United Voice: Nonprofit Helps Foster, Adoptive Parents Learn How To Take Care Of Child's Hair, Skin

A local nonprofit, Cut It Forward, is holding a workshop series hoping to help foster and adoptive parents learn to care for their child's hair and skin.

"When you adopt a child that is of a different ethnicity with all the love and care and concern that you can provide, sometimes there are other needs," said Cut It Forward board member DesJean Jones.

That's where Cut It Forward comes in to help mom's like Chassidy Satterfield.

"Hair care was definitely something that we were uneducated about especially when we adopted Lydia," said adoptive mom and Cut It Forward board member Chassidy Satterfield.

Satterfield said the nonprofit helped them with that education and also helped Lydia embrace her natural hair.

During Cut It Forward's workshop series, parents will get a "crown box" full of products but also instruction on different topics.

"We will also teach about the importance and vitality of hair care, you know, what the products mean which products will work for one hair type versus another," said Jones.

But the nonprofit also wants parents to know the act of doing their child's hair is about so much more than just using the right product.

"For the care of our hair and skin, there is so much that get translated in there and you get used to what it means to have that bonding," said Jones.

Mandi Clark had that emotional experience that with her adoptive daughter.

"The first time I was able to take her hair down and wash it detangle it restyle it myself and then to have her look in the mirror and love it, that is a day I will never forget," said Clark. "She was so excited I was able to do it for her."

The nonprofits' next workshop is Sunday, Aug. 22.

Click here for more information on the rest of their series.

News 9 is part of a local initiative that brings all of our local media outlets together to give Oklahoma a United Voice in promoting a healthy dialogue on race. To see more stories, visit UnitedVoiceOK.org.