how people took care of curly hair before conditioners?

[01]

Any ideas? Please don't day WO, lol. I mean, like ancient greeks? European aristocracy? Curls were in fashion then.

[missrandie]

I remember reading a lot of historical fiction mentioning "oiled curls." Maybe they used olive oil as their conditioner?

[TatsuOni]

Oils and beeswax where used for hair in general during ancient times. I know there's a lot more, but thoose are what I've read about mutiple times in different cultures.

[TatsuOni]

It's quite a lot of text about Victorian hair care in general, but it's interesting:) They mention eggs oils and other stuff:) https://mimimatthews.com/2016/02/01/a-victorian-ladys-guide-to-hair-care-2/

[01]

So interesting! Any ideas what they washed with? I know greeks/romans bathed with oil, but not hair, I guess?

Ha, I knew someone here would be geeky enough and know cool stuff.

[TatsuOni]

So interesting! Any ideas what they washed with? I know greeks/romans bathed with oil, but not hair, I guess?

Ha, I knew someone here would be geeky enough and know cool stuff.

A lot of different stuff where used. Egg wash, herbs, I know that urine (from humans) was used for a while in Sweden by some people (I do not wanna try that!), variations of soaps. That's all I can think of right now, but there's more:)

[veex]

No idea why but after reading the title of this I thought of medusa with those snakes curling around in her hair.

[TatsuOni]

Not curly hair but in China some used and some people are still using fermented rice water.

[TatsuOni]

No idea why but after reading the title of this I thought of medusa with those snakes curling around in her hair.

Better oil thoose snakes to make them extra shiny :laugh:

[01]

Yeah, medusa makes me think of curlies! Maybe because my curls are always angry. Hairstyles with twists and dreads look a bit like medusa too.

Haha, I read about people in the past using urine and sitting in the sun for bleaching. Pee yellow, lol.

My imagination runs wild. A little bit of oil? Or oil with water? So many possibilities. I'll read that article for sure! Beeswax is a bitch, it's used in men's hairstyling for sleek looks and spiked hairstyles, everyone complains it's impossible to wash out. But eggs are so harsh, maybe they'd be enough to wash beeswax out.

[Bhruninha]

It probably wasn't that hard considering they had no chemical damage, no heat damage, etc etc.

[Anje]

There are lots of good herbal rinses and moisturizers out there, and people in ancient times certainly would have been able to make things like flaxseed gel. Oils of course. Check out the thread on fermented rice water, over in the Recipes forum -- that seems to be moisturizing and conditioning for a lot of people, has a little bit of acid, and is practically a waste product from making rice.

[Entangled]

It probably wasn't that hard considering they had no chemical damage, no heat damage, etc etc.

Actually, people have been dyeing and bleaching their hair for a very long time. Also, I know hot curling tongs and permanent waves were used in the nineteenth century, and I'd wager that fire-heated tongs were used much earlier, but I don't know because I haven't researched. Though curries would have been spared the brunt of such treatment, as curly hair seems to be valued more than straight hair for much of western history.

[littlestarface]

Ancient ancient times, oil, natural herbs and such. Henna has been around since I think the beginning of time so there is alot of stuff they used we use now. We just complicate things now by putting in extras.

[Hairkay]

I'd say they used oil and herbs.

[CurlyCap]

I can completely take care of my hair by
1. Applying a bentonite clay mask
2. Finger detangling with a flax seed and oil mix, that I then rinse out.
3. Setting my hair with either an herbal tea rinse (I like rosemary/parsley/avocado oil) or a flax seed and hair butter mix.

As you can guess, this takes FOREVER,
And I don't do it bc I just don't have that amount of free time. My guess is a long time ago, I'd either have to be very financially comfortable to have the free time to care for the head of hair I have now, or I would have worn it shorter and dressed my hair less frequently.

I think it's totally possible to care for your hair without conditioner. However, it was probably very labor intensive and made long, naturally curly very rare.

[Entangled]

I think animal fats were also a possibility.

[Cherrys]

You should look up Janet Stephens on youtube. She does hair tutorials, but she's also an academic/archaeologist, so her styles are period accurate recreations. I don't remember if she has a video specifically on care for curly hair, but she mentions tidbits like that throughout her videos (primarily Ancient Roman hairstyles, some Ancient Greek, a few 18th century european, like papillote curls). As others have mentioned, beeswax was used as a styling aid, which would probably define curls if the person was curly. I would also recommend the book "Enquire Within About Everything," it's an encyclopedia of sorts that gives lots of info on Victorian hair preparations among much, much more.

