historical hair care

[Amiraaa]

this video went viral some days ago and i want to know what are your opinions about it? the lady has beautiful long curly hair and she doesn't use shampoo or brush her hair. is this the real secret of the Victorian long haired ladies?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-2YxqGiI54

[Pouncequick]

She does some things historically. I don't know that clay washes were as popular as egg washes in the Victorian era, but they may work better for her. I'm not sure if I agree that her routine is THE historical routine that will get everyone, everywhere long hair. When I read the classic to knee, knee length and beyond, and floor length and beyond threads I don't see anyone copying her precise routine and claiming it as the secret. When I read old hair journals it seems like long haired ladies largely did what they found worked best for themselves and the modern equivalents on this site seem to do the same. Some people wash their hair very infrequently while there was at least one user who washed her knee length hair every day.

There are a slew of other historical hair care videos if you find that sort of thing interesting though.

This video by Snappy Dragon covers long hair care in the medieval period in a large portion of Europe:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JZ33WuzPHI

Then there is Pretty Shepherd who follows traditions inspired by folk hair care in Hungary:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mlAuM8KW3A

Abby Cox used to do historical reenactment for the 18th century and she did a video covering pomade and powder which she used for over a year:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnBniAE2wiE

V. Birchwood follows a Victorian inspired hair care routine:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnBniAE2wiE

Then there are probably a million non Western channels covering historical hair care in a variety of other cultures and locations. The unifying threads seem to be find something that works well for your hair, fits in your life, uses things you can easily acquire, that is gentle enough for you while still cleansing your hair well and detangles it enough to keep it from turning into a giant nest that slowly eats you alive. I combine medieval hair combing with gently washing my hair a few times a week. I tried clay washes a long time ago and found they didn't play nicely with my hard water. ACV rinses aren't as effective for me as citric acid rinses. Finger detangling my hair misses tiny knots, but is really useful before actually combing out my hair. Boar bristle brushes seem to irritate and inflame my scalp while fine toothed combs help me remove build up. I learned these things through experimenting which it seems like she did as well. Combing her hair in the shower was damaging it so she uses her fingers. After she demonstrated brushing it with a boar bristle brush in her most recent video, I feel like I can see why she was getting damage. She is a bit rough with the brush on her hair but she was super gentle using her fingers.

[Kat]

I think it's great that methods like rarely washing her hair and not using shampoo worked for her, but as with anything when it comes to hair, YMMV. (I would hate for anyone watching that video to think that is absolutely the way that works for all hair, or that they have to use it for their hair even if other things work better for their hair. By all means it's something to try if a person is interested, but if they find it doesn't work for their hair or lifestyle, it's fine to not use it.)

[Glitch]

Interesting stuff - I also remember someone here shared some ancient book about historical hair care and it was so neat seeing what used to be done back then!


I think it's great that methods like rarely washing her hair and not using shampoo worked for her, but as with anything when it comes to hair, YMMV. (I would hate for anyone watching that video to think that is absolutely the way that works for all hair, or that they have to use it for their hair even if other things work better for their hair. By all means it's something to try if a person is interested, but if they find it doesn't work for their hair or lifestyle, it's fine to not use it.)

Yep! If I personally followed that route, all of my hair would soon fall out :run:

[Pouncequick]

Yep! If I personally followed that route, all of my hair would soon fall out :run:

I went through an all herbal all the time phase and clay washes gave me the most horrifying waxy build up. I had to wash my hair with dawn to get it clean. I think I'll stick with shampoo and conditioner that smells herbal but actually cleans my hair.

[BVU]

It depends on a few factors. I follow medieval hair routines and most are just SO and headscarfs :shrug: It varies on culture, hairtypes, materials, class, and eras. Classes are a big thing, wealthier people who generally put many things in their hair in later eras (1600s-1900s) had a lot of free time to mess with it and see what works, while lower classed people often went pure SO with WO twice a year, eggs masks, clay, combing, and other things that required little effort and money. Won't say too much here unless asked, but in a nutshell, do what works for your hair.

[Abacus]

I was really excited about this video when I saw it a few days ago, because I realized I have independently started doing a lot of the things she talks about. I've been doing mostly WO but my washes are getting stretched further and further apart. I'm not really paying attention or planning, it's all by feel and by gut instinct about what's working for my hair. I also started doing that dry finger-detangling process, and I thought I made it up! Like kind of taking my hair strand by strand and isolating the little clumps. So it was nice to see another curly-haired person doing those things that just felt intuitive, and to see what was also working for her.

The thing I like about this video going viral is that the aesthetics of her hair are different from a lot of mainstream hair aesthetics -- and what I mean by that is her hair is pretty oily. I like that people are celebrating kind of oily healthy hair. That shot that she shows of the back of her hair over and over again -- it looks kind of webby because it's so covered in sebum, and her curls are beautiful but not light and bouncy. I'm finding that my hair looks like that these days and seems very happy. So it was affirming to watch! Her hair definitely looks happier and thicker than when she was doing curly girl method, and I'm finding the same is true for me.

It's making me think about the whole controversy with Deva Curl products, and how people who have used them for a long time are having some negative experiences with their hair. She specifies that she wasn't using Deva Curl products, but she does mention how she thinks the long term use of the curly girl method gave the facade of healthy hair but didn't really benefit her as she grew her hair to greater lengths. And maybe that's the thing, maybe they work great for shorter lengths but don't give enough benefit over many years of use as the hair gets longer and older. Who knows, but it made me wonder.

[Glitch]

I went through an all herbal all the time phase and clay washes gave me the most horrifying waxy build up. I had to wash my hair with dawn to get it clean. I think I'll stick with shampoo and conditioner that smells herbal but actually cleans my hair.

Omg, Dawn?! I can't imagine how much build up there was! It probably would have happened to me too :( Nothing like a good shampoo and conditioner for me as well :flower:

[TatsuOni]

I haven't watched more than the first minute yet.

But a few thoughts.

There truly isn't one routine that fits all.

And chin to hip lenght isn't really that impressive... Don't get me wrong. Her hair looks healthy and it's clearly longer while stretched. But I've seen many people grown to hip and beyond even with bleach, heat styling and damaged hair. Many people can grow hair that long.

As for historical hair care. As mentioned there has been many different ways to care and wash your hair during different times, places and people of different social status and so on. And while people tend to romanticise past eras such as the Victorian. thinking that every woman had long lucious hair. That's not the truth. The pictures we see are of models chosen for their hair. Just like today. Who's seen in fashion magasines is rarely your average working woman. People then, like now had different lenghts' thicknes and hair health. And most certeinly, not everyone had a lot of time to spend on their hair.

With that said. I take a lot of inspiration from historical hair care, from many eras, cultures and countries. My routine is hardly that of the average modern western woman today.

[TatsuOni]

Alright. I'm going to write down more thoughts as I watch the video.

* It's great that it works for her.

* As mentioned earlier. Not every woman had that long hair. Those were chosen to model for pictures and paintings. It isn't just hair care. But it's also about genetics.

* She sais that a text section is from 1910 and that people didn't often use shampoo. Shampoo wasn't actually invented until 1920... So I doubt her source.

* Heat styling isn't good for hair. Absolutely not. But it's not a new invention. It's been around for thousands of years. Even some of the "long haired" victorians used it. So yes it's damaging, but it's not impossible to reach certain lenghts even with heatstyling. Just want to mention it.

* Historical people? If she's talking about people during the Victorian era in Great Brittain, she should say so. Because what she's describing is not at all accurate for every era or country. So I find it a bit missleading. For example, the vikings and medieaval people didn't use bristle brushes. They used combs for the same thing.

* Once again. "They all had very, very long hair." No! You can't base this information just on some pictures.

* Yes fingers are great for detangling. But to say that one can't feel tangles with a comb or brush? Of course you feel it of you're careful. This is when I put the comb down, detangle it with my fingers and then keep on combing.

* Yes methods such as eggs were used. But there are also recipes that used really harsh and drying ingredients...

* It's great that rhassoul clay works for her! It didn't for me when I tried it. It just dried my hair out badly.

* Oils on the scalp works great for some people. For others it can cause both irritation and hair loss.

* Heavy hair oiling works for some people. For others it just leaves the hair tangled and more dry.

* You can easily make a bun without putting any strain on the front sections of your hair. You don't have to add that hair later.

* "This is a common feature you see in most historical womens updos". Not really... The part of something happening in the front has been in fashion in some places during some periods.

* Bobby pins was a hair killer for me personally and could not really hold up a bun. I prefer U-pins.

Summary. It's great that she's found something that works for her! But it's absolutely not for everyone. She generalises a bit too much with her "historical women". I get that she isn't a professional hair historian and neither am I, but she could have checked some facts a bit more, before trying to "sell them". My problem with videos like this is mainly that there's a bit of a "this is the way" attitude.

[BVU]

Alright. I'm going to write down more thoughts as I watch the video.

* It's great that it works for her.

