Mom Teaching Toddler Her Type 4 Hair Is a ‘Blessing’ Not a Burden Applauded

A Washington-based mom has gone viral after celebrating and nurturing her daughter’s natural hair texture on social media.
Tionna Marsh, 31, posted a video on Instagram to document a special spa day with her toddler daughter, Avia, where she gave her a warm oil treatment.
Marsh, who manages her Instagram account @marshforeverhome, has an approach to her daughter’s haircare that goes deeper than just maintaining Avia’s Type 4 curls—hair that is tightly coiled and can have a dense and springy texture.
“I want to show moms who have children with curly/ coily hair how important it is to teach our babies how to love their hair,” she told Newsweek.
She said that it’s important to take the time to learn how to manage said textures for the benefit of both mother and child.
With a mother who has been a hairstylist for over 25 years, Marsh grew up with the best haircare experience and told Newsweek that she wants to provide Avia with the same.
Marsh’s clip has gone viral since it was posted 4 weeks ago with over 26 million views. The 31-year-old explained in the caption that this was Avia’s first warm oil treatment—something she plans to make a monthly ritual.
It received thousands of comments, praising the mom for instilling self-love and confidence in her daughter at a young age.
“Loving everything about this is. The love poured into her. Keeping that kitchen spotless when you get a moment. Taking advantage of a little me time when she’s sleeping. Your daughter is stunning and it’s because her momma is as well. You did everything perfectly and I appreciate you sharing,” one Instagram user wrote.
Another user shared that they have a love-hate relationship with their Type 3B curls and wrote how she’s never known how to take care of them: “My mom says she wishes she would have known how to take care of my sister and my curls, but she did the best she could. You are amazing, your little one will grow up embracing her curls.”
With her videos, Marsh is determined to change how society views Type 4 hair, which is often seen as difficult and time-consuming to style.
“Caring for Type 4 hair can be a tedious process, but I try to remember that it’s essentially extra time I get to spend with my daughter.
“Instead of becoming frustrated with the process, I want it to be a time that [she] and I look forward to, where we connect, bond and grow closer to each other,” she told Newsweek.
The warm oil treatment itself takes 15 to 20 minutes, and as long as she has her snacks, Marsh said that Avia will sit for the entire process. “I put conditioner right on top of it and detangle, so her hair can soak up all that moisture,” she said.
Marsh told Newsweek that she was “shocked” to see one of her hair spa videos going viral and appreciates the comments such as “this video healed something in me” and “I can’t wait to do this for my daughter.”
“I believe our moms did the best they could when taking care of our hair. Now it’s our job to learn more about our hair, so we can learn to love it,” she added.