[calmyogi]

I think water hardness wasn't an issue like it is today. The water didn't have chlorine or other chemicals in it. So, using things like herbs, vinegars, eggs, and oils would have been more affective. Also, there are plants that have soap like properties that were used in some cultures. My assumption is is that either hair was just rinsed with water a majority of the time, or there was something that people used and was just forgotten or lost in history. I also think that hair was kept pretty oiled in ancient times which would of made it much more manageable.

So funny that you posted this because I have been thinking about this for days now.

[pailin]

Actually, they didn't have water treatment, so no chlorination to deal with, but I think a lot of people would have used well water, which can be very hard depending where you live. I think that's why they liked to use rainwater (although once the industrial revolution hit in places like London, I guess that wouldn't have been so helpful).

[01]

So many interesting replies! I'll check youtube and encyclopedia thing xD. I read the article. Overall their hair care sounds so familiar, except curling irons and bbb. They were leaving oil around on chairs and stuff, lol, that sounds too familiar, that's why I stopped styling with oil, it's terrible. If they were leaving oil marks around then they were wearing more of wet look than dry curls like in movies, hmmm. They recommended my washing schedule (every 7 days) for oily hair?? I wonder how much washing they recommended for dry hair. And how they washed less than weekly with so much oil/grease and still had nicely styled hair? I wonder if bbb helped with stretching washes? Can it brush out styling products, lol?

Curlycap, I set my hair with herbal tea a couple of times but I used shampoo then. Never tried bentonite, tried red and kaolin without luck, it's moisturizing, doesn't wash. Thanks for such detailed post!

Ehh, always irons/curlers or papilotes. Like straighteners in asia, they didn't had electricity but they absolutely had to iron their hair, lol. I guess well water is hard too. Oh, wax also reminds me of these crazy japanese hairstyles, forgot how they were called... So pretty... But must have left wax everywhere around, pillows, clothing...

[TatsuOni]

So many interesting replies! I'll check youtube and encyclopedia thing xD. I read the article. Overall their hair care sounds so familiar, except curling irons and bbb. They were leaving oil around on chairs and stuff, lol, that sounds too familiar, that's why I stopped styling with oil, it's terrible. If they were leaving oil marks around then they were wearing more of wet look than dry curls like in movies, hmmm. They recommended my washing schedule (every 7 days) for oily hair?? I wonder how much washing they recommended for dry hair. And how they washed less than weekly with so much oil/grease and still had nicely styled hair? I wonder if bbb helped with stretching washes? Can it brush out styling products, lol?

Curlycap, I set my hair with herbal tea a couple of times but I used shampoo then. Never tried bentonite, tried red and kaolin without luck, it's moisturizing, doesn't wash. Thanks for such detailed post!

Ehh, always irons/curlers or papilotes. Like straighteners in asia, they didn't had electricity but they absolutely had to iron their hair, lol. I guess well water is hard too. Oh, wax also reminds me of these crazy japanese hairstyles, forgot how they were called... So pretty... But must have left wax everywhere around, pillows, clothing...

I think that people had a differend opinion on hair hygien back then. I know that instead of washing the hair many masked the smell with perfum so that they could wait for a while longer. Some people like me doesn't get smelly hair at all or greasy hair for quite some time. I wash my hair every other week. But back to the hygien. Today hair is supposed to be so clean that it's dry and static. Well, in many parts if the world. Back then, oily hair was part of the style so it wasn't considerd dirty.

If they used styling products such as beeswax it must have been harder to not wash as often (unless you where a geisha and even slept in your hairstyle). A bit of oil shouldtn't be a problem since hair is quite easy to detangle and style then.

There's a lot of herbs that's good for conditioning hair such as catnip. You can also wash hair with birch leaves since it contains saponins. There's herbs, leaves and such with the same effect.