* As mentioned earlier. Not every woman had that long hair. Those were chosen to model for pictures and paintings. It isn't just hair care. But it's also about genetics.

* She sais that a text section is from 1910 and that people didn't often use shampoo. Shampoo wasn't actually invented until 1920... So I doubt her source.

* Heat styling isn't good for hair. Absolutely not. But it's not a new invention. It's been around for thousands of years. Even some of the "long haired" victorians used it. So yes it's damaging, but it's not impossible to reach certain lenghts even with heatstyling. Just want to mention it.

* Historical people? If she's talking about people during the Victorian era in Great Brittain, she should say so. Because what she's describing is not at all accurate for every era or country. So I find it a bit missleading. For example, the vikings and medieaval people didn't use bristle brushes. They used combs for the same thing.

* Once again. "They all had very, very long hair." No! You can't base this information just on some pictures.

* Yes fingers are great for detangling. But to say that one can't feel tangles with a comb or brush? Of course you feel it of you're careful. This is when I put the comb down, detangle it with my fingers and then keep on combing.

* Yes methods such as eggs were used. But there are also recipes that used really harsh and drying ingredients...

* It's great that rhassoul clay works for her! It didn't for me when I tried it. It just dried my hair out badly.

* Oils on the scalp works great for some people. For others it can cause both irritation and hair loss.

* Heavy hair oiling works for some people. For others it just leaves the hair tangled and more dry.

* You can easily make a bun without putting any strain on the front sections of your hair. You don't have to add that hair later.

* "This is a common feature you see in most historical womens updos". Not really... The part of something happening in the front has been in fashion in some places during some periods.

* Bobby pins was a hair killer for me personally and could not really hold up a bun. I prefer U-pins.

Summary. It's great that she's found something that works for her! But it's absolutely not for everyone. She generalises a bit too much with her "historical women". I get that she isn't a professional hair historian and neither am I, but she could have checked some facts a bit more, before trying to "sell them". My problem with videos like this is mainly that there's a bit of a "this is the way" attitude.

Exactly this! Its becoming more common on YT to see "historical haircare" people bashing eachother over methods, over-generalising, doing things wrong, and pulling info from god knows where. It's going to give a false impression to new people with different hairtypes that theres only 1 or 2 ways of historical haircare being from Europe or Asia, when in reality there's thousands of historical routines. I personally don't know much about curly haircare routines but that doesnt mean they magically didn't exist lmfao. While yes, some women had long hair (mostly in eastern europe), they often didn't take good care of it, in most lower classes trimming wasnt even a thing. Wealthy women in France around the 1600s would often hide sharp objects in their hair incase men got personal, which would often break many hairstrands, along with messing up their mullets. Even women in the victorian era often had shorter hair (about hip length) so when floor lengthers like the Seven Sutherland Sisters popped up, people were amazed, and even only 3 of the 7 sisters had floor length hair, while the others were hip, calf, and knee length.

PS: I believe the shampoo she's talking about is Kasey Heber's Canthrox, which was a powder inside a can or box, it was released in 1909 and later mass released in 1914, credited to be the first "shampoo". Aline Vallandri speaks briefly about it in her interview with "Every Woman's Enclopaedia" that was released in 1912.

[Lady Stardust]

I agree about the generalisations.

One thing I did take away from the video was the idea of washing in plaits/braids. I’d never thought of doing that on my own hair because my hair is only a bit wavy and not very thick, so I’ve never felt the need to section it during a wash. However I have been wondering recently why my hair tangles so much when I wash I it - I’m careful to only manipulate the scalp, I don’t pile my hair up when I wash it, but it can still get very tangled during the wash.

On a whim, I decided to plait my hair before I washed it today, and it worked really well. I didn’t tie off the plait, and it mostly undid itself during the wash. My hair is MBL-ish. But, it hardly tangled at all so the washing process was much quicker than usual, with far less manipulation.

My hair is at the lower end of ii so I just did one loose plait. I had pre-oiled with babassu oil and the plait was still in place when I added conditioner. The plait had pretty much undone itself by the time I rinsed the conditioner out and applied leave in.

I’m quite enamoured with this method of washing (plaited) however I did worry part way through if I was going to create one huge plaited tangle. The opposite happened though, and the reduced manipulation has got to be good for my hair.

For anyone who hasn’t watched the video, the idea for plaiting came from LHC in the first place :)

[Arcticfoxes]

I watched this video the other week, I was fascinated by it. Bought some of that clay, ACV and jojoba oil to try it.

The clay wash was actually really good. Can't say my hair enjoyed the jojoba oil and I have no idea what the ACV did if anything.

My hair became static as anything, couldn't brush through with my wooden comb without static. Missed my conditioner. Went back to it.

All in all I liked the clay wash but I'd only use it with leave in conditioner afterwards personally.

[Kat]

I mean, it's something I would maybe consider trying... but, with having to buy stuff (probably online), if I didn't like it I'd then be stuck with the stuff... and since I don't have any problems with my current routine (with those evil, evil sulfates and washing-- gasp-- every week), there's probably no reason for me to trade a sure thing for spending money and time on something that might not even work. (I'm learning to not fall prey to "this looks interesting" when I don't actually need a change...)


My problem with videos like this is mainly that there's a bit of a "this is the way" attitude.

Yes! Exactly what I was trying to say, but better. I think people sometimes get excited about a method or product, and want to share it... and when you stack that on top of "they maybe don't consider that not everyone has the same hair/hair genes that they do," then things start to sound a bit absolute.

[Lady Stardust]

I watched this video the other week, I was fascinated by it. Bought some of that clay, ACV and jojoba oil to try it.

The clay wash was actually really good. Can't say my hair enjoyed the jojoba oil and I have no idea what the ACV did if anything.

My hair became static as anything, couldn't brush through with my wooden comb without static. Missed my conditioner. Went back to it.

All in all I liked the clay wash but I'd only use it with leave in conditioner afterwards personally.

It whizzes past really quickly in the video but she does mention that she uses a conditioner as part of the wash, but I suspect that it isn’t shown because it doesn’t fit with the idea of historical hair care.

I can’t remember if she mentions how often she washes her hair, was it once a week? It’s just that she uses clay rather than shampoo. She adds in oil to the lengths every day and the oil provides lubrication during the detangling process. I think the main point she is making is that dry detangling works better for her than detangling with conditioner in the shower. Maybe it was easier to categorise the video as “historical” haircare, but really her main point seems to be that some of the methods advocated for curly hair haven’t worked for her.

[Happymaman]

Slightly off topic to the original question but I just can't figure out how she does her silk wrap. I've slowed this down and rewatched it a bunch and tried to do the same movements and I cannot for the life of me get it to look the same. Anyone who knows that style of wrapping care to point me to a tutorial?

[Happymaman]

Timestamp 41:58 for reference.

[Lady Stardust]

Slightly off topic to the original question but I just can't figure out how she does her silk wrap. I've slowed this down and rewatched it a bunch and tried to do the same movements and I cannot for the life of me get it to look the same. Anyone who knows that style of wrapping care to point me to a tutorial?

I think she’s tying it in a knot at the top of her head, and then bringing the ends to the nape and tying in a double knot and leaving the ends to hang down, but I could be wrong! At the end she just seems to be fiddling about to make it lie nicely.

I think it would look different depending on the length, shape and thickness of the scarf you are using. I tie a square scarf every day (1940s/Rosie the Riveter style) but it looks quite different with even a minimal change in thickness or size or the square I use.

[Happymaman]

Thanks, Lady Stardust, that was the closest approximation I could get to by watching it over and over as well. I suppose it's the size of my scarf. Mine is a long rectangular edge wrap but it clearly isn't as wide across as hers. I just love the way the top looks on her. I'm sure her hair volume gives her some extra floomph as well.

[TatsuOni]

Thanks, Lady Stardust, that was the closest approximation I could get to by watching it over and over as well. I suppose it's the size of my scarf. Mine is a long rectangular edge wrap but it clearly isn't as wide across as hers. I just love the way the top looks on her. I'm sure her hair volume gives her some extra floomph as well.

If you want to find more wrappings similar and totally different. Wrapunzel has a lot of tutorials. https://www.youtube.com/@WrapunzelLadies

[Abacus]

wow this video really rubbed everyone the wrong way! I imagine if you've been doing alternative haircare for a while and have been watching videos like this for a long time, or talking with others about it for a long time, a knowing tone would get pretty irritating. And for those in this forum who wash their hair frequently, you may feel you're in the minority in this crowd! I imagine it would get irritating to always be being told the secret is to stretch your washes. But if you are someone stumbling across this on youtube who has been doing curly girl method and watching the billion videos for that, this would be a totally different perspective.

My takeaways from this video weren't that it was historically accurate or even aiming to be -- it was historically inspired and worked for her. As someone coming from years of watching curly hair videos, this was actually a breath of fresh air and very different to that other side, a side which has a lot of "this is the only way!" mentality. It was a great alternative suggestion away from curly girl method stuff. I think how the tone of the video hits you depends on where you're originating from.

