African Beauty Secrets???
- Thread starter Neen
- Start date
Nonie
Well-Known Member
Yes it's been one month. I really wanted to leave them in longer but they're starting to look...questionable. Some lady did ask me if that was my real hair todya though, she couldn't see the top (obviously) so maybe they don't look that bad. I really only wore them down or pulled back because I couldn't fit all the hair into a ponytail. I'll try to see if I have pics.
I did take out one. This is what it looks like. It kind of looks like really small finger coils.
That is so odd, that it looks like finger coils. :scratchch Not odd in a bad way, just odd coz I don't remember mine looking like that...but maybe I just forgot?
When they would wrap my hair, it'd be pulled straight and not be twisted during the wrapping/banding in the direction of the wrap. The wrist holding that hair would be rotating back with every turn of the thread almost as if trying to ensure the hair isn't turning with the wrapping. I wish I had a guinea pig or doll I could use to demonstrate what I mean.
I will try to see if I can demonstrate what I mean on my own head. If I can, I'll be back to post.
Thanks, Riverrock for sharing. Did you undo all? Was your hair straight?
KurlyNinja
New Member
i find this interesting. any updates?
hothair
Well-Known Member
I posted a couple of years ago about some herbs/sticks that women use after birth in the northern part of Nigeria. I kept getting PMs about this but was unable to find out the names. *Good news* now I have, they are called "bagaruwa" or Acacia nilotica and are actually named a fruit. You boil these and put the liuid in a bath (much as you would a sitz bath).
They help your uterus and birth canal contract back almost immediately and you lose a lot of that water retention.
It only took two years...sorry
They help your uterus and birth canal contract back almost immediately and you lose a lot of that water retention.
It only took two years...sorry
JayAnn0513
I make 30 look good!
I posted a couple of years ago about some herbs/sticks that women use after birth in the northern part of Nigeria. I kept getting PMs about this but was unable to find out the names. *Good news* now I have, they are called "bagaruwa" or Acacia nilotica and are actually named a fruit. You boil these and put the liuid in a bath (much as you would a sitz bath).
They help your uterus and birth canal contract back almost immediately and you lose a lot of that water retention.
It only took two years...sorry
Good info!! Do you know if you can find this in the states?
curlcomplexity
formerly qtslim83
...what have I been missing? When did threading become cool?! 
My friends and I still dread that black sewing thread hairdo from out childhood. Then again, when my mom did it, there were extra big parts and only 5-6 braids...
My friends and I still dread that black sewing thread hairdo from out childhood. Then again, when my mom did it, there were extra big parts and only 5-6 braids...
curlcomplexity
formerly qtslim83
I got my hair "threaded" the other day. The lady actually uses yarn but heyo it all worked out.
These are nice, kind of look like yarn braids
Nonie
Well-Known Member
...what have I been missing? When did threading become cool?!
qtslim83, why did you dread them? I used to love them because not only were they done so neatly and made me feel pretty, I loved the straightening effect they had on my hair so it was easy to comb. I remember how that "stretch" would feel like my hair grew so fast. LOL
And no, we had many sections. The end result looked like two French braids. These were created from four rows of narrow threaded sections and then the two rows on either side of the center part joined in a herringbone pattern to create what looked like two slightly raised French braids on either side.
Leggy Mocha
New Member
I can do this to my own hair. I just use stockings/tights or thread just not the 100% coton type but the silky ones.
Tonto
New Member
I am from Congo Brazzaville. When I was younger, my grandmother (and her mother) often came on week ends to give my mother some palm oil (the dark on made with palm nuts) to put in our hair after she washed it when damp. The smell, OMG! All the time I was like mom, that thing smells too strong... Almost three years ago I was the one making it myself for myself, I went back natural then.
I remember that my hair was soft and nourished when I was younger. Now that I take care of my hair it is but if I could get some here, I would put it in my DCs
I remember that my hair was soft and nourished when I was younger. Now that I take care of my hair it is but if I could get some here, I would put it in my DCs
southerncitygirl
Well-Known Member
The possibilities are endless for resources from the mother continent for natural hair/body and holistic health:
east african shea butter (not waxy & waxy like its West African counterpart but much more expensive due to it being from places of civil unrest)
marula
black castor oil (found in the tombs of ancient Egyptians that were black, before the arab invasion)
red palm
baobob
sesame
yangu (cape chesnut)
tamanu
papaya seed oil
watermelon seed oil
neem
moringa
manketti
aloe vera
cocoa
black soap
essential oils like myrrh, bluegrass,frankincense,etc.
The list goes on and on............ I have been doing so much research on herbs and other ingredients melanated indigeneous peoples use to stay healthy and beautiful all over the world. In particular the areas/countries/continents of Africa, Southeast Asia, Central/South America, the Carribean, and islands such as Fiji
east african shea butter (not waxy & waxy like its West African counterpart but much more expensive due to it being from places of civil unrest)
marula
black castor oil (found in the tombs of ancient Egyptians that were black, before the arab invasion)
red palm
baobob
sesame
yangu (cape chesnut)
tamanu
papaya seed oil
watermelon seed oil
neem
moringa
manketti
aloe vera
cocoa
black soap
essential oils like myrrh, bluegrass,frankincense,etc.
The list goes on and on............ I have been doing so much research on herbs and other ingredients melanated indigeneous peoples use to stay healthy and beautiful all over the world. In particular the areas/countries/continents of Africa, Southeast Asia, Central/South America, the Carribean, and islands such as Fiji
fasika
Well-Known Member
Interesting thread.
