African Beauty Secrets???

[A_Christian]

One of my friends from Nigeria used to have her hair thread wrapped all of the time. Her mom used the sturdy black thread. Her hair accumulated length very fast due to that style. I definitely think it is a protective style and it was also very pretty.

 

[syoulee1]

My great grandmother used to wrap her hair in black thread too. Her hair was waistlength and very thick.

 

[UmSumayyah]

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Sweetyb said:
Wow, I was just thinking about this topic

I agree with the thread wrapping comments. My mom used to thread wrap my hair when I was younger. It wasn't sewing thread, it was this sturdy, shiny black thread that she would use to twine my hair... I should find some old pics to scan

It would stay in for a good week before some of them would start unraveling, but you just retie it at the ends. When we took them out after 2 weeks, my hair would be very thick and soft. It really is a good protective style.

Kids at school teased me for wearing them though, saying I looked like Meduca

I guess it was for this reason I stoped my mom from doing it again. But I wish it was an accepted style, 'cause if I did this for a year, I could be sure I'd have long hair in no time!

[/ QUOTE ]
Sounds like embroidery floss, which is thick and shiny.

 

[SuthrnGal]

My husband told me that in his country (Central African Republic) the women wrap black thread around their hair from roots to end I think this is the same thing some of ya'll are talking about. He says it makes their hair grow fast. It must be true because the women from his country seem to have no problem growing their hair long. Also their diet consists mainly of vegetables and fish.

 

[SuthrnGal]

Mahalielee4,
We need some "Southern Comfort" down here in San Antonio too. Our water is extremely hard it really wreaks havoc on the hair and skin. I try to use distilled water as much as I can when I rinse my hair.

 

[happylocks]

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syoulee1 said:
My great grandmother used to wrap her hair in black thread too. Her hair was waistlength and very thick.

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interesting, that must take a long time, I tried to yarn my hair, it was taking too long soo I stop, plus it was too tight,

GREAT THREAD

 

[Neen]

Bumping...just in case someone missed it

 

[soulchild]

This may not be what you are looking for, but this is what my (E. African) mom told me about.

Braided or Rollerset styles promote growth. They are not into sleek straight hair.

Do real henna treatments for healthy hair and for color.

Use oils. I also asked about the unsalted butter thing and she said that they used to use that.

 

[OnceUponAtime]

Is this an example of threaded hair?

Image from a Ghanian hairstylist exhibition.

I don't ever recall seeing or hearing about this until you ladies posted.

 

[Sweetyb]

That's a beautiful pic--looks like threaded dreadlocks... really beautiful

The ones I used to wear would be maybe 12 on my head, and it felt like they would take forever to get done!

Broke007--I have a pic of my sis wearing them, I'll scan that for ya

EDIT: okay, here's my link http://cottonnappy.tripod.com/misc.html

 

[happylocks]

those r really beautiful photos Sweety and Upon It does look like it takes along time I would like to try that some time thanks for sharing

 

[Yarnie]

My family is from Cape Verde and when I was over there I saw my aunt do a "natural relaxer" as she calls it to one of my cousins.

she just took some fresh avocados, mashed then and applied the mixture to the hair as one would do with a relaxer (but she covered the whole hair). then she used a comb to straighten the hair for a couple of minutes. then rinsed and did rollers. the hair after was beautiful! the hair lasted longer without reversing with this treatment she told me.

My mother grew up using Vaseline and similar products in her hair. When i went there, i didn't noticed anything different from what we use in our hair in Europe, if anything I think that they have more access to hair care products (American products especially) than we do in Portugal!

They tend to use relaxers later (in their 20s) or not at all, and wear protective hairstyles (braids and cornrows).

 

[ricochet]

After I stopped relaxing my hair and wore twists most of time, I noticed with each length that "protective styling" was what has caused my natural hair(my experience) to grow long in such a short period of time....That and no excessive cutting or trimming. I wear twists and braids most of the time, I straighten my hair to trim it about every 3-4 months. The protective styling makes perfect common sense for our crown. It doesn't like to be messed with, it likes to be left alone.