[Lady Stardust]

wow this video really rubbed everyone the wrong way! I imagine if you've been doing alternative haircare for a while and have been watching videos like this for a long time, or talking with others about it for a long time, a knowing tone would get pretty irritating. And for those in this forum who wash their hair frequently, you may feel you're in the minority in this crowd! I imagine it would get irritating to always be being told the secret is to stretch your washes. But if you are someone stumbling across this on youtube who has been doing curly girl method and watching the billion videos for that, this would be a totally different perspective.

My takeaways from this video weren't that it was historically accurate or even aiming to be -- it was historically inspired and worked for her. As someone coming from years of watching curly hair videos, this was actually a breath of fresh air and very different to that other side, a side which has a lot of "this is the only way!" mentality. It was a great alternative suggestion away from curly girl method stuff. I think how the tone of the video hits you depends on where you're originating from.

It was your earlier post in this thread that inspired me to watch the video :) I’m really glad I did because I decided to try washing in plaits, and it’s a resounding success for me. I tried it again today and although the plait had undone itself by the time I washed out the shampoo, I had no tangles at all. It’s a game changer for me.

I absolutely get where you’re coming from about curls - not that I have any - but I’ve seen people chasing perfectly uniform and frizz free curls (not here) and it’s so stressful. I can see why coming at it from a different angle is so refreshing.

[KokoroDragon]

wow this video really rubbed everyone the wrong way! I imagine if you've been doing alternative haircare for a while and have been watching videos like this for a long time, or talking with others about it for a long time, a knowing tone would get pretty irritating. And for those in this forum who wash their hair frequently, you may feel you're in the minority in this crowd! I imagine it would get irritating to always be being told the secret is to stretch your washes. But if you are someone stumbling across this on youtube who has been doing curly girl method and watching the billion videos for that, this would be a totally different perspective.

My takeaways from this video weren't that it was historically accurate or even aiming to be -- it was historically inspired and worked for her. As someone coming from years of watching curly hair videos, this was actually a breath of fresh air and very different to that other side, a side which has a lot of "this is the only way!" mentality. It was a great alternative suggestion away from curly girl method stuff. I think how the tone of the video hits you depends on where you're originating from.

Yep, I also saw it as historically inspired rather than historically accurate.

I've watched a few other historical hair care videos in the past (Abby Cox and the like) which did focus on historical accuracy and cited sources. If that's what you're expecting when you click on her video, I can see how someone would be frustrated.

I think what I liked most about this video was what people in the comments are saying regarding her clay "shampoo". It seems like this form of washing was/is very common in certain parts of the world. There are so many comments from people who are happy to see their culture mentioned. They're really fascinating to read, and it's nice to see some diversity in the historical hair care side of YouTube.

[Pouncequick]

The thing I like about this video going viral is that the aesthetics of her hair are different from a lot of mainstream hair aesthetics -- and what I mean by that is her hair is pretty oily. I like that people are celebrating kind of oily healthy hair. That shot that she shows of the back of her hair over and over again -- it looks kind of webby because it's so covered in sebum, and her curls are beautiful but not light and bouncy. I'm finding that my hair looks like that these days and seems very happy. So it was affirming to watch! Her hair definitely looks happier and thicker than when she was doing curly girl method, and I'm finding the same is true for me.

It's making me think about the whole controversy with Deva Curl products, and how people who have used them for a long time are having some negative experiences with their hair. She specifies that she wasn't using Deva Curl products, but she does mention how she thinks the long term use of the curly girl method gave the facade of healthy hair but didn't really benefit her as she grew her hair to greater lengths. And maybe that's the thing, maybe they work great for shorter lengths but don't give enough benefit over many years of use as the hair gets longer and older. Who knows, but it made me wonder.

I do appreciate more oily looks becoming less gross to people. It is REALLY hard to keep my hair looking freshly washed when it isn't. Personally I have always thought that "curly girl" was more of an obsession with perfect looking short-ish curls rather than truly healthy hair. I can't imagine doing half of the post wash steps to very long hair. The only thing I liked was all of the moisture sealing ideas.



* Historical people? If she's talking about people during the Victorian era in Great Brittain, she should say so. Because what she's describing is not at all accurate for every era or country. So I find it a bit missleading. For example, the vikings and medieaval people didn't use bristle brushes. They used combs for the same thing.

* Once again. "They all had very, very long hair." No! You can't base this information just on some pictures.

* Yes fingers are great for detangling. But to say that one can't feel tangles with a comb or brush? Of course you feel it of you're careful. This is when I put the comb down, detangle it with my fingers and then keep on combing.

Summary. It's great that she's found something that works for her! But it's absolutely not for everyone. She generalises a bit too much with her "historical women". I get that she isn't a professional hair historian and neither am I, but she could have checked some facts a bit more, before trying to "sell them". My problem with videos like this is mainly that there's a bit of a "this is the way" attitude.

I watched this and then binged a few of her videos. She's actually pretty bad about telling people things about unreferenced "historical people" with a bit of an authoritative tone. A lot of the stuff she looks into is very interesting but she will almost never just say, "I was looking into how Malaysian women deal with the postpartum period and I learned about the Benkung belly wrap" or "I was reading about women's hair care in the Victorian period in England and came across this shampoo recipe". Instead it's mystical historical people with the random sources, up to the watcher to find for themselves. That's probably the thing that bothers me the most along with the "one true way" attitude.


Yep, I also saw it as historically inspired rather than historically accurate.

I've watched a few other historical hair care videos in the past (Abby Cox and the like) which did focus on historical accuracy and cited sources. If that's what you're expecting when you click on her video, I can see how someone would be frustrated.

I think what I liked most about this video was what people in the comments are saying regarding her clay "shampoo". It seems like this form of washing was/is very common in certain parts of the world. There are so many comments from people who are happy to see their culture mentioned. They're really fascinating to read, and it's nice to see some diversity in the historical hair care side of YouTube.

I knew it was just historically inspired. I think what probably rubbed people the wrong way was her tone. There were even discussions in the comment section where a couple people mentioned that this isn't the ONLY way to get long hair. It isn't even the only way historical people grew out their hair. In her most recent video she acknowledges that there are more ways than just hers to grow long hair, but she does seem to kind of come across as selling her routine as another ONE TRUE WAY(TM) ***with creator approved modifications***. I really like adding more diversity to the historical hair care discussion though. I'm always curious what basically everyone does with their hair and scalp to keep it clean.

[Amiraaa]

She does some things historically. I don't know that clay washes were as popular as egg washes in the Victorian era, but they may work better for her. I'm not sure if I agree that her routine is THE historical routine that will get everyone, everywhere long hair. When I read the classic to knee, knee length and beyond, and floor length and beyond threads I don't see anyone copying her precise routine and claiming it as the secret. When I read old hair journals it seems like long haired ladies largely did what they found worked best for themselves and the modern equivalents on this site seem to do the same. Some people wash their hair very infrequently while there was at least one user who washed her knee length hair every day.

There are a slew of other historical hair care videos if you find that sort of thing interesting though.

This video by Snappy Dragon covers long hair care in the medieval period in a large portion of Europe:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JZ33WuzPHI

Then there is Pretty Shepherd who follows traditions inspired by folk hair care in Hungary:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mlAuM8KW3A

Abby Cox used to do historical reenactment for the 18th century and she did a video covering pomade and powder which she used for over a year:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnBniAE2wiE

V. Birchwood follows a Victorian inspired hair care routine:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnBniAE2wiE

Then there are probably a million non Western channels covering historical hair care in a variety of other cultures and locations. The unifying threads seem to be find something that works well for your hair, fits in your life, uses things you can easily acquire, that is gentle enough for you while still cleansing your hair well and detangles it enough to keep it from turning into a giant nest that slowly eats you alive. I combine medieval hair combing with gently washing my hair a few times a week. I tried clay washes a long time ago and found they didn't play nicely with my hard water. ACV rinses aren't as effective for me as citric acid rinses. Finger detangling my hair misses tiny knots, but is really useful before actually combing out my hair. Boar bristle brushes seem to irritate and inflame my scalp while fine toothed combs help me remove build up. I learned these things through experimenting which it seems like she did as well. Combing her hair in the shower was damaging it so she uses her fingers. After she demonstrated brushing it with a boar bristle brush in her most recent video, I feel like I can see why she was getting damage. She is a bit rough with the brush on her hair but she was super gentle using her fingers.

i agree with you that there's no one way to grow long hair. everybody should experiment and find the best thing that works for them. what i take from the video is to be gentle with hair to minimize breakage since i have a similar hair type to hers.

[Amiraaa]

It depends on a few factors. I follow medieval hair routines and most are just SO and headscarfs :shrug: It varies on culture, hairtypes, materials, class, and eras. Classes are a big thing, wealthier people who generally put many things in their hair in later eras (1600s-1900s) had a lot of free time to mess with it and see what works, while lower classed people often went pure SO with WO twice a year, eggs masks, clay, combing, and other things that required little effort and money. Won't say too much here unless asked, but in a nutshell, do what works for your hair.


i'm so interested in medieval hair routines right now so thank you so much for your information and i would like to know more.

