How did women Pre-1900...

[atl_mulattamami]

...take care of their hair? Did they just wash it? Did they put anything in it? This question came to me like three weeks ago and it's been bugging me ever since (don't ask why cuz I don't even know). So does anyone know?

 

[Vintagecoilylocks]

From what I found up until the the mid eithteen hundreds the average woman used water to wash their hair. There was soap if you could afford it or had the means to make it but since heavy products and pollution was not a great problem it was not that necessary. Wealthy lady's could afford Rose water for a rinse. Rain water was captured for hair and bath water. Tonics also appeared in the mid 1800's that suposedly made ones hair smell good and grow. But before all that it was water. Oh yes the homemade and store bought soap was basically castile soap. Glycerin soap was also available. There was the big difference of affordability or if you made your own. Hair tonics and the using of oils scented or for other reasons came from the north african, middle east and further east influence from trade and travel. So of course this was available to the rich for many years before the average woman would ever use those things.

My mothers mother was born pre 1900's and she had a habit of using the prepared talo or lard or captured lanolin from sheeps wool on her hair. I had also read this was also used amongst whites because the hair styles of the mid 1800's was very slick and worn close to the head. This may have also been a regional practise. Naturally prepared talo or lanolin is very soft and fine with no smell. Talo is used to make candle wax, oils, and soap. Castor oil and coconut oil became available also with the opening up and discovery of the trade to the islands. Islands lady's used the coconut oil on their hair.

I just stumbled onto this in bits and pieces. No matter the story I was always interested when some mention of the lady's hair and how it was cared fore was mentioned even if it was not the topic and just casually addressed in the story or information. I guess that shows what a hair nut I have been.

There is probably much more details available.

 

[hairmaster]

I have read books about black hair care and found how the slaves used the grease from wagon wheels to past the hair down, and the ones that worked in the blacksmith shop made pressing combs. The house slaves were using the samethings the masters use in their hair. The masters wanted the slaves to look civilized, so they alowed them to use the curling irons and press combs.

 

[phynestone]

I heard that sometimes women would use dirty water from cleaning their dishes, curl their hair using strips of paper and fabric as well as whatever oils were available to them.

 

[MSee]

Cookie the same question was on my mind. Thanks for posting.

 

[Crystalicequeen123]

^^eewwww...dirty water?? LOL* Then what's the point in washing your hair then? lol*
J/K

Wow...hair care has REALLy come a long way hasn't it?? I'm glad I don't live in those days. Among other reasons....

 

[hairmaster]

Read madame C.J. Walkers book and how she became the first free millionare, making and selling hair products to the black comunity

 

[darkflame213]

I remeber these things from my granma's stories about living in the country.

*bear fat for grease
*washing hair once a year during the first rain at the southern eave of the house.
*Wrapping cotton strings around the hair to help it grow. (from what she described, it was sort of a dread)

 

[ChoKitty]

I've always wondered this too. When you see really old pictures, their hair was so long. When you could see it down.

 

[atl_mulattamami]

lots of good info! thanks for replying!

 

[Mahalialee4]

Some of my people were using lard, bear grease, a type of glover's mange and honey did it smell strong but I have to tell you, talk about THICK THICK THICK hair, you have not seen THICK HAIR YET! as some of the Aunties and Nanas had. They used to take turns parting and scratching each other's hair and applying some kind of thing to it and just left it alone. As for washing, it was not a frequent thing, but they only used rainwater ( I have been asking some of my relatives about all our hair secrets), They always wore protective styling. Because they were farmers, they ate really healthy and got a lot of exercise doing chores on the farms. They tied their hair up at night after putting it generally in 2 braids and used some really big combs (not afro picks) but big heavy combs. I wish I could find some like that today. I have seen them at relatives. They never trimmed their hair and never even thought about if they even had heard of "split ends". This is a joke to them. They did not have any dry ends and only pressed it for a very special occasion. Most of them wore their braids like a coronet or in large buns with nets because it was so thick and could not be bothered with dealing with it on a daily basis as there was too much work to do. If you remember what Den's hair was like natural when she had it down, that is generally what it looked like and some had it to their waists but no one was actually trying to get long hair, they just took it in stride. It was not worn out long publicly. You got to see it out, around bedtimes when it was being braided for the night or at wash time or when the women got together to mess with each other's hair when someone would say "Gal, my head is itchIN!!! come on ovah here and scratch it fo me..."....and someone might reply...I ain't got time to go thru all that head o hair today." Bonjour

 

[Mahalialee4]

Oh, something else...they were a real religious group of people called Standard Baptists and were part of the "Holiness Movement" and wore dark blue and black stockings to Church and thought it was wrong for a woman to cut her hair and they had to avoid any show of "vanity". Come to think of it only the teenage girls today are letting it all hang loose when it is long, who have descended from that group. The oldest ones are either cutting it off like some form or liberation, or covering their heads when they go out. I am still trying to get more info on that hair stuff. From what I understand, it contained tar, some kind of liniment (probably some kind of thing like Glovers and it was something they used on the HORSES!!!!!!) to clear up problems....and it was super thick and almost black in color. I will keep digging. Bonjour

 

[Mahalialee4]

I have some information for the adventurous and if you are in the waistlength and beyond challenges and if you have natural hair: re: recipes that you may be interested in. PM me if you are interested in a Vintage Hair Care and Growth Challenge. Bonjour

 

[CatSuga]

They (well my peeps) used soap made from pig lard to wash their hair, conditioned it using eggs, and greased it.