ETA: Why do we think our hair grew so long as a child? We wore "protective styles", even thought that is not what they were called, and our hair hardly ever saw breakage, unless Momma ripped through it while it was dry, hence why alot of kids are deemed as "tender-headed"...damn right, you would be "tenderheaded" too if all your coil and curls were ripped thru with a fine-tooth comb made for European, straight, Asian, etc, hair!

 

[Nessa]

Hey I'm African too, NIGERIAN!!!!!!

we used to do the black thread thing too. But my mom would oil her scalp with this oil, she forgot, but her hair was to her shoulders!!!!!!

 

[Nessa]

yead I forgot, my mom still has that black thread. Maybe she can do that on my hair this weekend. And I can go to Alabama and put a cap over this. This really grows hair, man!!!!

 

[Nessa]

bump

 

[Nacai23]

This threading sounds very interesting. How is it done? Can someone post instructions please?

 

[Chichi]

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syoulee1 said:
My great grandmother used to wrap her hair in black thread too. Her hair was waistlength and very thick.

[/ QUOTE ]

My grandma also had thick waistlength hair.

Chichi

 

[Sweetyb]

[ QUOTE ]
happylocks said:
those r really beautiful photos Sweety and Upon It does look like it takes along time I would like to try that some time thanks for sharing

[/ QUOTE ]
You're welcome

It does take a long time, because you're wrapping this one section of hair with a thread, wrapping it around the hair repetitively while making sure the thread doesn't overlap, almost feels like you're not going anywhere!

 

[Erica78]

adding to favorites

 

[fine_beauty]

It just requires practice and it doesn't take that long. There is a slightly easier version called 'some gaps' simply because gaps are left while threading the whole section. The threaded sections can then be tied together to create different styles via tying the end of one to the root of another section or end to end. This way, it even lasts longer than a week, though, two weeks is a better period to carry it for so you don't have dirt accumulating at the root of the hair/sections

 

[iCandey]

I agree with threading...my granny used to do it and she had THICK hair and when you take the thread aloose its sooo beautiful....

 

[Nessa]

My grandma used have hair below her shoulders. And she said that black thread will grow your hair so long, so long!!!!

 

[happylocks]

how will it grow it long?

it is because its a protecting the hair,

 

[BronzeBrown]

I used to have my hair 'plaited with thread' (as they say in Nigeria) as well when I was young. Except my mom left spaces between each turn around the section of hair. So the result looked similar to twists, but smoother. It's definitely a protective style, but I - as others have mentioned - was embarrassed to wear it (here in America), so my mom stopped doing it for me.

 

[Nonie]

[ QUOTE ]
Nacai23 said:
This threading sounds very interesting. How is it done? Can someone post instructions please?

[/ QUOTE ]

Miss Zaire who was 1st runner up in 1985 Miss Universe had her hair in the thread style during the pageant (if I'm not mistaken) but I couldn't find a picture to show it.

Basically, you divided hair into section like you'd do for single plaits or bantu knots...and then wrapped each section with black thread starting at the base until the hair was covered completely (you know how cat trees have rope wrapped around the poles to create a scratch post? Same idea.

) After that you could either join the wrapped sections to form rows...or any other way - no limit to creativity here.

The way I mention is how mine was done. Imagine having four rows of singles arranged front to back. Now imagine joining the two rows on the right together overlapping wrapping more thread to join so that you get a pattern like this >>>>> and then doing the same on the left to get the same pattern when viewed from above, ie two "cornrows". Let me try and explain that better...

- Divide the hair into four rows as if to do four cornrows, back to front.

- Now divide each row from left to right into several singles. The narrower the better. Do one row at a time and wrap each division with thread from base to end before doing the next section. Start off like you're making a ponytail with a small single section (single as in single braid section like you would use to do a single braid. Even though I say small, two pencils thick is small enough). Don't stop at the pony but keep wrapping the thread around the section till it's completely covered. (Or you can leave gaps if you like. I used to have mine covered completely). Do this till every single section is covered completely by thread before going on to the next step.