[Amiraaa]

I was really excited about this video when I saw it a few days ago, because I realized I have independently started doing a lot of the things she talks about. I've been doing mostly WO but my washes are getting stretched further and further apart. I'm not really paying attention or planning, it's all by feel and by gut instinct about what's working for my hair. I also started doing that dry finger-detangling process, and I thought I made it up! Like kind of taking my hair strand by strand and isolating the little clumps. So it was nice to see another curly-haired person doing those things that just felt intuitive, and to see what was also working for her.

The thing I like about this video going viral is that the aesthetics of her hair are different from a lot of mainstream hair aesthetics -- and what I mean by that is her hair is pretty oily. I like that people are celebrating kind of oily healthy hair. That shot that she shows of the back of her hair over and over again -- it looks kind of webby because it's so covered in sebum, and her curls are beautiful but not light and bouncy. I'm finding that my hair looks like that these days and seems very happy. So it was affirming to watch! Her hair definitely looks happier and thicker than when she was doing curly girl method, and I'm finding the same is true for me.

It's making me think about the whole controversy with Deva Curl products, and how people who have used them for a long time are having some negative experiences with their hair. She specifies that she wasn't using Deva Curl products, but she does mention how she thinks the long term use of the curly girl method gave the facade of healthy hair but didn't really benefit her as she grew her hair to greater lengths. And maybe that's the thing, maybe they work great for shorter lengths but don't give enough benefit over many years of use as the hair gets longer and older. Who knows, but it made me wonder.

i have curly hair too and i am so happy that someone talked about the CGM not working for everyone. while my hair was still growing following cgm, it actually reached my butt. i still noticed so much breakage and had clumps of hair fall every time i showered.

[Amiraaa]

I agree about the generalisations.

One thing I did take away from the video was the idea of washing in plaits/braids. I’d never thought of doing that on my own hair because my hair is only a bit wavy and not very thick, so I’ve never felt the need to section it during a wash. However I have been wondering recently why my hair tangles so much when I wash I it - I’m careful to only manipulate the scalp, I don’t pile my hair up when I wash it, but it can still get very tangled during the wash.

On a whim, I decided to plait my hair before I washed it today, and it worked really well. I didn’t tie off the plait, and it mostly undid itself during the wash. My hair is MBL-ish. But, it hardly tangled at all so the washing process was much quicker than usual, with far less manipulation.

My hair is at the lower end of ii so I just did one loose plait. I had pre-oiled with babassu oil and the plait was still in place when I added conditioner. The plait had pretty much undone itself by the time I rinsed the conditioner out and applied leave in.

I’m quite enamoured with this method of washing (plaited) however I did worry part way through if I was going to create one huge plaited tangle. The opposite happened though, and the reduced manipulation has got to be good for my hair.

For anyone who hasn’t watched the video, the idea for plaiting came from LHC in the first place :)

i agree with this a 100%, the part concerning the finger detangling and washing hair in 4 plaits is the best. I plaited my slightly oiled hair before showering and then undid the braids after shampooing, applied some hair mask and rinsed. I didn't use any leave in or combed my hair after shower, my hair had zero tangles. i will continue doing this from now on. the washing process took around 10 minutes total and much less water was used.

[Amiraaa]

I watched this video the other week, I was fascinated by it. Bought some of that clay, ACV and jojoba oil to try it.

The clay wash was actually really good. Can't say my hair enjoyed the jojoba oil and I have no idea what the ACV did if anything.

My hair became static as anything, couldn't brush through with my wooden comb without static. Missed my conditioner. Went back to it.

All in all I liked the clay wash but I'd only use it with leave in conditioner afterwards personally.

i'm glad the clay wash worked for you! :)
she did mention using conditioner from the brand Calia

[Amiraaa]

i'm so interested in medieval hair routines right now so thank you so much for your information and i would like to know more.

also, hair washing methods specifically differ from one culture to another. in my culture, people washed their hair with sidr powder mixed with water and a little bit of oil. I don't see many people talking about this method of washing but i use at times when i don't feel like using shampoo and it works well for me

[Arcticfoxes]

It whizzes past really quickly in the video but she does mention that she uses a conditioner as part of the wash, but I suspect that it isn’t shown because it doesn’t fit with the idea of historical hair care.


I rewatched the vid not long ago and did notice that.

She uploaded a follow up vid where she clarified that the routine is "historically inspired" and that it is specifically what worked for her hair (though I got that from the first video anyway, I think she did say it then too, but she reiterates it a lot in the new vid as I guess she's had a lot of feedback on that).

[shelomit]

Good to have you back, Amiraaa!



The thing I like about this video going viral is that the aesthetics of her hair are different from a lot of mainstream hair aesthetics -- and what I mean by that is her hair is pretty oily. I like that people are celebrating kind of oily healthy hair. That shot that she shows of the back of her hair over and over again -- it looks kind of webby because it's so covered in sebum, and her curls are beautiful but not light and bouncy. I'm finding that my hair looks like that these days and seems very happy. So it was affirming to watch! Her hair definitely looks happier and thicker than when she was doing curly girl method, and I'm finding the same is true for me.

I didn't have time to watch the full video, but I also like that look on other people's hair and the feel on my own.


Slightly off topic to the original question but I just can't figure out how she does her silk wrap. I've slowed this down and rewatched it a bunch and tried to do the same movements and I cannot for the life of me get it to look the same. Anyone who knows that style of wrapping care to point me to a tutorial?

She's taken a square scarf and folded it in half into a rectangle, put the folded edge at the nape of her neck and the loose edges towards her hairline, tied the ends together in a single overhand knot at the top center of the head, then pulled the ends back together at the nape of the neck and tied them in a second overhand knot. I know from headscarves ; D

[Happymaman]

She's taken a square scarf and folded it in half into a rectangle, put the folded edge at the nape of her neck and the loose edges towards her hairline, tied the ends together in a single overhand knot at the top center of the head, then pulled the ends back together at the nape of the neck and tied them in a second overhand knot. I know from headscarves ; D

Thank you so much!! I will try this right away even though my only square scarf is a little weird.

[Fethenwen]

I am actually really intrigued by this, especially since I found this video!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7fGbyTOCTI&t=401s

I actually went so far that I bought a wooden fine tooth comb for trying out this method. I have been trying various no-poo methods before, and really liked the way my hair feels until there starts to develop some waxy build-up overtime. This method of combing and brushing could take care of that problem. I love love love the idea of using my own natural sebum to coat the hair. I already own a BB brush, so that I could use as well.


I watched this video the other week, I was fascinated by it. Bought some of that clay, ACV and jojoba oil to try it.

The clay wash was actually really good. Can't say my hair enjoyed the jojoba oil and I have no idea what the ACV did if anything.

My hair became static as anything, couldn't brush through with my wooden comb without static. Missed my conditioner. Went back to it.

All in all I liked the clay wash but I'd only use it with leave in conditioner afterwards personally.
Yeah, washing my hair with clay also makes my hair full of static. Have tried it a couple of times, but it happens every time.

Rye flour washes is more moisturizing, that has worked pretty good so far.

Keeping my thumbs up that this works! I also like the idea of extending my washes to once a week instead of twice a week.

I will try to remember to keep you posted on how this goes :)

[Hairy-Fairy]

I am actually really intrigued by this, especially since I found this video!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7fGbyTOCTI&t=401s

I actually went so far that I bought a wooden fine tooth comb for trying out this method. I have been trying various no-poo methods before, and really liked the way my hair feels until there starts to develop some waxy build-up overtime. This method of combing and brushing could take care of that problem. I love love love the idea of using my own natural sebum to coat the hair. I already own a BB brush, so that I could use as well.


Yeah, washing my hair with clay also makes my hair full of static. Have tried it a couple of times, but it happens every time.

Rye flour washes is more moisturizing, that has worked pretty good so far.

Keeping my thumbs up that this works! I also like the idea of extending my washes to once a week instead of twice a week.

I will try to remember to keep you posted on how this goes :)

That's so funny how different things work for different people. I love that waxy build up on my hair. It clumps my hair to prevent tangles, it protects my hair from drying out, and it adds slip when I detangle under the water (along with my homemade conditioner). I can't use shampoo because it mats my hair together and tangles it horribly but I used clay washes for awhile. People always seemed to recommend only using them for a month before clarifying but since shampoo wreaks havoc on my hair I decided to see what happened if I didn't do that.

I'm fascinated by historical haircare but specifically afro-textured hair. I have found very little helpful information on the subject though.

[Fethenwen]

That's so funny how different things work for different people. I love that waxy build up on my hair. It clumps my hair to prevent tangles, it protects my hair from drying out, and it adds slip when I detangle under the water (along with my homemade conditioner). I can't use shampoo because it mats my hair together and tangles it horribly but I used clay washes for awhile. People always seemed to recommend only using them for a month before clarifying but since shampoo wreaks havoc on my hair I decided to see what happened if I didn't do that.

