Where did the "grease and oils moisturize" myth come from in the black hair community

[chica_canella]

Ok, I was just thinking that no matter what state you go to or what black women you speak to, they all (not including those informed) think that oil or grease moisturizes hair. Did the black hair companies start it and people just continued to believe it? I mean, it seems obvious to me that after applying grease to your hair without moisturizing, your hair doesn't feel moisturized and continues to break. And add to the fact that water is like the debil to some black women and mentioning it would have them holding there hands over their ears. I'm sure black women have noticed this throughout the years. I guess they didn't know what to do or didn't think there was anything to really moisturize.

Thinking of the way I used Pink Oil "Moisturizer" throughout high school on my relaxed hair which was around APL but I would have long breaking strands on the back of my top. I didn't know if there was a solution to the problem. I don't know if hair companies are catching on but there are much more water-based moisturizing products on the market than I think were available 20 years ago.

So, how do you think this myth started.

 

[northernbelle]

Re: Where did the "grease and oils moisturize" myth come from in the black hair commu

If we apply an historical perspective to your question, Black women during slavery used grease - real grease - in order to prevent the hair from drying up and breaking off. While we are now gaining better knowledge and possess more information about hair, we no longer have to use grease - real, or a product such as Ultra Sheen.

 

[chica_canella]

Re: Where did the "grease and oils moisturize" myth come from in the black hair commu

If we apply an historical perspective to your question, Black women during slavery used grease - real grease - in order to prevent the hair from drying up and breaking off. While we are now gaining better knowledge and possess more information about hair, we no longer have to use grease - real, or a product such as Ultra Sheen.

Wow. I didn't know slaves used grease. I mean, what kind of grease did they use. I can't believe they used animal fat because that would mean they would attract all kinds of animals, insects and what not to them while sleeping in the shack.

what kind of grease did they use?

 

[Miss*Tress]

Re: Where did the "grease and oils moisturize" myth come from in the black hair commu

Animal fat (yes!), castor oil, coconut oil (for those in the Caribbean) just to name a few. There are actually some old threads about the use of chicken fat for hair care in the southern US and Dominican Republic.

 

[chica_canella]

Re: Where did the "grease and oils moisturize" myth come from in the black hair commu

Animal fat (yes!), castor oil, coconut oil (for those in the Caribbean) just ro name a few. There are actually some old threads about the use of chicken fat in the southern US and the Dominican Republic.

Oh my. I can't believe it. It seems that they would attract rats and rodents when sleeping. Castor oil wouldn't nor coconut I think but animal fat and food smells attract animals and roaches.

 

[locabouthair]

Re: Where did the "grease and oils moisturize" myth come from in the black hair commu

even though slaves used grease. I really don't think there is an excuse to keep using it. I mean in order to have knowledge about hair care/chemicals/etc, you have to have a knowledge of chemistry. Anyone who studies chemisty intensely as they should if they are focusing on hair care, should know that oil cannot penetrate the shaft. Someone had to have picked this up. but people probably ignored it because we were so used to using grease they continued to sell it and market it because they knew they could get money. I hate when I am in the BSS and I see a grease that says moisturizer

Now I know some people who used grease for years and their hair thrived. my friend (RIP)was a thick APL and did nothing but used grease and stretched her perms. But for my hair it's pure garbage. even as a little girl I didn't know anything about hair care but when my grandma would put globs of grease in my hair I knew something wasn't right about it. For two years my hair kept breaking off and I never knew why and all I need was a moisturizer

No hairdresser has ever reccomended a moisturizer to me. They always talk about grease.

Sorry I'm rambling but this whole grease=moisture thing set me back a good eight years If I knew all I needed was a proper moisturizer my hair would probably be BSL by now.

 

[Miss*Tress]

Re: Where did the "grease and oils moisturize" myth come from in the black hair commu

Chicken fat goes rancid very quickly and probably kept the pests away because of its bad smell. And since our ancestors didn't have shea butter and palm oil that was in use in Africa, they had to make do.

Once commercial products became available with all the perfumes in them, it's no wonder people stopped using homemade concoctions.

 

[chica_canella]

Re: Where did the "grease and oils moisturize" myth come from in the black hair commu

Chicken fat goes rancid very quickly and probably kept the pests away because of its bad smell. And since our ancestors didn't have shea butter and palm oil that was in use in Africa, they had to make do.

Once commercial products became available with all the perfumes in them, it's no wonder people stopped using homemade concoctions.

