That's a great question, Neen. I'm interested myself! I know there's a former thread by one of our Eritrean members -OnceUponATime, I think- on this very topic.
In Kenya, back in the Dark Ages, lol (no pun intended!
) manufactured products from the West were more easily available in the city. But, my hair thrived. Hair dye was rarely, if ever, used - except for Henna. Few chemicals ... although some did sport the jherri curl.
Diet played a big part too. My father's people ate a lot (and I mean a lot!) of vegetables (choto, anyone?), fruit, rice, and fish, which is supposed to be a hair-growing, healthy, protein. What we put in our bodies seemed more important to hair thriving than what we put on it.
During a summer in Zimbabwe, which is another African country, far south of Kenya, I used this clear, thick, liquid called "Malawi oil." It smelled -to me- like black licorice. It was supposedly a fast-hair-growing topical treatment. I don't know if it's true. I do know that I retained 4-5 inches of hair in a 3-month period ... and my hair w/o supps grows about 1/2", tops, a month. Before leaving for Zimbabwe, my hair was visibly shorter than my stylist's. When I returned, my length far surpassed hers. It's a fantastic moisturizer for my scalp and hair, natural, braided or texturized. I wish I knew how to get it over here.
If my mom was African, I might have more insight into other indigenous oils or hair growing practices. My dad is the one who is African -and believe me, he knows no secrets other than shave the head
or leave it alone (he doesn't even use conditioner).
He does nothing special, yet he has this magnificent mane of hair (think Frederick Douglas x 2). He grooms his hair once a day, in the morning. He washes/rinses hair after every run. He still runs @ 5 miles 3-4 times a week and he's almost 70. Finally, he eats an incredibly healthy diet of mostly fresh-from-the-earth vegetables and fruits. And whole grains. He eats a lot of peanuts, which is also good for hair growth (good source of protein). He rarely eats meat.
Dad's hair is
so soft! it's like touching the softest baby hair. His hair would be a Type 5, if such a thing were possible. Whatever he's doing works.