I'm fascinated by historical haircare but specifically afro-textured hair. I have found very little helpful information on the subject though.
Yes, that's right :)
I can imagine how waxy build up on afro-textured hair would work great to soften and bring out those lovely locks.

Hoping my own sebum will work better if I comb out the excess and smooth it out with combing and brushing.
I have also almost given up on shampoo, my scalp hates it and I loose more hair when I use shampoo, even mild sulfate free shampoos.

[Sarahlabyrinth]

Another Victorian way of washing hair was to use eggs (but rinse with cool water, not hot); Good for children as they don't sting the eyes.

[LittleQuill]

Another Victorian way of washing hair was to use eggs (but rinse with cool water, not hot); Good for children as they don't sting the eyes.

I actually tried it a couple of times (for the lolz), and not on super dirty hair, and my hair loved it. It was the shiniest it'd been in a long while, was swishy, and incredibly silky. The downside was that, despite using damn near freezing water, I was still picking chunks of egg whites out of my length for days afterward. The second time I tried it, those egg whites made me look like I had dandruff (to the point that my husband mentioned it), and I was like. "Well, if you're noticing it, it must be pretty bad." Haven't done it again since. I don't really get why it happened, either. I used completely cold water and rinsed for a good ten minutes, too. I might give it another go at some point if we ever have any unused eggs. There must be a trick to it. I mean, if the ladies with their amazingly long hair (which was NOT necessarily the norm) did it in nothing but a jug and a bowl without the mention of egg chunks, I'm sure I, a modern woman with access to an endless supply of running water, can, too.

[Braided Lady]

I almost wonder if super cold water would solidify if the egg too, less than hot water, but a little bit nonetheless. I also wonder if there is something to mix into the egg to help against that. Did you use the yolk with the egg white?
Another thought: maybe they just added something to their hair afterwards, like a powder, to cover up the leftover egg

[LittleQuill]

I almost wonder if super cold water would solidify if the egg too, less than hot water, but a little bit nonetheless. I also wonder if there is something to mix into the egg to help against that. Did you use the yolk with the egg white?
Another thought: maybe they just added something to their hair afterwards, like a powder, to cover up the leftover egg

I'm not sure. I was perusing an old beauty manual that I found on either the Internet Archive (https://archive.org/) or Open Library (https://openlibrary.org/). There are a few books like these on there which offer up household tips, or will give you recipes for skin and haircare products. It's been a while since I looked through it, but I think it was called Beauty Culture by William Woodbury. (It was. The shampoo recipe was at the bottom of the left page. Found it here: https://archive.org/details/b28054520/page/132/mode/2up) The only ingredient that eluded me was the 'spirit of rosemary'. After further digging, it seems like it may have been an alcoholic solution mixed with rosemary essental oil. For my recipe though, I used plain old rosemary water/tea. I'm not putting a strong alcohol solution on my head, thanks. :tmi: So, in guessing that, maybe the alcohol use in the mixture prevented the egg whites from sticking to the hair? Also, I used the whole egg because the recipe didn't say to separate the whites.

[Fethenwen]

I actually tried it a couple of times (for the lolz), and not on super dirty hair, and my hair loved it. It was the shiniest it'd been in a long while, was swishy, and incredibly silky. The downside was that, despite using damn near freezing water, I was still picking chunks of egg whites out of my length for days afterward. The second time I tried it, those egg whites made me look like I had dandruff (to the point that my husband mentioned it), and I was like. "Well, if you're noticing it, it must be pretty bad." Haven't done it again since. I don't really get why it happened, either. I used completely cold water and rinsed for a good ten minutes, too. I might give it another go at some point if we ever have any unused eggs. There must be a trick to it. I mean, if the ladies with their amazingly long hair (which was NOT necessarily the norm) did it in nothing but a jug and a bowl without the mention of egg chunks, I'm sure I, a modern woman with access to an endless supply of running water, can, too.

I actually think that the best way to do it is to use only the yolk and not include the egg white, according to some sources. That way it is easier to rinse out. Personally I avoid egg washes because my hair doesn't really do well with protein.

Edit: actually now when I think about it, it was YEARS ago since I tried the egg wash. I am intrigued to try again to see how my hair reacts. It would be really cool if it worked, because we are getting our own hens this summer, so there would be no lack of eggs.

[TatsuOni]

I don't know if it's already been shared in this thread, but Sew Historically has some great texts about victorian and edwardian hair care. https://www.sewhistorically.com/victorian-and-edwardian-hair-care-night-time-hair-routine/

Mimi Matthews also share some interesting things. https://www.mimimatthews.com/category/beauty/

I've tried a lot of different things during the years, but always come back to CO-washing. But I do make my own hair mask, inspired by different cultures, Swedish herbs and historical hair care. It contains stuff like birch leaves (from nordic historical hair care), tea (victorian hair care), fermented rice water (chinese yao culture).

I wash my hair monthly and use hair combs and a BBB to keep my hair and scalp clean in between. I used to brush more with my BBB, but am using my fine toothet comb more regularly now as I find it to be quicker (after detangling with a wide toothed and medium toothed comb). The fine toothed comb I got from Etsy to try, after watching Snappy Dragons video.

I also wear hair scarves during the day and have several, so that I can change between them, to keep my hair clean longer and protected. And I sleep with a sleeping cap. I have two, so that I can also wash them when needed.

[LittleQuill]

[QUOTE=TatsuOni;4015045]I don't know if it's already been shared in this thread, but Sew Historically has some great texts about victorian and edwardian hair care. https://www.sewhistorically.com/victorian-and-edwardian-hair-care-night-time-hair-routine/

The wording of this website reminded me of this video by The Longhaired Flapper. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJo1qxM3Sss&list=LL&index=218&t=153s

[Fethenwen]

I don't know if it's already been shared in this thread, but Sew Historically has some great texts about victorian and edwardian hair care. https://www.sewhistorically.com/victorian-and-edwardian-hair-care-night-time-hair-routine/

Mimi Matthews also share some interesting things. https://www.mimimatthews.com/category/beauty/

I've tried a lot of different things during the years, but always come back to CO-washing. But I do make my own hair mask, inspired by different cultures, Swedish herbs and historical hair care. It contains stuff like birch leaves (from nordic historical hair care), tea (victorian hair care), fermented rice water (chinese yao culture).

I wash my hair monthly and use hair combs and a BBB to keep my hair and scalp clean in between. I used to brush more with my BBB, but am using my fine toothet comb more regularly now as I find it to be quicker (after detangling with a wide toothed and medium toothed comb). The fine toothed comb I got from Etsy to try, after watching Snappy Dragons video.

I also wear hair scarves during the day and have several, so that I can change between them, to keep my hair clean longer and protected. And I sleep with a sleeping cap. I have two, so that I can also wash them when needed.
Thanks!

There is actually some really little coins good advice here. This caught my eye:

"Part your hair down the middle, ‘from forehead to the nape of the neck, and each half then brought over the ear, in order to leave the middle of the head free. The braids should be loose.’ (Health And Beauty Hints, 1910, p. 43 (https://archive.org/stream/healthbeautyhint00mixt#page/42/mode/2up)) Secure the braids with silk ribbons. ‘I never use either elastic or thread to fasten the ends of the hair, for I think it breaks the hairs, making the ends uneven.’"

Now, I actually always sleep with my hair up in a bun. It might actually cause a little bit of hair loss or thinning on my forehead because of the tightness of the bun, but I hate having my hair close to my face when I sleep.
I am willing to try out braids, but I have found that using elastics every night is not a good idea either. But silk ribbons! Sounds lovely :sleep:That could work.

Edit: I just started googling for silk ribbon :p I found there are also scrunchies made out of silk, I wonder if those would work just as well? At least those would be easier to use.

[SandyBottom]

I haven't been doing the historical hair care, but was reading through a few of the recent posts here. I used to do egg washes occasionally in the past and one thing I remember reading was that if you have oily hair, just use the white. Dry hair, just the yolk and normal hair, the whole egg. And also rinsing thoroughly with cool water prior to putting the egg in, not just when rinsing it out. I don't know if that's helpful at all or maybe it's already been mentioned in one of the links. Anyway, good luck!:)

[Hairy-Fairy]

This is a video I found on YouTube about 1800s African-American haircare:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CHt3osiFy5o

It's pretty much the only source I've stumbled across that was very informative. If anyone has come across any other videos, articles, or blogs that mentions this subject I would love to see them. Or if anyone has any resources to suggest where I might keep looking.

[LittleQuill]

Edit: I just started googling for silk ribbon :p I found there are also scrunchies made out of silk, I wonder if those would work just as well? At least those would be easier to use.

