Hmm..I wonder ..what exactly did African women do

[Innocent_Kiss]

for hair care in Africa?
I know they don't have Suave, V05, KeraCare, or Motions -- besides shea butter and some of the natural ingredients they use, I wonder what their skin and hair regimen looks like. I'm sure it's natural and simple

Anyone born and raised in some part of Africa wanna give some insight? Or possibly those who still live there?

 

[Shatani]

Re: Hmm..I wonder ..what exactly did African women

well, i wasnt born and raised over there, but half my family is there! i gotta tell ya, the women in my family (on my mom's side) just have the most beautiful skin....but they dont do anything special, just keep it clean...my mom says that a few of them use the black soap, but she also says that they do so to lighten their skin....i really think its partially the genes and partially the shea butter!!

and lets not forget, they use all that natural stuff we crave over here (shea butter, coconut oil, mango butter, etc)...but they dont just apply it to their hair and skin...they cook with it, too...i think we tend to forget that what goes in is just as important as what goes on(if not more so)...
~T~

 

[Nonie]

Believe it or not, a lot of the products you have here are imports that can be found there. Ironically, I had never heard of shea butter until I came to the US. But Pantene, S-Curl, Dax...Nivea, Ponds, Neutrogena...to name a few, I'd heard of and used. Then I come here and a friend of mine finds out that I like shea butter so gives me her tub coz she's not crazy about the unrefined kind. And where did she get it from? Kenya!

 

[Nonie]

Re: Hmm..I wonder ..what exactly did African women

[ QUOTE ]
Shatani said:
well, i wasnt born and raised over there, but half my family is there! i gotta tell ya, the women in my family (on my mom's side) just have the most beautiful skin....but they dont do anything special, just keep it clean...my mom says that a few of them use the black soap, but she also says that they do so to lighten their skin....i really think its partially the genes and partially the shea butter!!

and lets not forget, they use all that natural stuff we crave over here (shea butter, coconut oil, mango butter, etc)...but they dont just apply it to their hair and skin...they cook with it, too...i think we tend to forget that what goes in is just as important as what goes on(if not more so)...
~T~

[/ QUOTE ]

Shatani, I talked to a white lady who told me a story about how this white guy went to West Africa and one thing that amazed him was how the pple's skin never aged. He assumed it was their diet that was behind the glowing skin.... but some of the villagers chuckled and told him it's shea butter.

He was so impressed by this magical cream that he started importing it to the States (or was it the nuts and making his own pure shea butter?). Anyway, he's now in the business of selling the pure unrefined butter sometimes mixed in with EOs.

 

[Shatani]

Re: Hmm..I wonder ..what exactly did African women

you know, i think he's right....my aunt, actually my mothers aunt (whos over there in Ghana gathering up my supply of shea butter as we speak!) is over 65, and you look at her, and wouldnt believe she was a day over 30....seriously! her DAUGHTER is nearly thirty (and she looks like a teenager!)

and let me tell you, i cant get my cousin to share her shea butter with me at all!! it must really have something! got all the women in my family not aging one bit...
~T~

 

[Guest]

[ QUOTE ]
Innocent_Kiss said:
for hair care in Africa?
I know they don't have Suave, V05, KeraCare, or Motions -- besides shea butter and some of the natural ingredients they use, I wonder what their skin and hair regimen looks like. I'm sure it's natural and simple

Anyone born and raised in some part of Africa wanna give some insight? Or possibly those who still live there?

[/ QUOTE ]

IK,
Please don't take this the wrong way.... but this statement is so far from correct. First and foremost Africa is a HUGE continent and has so many cultures and developments. Many women in highly developed area quite similar to the US, us the same products as we do. There are Isoplus companies on the continent. African women are NOT jungle bunnies. They present relaxers, weaves, naturals, colors, blow outs, texturizers and everything we have.

Again, I am NOT trying to be funny.... only educating a sister so these remarks won't continued to be made. We are here to education one another.

 

[blackhair]

Born and raised in west africa. You will be amazed how much we love hair products from US instead of our local, cheap and easy to find Shea butter or coconut oil. Yes Africa is a big continent has so many different cultures. My mum swears by SULFUR8 whereas my grandmo would just slap some pure milk/butter-cannot find the equivalent- into her hair. Her hair was down to her back.

But I guess because of the Relaxer rage, people tend to have shorter hair due to lack of proper maintenance. But I still know people who do not relax and use pure natural oils and butter and have beautiful hair or wonderful tresses or braids.

 

[sweetpineapple]

[ QUOTE ]
Reginia said:
[ QUOTE ]
Innocent_Kiss said:
for hair care in Africa?
I know they don't have Suave, V05, KeraCare, or Motions -- besides shea butter and some of the natural ingredients they use, I wonder what their skin and hair regimen looks like. I'm sure it's natural and simple

Anyone born and raised in some part of Africa wanna give some insight? Or possibly those who still live there?

