Sister2Sister mag...HairCare in Slavery days.....

[YoungWavey]

I thought this was interesting so I wanted to share...You can also find it in the New issue of Sister2Sister mag May edition...

• Braiding the hair was oftern symbolic and could indicate if a woman was single, in mourning or a high priestess.
• Blacks used grits, cornmeal and powdered charcoal as a dry shampoo...
• Sulfur and lard were used to eliminate bacterial and fungal infections on the hair and scalp...
• Wild apple leaves and chicken fat were cooked together to used on the hair to condition and oil it

Post Slavery

• Warm bacon grease was used on tightly braided hair to soften the hair and lubricated the scalp, esp around the hairline areas where the tension was the most severe
• Dishwater was used to rinse hair. It was believed that it contained nutrients.

 

[nodisrespect]

Mmmm wild apple leaves... that sounds like something good

But sad to see the whole grease thing and how it's still stretching even now because we didn't know any better/have anything else

 

[Platinum]

Very interesting. Thank you for sharing!

 

[BrooklynSouth]

One of the reasons I love and subscribe to S2S..this article was much too short but interesting. I unfortunately imagined my sleeping ancestors beating off the vermin at night due to all that hair "food"!

 

[God_Favor]

Great Post!

 

[YoungWavey]

Ur Welcum ladies...Yea they should have made it a 2page

 

[bravenewgirl87]

Mmmm wild apple leaves... that sounds like something good

But sad to see the whole grease thing and how it's still stretching even now because we didn't know any better/have anything else

The deep conditioner (MOP Extreme Moisture) I used last night had apple puree in it and it's so moisturizing

 

[AfroKink]

I thought this was interesting so I wanted to share...You can also find it in the New issue of Sister2Sister mag May edition...

• Braiding the hair was oftern symbolic and could indicate if a woman was single, in mourning or a high priestess.
• Blacks used grits, cornmeal and powdered charcoal as a dry shampoo...
• Sulfur and lard were used to eliminate bacterial and fungal infections on the hair and scalp...
• Wild apple leaves and chicken fat were cooked together to used on the hair to condition and oil it

Post Slavery

• Warm bacon grease was used on tightly braided hair to soften the hair and lubricated the scalp, esp around the hairline areas where the tension was the most severe
• Dishwater was used to rinse hair. It was believed that it contained nutrients.

Our hair use to have so much meaning. Different tribes had different styles so you would have been able to tell someones tribe based on how they wore their hair. I remember reading about a tribe where unkempt hair on a woman meant you were in mourning. The men of this tribe would hair their hair in a certain style when they went to war, and their wives would stop taking care of their hair to show that their husbands were at war. The hairstylist was a prised member of the society and passed the techniques down generations. Both men and women could do hair. Hair really had a big part in society.

When enslavers went to Africa, before they shipped the kidnapped people, they would shave off their hair. There was no telling tribe from tribe, no telling queens and kings from others. They just stripped it all away. I often wonder if this was the start of black men wearing their hair as short as they do.

Lys

 

[Rapunzel*]

Our hair use to have so much meaning. Different tribes had different styles so you would have been able to tell someones tribe based on how they wore their hair. I remember reading about a tribe where unkempt hair on a woman meant you were in mourning. The men of this tribe would hair their hair in a certain style when they went to war, and their wives would stop taking care of their hair to show that their husbands were at war. The hairstylist was a prised member of the society and passed the techniques down generations. Both men and women could do hair. Hair really had a big part in society.

When enslavers went to Africa, before they shipped the kidnapped people, they would shave off their hair. There was no telling tribe from tribe, no telling queens and kings from others. They just stripped it all away. I often wonder if this was the start of black men wearing their hair as short as they do.

Lys

Hmm interesting about the chaving of the hair.
That also brought the saying that black women can't grow long hair....

 

[drasgrl]

Very interesting.

 

[caribgirl]

Thanks for the information, ladies. Very interesting and new to me.

 

[Lexib]

I thought this was interesting so I wanted to share...You can also find it in the New issue of Sister2Sister mag May edition...

• Braiding the hair was oftern symbolic and could indicate if a woman was single, in mourning or a high priestess.
• Blacks used grits, cornmeal and powdered charcoal as a dry shampoo...
• Sulfur and lard were used to eliminate bacterial and fungal infections on the hair and scalp...

Hence the start of MTG.

Thanks for sharing this! ITA w/ the others that it's a shame about the bacon/chicken grease AND the dirty dishwater . Hopefully the sulfur cured lice as well

 

[didirose]

[/LIST]Hence the start of MTG.

Thanks for sharing this! ITA w/ the others that it's a shame about the bacon/chicken grease AND the dirty dishwater . Hopefully the sulfur cured lice as well

That was my first thought. Black people created MTG! Like it or not its still making some type of profit even today for some and others find it useful. This was a pretty interesting read. Thanks!