Oh wow! Aren't you glad we weren't born in that time period. So that means they were smelling too?

That is awful.

 

[Miss*Tress]

Re: Where did the "grease and oils moisturize" myth come from in the black hair commu

The Evolution of African American Hair Care

Imagine this:

You're a woman in a Senegalese tribe 500 years ago. When your day's work is done, you look forward to the time you'll spend visiting and gossiping with the other women, and according to custom, you'll spend this time in a circle of grandmothers, young women and little children, talking and laughing while styling each other's hair. It might be just an average day, where hair would be washed, combed with a wooden pic which had been decorated with symbolic designs, and then braided with mud or animal fat and dyed with red earth. Or it might be a speical day, perhaps in preparation for a wedding. The bride would be lovingly groomed by her kinswomen, who would decorate her hair with beads, shells, leaves and ceremonial shaved patterns.
​

The indigenous people of Africa have always loved and honored their hair, and assigned it great social, aesthetic and mystical powers. Hair grooming and the crafting of ceremonial or art objects made for (and from) hair was an integral part of family and spiritual life in thriving villages. But when the slave traders appeared, hair care rituals, along with so many other sacred customs, were lost. As the people were kidnapped and taken away without even the clothes on their backs, they had to leave behind everything precious and familiar to them, including their highly-revered hair care tools. For the next 400 years the people who would come to be known as African Americans struggled with their hair, deprived of their traditions, their tools and their dignity.

It wasn't until the early 1900s that an entreprenurial African American woman named Madame C.J. Walker started marketing products specifically formulated for African hair. Her first product was a scalp conditioning formula called "Madam Walker's Wonderful Hair Grower," and in the ensuring years she became famous worldwide for herhair care products, her philanthropy and her pioneering role as an internationally successful businesswoman.

Despite the determination of slave owners to discourage the practice of African traditions (a slave found with an African pic comb could be severely punished), many of the tools and the rituals managed to survive, and most of our modern hairstyles and styling techniques can be traced back to early Africa. The community gathering habits also survived, many of which are in evidence today, as described in this excerpt from an article in the African American Registry:

"Beauty salons and barber shops have become a place not only to get your hair done but to serve as a location where Blacks can talk about their community. In the barber shops you could usually find a couple of men playing a game of chess, cards, or dominoes while talking about what is going on in the neighborhood. In the beauty salons you usually could jump into a conversation about the town gossip. Many film adaptations of African American themes use these busineses to show Black culture in the United States; Coming to America, 1988, Malcolm X, 1992, and Barber Shop, 2002 are examples. Over the years, beauty salons and barber shops have come to provide a unique social function."

These gatherings, whether held in barber shops, on front porches or around a tribal fire, are now big business. Hair and skin care expert Diana Dudas, G.C.H.S.R.H. recalls early childhood memories of little girls sitting on their front porch steps having their hair braided by their elders, and how the transition was made from an ancient custom to a fashion statement.

"Now, this old time tradition has turned in to a multi million dollar business," says Dudas. "Braids have come a long stretch from tradition and are now an elaborate art form. It seems as though salons specializing in braids and weaves have popped up almost overnight. This new talent is highly respected."

With the popularity of braiding, straightening, weaving and head shaving as an art form, beauty salons, barber shops and beauty supply stores are more important than ever to African American customers who have an eye for style. But at the same time that many women are willing to spending up to $1000 on braiding sessions at upscale salons, there's a growing movement toward "going natural," which not only embraces natural African hair but encompasses the tradition of women gathering together for grooming sessions. A web site called "A Nappy Hair Affair" acts as a support center for African American women who choose natural and African-inspired hairstyles. The founder, Linda Jones, is a journalist who's written extensively about the lifestyle and culture of people of African descent. Her organization evolved from a series of informal hair sessions she hosted in her home in response to concerns expressed by her friends who wore their hair natural.

"Was I trying to revive an African tradition of women getting together to do each other's hair?" Linda asks. "As much as I appreciate some traditions of The Motherland, what I originally had in mind had nothing to do with heritage. I simply wanted to offer a space where my friends with African-inspired hairstyles could feel at ease. I wanted to provide a place where their hair would be celebrated, not denigrated."

