Walmart sells it for less than three bucks. There's your frugal tip for the week!

Hair care for people of color