[TatsuOni]

So many interesting replies! I'll check youtube and encyclopedia thing xD. I read the article. Overall their hair care sounds so familiar, except curling irons and bbb. They were leaving oil around on chairs and stuff, lol, that sounds too familiar, that's why I stopped styling with oil, it's terrible. If they were leaving oil marks around then they were wearing more of wet look than dry curls like in movies, hmmm. They recommended my washing schedule (every 7 days) for oily hair?? I wonder how much washing they recommended for dry hair. And how they washed less than weekly with so much oil/grease and still had nicely styled hair? I wonder if bbb helped with stretching washes? Can it brush out styling products, lol?

Curlycap, I set my hair with herbal tea a couple of times but I used shampoo then. Never tried bentonite, tried red and kaolin without luck, it's moisturizing, doesn't wash. Thanks for such detailed post!

Ehh, always irons/curlers or papilotes. Like straighteners in asia, they didn't had electricity but they absolutely had to iron their hair, lol. I guess well water is hard too. Oh, wax also reminds me of these crazy japanese hairstyles, forgot how they were called... So pretty... But must have left wax everywhere around, pillows, clothing...



And about leaving wax and oils everywhere. Rich people had servants to clean their homes and wash their laundry:p

[calmyogi]

Well in the 19th century well water was hard, but I was thinking along the lines of the ancient Greeks who probably had open water sources. Or maybe I'm wrong about that.

In the 19th century rain water was used quite often to wash hair, I believe.

[calmyogi]

TatsuOni is right. The idea of what was clean hair was completely different back then. I watched a video on ancient Grecian hairstyles and she said that they are harder to recreate on modern hair because their hair would of been oilier and wouldn't of been "properly" cut.

ETA: it was the Aphrodite hairstyle that was being talked about in the video. I don't know if it was all hairstyles now that I think about it, but rather, that one in particular.

[Kiiruna]

They didn't.

Sorry, I could't resist! Continue on (I have nothing smarter to say :D)...

[Beborani]

I lived in ancient times without conditioners and barely any shampoo (available but too expensive to use). Oil was the primary 'conditioner' though even things we used to wash our hair was fairly gentle. But we did not do anything to enhance curls. Hair was kept oiled and and braided, single or two (young) or bunned (older).

[calmyogi]

I lived in ancient times without conditioners and barely any shampoo (available but too expensive to use). Oil was the primary 'conditioner' though even things we used to wash our hair was fairly gentle. But we did not do anything to enhance curls. Hair was kept oiled and and braided, single or two (young) or bunned (older).

What did you use to wash? And what did you detangle with?

[pailin]

I lived in ancient times without conditioners and barely any shampoo (available but too expensive to use). Oil was the primary 'conditioner' though even things we used to wash our hair was fairly gentle. But we did not do anything to enhance curls. Hair was kept oiled and and braided, single or two (young) or bunned (older).

That's a good point that if hair is expected to be braided or bunned, it's a little different situation.

[Beborani]

What did you use to wash? And what did you detangle with?

Shikakai or chickpea flour after heavy oiling. If hair was handled gently then it used to come out of wash fairly detangled and the rest was combed out with oil and braided or secured immediately after drying.

[calmyogi]

Shikakai or chickpea flour after heavy oiling. If hair was handled gently then it used to come out of wash fairly detangled and the rest was combed out with oil and braided or secured immediately after drying.

That's really interesting. Did you make a paste out of the flour? Do you use shampoo now, and if so would you go back to the old way or do you prefer shampoo?

[Beborani]

Yes, we made paste of the flour. Every once in a while I wash my hair that way but I also cheat and use conditioner afterwards because I can. :) I have never liked shampoo but did use it in the interim period between traditional method and a couple of years ago when I shifted to cowash. I prefer cowashing as it is faster and works quite well.

[calmyogi]

Yes, we made paste of the flour. Every once in a while I wash my hair that way but I also cheat and use conditioner afterwards because I can. :) I have never liked shampoo but did use it in the interim period between traditional method and a couple of years ago when I shifted to cowash. I prefer cowashing as it is faster and works quite well.

How often did you wash your hair?.... I can never seem to get all my question on one post... Thank you for answering them all. This kind of stuff always interest me and it's hard to find info through a Google search. I used egg yolks for about 6 months to wash my hair and I liked it but then one day my hair was really oily and it just wasn't as clean and it was so I stopped.