And this celebration is good news for hair care providers and retailers. In America, the natural-hair care industry has been growing steadily since the mid-1980s, and today generates an estimated revenue of $300 million a year, according to the American Hairbraiders and Natural Hair Care Association

The "denigration" of natural African hair began with the idealization of straight, smooth hair during slave times, a value perpetrated by the white upper class. In this book "400 Years Without a Comb," Dr. Willie Morrow, a historian, inventor and author who owns more than 100 hair-related patents, points out that modern tools such as straightening irons were not created by African people, but by white Europeans with curly hair who brought these tools to America. The curly-headed settlers wanted straight hair so that they would not be mistaken for having African blood in their ancestry. While the white people struggled to remove their kinks and curls, the slaves had no means at all of managing their hair, and resorted to covering it with scarves or tying it in rags. This was the ultimate degredation to a proud and beautiful culture that considered hair to be "the most elevated point of the body, which means it is the closest to the divine."

Morrow's knowledge and insight is extensive, especially in his detailed descriptions of ancient hair practices and their similarity to the styling methods used today.

"In Africa they braided with coconut oil, and sometimes weaved in Spanish moss from the trees or animal hair to give it lift," Morrow explains. "Really big hair was important for weddings and special days. They took thread and wrapped the hair in small braids and brought the braids up to the top or back of the head to make a little basket-looking thing. Then they'd cover the shorter hair with mud and draw designs of animals or other symbols, depending on the occasion. Hair styling was extremely important to specific events like a big hunt, a wedding or going to war."

Morrow also tells us that African pic combs are the oldest comb in modern history that's still used today, but until the 1960s they weren't made into trade items or manufactured for sale (Morrow himself carved an early prototype and was the first to manufacture and mass produce them).

Source

 

[HoneyDew]

Re: Where did the "grease and oils moisturize" myth come from in the black hair commu

I really do think that people "feel" as if their hair is being moisturized by grease and oil. It may not moisturize hair from the inside out like water based products, but grease can lubricate your hair and make you think that it really is moisturized. Really it is just sitting there only to have an opposite effect if it one does not constantly apply it.

 

[chica_canella]

Re: Where did the "grease and oils moisturize" myth come from in the black hair commu

The Evolution of African American Hair Care

Imagine this:

You're a woman in a Senegalese tribe 500 years ago. When your day's work is done, you look forward to the time you'll spend visiting and gossiping with the other women, and according to custom, you'll spend this time in a circle of grandmothers, young women and little children, talking and laughing while styling each other's hair. It might be just an average day, where hair would be washed, combed with a wooden pic which had been decorated with symbolic designs, and then braided with mud or animal fat and dyed with red earth. Or it might be a speical day, perhaps in preparation for a wedding. The bride would be lovingly groomed by her kinswomen, who would decorate her hair with beads, shells, leaves and ceremonial shaved patterns.​

The indigenous people of Africa have always loved and honored their hair, and assigned it great social, aesthetic and mystical powers. Hair grooming and the crafting of ceremonial or art objects made for (and from) hair was an integral part of family and spiritual life in thriving villages. But when the slave traders appeared, hair care rituals, along with so many other sacred customs, were lost. As the people were kidnapped and taken away without even the clothes on their backs, they had to leave behind everything precious and familiar to them, including their highly-revered hair care tools. For the next 400 years the people who would come to be known as African Americans struggled with their hair, deprived of their traditions, their tools and their dignity.

It wasn't until the early 1900s that an entreprenurial African American woman named Madame C.J. Walker started marketing products specifically formulated for African hair. Her first product was a scalp conditioning formula called "Madam Walker's Wonderful Hair Grower," and in the ensuring years she became famous worldwide for herhair care products, her philanthropy and her pioneering role as an internationally successful businesswoman.

Despite the determination of slave owners to discourage the practice of African traditions (a slave found with an African pic comb could be severely punished), many of the tools and the rituals managed to survive, and most of our modern hairstyles and styling techniques can be traced back to early Africa. The community gathering habits also survived, many of which are in evidence today, as described in this excerpt from an article in the African American Registry:

"Beauty salons and barber shops have become a place not only to get your hair done but to serve as a location where Blacks can talk about their community. In the barber shops you could usually find a couple of men playing a game of chess, cards, or dominoes while talking about what is going on in the neighborhood. In the beauty salons you usually could jump into a conversation about the town gossip. Many film adaptations of African American themes use these busineses to show Black culture in the United States; Coming to America, 1988, Malcolm X, 1992, and Barber Shop, 2002 are examples. Over the years, beauty salons and barber shops have come to provide a unique social function."