Here are a few from Ethiopia:
- Butter is used as a pre-poo but also as a leave-in (in rural areas only). Just plain pasteurized butter.
- Coconut oil is the preferred oil for hair; we call it "cocos kibat." My family didn't use it because the smell was unpalatable for my mom
. I still don't like the smell.
- ALWAYS braid hair and put a scarf on before bed. There are no exceptions (unless your hair is straightened, in which case you put on rollers then a scarf). Hair is never left loose at bedtime.
- Henna is used extensively for moisture and color
- Avocado and eggs were also used in hair (at least I remember several women in my family using them)
- We use flaxseed to make gel. It's used for wash and gos, or to smooth hair when making a bun. Hair that looks Jhery curled is colloquially known as the "telba freez" (flaxseed curls). I've personally never used it.
- For skin care, in the east of the country, they eat a lot of fenugreek. It's a pretty bitter pungent spice. It is like garlic in that the smell lingers on your skin (although people from that region have methods of minimizing this). BUT, it gives you the most amazingly airbrushed-looking skin if you get past that.
- There's also an herb that is made into a paste and applied on the face as a face mask, and as sunscreen. We call it "kesil" or "qasil". Someone told me it's the Neem plant, but I'm not sure. It gives an amazing complexion, same as the fenugreek, except that this is used externally.
That's all I can think of right now.
Here are a few from Ethiopia:
- Butter is used as a pre-poo but also as a leave-in (in rural areas only). Just plain pasteurized butter.
- Coconut oil is the preferred oil for hair; we call it "cocos kibat." My family didn't use it because the smell was unpalatable for my mom
. I still don't like the smell. - ALWAYS braid hair and put a scarf on before bed. There are no exceptions (unless your hair is straightened, in which case you put on rollers then a scarf). Hair is never left loose at bedtime.
- Henna is used extensively for moisture and color
- Avocado and eggs were also used in hair (at least I remember several women in my family using them)
- We use flaxseed to make gel. It's used for wash and gos, or to smooth hair when making a bun. Hair that looks Jhery curled is colloquially known as the "telba freez" (flaxseed curls). I've personally never used it.
- For skin care, in the east of the country, they eat a lot of fenugreek. It's a pretty bitter pungent spice. It is like garlic in that the smell lingers on your skin (although people from that region have methods of minimizing this). BUT, it gives you the most amazingly airbrushed-looking skin if you get past that.
- There's also an herb that is made into a paste and applied on the face as a face mask, and as sunscreen. We call it "kesil" or "qasil". Someone told me it's the Neem plant, but I'm not sure. It gives an amazing complexion, same as the fenugreek, except that this is used externally.
That's all I can think of right now.
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It's so weird to google some of the things mentioned in this thread, such as telba freez, and hardly anything comes up except for this thread and random websites.
Did anyone actually ever figure out what this was?? The sahara clay was mentioned but I wasn't sure if it was the same thing.
Can anyone confirm whether or not "kesil/qasil" is the same as neem??
What are the ways people minimize the fenugreek smell? Does drinking fenugreek tea give you the same results as cooking with it??
The butter thing has come up a couple of times in this thread. That's so weird to me but I can see how it can be good for hair.
Did anyone actually ever figure out what this was?? The sahara clay was mentioned but I wasn't sure if it was the same thing.
Can anyone confirm whether or not "kesil/qasil" is the same as neem??
What are the ways people minimize the fenugreek smell? Does drinking fenugreek tea give you the same results as cooking with it??
The butter thing has come up a couple of times in this thread. That's so weird to me but I can see how it can be good for hair.
HomesteaderDreams
Active Member
Interesting thread.
Here are a few from Ethiopia:
- Butter is used as a pre-poo but also as a leave-in (in rural areas only). Just plain pasteurized butter.
- Coconut oil is the preferred oil for hair; we call it "cocos kibat." My family didn't use it because the smell was unpalatable for my mom
- ALWAYS braid hair and put a scarf on before bed. There are no exceptions (unless your hair is straightened, in which case you put on rollers then a scarf). Hair is never left loose at bedtime.
- Henna is used extensively for moisture and color
- Avocado and eggs were also used in hair (at least I remember several women in my family using them)
- We use flaxseed to make gel. It's used for wash and gos, or to smooth hair when making a bun. Hair that looks Jhery curled is colloquially known as the "telba freez" (flaxseed curls). I've personally never used it.
- For skin care, in the east of the country, they eat a lot of fenugreek. It's a pretty bitter pungent spice. It is like garlic in that the smell lingers on your skin (although people from that region have methods of minimizing this). BUT, it gives you the most amazingly airbrushed-looking skin if you get past that.
- There's also an herb that is made into a paste and applied on the face as a face mask, and as sunscreen. We call it "kesil" or "qasil". Someone told me it's the Neem plant, but I'm not sure. It gives an amazing complexion, same as the fenugreek, except that this is used externally.
That's all I can think of right now.
thank you so much!!! you have no idea how you are saving my life, my marriage, my self-esteem, my sprouting career, everything!
HomesteaderDreams
Active Member
roots or branches of the bagaruwa? thanks.
DirectorChic
New Member
From my thinking I think ingesting fenugreek can increase hair growth on some level too. And yes it's good for skin.
DD
DD
JaneBond007
New Member
You can make a fermented paste of honey, water and fenugreek and take a teaspoon daily. I don't like the texture, but it's great for skin. Turmeric with milk (teaspoon) once daily is also good. I'm not African, just passing on what someone taught me.
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