[veex]

Better oil thoose snakes to make them extra shiny :laugh:

Haha very true

[LadyCelestina]

I assume the looser curly and wavy hairtypes were just treated like straight hair and eventually the texture straightened out a bit by brushing+ updo's + length and also sebum, or the hair was set in artificial curls and pomaded.

[Beborani]

How often did you wash your hair?.... I can never seem to get all my question on one post... Thank you for answering them all. This kind of stuff always interest me and it's hard to find info through a Google search. I used egg yolks for about 6 months to wash my hair and I liked it but then one day my hair was really oily and it just wasn't as clean and it was so I stopped.

It was all built around rituals so we were expected to wash on Tuesdays and Fridays and occasionally water only on Saturdays and I think adult women who stayed home were able to follow these but as school-going kid, I had time only on Saturday or Sunday. There were some days when hair would feel oily if you didn't get time to wash well but the next wash usually took care of it so no one fretted much though it bothered me.

[Shepherdess]

This is such an interesting thread! I have been wanting to look into these things more for a while. I learned from someone not too long ago how Egyptians used to wear perfume cones on their head as part of their beauty treatments, which were made from extracted fragrances of prized herbs and spices into fats and oils (a process called enfleurage), which were made into a cone. They would wear them on their head and as the cone would slowly melt, the oils would run down the head. I wonder if this related some to their hair care too, since it seems they would be getting a lot of oils on their hair with this process, though I would have to study into it more. :)
Picture showing the cones: https://cowofgold.wikispaces.com/file/view/4645299529_53b1ec20f3.jpg/240865517/383x238/4645299529_53b1ec20f3.jpg

Edit: Here is an interesting link on it! http://www.ancient-egypt.info/2012/02/perfumes-in-ancient-egypt-and-clothes.html

[01]

Shikakai or chickpea flour after heavy oiling. If hair was handled gently then it used to come out of wash fairly detangled and the rest was combed out with oil and braided or secured immediately after drying.


I lived in ancient times without conditioners and barely any shampoo (available but too expensive to use). Oil was the primary 'conditioner' though even things we used to wash our hair was fairly gentle. But we did not do anything to enhance curls. Hair was kept oiled and and braided, single or two (young) or bunned (older).

That's exactly how I took care of my hair, oiling and bun! I couldn't figure out how to wash (and still can't), though. Lately stopped oiling since horn comb makes my hair so sebumy... After completely stopping oiling for a while I started to oil ends because they became dry. So now I comb daily, oil ends and bun, never wear them out. Hmmmm, I tried washing with very thick rye flour paste and it was a disaster. My hair were dry, damaged looking AND flat on my head. Maybe paste should be more runny? I googled a bit and people seem to do runny solution, not thick like I did. So I still didn't exactly figured out wash method. Egg yolk is fine, but very drying over time and I wash only once a week so dunno how often to use yolk, eh.

Interesting stuff about egyptians, I read about cones too! They seemed to use wigs, though, reminds me a bit some natural hair youtubers who take care of their hair with oil, etc but wear wigs on top or use fake hair to get longer hair, sleek ponytails, etc.

[calmyogi]

i keep reading that egg yolk is drying over time, but It actually made me greasier over time.

[Hairkay]

There's also butter and milk. That may have been used for conditioning treatments and hair styling.

[01]

My mom has oily hair and egg made her hair oily when she dried her hair in braid.

Cool, HairKay, I have some butter that I don't want to eat anymore, heh, wondered about using it before wash. I keep hearing about curd hair masks, dunno what that is... Buttermilk? Yoghurt? Something else, heh?

[Giant Robot]

I keep hearing about curd hair masks, dunno what that is... Buttermilk? Yoghurt? Something else, heh?

Curd is yogurt. There are a lot of Indian beauty recipes for face and hair that use curd.

[meteor]

There's also butter and milk. That may have been used for conditioning treatments and hair styling.

I don't know about hair styling products (smell could be an issue), but for pre-poo/conditioning treatments, yes, for sure! :D Ghee (clarified butter) is pretty popular and so are many milk-based products: milk/yogurt/kefir for oily hair, sour cream for dry hair...

[Hinza]

Poor people in the country has used also clay and different organic soil types including peat (with herbs, etc.) to wash them hair few times in the year - usually summers. Sorry, I mean very old times in the northern countries were winters are colds and time when water only lakes or wells.