These gatherings, whether held in barber shops, on front porches or around a tribal fire, are now big business. Hair and skin care expert Diana Dudas, G.C.H.S.R.H. recalls early childhood memories of little girls sitting on their front porch steps having their hair braided by their elders, and how the transition was made from an ancient custom to a fashion statement.

"Now, this old time tradition has turned in to a multi million dollar business," says Dudas. "Braids have come a long stretch from tradition and are now an elaborate art form. It seems as though salons specializing in braids and weaves have popped up almost overnight. This new talent is highly respected."

With the popularity of braiding, straightening, weaving and head shaving as an art form, beauty salons, barber shops and beauty supply stores are more important than ever to African American customers who have an eye for style. But at the same time that many women are willing to spending up to $1000 on braiding sessions at upscale salons, there's a growing movement toward "going natural," which not only embraces natural African hair but encompasses the tradition of women gathering together for grooming sessions. A web site called "A Nappy Hair Affair" acts as a support center for African American women who choose natural and African-inspired hairstyles. The founder, Linda Jones, is a journalist who's written extensively about the lifestyle and culture of people of African descent. Her organization evolved from a series of informal hair sessions she hosted in her home in response to concerns expressed by her friends who wore their hair natural.

"Was I trying to revive an African tradition of women getting together to do each other's hair?" Linda asks. "As much as I appreciate some traditions of The Motherland, what I originally had in mind had nothing to do with heritage. I simply wanted to offer a space where my friends with African-inspired hairstyles could feel at ease. I wanted to provide a place where their hair would be celebrated, not denigrated."

And this celebration is good news for hair care providers and retailers. In America, the natural-hair care industry has been growing steadily since the mid-1980s, and today generates an estimated revenue of $300 million a year, according to the American Hairbraiders and Natural Hair Care Association

The "denigration" of natural African hair began with the idealization of straight, smooth hair during slave times, a value perpetrated by the white upper class. In this book "400 Years Without a Comb," Dr. Willie Morrow, a historian, inventor and author who owns more than 100 hair-related patents, points out that modern tools such as straightening irons were not created by African people, but by white Europeans with curly hair who brought these tools to America. The curly-headed settlers wanted straight hair so that they would not be mistaken for having African blood in their ancestry. While the white people struggled to remove their kinks and curls, the slaves had no means at all of managing their hair, and resorted to covering it with scarves or tying it in rags. This was the ultimate degredation to a proud and beautiful culture that considered hair to be "the most elevated point of the body, which means it is the closest to the divine."

Morrow's knowledge and insight is extensive, especially in his detailed descriptions of ancient hair practices and their similarity to the styling methods used today.

"In Africa they braided with coconut oil, and sometimes weaved in Spanish moss from the trees or animal hair to give it lift," Morrow explains. "Really big hair was important for weddings and special days. They took thread and wrapped the hair in small braids and brought the braids up to the top or back of the head to make a little basket-looking thing. Then they'd cover the shorter hair with mud and draw designs of animals or other symbols, depending on the occasion. Hair styling was extremely important to specific events like a big hunt, a wedding or going to war."

Morrow also tells us that African pic combs are the oldest comb in modern history that's still used today, but until the 1960s they weren't made into trade items or manufactured for sale (Morrow himself carved an early prototype and was the first to manufacture and mass produce them).

Source

Cocunut oil has been proven to be the only oil which has molecules which can actually penetrate the hair shaft.

Thanks for the article.

 

[Soliel185]

Re: Where did the "grease and oils moisturize" myth come from in the black hair commu

All I know, is that when I was little the hair tools involved a big cup of water, a brush and a jar of Blue Magic. My mom would dunk the brush in the cup ( b/c I refused to let her comb it) and brush my hair soft and damp, then cover it with a dab of grease and brush that through as well, then braid it up for two weeks of peace. My hair was always long, strong and soft. I think grease by itself doesn't moisturize, but it makes a hell of a sealant -- it's hella thick! But I always hated that when people tried to touch my hair it came back shiny and covered in grease. Have you ever heard an 8 yr old try to explain grease to a bunch of white kids?

 

[chica_canella]

Re: Where did the "grease and oils moisturize" myth come from in the black hair commu

All I know, is that when I was little the hair tools involved a big cup of water, a brush and a jar of Blue Magic. My mom would dunk the brush in the cup ( b/c I refused to let her comb it) and brush my hair soft and damp, then cover it with a dab of grease and brush that through as well, then braid it up for two weeks of peace. My hair was always long, strong and soft. I think grease by itself doesn't moisturize, but it makes a hell of a sealant -- it's hella thick! But I always hated that when people tried to touch my hair it came back shiny and covered in grease. Have you ever heard an 8 yr old try to explain grease to a bunch of white kids?