 

[Mahalialee4]

Catsuga! are you talking about the same soap they washed clothes with and made it from ashes, lard and called it Lye Soap. My peeps made this and it was the bomb I hear. Bonjour.

 

[hairmaster]

Catsuga! are you talking about the same soap they washed clothes with and made it from ashes, lard and called it Lye Soap. My peeps made this and it was the bomb I hear. Bonjour.

Out of that lye soap came lye relaxers. from what I've read. and the combs were the ones used on the sheep or horses.

 

[Brownie]

Read madame C.J. Walkers book and how she became the first free millionare, making and selling hair products to the black comunity

I read the book. I believe it was called "The Black Rose." Great read. Madame Walkers proved that you don't need a Ph.D to be a great businesswoman.

 

[balisi]

I've read that women, black and white alike, washed their hair very infrequently because of the fear of TB and other deadly illnesses.

 

[CatSuga]

Catsuga! are you talking about the same soap they washed clothes with and made it from ashes, lard and called it Lye Soap. My peeps made this and it was the bomb I hear. Bonjour.

Correct. It's called Octagon soap today.
Many multiple uses.

 

[zanna]

In Martinique(french island in the caribbean),my great grand mother and grand mother, and even when my mother was born, and growing up, they used to use a very cheap and natural soap made from olive oil imported from Marseille,France called: savon de Marseille. They washed everything with it, from their clothes to the dishes, to their hair. After they washed their hair they used the mixture of sunflower oil(that we use for cooking) and liquid petrolium I guess(petrole, in french). It smelt bad(I know because mom did it for my sister and me one day that we had lice), anyway it smelt bad but it made the hair so soft and sliky, managable and kept away lice.
Zanna

 

[vickiepickles]

I remeber these things from my granma's stories about living in the country.

*bear fat for grease
*washing hair once a year during the first rain at the southern eave of the house.
*Wrapping cotton strings around the hair to help it grow. (from what she described, it was sort of a dread)

You know, now that you mention it, I remember my grandma wrapping her braids in cotton. She would have been 95 this year, but when I was little, I distinctly remember that.

 

[atl_mulattamami]

You know, now that you mention it, I remember my grandma wrapping her braids in cotton. She would have been 95 this year, but when I was little, I distinctly remember that.

what does cotton do?

 

[darkflame213]

what does cotton do?

It was something of a protective style. Basically the sections of hair were wrapped in strips of cotton cloth or cotton “cord” (I never found out what the cord was) and this made the hair hang (the style part of the equation) and eliminated the need to comb daily (the protective part). Depending on the length of the hair, it could be styled in a bun or braided. Keep in mind that they were using heavy greases, so the cotton probably didn’t dry their hair out.

 

[lovechic]

Great thread!

 

[FlowerHair]

Thread wrapping is apparently also practiced in Africa.
http://www.burr.kent.edu/archives/1997/fall/Hair.html
"Sagay says in tropical West Africa, two traditional hair styling techniques have held their popularity for years: corn rowing - hair braided firmly against the scalp and varied in different patterns according to how the hair is parted - and hair threading - wrapping black thread around sectioned hair to create various designs."

 

[MSee]

I had an African friend do the hair threading for me a few times when I was much younger. It seemed to make my hair grow a lot faster but it was taxing on the scalp.

I'm really enjoying this thread.

 

[Mahalialee4]

Did you ladies enjoy the info posted to the Vintage Hair Care for Women of Color? Would you care to post anything there that would be of that nature just as you have on this post so that there is a reference for the Newbies? Keep adding to it. That would be great. Bonjour

 

[jamaraa]

I wanna revive this old thread...LOL.

The cotton on hair...if you've ever seen Our Gang w/ Farina or Buckwheat, that's what it looked like, was indeed a protective style. The hair was braided and tied up w/ the cloths around it to protect it. It was commonly done on kids to encourage hair growth. My grandmother, who is 83, says it was pretty much limited to kids and despite how it looked, it worked. So let this be proof that cotton on hair ISN'T the debil! LOL

Back in those days, almost everything was "all purpose". Pine products (aka known as "carbolic") were used very commonly for both animals and people as well as building materials, cleaning agents (turpentine) etc. IOW, pine products were the "Dr. Bronner's soap" of it's era. It's still around, but you'll have to look hard for it.

As for "grease" almost everybody used it...Black, Whites, Asians, etc....even now if you look in almost any grocery store that sells hair products, you'll see White people's grease. Vo5 and Byrlcreem in tubes and a few other tonics are still in common use and sell today. back then, people used whatever grease was available....butter, lard, lanolin, vaseline, cooking fat (read bacon grease), etc.....these folks were the original "green" people. Tho crude, everything sustainable..use it all, waste nothing. LOL...in these days, it's good to learn this stuff in case we need it.

 

[JustKiya]

Oooh, very interesting thread! Now, I need to find the Vintage Hair thread Mahalie was speaking of!

 

[jamaraa]

JustKiya how'd I know you'd show up? Here's the "Vintage" thread for you and everybody else. it's seriously rich. Check out the henna links and the stuff about Ancient Egypt.
http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=67350&highlight=vintage