Silk scrunchies are amazing. They're the perfect substitute for ribbons. Because they're slippery, they won't cause friction (which means no breakage where you decide to place them), and you can literally slide them right off when you're done wearing them, no pulling on strands (I hate that), or getting caught (I hate that, too).

[TatsuOni]

Thanks!

There is actually some really little coins good advice here. This caught my eye:

"Part your hair down the middle, ‘from forehead to the nape of the neck, and each half then brought over the ear, in order to leave the middle of the head free. The braids should be loose.’ (Health And Beauty Hints, 1910, p. 43 (https://archive.org/stream/healthbeautyhint00mixt#page/42/mode/2up)) Secure the braids with silk ribbons. ‘I never use either elastic or thread to fasten the ends of the hair, for I think it breaks the hairs, making the ends uneven.’"

Now, I actually always sleep with my hair up in a bun. It might actually cause a little bit of hair loss or thinning on my forehead because of the tightness of the bun, but I hate having my hair close to my face when I sleep.
I am willing to try out braids, but I have found that using elastics every night is not a good idea either. But silk ribbons! Sounds lovely :sleep:That could work.

Edit: I just started googling for silk ribbon :p I found there are also scrunchies made out of silk, I wonder if those would work just as well? At least those would be easier to use.

Silk scrunchies are usually recommended as a hair friendly alternative to elastics.

[Fethenwen]

I haven't been doing the historical hair care, but was reading through a few of the recent posts here. I used to do egg washes occasionally in the past and one thing I remember reading was that if you have oily hair, just use the white. Dry hair, just the yolk and normal hair, the whole egg. And also rinsing thoroughly with cool water prior to putting the egg in, not just when rinsing it out. I don't know if that's helpful at all or maybe it's already been mentioned in one of the links. Anyway, good luck!:)

Thanks for sharing!


This is a video I found on YouTube about 1800s African-American haircare:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CHt3osiFy5o

It's pretty much the only source I've stumbled across that was very informative. If anyone has come across any other videos, articles, or blogs that mentions this subject I would love to see them. Or if anyone has any resources to suggest where I might keep looking.
Really interesting, now I am hooked on her videos, such a wonderful presence on youtube.


Ok, so I went ahead and ordered some silk ribbons, way cheaper than the scrunchies. Looking forward to try them out soon!

[Hairy-Fairy]

Thanks for sharing!


Really interesting, now I am hooked on her videos, such a wonderful presence on youtube.


Ok, so I went ahead and ordered some silk ribbons, way cheaper than the scrunchies. Looking forward to try them out soon!

So glad you liked it. :o

[TatsuOni]

Thanks for sharing!


Really interesting, now I am hooked on her videos, such a wonderful presence on youtube.


Ok, so I went ahead and ordered some silk ribbons, way cheaper than the scrunchies. Looking forward to try them out soon!

If you havent used ribbons before, my tip is to braid them into the ends, before tying them. That way they won't slide off.

[Fethenwen]

^ I see how that would work. Thanks for the tip!

[Fethenwen]

OMG you guys!

I just got my new BBB and a comb I will use for scritching and cleaning. I tried it out today, I was amazed how well they work and how nicely the BBB glides through my hair.
I ended up grooming my hair for a half an hour Yes, I had other things to do but it was just such a pleasure to work with these tools for the first time. The shine is unbelievable! :cloud9:

So this is my fifth day since I washed my hair, and usually by now I really have to wash it, especially if I washed it with shampoo. Last time I washed it with rye flour and yesterday I put a little bit of cornstarch in it.

Now there is hardly any reason to wash it, I am so pleased. Perhaps my bangs, but otherwise it feels really clean.
My goal to stretch my washes seems very realistic at this point :toast:

Here are some pics to show the shine I got, it is especially nice since it's my own hair! No product, conditioner nor oils added.

https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=49777&d=1709196567


https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=49776&d=1709196561

[LittleQuill]

OMG you guys!

I just got my new BBB and a comb I will use for scritching and cleaning. I tried it out today, I was amazed how well they work and how nicely the BBB glides through my hair.
I ended up grooming my hair for a half an hour Yes, I had other things to do but it was just such a pleasure to work with these tools for the first time. The shine is unbelievable! :cloud9:

So this is my fifth day since I washed my hair, and usually by now I really have to wash it, especially if I washed it with shampoo. Last time I washed it with rye flour and yesterday I put a little bit of cornstarch in it.

Now there is hardly any reason to wash it, I am so pleased. Perhaps my bangs, but otherwise it feels really clean.
My goal to stretch my washes seems very realistic at this point :toast:

Here are some pics to show the shine I got, it is especially nice since it's my own hair! No product, conditioner nor oils added.

https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=49777&d=1709196567


https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=49776&d=1709196561

There's a reason they're still around and pretty popular. I, myself, have like, three of them around. :lol: I don't use mine very often though, because I have a brush that works better for me. I'm glad you're enjoying them. Are they pure boar bristle, or the vegan type? Just curious. Also, I adore your hair colour. :heartbeat

[Fethenwen]

There's a reason they're still around and pretty popular. I, myself, have like, three of them around. :lol: I don't use mine very often though, because I have a brush that works better for me. I'm glad you're enjoying them. Are they pure boar bristle, or the vegan type? Just curious. Also, I adore your hair colour. :heartbeat

Thanks! Yes, pure boar bristle. I bought one with a wood handle, wanted purely natural to have one that is as anti-static as possible.

Brushing my hair hair instead of washing it has proven to be a but cumbersome, or lets say that I am really taking my time! 20 min today.

My aim is to not put any more time doing the brushing than max 10 min per day. Otherwise there is no point to it, as washing it more often would time-wise be less effort. I am still really enjoying the softness of my hair :cloud9: Just need to up my technique a bit and just go through my hair a bit faster.

Edit: oh here is a link to a thread with pics of the tools I am using:
https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=156596

I do also use a wide toothed detangler comb at first, it's just some cheap one out of plastic. I am planning to get one made out of horn or wood in the future.

[Sarahlabyrinth]

OMG you guys!

I just got my new BBB and a comb I will use for scritching and cleaning. I tried it out today, I was amazed how well they work and how nicely the BBB glides through my hair.
I ended up grooming my hair for a half an hour Yes, I had other things to do but it was just such a pleasure to work with these tools for the first time. The shine is unbelievable! :cloud9:

So this is my fifth day since I washed my hair, and usually by now I really have to wash it, especially if I washed it with shampoo. Last time I washed it with rye flour and yesterday I put a little bit of cornstarch in it.

Now there is hardly any reason to wash it, I am so pleased. Perhaps my bangs, but otherwise it feels really clean.
My goal to stretch my washes seems very realistic at this point :toast:

Here are some pics to show the shine I got, it is especially nice since it's my own hair! No product, conditioner nor oils added.

https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=49777&d=1709196567


https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=49776&d=1709196561

Stunning! So how exactly do you use the comb for scritching and cleaning? How long do you spend doing that?

[Fethenwen]

Stunning! So how exactly do you use the comb for scritching and cleaning? How long do you spend doing that?

I use the technique shown in this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7fGbyTOCTI&t=401s

At first I spent 30 min doing all that, today it took 20 min. My plan is to not do it every day, and to spend less time doing it, but at the very least I am brushing through with my BBB everyday before bed. I am trying to extend my washes to once a week.

[LittleQuill]

Thanks! Yes, pure boar bristle. I bought one with a wood handle, wanted purely natural to have one that is as anti-static as possible.

Brushing my hair hair instead of washing it has proven to be a but cumbersome, or lets say that I am really taking my time! 20 min today.

My aim is to not put any more time doing the brushing than max 10 min per day. Otherwise there is no point to it, as washing it more often would time-wise be less effort. I am still really enjoying the softness of my hair :cloud9: Just need to up my technique a bit and just go through my hair a bit faster.

Edit: oh here is a link to a thread with pics of the tools I am using:
https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=156596

I do also use a wide toothed detangler comb at first, it's just some cheap one out of plastic. I am planning to get one made out of horn or wood in the future.

Wow, what a beautiful looking brush! From the pics, it looks like a really well-made one, too. I hope it lasts you a long time and will continue to serve you well! As for the comb, a tip, if you don't already know: make sure it has a lacquer or oil coating on it, so that it can glide through your hair. I bought a wooden comb a year or so back that was just straight wood, and my word, is it awful to use. It's so rough, and it tugs on my individual hair like you wouldn't believe. So uncomfortable! :( I've been eying off the combs on Etsy made by a store owner in Lithuania. They look fantastic and they have great reviews, but they're kind of expensive, so I'm waiting until a gift-giving day when I can buy one and not feel stupidly guilty. Lol.

[Fethenwen]

^ Thanks! Yeah, I guess there is no use using a cheap wooden comb as there is a risk of them being too rough. Hope you will get your hands on a better one :)
The quality of the wood also matters, the one I have is made from really fine fruit tree wood if I remember correctly. I now also waxed it lightly, thanks for the tip!