[/ QUOTE ]

IK,
Please don't take this the wrong way.... but this statement is so far from correct. First and foremost Africa is a HUGE continent and has so many cultures and developments. Many women in highly developed area quite similar to the US, us the same products as we do. There are Isoplus companies on the continent. African women are NOT jungle bunnies. They present relaxers, weaves, naturals, colors, blow outs, texturizers and everything we have.

Again, I am NOT trying to be funny.... only educating a sister so these remarks won't continued to be made. We are here to education one another.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm so glad you made this comment. I was born and raised here but most of my family is from Ghana, so when I read the title of the post, I was afraid to see what comments would be made.

 

[pink_flower]

[ QUOTE ]
Reginia said:
[ QUOTE ]
Innocent_Kiss said:
for hair care in Africa?
I know they don't have Suave, V05, KeraCare, or Motions -- besides shea butter and some of the natural ingredients they use, I wonder what their skin and hair regimen looks like. I'm sure it's natural and simple

Anyone born and raised in some part of Africa wanna give some insight? Or possibly those who still live there?

[/ QUOTE ]

IK,
Please don't take this the wrong way.... but this statement is so far from correct. First and foremost Africa is a HUGE continent and has so many cultures and developments. Many women in highly developed area quite similar to the US, us the same products as we do. There are Isoplus companies on the continent. African women are NOT jungle bunnies. They present relaxers, weaves, naturals, colors, blow outs, texturizers and everything we have.

Again, I am NOT trying to be funny.... only educating a sister so these remarks won't continued to be made. We are here to education one another.

[/ QUOTE ]

 

[aikaa71]

ITA agree with Regina. Thank you for making your point to the T

 

[lthomas1]

I have been to the Northern part of Africa and they have all of the products you mention they don't have. They also have alot of european hair products that are not sold in the USA. The culture is predominately black, but there are Asians, whites, and Indians that live in the country too. So of course they have all of those products plus some. They are not that behind in times. Many parts of Africa is very modern.

 

[Mariaat40]

I'm not from an African country but I've travelled to South Africa a couple of times. Of course I had to check out the women's hair there and I noticed that the women primarily wore their hair short. I saw the same styles that I do here - lots of braids with extensions, cornrows, relaxers, and natural heads, but I don't think I saw a handful of women with even shoulder length hair. Not that this necessarily speaks to hair care - it just may be preference. But I did think it was curious.

 

[Nonie]

[ QUOTE ]
Mariaat40 said:
I'm not from an African country but I've travelled to South Africa a couple of times. Of course I had to check out the women's hair there and I noticed that the women primarily wore their hair short. I saw the same styles that I do here - lots of braids with extensions, cornrows, relaxers, and natural heads, but I don't think I saw a handful of women with even shoulder length hair. Not that this necessarily speaks to hair care - it just may be preference. But I did think it was curious.

[/ QUOTE ]

I think the short hair you see is not unlike short hair here. You've gotta understand, the mentality that blacks cannot grow long hair didn't start because of what was seen in Africa. It's from what's seen all around the world. Hence the need for forums like this one, to dispute that notion and prove that we can grow long hair. And why is it that there seems to be more evidence of black pple with short hair than with long? Part of the reason, as we have all found out, is because we don't know how to care for it right.

In Africa, that is part of the reason, but not the only one. A lot of schools do prefer that students wear short hair, coz it's easy to maintain and it doesn't distract from their school work. So that could be another reason why you see more short hair than long. Also, because chemical use isn't as wide spread as it is here, caring for natural hair (without the knowledge a lot of us have) can be very time-consuming and trying. (Think of why most moms relaxed your hair when you were very young. It wasn't always the "good hair/bad hair" mentality; but it was easier to comb and style every morning, whether or not it ever grew to waist length). Also because there are more pple with natural hair in Africa than relaxed, they keep it braided most of the time, not necessarily in extensions (although that too) but in cornrows and the ends are rarely left hanging so you may not get an accurate idea of what the average length of hair is. Then we all know how damaging extensions can be if not done right. And what about moisture. I don't doubt that heat does dry the hair to an extent and since grease usage is more widespread than that of moisture-laden creams, then there's another problem. (Dryness leads to breakage). What about tribal customs? In Kenya, there's a tribe whose custom is to cut their hair whenever someone in the family dies. Then there are cultures where women having short hair is the norm and considered beautiful (the Masaai). Also good hair care isn't cheap, as PJ's can attest, and not everyone can afford to seek out the ideal products for his/her type of hair. What's more, not everyone has the luxury of time that modcoms like dishwashers and washing machines afford pple out here so that they can spare time to pamper their hair. And with all that in the mix, there's also those that love and admire short hair.