- Oh forgot to mention... Try to make the # of partings on each row the same as the next so that you end up with a checked pattern of the partings...and each single is next to a single on the adjacent row.

- Now take the first two singles on the right hand side (ie the first single of row one and the first single of row 2...counting the rows either from left or right with the one closest to the ear being 1 and so on and the one closes to the other ear being 4) and hold them together. You can place one over the other if you like. BTW, don't hold them down against the scalp. They used to have them lifted about half an inch from the scalp. So you hold them together to get a shape like this > In other words, you start wrapping at the point where the sections meet when raised about an inch from the scalp.

- Now wrap thread over the place where they overlap so you get >- (BTW, you get a neater look if you start the wrapping at the point where the two when held together hover over the middle of the next two. In other words you are holding the two sections pointing back, raised a little off the scalp and you start wrapping at a point where when you will get a V shape). Wrap the two to form an arm that goes back a little so that when you grab the next two singles to join them, they are slanting at the same angle... giving this pattern >>>>> Or put another way, this pattern >->->->-

-Do the same to the two rows on the other side.

End result mimics two "French braids" a little raised off the scalp.

Sometimes my stylist didn't join the singles. She'd make fewer partings (like you do for bantu knots) and leave them separate but folded. Taking each at a time, she'd fold the wrapped section to form a loop then wrapping thread around the loop shape so you'd get a shape like d lying on its side...looked a little like bantu knots just not wrapped around. The ends would lie against my scalp.

Miss Zaire (I still remember how beautiful she looked with that style, but my memory may not be quite on the mark) had four or so single sections separated by diagonal parts so that she had one section in the crown area, one in the back and one one either side by her ear. Seemed her hair was long coz the wrapped section were long (or stood up high). They were then bent to meet horizontally at the center of her head. Picture a shape resembling those electronic massagers. I don't think the joint was pointed up like an antenna.

Maybe she had it joined under.

Twas a long time since I saw it, but as you can see, it left an impression on me.

Oh another thing that deserves mentioning. When you wrap the hair, you end up with a stiff-ish stick shape. Which is how the styles can stand raised off the scalp. And it's a little stiff and if done too tight might making sleeping hard. But with the "French braid" do, the sides where flat so you could sleep on those. And it does soften a little with time.

What I do remember about threading was that your natural hair would be straight when you undid them. Probably because as the thread was wrapped your hair was being stretched. Oh and the thread was thick. It's the kind of thread used for crotcheting but in black. And if your hair was too short for the single sections to meet, one'd wrap some thread around the hand several times and then cut through the loop to get several equal-length threads. One'd then hold these against the hair to be wrapped and wrap the hair together with the "fake hair created by the threads" and continue wrapping beyond the hair to cover the sections of thread that make the "fake hair" (this also ensured that the ends of the real hair were well-covered. I never thought of it but that's one sure way to protect the ends.

)

Ooooh...Now I wanna do it.

Who'll lend me her daughter or her own head so I can use her as demo.

I promise I don't braid tightly. (Can't do it on my own head coz I won't be able to part the lines right and it won't look nice unless they are straight and even.

)

 

[SVT]

Threading looks and sounds interesting.

 

[VAIS4LUVAZ]

This technique is very similar to the "silky dread" style that a lot of people where in the States.

 

[Nessa]

WOW Nonie, nice info, for those that do not know...

 

[missykeyana]

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SuthrnGal said:
Their hair is probably soft due to the climate they grew up in. My cousins have soft, thick and long hair, they aren't African but they live in Mississippi where the climate is hot and humid during the summer. Mississippi also doesn't have hard water which can make the hair dry feeling.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes, the humidity is great for your hair. It used to kill my relaxed styles, but it makes your hair so soft. The water is great here too.