Your mother is smart. I like the brush in water trick. I know alot of people who use water first but the kids have 3a/3b hair.

 

[daaiyah]

Re: Where did the "grease and oils moisturize" myth come from in the black hair commu

You have to consider that most people still dont know what 'moisturized' is. They know that water by itself just make your hair wet. Oil seems to make it shiny and easier to comb.
For generations we have used oil or grease, whatever kind we could find. Lard, vaseline, whatever. It takes time and open minds to change something like this and the best way I know is to show people.
When they ask "How did you get your hair to look like that?" The answer could be "I moisturize daily with xyz leave in and seal with oil, it does wonders for retention and dryness" and go from there.

 

[rdm]

Re: Where did the "grease and oils moisturize" myth come from in the black hair commu

My 89 year old grandmother says that they used chicken fat in their hair and they would "cover" the smell with Bergamont Oil. It seems like they did not wash their hair a lot either. When they did wash it, they used Castille soap. Conditioners? They did not exist back in the day.

My grandmother is from Lake Charles, Louisiana.

 

[Eiano]

Re: Where did the "grease and oils moisturize" myth come from in the black hair commu

I know at least with the women in my family, SHINE=HEALTH. While that may be true to some extent, I refuse to believe that Blue Magic Bergamont + a hot ass blow dryer + Pink Oil + a flat iron =shine/health. Yeah, it looks good, but the very next day, all you get are long broken strands everywhere! I mean come on.

 

[Miss*Tress]

Re: Where did the "grease and oils moisturize" myth come from in the black hair commu

Your mother is smart. I like the brush in water trick. I know alot of people who use water first but the kids have 3a/3b hair.

My Mom used green Dax on my wet hair and it used to be so shiny and pretty. I've recently gone back to this method for my twist outs which now come out beautifully.

 

[loved]

Re: Where did the "grease and oils moisturize" myth come from in the black hair commu

I used to braid the top of my hair while wet, put a glob of bergamot on the loose bottom half and straw set it. My hair grew like nobody's buiness and was thick.

 

[Poohbear]

Re: Where did the "grease and oils moisturize" myth come from in the black hair commu

While greases and oils may not moisturize or penetrate the hair shaft, certain greases and oils can protect the hair from breaking off and they can make your hair softer.

I feel like hair moisture is best when supplied from the inside, in other words, your daily water intake should be sufficient enough to moisturize your hair from the inside out. Then you can use the oil or grease to further protect your hair from breakage since the natural sebum oil that's produced from most black people's scalp doesn't easily travel down the hair shaft to protect it.

 

[january noir]

Re: Where did the "grease and oils moisturize" myth come from in the black hair commu

Animal fat (yes!), castor oil, coconut oil (for those in the Caribbean) just to name a few. There are actually some old threads about the use of chicken fat for hair care in the southern US and Dominican Republic.

I grew up with a girl and her family that sometimes used left over cooking fat to oil their hair. They had thick, gorgeous hair. I wanted to try it, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it because I didn't want to walk around smelling like a plate of fried chicken!

 

[Miss*Tress]

Re: Where did the "grease and oils moisturize" myth come from in the black hair commu

Found an interesting tidbit in Wikipedia about the use of grease/oil. I had never heard of Annie Malone before either.

Annie Malone
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Annie Turnbo Malone (August 9, 1869—May 10, 1957) was an African-American businesswoman, inventor and philanthropist who, in the first three decades of the 20th century, built a large and prominent commercial and educational enterprise centered around cosmetics for African-American women and, subsequently, training and poise for both genders.

Annie Malone was born in Metropolis, Illinois, where she lived with her eleven siblings until her parents' deaths. She was then sent upstate to be raised by her elder sister in Peoria. While there, she took an early interest in hair textures, and in the 1890s started looking for better methods of hair care for African-American women. At the time, improvements were much needed, since many women used goose fat and heavy oils to straighten their thick curls. The process of using oils and fats as straighteners caused damage to both scalp and hair.