In other words, it's hard to give a generalized answer why short hair seemed to be the norm, as you can see from just the few examples I gave.

 

[Wolftrap]

[ QUOTE ]
nonie said:
Then there are cultures where women having short hair is the norm and considered beautiful (the Masaai).


[/ QUOTE ]

And I'm not sure but the title of the thread was what DID the African women do. I was thinking she was talking about centuries ago when there were not the luxeries of store bought hair products. Maybe I'm wrong though. But that is what I got out of the topic. I didn't think she was thinking these things were not in Africa.

But my friend has a calendar of women of the Massai tribe and those women are GORGEOUS!! Their hair was either covered or very short but they all had hair adornments that were beautiful. Their complexions and features were just stunning. I stared at the calendar forever.

 

[sassygirl125]

[ QUOTE ]
And I'm not sure but the title of the thread was what DID the African women do. I was thinking she was talking about centuries ago when there were not the luxeries of store bought hair products.

[/ QUOTE ]

That's what I thought, too.

 

[Nonie]

Good point, ladies.

Sorry I missed that point coz I know it's hard to know much about Africa when there's so much diversity there and very little exposure of that whole spectrum to the outside world. But you are right, the question was about the past.

And it IS a good question. I'm now intrigued to know too.

(I can't tell you how much I regret hating History in school. There's so much I don't know.

I wonder if my grandmother knows...or were they already using grease when she was born?

)

 

[Shatani]

Re: Hmm..I wonder ..what exactly did African women

[ QUOTE ]
Wolftrap said:
[ QUOTE ]
nonie said:
Then there are cultures where women having short hair is the norm and considered beautiful (the Masaai).


[/ QUOTE ]

And I'm not sure but the title of the thread was what DID the African women do. I was thinking she was talking about centuries ago when there were not the luxeries of store bought hair products. Maybe I'm wrong though. But that is what I got out of the topic. I didn't think she was thinking these things were not in Africa.


[/ QUOTE ]ITA...this is how i took the thread...yeah, they have most of the same commercial crap we have over here, now...they also have the attitude that straight is better (damn europeans!)...its kind of sad...IMO, its mostly the younger generation...when i went to visit, my great grandmother's hair was quite a site...down to her butt and completely natural...in the cities, you dont see that as much as in the villages...

do you know, that my cousin went home about a year ago...and her hair was natural (she has dreads now) and she was born here so she sounds american...so, she went to a shop to get her hair braided in those deathly small micros...and do you know that these women sat there and braided her hair and talked about her like a dog because her hair was natural and not relaxed...the whole time, just talkin all kinds of smack, not knowing that she speaks the language and understood every word they said....now THAT saddens me...
~T~

 

[hotshot]

Re: Hmm..I wonder ..what exactly did African women

when i was in South Af, most of the poorer township women and children had dry broken off perms. in the cities, women has caesers, braids and TWA's. i dont think i saw more than five permed heads in jo'berg or capetown. all the perm ads were in the townships as well.

 

[Sweetyb]

Re: Hmm..I wonder ..what exactly did African women

My family's from Nigeria and they all absolutely HATE natural "nappy" hair. I wrote my cousins in Nigeria saying I'm going natural (years ago) and they wished me good luck, lol. My mom will touch my hair and litterally shiver. I seriously think that there's an association between natural hair and boarding school--if anyone knows what boarding school is like in Africa you will understand! My whole family relaxes and/or braids their hair now.

As far as the topic goes, and since it's already been clarified that many parts of Africa have the same, if not similar, hair care products, I would LOVE to know what Africans used in their hair centuries ago. I guess I have to hit the library for this one...

 

[bellydancer]

[ QUOTE ]
Reginia said:
[ QUOTE ]
Innocent_Kiss said:
for hair care in Africa?
I know they don't have Suave, V05, KeraCare, or Motions -- besides shea butter and some of the natural ingredients they use, I wonder what their skin and hair regimen looks like. I'm sure it's natural and simple

Anyone born and raised in some part of Africa wanna give some insight? Or possibly those who still live there?

[/ QUOTE ]

IK,
Please don't take this the wrong way.... but this statement is so far from correct. First and foremost Africa is a HUGE continent and has so many cultures and developments. Many women in highly developed area quite similar to the US, us the same products as we do. There are Isoplus companies on the continent. African women are NOT jungle bunnies. They present relaxers, weaves, naturals, colors, blow outs, texturizers and everything we have.

Again, I am NOT trying to be funny.... only educating a sister so these remarks won't continued to be made. We are here to education one another.