[evernia]

hello, i'm not sure whether this is a good thread for it (thought it would be better than the random question one), but do some of you know why are most historical combs in museums, all the way from ancient times to the 1900s, very fine and shallow like nit combs? https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e9/Liturgical_comb_VandA_A.27-1977.jpg/1280px-Liturgical_comb_VandA_A.27-1977.jpg

do you think it's for this natural oils distribution that was mentioned earlier in this thread, so they wouldn't need to wash their hair so often? i read a few articles on them and some mention that it was really for lice, but it seems pretty unlikely that an early 20th century upper class lady would need a fancy ivory lice comb in her purse at all times (and there also wasn't any source for that)... it would be pretty hard to detangle with it, wouldn't it? also maybe for flyaways? what do you think?

[LittleQuill]

hello, i'm not sure whether this is a good thread for it (thought it would be better than the random question one), but do some of you know why are most historical combs in museums, all the way from ancient times to the 1900s, very fine and shallow like nit combs? https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e9/Liturgical_comb_VandA_A.27-1977.jpg/1280px-Liturgical_comb_VandA_A.27-1977.jpg

do you think it's for this natural oils distribution that was mentioned earlier in this thread, so they wouldn't need to wash their hair so often? i read a few articles on them and some mention that it was really for lice, but it seems pretty unlikely that an early 20th century upper class lady would need a fancy ivory lice comb in her purse at all times (and there also wasn't any source for that)... it would be pretty hard to detangle with it, wouldn't it? also maybe for flyaways? what do you think?

SnappyDragon has a Youtube video out using a comb like the one in the picture. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JZ33WuzPHI. If you haven't seen it, she explains how historical ladies used those combs. I suspect they had quite a few uses, the removal of lice being one of them.

[evernia]

SnappyDragon has a Youtube video out using a comb like the one in the picture.

omg thank you a lot, that's exactly it! most of the youtube vids about this used only wide teeth combs/BBBs and had straighter hair, so i kinda gave up on trying to find something there. the part where her hair gets so frizzy from combing it is super relatable. though i wonder how this would go on low porosity/fine hair

[LittleQuill]

omg thank you a lot, that's exactly it! most of the youtube vids about this used only wide teeth combs/BBBs and had straighter hair, so i kinda gave up on trying to find something there. the part where her hair gets so frizzy from combing it is super relatable. though i wonder how this would go on low porosity/fine hair

You're very welcome. I'm glad I could help. :o I'm not entirely certain but given that it's a millennia old type of comb, I can't see it being too awful, as I'm sure there were fineys with low porosity hair about back then, too. Wouldn't advise using it on wet hair, though. You can still buy combs like that, but now they're labelled as beard combs. If you were curious, you could always do an experiment of your own. Maybe you could buy one and give it a try (If you see breakage, or it's painful to use, discontinue.) :hollie:

[Fethenwen]

omg thank you a lot, that's exactly it! most of the youtube vids about this used only wide teeth combs/BBBs and had straighter hair, so i kinda gave up on trying to find something there. the part where her hair gets so frizzy from combing it is super relatable. though i wonder how this would go on low porosity/fine hair

I actually happen to have low porosity fine hair :waving: This combing method seem to work really well for me. I do start the combing with a wide tooth comb, then comb through the parts that I will use the really fine toothed comb with first with a regular comb to make sure there is absolutely no tangles left before I start.

---
A small update on how things are going. I suddenly got pretty bad dandruff today, for some reason that happens sometimes when I hit my period. So being a bit stubborn right now, I did not reach for shampoo, but I did a strong green tea spearmint rinse. Hoping that did the trick.

[LittleQuill]

I actually happen to have low porosity fine hair :waving: This combing method seem to work really well for me. I do start the combing with a wide tooth comb, then comb through the parts that I will use the really fine toothed comb with first with a regular comb to make sure there is absolutely no tangles left before I start.

---
A small update on how things are going. I suddenly got pretty bad dandruff today, for some reason that happens sometimes when I hit my period. So being a bit stubborn right now, I did not reach for shampoo, but I did a strong green tea spearmint rinse. Hoping that did the trick.

I don't get dandruff, nor have I used a comb of this type before, but seeing as you have and do, do you find it effective for removing flakes? My husband has dandruff and his shampoo (Head and Shoulders 2in1 has stopped being as effective. It should be noted that he's a mechanic, so he's often covered in engine grease, oils, dirt and dead grass, and his hair is often oily, so he washes it basically every day. Keeping his clothes clean enough to be presentable is a joy :rolleyes:) So I've often wondered what I can do to help. He doesn't have the patience or tolerance for a different hair routine (one of those use shampoo and go type of guys), and he's super sceptical of anything new (He has Asperger's). He does, however like his hair being brushed (but he's a bit sensitive to knots). I've often wondered if maybe a comb like that might help. Maybe I can get him to sit down at the end of the day to comb out his hair to remove the flakes.

[Fethenwen]

I don't get dandruff, nor have I used a comb of this type before, but seeing as you have and do, do you find it effective for removing flakes? My husband has dandruff and his shampoo (Head and Shoulders 2in1 has stopped being as effective. It should be noted that he's a mechanic, so he's often covered in engine grease, oils, dirt and dead grass, and his hair is often oily, so he washes it basically every day. Keeping his clothes clean enough to be presentable is a joy :rolleyes:) So I've often wondered what I can do to help. He doesn't have the patience or tolerance for a different hair routine (one of those use shampoo and go type of guys), and he's super sceptical of anything new (He has Asperger's). He does, however like his hair being brushed (but he's a bit sensitive to knots). I've often wondered if maybe a comb like that might help. Maybe I can get him to sit down at the end of the day to comb out his hair to remove the flakes.
Hmm, sorry to say it did not help in my case. I had to do some kind of herbal rinse to sort it out, thankfully that worked really well.

My husband gets dandruff from time to time too. He has noticed that using rye flour as shampoo works great to keep the dandruff at bay, I make some for him to use at the same time when I mix mine.
But I have actually wondered if clay would be a even better alternative for him to use and easier. He could just mix some in the palm of his hand with a little bit of water. Perhaps your husband could be willing to try clay if made easy, have a jar near the shower.

[LittleQuill]

Hmm, sorry to say it did not help in my case. I had to do some kind of herbal rinse to sort it out, thankfully that worked really well.

My husband gets dandruff from time to time too. He has noticed that using rye flour as shampoo works great to keep the dandruff at bay, I make some for him to use at the same time when I mix mine.
But I have actually wondered if clay would be a even better alternative for him to use and easier. He could just mix some in the palm of his hand with a little bit of water. Perhaps your husband could be willing to try clay if made easy, have a jar near the shower.

Rye flour shampoo? Never heard of that before. Might have to Google that one. Well, now that you've said clay, my mind went to my brand of shampoo bar. Though it's labeled for frizzy hair, it's made with rhassoul clay. Going back to look at it, it does say that it helps with dandruff, so maybe I'll ask him if he's willing to at least give it a try. I've thought about seeing if he's willing to switch before, but he's pretty resistant to change, so I've never asked. Maybe he could give it a go for a month, and if there's no change, or he doesn't like it, he can always switch back. I'll ask him about it when he's low on his current shampoo.

[Liria]

The other thing that people here talk about for dandruff (of course, I don't remember where) is leaving the shampoo on the scalp for a minute or two. That might be an easier change, assuming he's not already doing it.

[LittleQuill]

The other thing that people here talk about for dandruff (of course, I don't remember where) is leaving the shampoo on the scalp for a minute or two. That might be an easier change, assuming he's not already doing it.

Not sure. He's a mechanic and gets all sorts of things in his hair, so I assume he might. He also uses his nails to rub in the shampoo. shudder: I wonder if that's a factor. Every time I see him doing it, I'm like "DON'T USE YOUR NAILS!" And he always responds with *insert childish noise here.* Despite the uncomfortable treatment of it, he somehow manages to have very pretty, full hair, and it's got a lovely light curl to it. I've been trying to get him to grow it out for years, but he's always, "I want to, but I'm a mechanic. Having long hair's a hazard, and if I did, I'd have to wear a hair net, and I refuse to wear one of those." Oh, well. One can hope. Maybe when he retires. :shrug:

[TatsuOni]

I saw someone mention old combs being fine toothed. I went to a museum in Sweden last year and took pictures of every comb :lol: But I realize that I never shared the pictures on LHC. I'll tell the time period on the ones I still remember.

https://cdn1.cdnme.se/1263465/9-3/pxl_20220826_090422195_662bc44bddf2b377a92d0038.jp g
Viking age.

https://cdn1.cdnme.se/1263465/9-3/pxl_20220826_090814998_662bc4ffddf2b377bc05414a.jp g
Viking age.

https://storage.googleapis.com/gcp-bloggse-storage/1263/1263465/pxl_20220826_090803299_662bc502ddf2b305014db201.jp g
Viking age.

https://storage.googleapis.com/gcp-bloggse-storage/1263/1263465/pxl_20220826_090950829_662bc552ddf2b34186cecf83.jp g
Viking age.

https://storage.googleapis.com/gcp-bloggse-storage/1263/1263465/pxl_20220826_093047602_662bc632e087c37e6a5eaa05.jp g
Down in the right corner is a comb. Bronze age I think.

https://cdn3.cdnme.se/1263465/9-3/pxl_20220826_093415620_662bc6a1ddf2b377b283a52a.jp g
Stone age bone comb. The oldest comb found in Sweden around 3000 years BC.

https://storage.googleapis.com/gcp-bloggse-storage/1263/1263465/pxl_20220826_093558648_662bc6c99606ee286a1d08d6.jp g
Not sure from when these are.

https://cdn2.cdnme.se/1263465/9-3/pxl_20220826_094411667_662bc6e5e087c376d8187a25.jp g
Not sure about this one either.

https://storage.googleapis.com/gcp-bloggse-storage/1263/1263465/pxl_20220826_100458684_662bc790ddf2b377b283a537.jp g
Medieval.