At the beginning of the 1900s, Annie Malone had pioneered and revolutionized hair care methods for all African Americans. She created a variety of hair care treatments, including the first patented hot comb, which preceded the one popularized by an early employee of hers, Madam C.J. Walker. As early as 1902, she and her assistants were going door-to-door selling her own unique brand of hair care products, "Poro", a West African name, which means physical and spiritual growth. By 1917, as United States entered World War I, Annie Malone had become so successful that she founded and opened Poro College in St. Louis, the first educational institution in America dedicated to the study and teaching of black cosmetology. The school employed nearly two hundred people and ran a strict curriculum centered around instruction on the correct manner of walking, talking and style of dress designed to maintain a solid public persona.

By the 1920s, Annie Malone had become a multi-millionaire and continued to share her great wealth with those less fortunate than herself. As a way of fulfilling her part in society, she donated her money to, and served as president of, the St. Louis Colored Orphans Home. The institution was later revamped and renamed in order to pay homage to its most generous patron, and became the Annie Malone Children and Family Service Center.

In 1930, the first full year of the Depression, as Annie Malone entered her sixties and moved her headquarters to Chicago, she was financially devastated by a divorce (her second) and, soon thereafter, by two civil lawsuits. The lawsuits (for liability to an employee and a St. Louis newspaper) partially crippled her ability to conduct business, which, a few years later, in 1943, during the middle of World War II, was further ravaged by a lien to the Internal Revenue Service. After fighting the lawsuits for eight years, she lost Poro to the government and other creditors who took control of her business.

Annie Malone, one of the first original African American female entrepreneurs, died of a stroke in Chicago's Provident Hospitalat the age of 87.

 

[DDTexlaxed]

Re: Where did the "grease and oils moisturize" myth come from in the black hair commu

All I know is that it works for me and I will keep on using grease. I use the Africa's Best super gro.

 

[LABETT]

Re: Where did the "grease and oils moisturize" myth come from in the black hair commu

All I know is that it works for me and I will keep on using grease. I use the Africa's Best super gro.

Former Grease Monkey.
I have been having scalp issues latey and started using Virgin Hair Fertilizer again and my scalp said THANKS!.
I agree if it works use it.

 

[northernbelle]

Re: Where did the "grease and oils moisturize" myth come from in the black hair commu

This has developed into an insightful thread. Just wanted to say that and thank you to the OP.

I myself am a recent convert to oils. Depending on my continued progress, I do not plan to return to using petrolatum/mineral oil - laden hair dressings. I do, however, get an occasional urge to reach for the "grease."

 

[chica_canella]

Re: Where did the "grease and oils moisturize" myth come from in the black hair commu

Let me just say that I don't think anyone is saying "grease" is bad but to use it as your primary source of moisture, for most african-Americans it has proven not to work.

 

[chica_canella]

Re: Where did the "grease and oils moisturize" myth come from in the black hair commu

I used to braid the top of my hair while wet, put a glob of bergamot on the loose bottom half and straw set it. My hair grew like nobody's buiness and was thick.

While wet + grease = moisture locked in your hair.
I'm sure it did grow.

 

[Soliel185]

Re: Where did the "grease and oils moisturize" myth come from in the black hair commu

Your mother is smart. I like the brush in water trick. I know alot of people who use water first but the kids have 3a/3b hair.

I don't know if she was smart or desperate. My hair was so thick my grandma would stick a comb in it and tell me to pull one way while she pulled the other. I think the brush + water helped to smooth it, and dampen it just enough to soften, if it got saturated with water it would just coil up and be impossible. I try to get the same level of dampness now when I moisturize - damp enough to smooth, but not wet enough to revert. It's perfect for sealing.

 

[chica_canella]

Re: Where did the "grease and oils moisturize" myth come from in the black hair commu

I don't know if she was smart or desperate. My hair was so thick my grandma would stick a comb in it and tell me to pull one way while she pulled the other. I think the brush + water helped to smooth it, and dampen it just enough to soften, if it got saturated with water it would just coil up and be impossible. I try to get the same level of dampness now when I moisturize - damp enough to smooth, but not wet enough to revert. It's perfect for sealing.

My granny didn't know how to do my hair. She tried one day but it wasn't working.

 

[Jenai]

Re: Where did the "grease and oils moisturize" myth come from in the black hair commu

Isn't Castor Oil is a humecant that attracts moisture as well as seals moisture into the hair strand?

 

[chica_canella]

Re: Where did the "grease and oils moisturize" myth come from in the black hair commu

Isn't Castor Oil is a humecant that attracts moisture as well as seals moisture into the hair strand?

I'm not sure. Never heard of it but maybe someone else can chime in for us? I've heard that cocunut oil molecules are small enough to penetrate the cuticle.