[/ QUOTE ]
I was thinking that exact same thing. I heard Africa is just like it is over here. They wear the same clothes, drive the same cars, and yes they have the relaxers and everything. i think the media gives this image on tv and ppl think that's all it is because i did think that africa was "jungles bunnies" for a while.

 

[sassygirl125]

Re: Hmm..I wonder ..what exactly did African women

[ QUOTE ]
and do you know that these women sat there and braided her hair and talked about her like a dog because her hair was natural and not relaxed...

[/ QUOTE ]

 

[ms_kenesha]

Re: Hmm..I wonder ..what exactly did African women

I don't think the original poster was trying to insinuate that Africans now do not have access to "modern" products. She asked what DID African women do, I'm guessing before the influx of chemically based products and or the slave trade.

 

[Innocent_Kiss]

[ QUOTE ]
Ar010 said:
[ QUOTE ]
Reginia said:
[ QUOTE ]
Innocent_Kiss said:
for hair care in Africa?
I know they don't have Suave, V05, KeraCare, or Motions -- besides shea butter and some of the natural ingredients they use, I wonder what their skin and hair regimen looks like. I'm sure it's natural and simple

Anyone born and raised in some part of Africa wanna give some insight? Or possibly those who still live there?

[/ QUOTE ]

IK,
Please don't take this the wrong way.... but this statement is so far from correct. First and foremost Africa is a HUGE continent and has so many cultures and developments. Many women in highly developed area quite similar to the US, us the same products as we do. There are Isoplus companies on the continent. African women are NOT jungle bunnies. They present relaxers, weaves, naturals, colors, blow outs, texturizers and everything we have.

Again, I am NOT trying to be funny.... only educating a sister so these remarks won't continued to be made. We are here to education one another.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm so glad you made this comment. I was born and raised here but most of my family is from Ghana, so when I read the title of the post, I was afraid to see what comments would be made.

[/ QUOTE ]

Ok, can't help but to be offended

The jungle bunny thing is a little too far. Didn't think it was anything offensive in my post. Just asking an innocent question. Thanks for the memo about different products being used there, though

Umm..and what statement is so far from correct? African women having a simple and natural regimen? Hmmm..calm down people! I'm just trying to learn here. BTW That's what the forum is for

Edited to say:
I didn't necessarily mean modernly, either. I mean what DID they do..way back in the day (if it changed any).

 

[lsubabiedee]

yall know in the book Hair Story they give a bit of info on pre-slavery African hair care

 

[Innocent_Kiss]

[ QUOTE ]
lsubabiedee said:
yall know in the book Hair Story they give a bit of info on pre-slavery African hair care

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks lsubabiedee

I'll look it up on amazon.com

 

[lsubabiedee]

[ QUOTE ]
Innocent_Kiss said:
[ QUOTE ]
lsubabiedee said:
yall know in the book Hair Story they give a bit of info on pre-slavery African hair care

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks lsubabiedee

I'll look it up on amazon.com

[/ QUOTE ]

i may scan some parts of the book later and post it

 

[katie]

Would women in all parts of Africa be doing the same thing to their hair though?I always figured that just like Europe,where each country has their own culture and practices,each African tribe would also have had different practices including those pertaining to hair care .

 

[Innocent_Kiss]

[ QUOTE ]
katie said:
Would women in all parts of Africa be doing the same thing to their hair though?I always figured that just like Europe,where each country has their own culture and practices,each African tribe would also have had different practices including those pertaining to hair care .

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm sure hair care and culture, for that matter, varies

 

[fine_beauty]

Ok, I hated travelling every year to the village but it did some good because I got first hand experience with what the villagers did in the eastern part of Nigeria.
Anyway, palm kernels (the by-products of palm oil processing) were shelled and roasted/fried (I think fried ***scratching chin***) to extract the oil out of them. This oil (called mmanu aku) is used for both the hair and the skin and it gives a wonderful gloss. It is really effective against dryness and the ashyness that is prevalent during the dry harmattan season.
The hair isn't washed too often but a lot of protective styles are worn and only during the washing or plaiting/weaving/cornrowing etc is the hair manipulated. A lot of organic food is eaten and they grow practically everything.
Yes, BC is always done during bereavement. Boys and men have clean shaven heads. Naps hatred is not the same as we have today because no one knew any better. The person weaving the hair may curse at the volume of hair or its thickness (rofl) but that was it. During festivities, the hair had to be done, decorated with beads and the body dyed with natural dyes to create tattoos. My parents are here visiting, I'll go ask them, they ought to know. I'm natural now and they want my relaxed hair back but that's cause we've all been exposed to the whiteman's ways.
I'll post any other info I get.

 

[fine_beauty]

It is official, my daddy doesn't know. He recommends that I go interview the old girls and grandmothers back in the village