[TatsuOni]

I saw someone mention old combs being fine toothed. I went to a museum in Sweden last year and took pictures of every comb :lol: But I realize that I never shared the pictures on LHC. I'll tell the time period on the ones I still remember.

https://cdn1.cdnme.se/1263465/9-3/pxl_20220826_090422195_662bc44bddf2b377a92d0038.jp g
Viking age.

https://cdn1.cdnme.se/1263465/9-3/pxl_20220826_090814998_662bc4ffddf2b377bc05414a.jp g
Viking age.

https://storage.googleapis.com/gcp-bloggse-storage/1263/1263465/pxl_20220826_090803299_662bc502ddf2b305014db201.jp g
Viking age.

https://storage.googleapis.com/gcp-bloggse-storage/1263/1263465/pxl_20220826_090950829_662bc552ddf2b34186cecf83.jp g
Viking age.

https://storage.googleapis.com/gcp-bloggse-storage/1263/1263465/pxl_20220826_093047602_662bc632e087c37e6a5eaa05.jp g
Down in the right corner is a comb. Bronze age I think.

https://cdn3.cdnme.se/1263465/9-3/pxl_20220826_093415620_662bc6a1ddf2b377b283a52a.jp g
Stone age bone comb. The oldest comb found in Sweden around 3000 years BC.

https://storage.googleapis.com/gcp-bloggse-storage/1263/1263465/pxl_20220826_093558648_662bc6c99606ee286a1d08d6.jp g
Not sure from when these are.

https://cdn2.cdnme.se/1263465/9-3/pxl_20220826_094411667_662bc6e5e087c376d8187a25.jp g
Not sure about this one either.

https://storage.googleapis.com/gcp-bloggse-storage/1263/1263465/pxl_20220826_100458684_662bc790ddf2b377b283a537.jp g
Medieval.

Many of them were quite fine toothed but of various degrees. A lot of the older ones are made from bone. I figure it was easier to just "saw" into them in lines with a stone, saw, knife or what they used during that time. There may have been combs made from wood too, but as they won't have survived, we'll never know what kind of teeth they had.

[Shorty89]

Oooh, those are super cool!

[Sarahlabyrinth]

You can buy replica bone Viking combs online if anyone wants one, too.

[TatsuOni]

You can buy replica bone Viking combs online if anyone wants one, too.

Yes, but be wary of the quality. Not all of them are hair friendly.

[LittleQuill]

Thanks so much, Tatsu for sharing the photos. What a fascinating look! I've only ever seen photos of these types of things on news posts about newly unearthed things from digs and such. To know they're sitting in an actual museum for regular people to plant their eyes on is pretty boggling to me. A lot of them are so intricately made, too. This is probably one of the coolest posts I've ever seen. Wow. Is there more? :inlove:

[TatsuOni]

Thanks so much, Tatsu for sharing the photos. What a fascinating look! I've only ever seen photos of these types of things on news posts about newly unearthed things from digs and such. To know they're sitting in an actual museum for regular people to plant their eyes on is pretty boggling to me. A lot of them are so intricately made, too. This is probably one of the coolest posts I've ever seen. Wow. Is there more? :inlove:

More combs? Unfortunately not. Those were all of the combs from the museum. But I have photos of other objects from there. One of hair, that seemed to be part of some type or burial ritual.

[Fethenwen]

Wow, that is so cool TatsuOni! Thanks for sharing, I really need to visit that museum some day :) (not just because of the combs, lol)

-------------

Small update, my hair keeps looking so much nicer because of all the combing and brushing that I have been doing. But it is time consuming! Like omg, washing combs and brushes and combing every day is just too much. Not worth it, but I have noticed that I get nice results even if I am more lazy about it. I do a thorough combing every third day.

I did not manage to stretch my washes to 1x/week, but I have managed to stretch my washes from every 3-4 days to every 4-5 days. Especially if my hair looks a little dirty on day 4, if I comb and brush thoroughly my hair looks soft and shiny instead of oily the next day. If I go more days than that I might get trouble with my scalp getting itchy and flaky.

I have noticed that my hair is so much less frizzy than it used too, or more like, there is no frizz! I still wash my hair with rye flour, but not religiously. If I get build-up (from whatever it is) I use a sulfate free shampoo and light conditioner. Perhaps I need to use it every second month or so.

Also I got two new combs! Now all my tools are from natural material and static free. I will post some pics soon.

[TatsuOni]

Wow, that is so cool TatsuOni! Thanks for sharing, I really need to visit that museum some day :) (not just because of the combs, lol)

-------------

Small update, my hair keeps looking so much nicer because of all the combing and brushing that I have been doing. But it is time consuming! Like omg, washing combs and brushes and combing every day is just too much. Not worth it, but I have noticed that I get nice results even if I am more lazy about it. I do a thorough combing every third day.

I did not manage to stretch my washes to 1x/week, but I have managed to stretch my washes from every 3-4 days to every 4-5 days. Especially if my hair looks a little dirty on day 4, if I comb and brush thoroughly my hair looks soft and shiny instead of oily the next day. If I go more days than that I might get trouble with my scalp getting itchy and flaky.

I have noticed that my hair is so much less frizzy than it used too, or more like, there is no frizz! I still wash my hair with rye flour, but not religiously. If I get build-up (from whatever it is) I use a sulfate free shampoo and light conditioner. Perhaps I need to use it every second month or so.

Also I got two new combs! Now all my tools are from natural material and static free. I will post some pics soon.

Tha museum is "Historiska Museet" https://historiska.se/

I don't comb or brush my hair properly every day. I don't even comb or brush it at all some days. I do a proper comb through every few days or so and wash my tools maybe once a week. More often if I've just dyed my hair. That is enough for me. I wash my hair once a month or so.

[Für immer]

You and me have that also in common then, Tatsu.
I don't comb/brush my hair every day either.
Whenever I can't be bothered I just put it up in a bun. :lol:

[TatsuOni]

You and me have that also in common then, Tatsu.
I don't comb/brush my hair every day either.
Whenever I can't be bothered I just put it up in a bun. :lol:

I just put my sleeping braid in a bun, whenever I'm lazy. And thats at least once a week, but probably more often :lol:

[Für immer]

I just put my sleeping braid in a bun, whenever I'm lazy. And thats at least once a week, but probably more often :lol:

Well, the less work/effort it takes, the better. Am I right? ;)

[TatsuOni]

Well, the less work/effort it takes, the better. Am I right? ;)

Definitely! One of the reasons I enjoy long hair, is because I can get away with doing less with it, than shorter hair :lol:

[Für immer]

Definitely! One of the reasons I enjoy long hair, is because I can get away with doing less with it, than shorter hair :lol:

Same here.
Like today when I put my hair up in a nautilus bun and thought, "why should I bother with a hairstick, when my hair is long enough to stay up on its own?", and so the hairstick remained in my pocket unused. :lol:

[embee]

Thank you, TatsuOni for showing those wonderful combs from the museum in Sweden. :)

[TatsuOni]

Same here.
Like today when I put my hair up in a nautilus bun and thought, "why should I bother with a hairstick, when my hair is long enough to stay up on its own?", and so the hairstick remained in my pocket unused. :lol:

No matter how long my Houdini-hair becomes, it will never stay up on its own for long :lol:


Thank you, TatsuOni for showing those wonderful combs from the museum in Sweden. :)

I'm happy you liked it :)

[Für immer]

No matter how long my Houdini-hair becomes, it will never stay up on its own for long :lol:


Don't know if my hair is thicker or courser than yours, but I can do real headbangs and shake my head sideways violently without a problem. :p

[TatsuOni]

Don't know if my hair is thicker or courser than yours, but I can do real headbangs and shake my head sideways violently without a problem. :p

My hair is just too slippery. I'm glad that I can get it to stay up at all :lol:

[Für immer]

My hair is just too slippery. I'm glad that I can get it to stay up at all :lol:

Ah, I see. Mine isn't so there's the answer then. :lol: