African slaves no longer had access to their natural herbs, butters and oils to take care of their hair. They resorted to bacon grease, butter, and kerosene as their moisturizers, conditioners, and shampoo.
Plaits, braids and cornrows were the most convenient hairstyles to keep their hair neat and maintained for a week. Enslaved people who worked indoors were forced to wear their hair in one of those styles or a style similar to that of their slaveowner if they did not cover their hair with a scarf, kerchief or wig.
project STATEMENT. Rice was braided into the hair of African women to serve as sustenance on their way to enslavement. The hairstyle—cornrows—hid rice and even seeds as they traveled with no belongings through the Middle Passage.
When the slave trade started in the 15th century, Africans were captured, were forced to slavery and had their hair shaved. Shaving African hair was seen as a way to humiliate them since they valued their hair tremendously. By shaving their head they were also deprived of their identity.
Lighter-skinned, straighter-haired slaves were favored and selected for more desirable positions in the house, so many slaves would go to dangerous lengths to straighten their hair, using hot butter knives or chemicals that burned their skin.
In fact, African hair actually produces more oils than Caucasian and Asian hair. However, due to the tight curls, the oil doesn't spread evenly along the hair fiber. Without lubrication, the fibers can become dry. This causes the strands to become more brittle, which contributes to the hair's texture.
Hair is a centerpiece of Black culture; it's a symbol of identity, of resistance, creative expression and freedom. It is woven deep into Black culture and therefore rooted in the history of America.
Roman Empire
Many paintings and sculptures of ancient Roman women reveal that even pubic hair was removed. Hair removal was done via flint razors, tweezers, creams and stones.
About 60 percent of women said they did it for hygiene, 46 percent claimed it was just part of their routine, and 32 percent said they felt it made everything look good.
In Rome, upper-class women got rid of their public hair through a mixture of tweezers, pumice stones and depilatories, and copper razors. Additionally, the women of Ancient Greece would remove their bush through plucking out each individual hair or singeing it off with heat.
During American slavery, Africans and their descendants born into slavery wore braids to maintain a neat and tidy look while working and to keep their hair from their faces when outside. Slaves would use household products like butter and cooking grease when braiding, absent of the natural resources in Africa prior.
Sometimes a portion of our family would eat out of the skillet or pot, while someone else would eat from a tin plate held on the knees using nothing but hands…to hold the food.” The usual diet for slaves was cornbread and pork.
The standard rations enslaved people received were cornmeal and salted fish, which they harvested themselves. These monotonous rations provided protein and carbohydrates but lacked essential nutrients and were not always sufficient for the demands of daily work.
Basic garment of female slaves consisted of a one-piece frock or slip of coarse "Negro Cloth." Cotton dresses, sunbonnets, and undergarments were made from handwoven cloth for summer and winter. Annual clothing distributions included brogan shoes, palmetto hats, turbans, and handkerchiefs.
In contrast, the slaves, who were normally made to shave, were then ordered to grow out their stubble. Far be it for slaves to be equally fashionable as their masters. The beard eventually came back into fashion, but a few rulers objected to their presence.
In many parts of Africa, the most significant culture of head shaving is usually attributed to bereavement; where shaving becomes a mourning ritual primarily done by women and their daughters as an act of respect to the dead.
The amount of pubic hair that women generally have is quite variable, and some women are relatively hairless. In many cultures and with different fashions, having minimal pubic and axillary hair is considered 'normal' and hair may be actively removed.
You're Less Likely To Get Rashes
If you don't shave, those things aren't really a possibility anymore, leaving you and your lady parts in peace. Indeed, Dweck listed infected hair follicles (folliculitis), rashes, and irritation (razor burn) as some of the most common issues she sees from patients who shave.
Some teens don't do anything with their pubic hair, leaving it to grow naturally. Some girls remove hair when they'll be wearing a bathing suit, and some remove hair regularly as part of their beauty routine. No health benefits are linked to removing pubic hair, so choose what feels right for you.
Sikhs. The Sikh religion forbids cutting or shaving any bodily hair.
Because in their culture it's a symbol of sexual health and fertility. They even have clinics, where doctors transpland hair from their head to down 'there'. What is the safest way to shave pubic hair?
Pubic hair plays a role in reducing friction during activities such as sexual intercourse. It also plays a role in preventing dirt and pathogens from entering the genitals. A person can safely remove their pubic hair if they wish to, but they do not need to.
It's a myth that Black hair doesn't grow. All human hair grows at about half an inch a month, depending on your health and genetics. Having long hair is really more about how much hair you retain after breakage. Black hair, because it's curly, can be weaker than straighter hair.
Black hair is known to be the most common in the continents of Asia and Africa. Though this characteristic can also be seen throughout Europe as well, it is a bit less common. People of Celtic heritage in Ireland with such traits are sometimes known as the "Black Irish".
3. Note that depending on her hair texture, you may not be able to run your fingers through her hair, and that's OK. A gentle touch or scalp massage are alternate options that she will very much appreciate.