So it’s the apocalypse. Your curly-haired character is on the run. They find themselves on an adventure in a fantasy world. It’s a castaway story. Or the whatever-eth century and they’re in an environment that doesn’t exactly accommodate curly, coily haired types. Either way, manufactured hair products are far and few between, or they’re simply not made for afro hair.
Hair Products found in Natural Environment:
Consider the essential needs of afro hair: water and fat.
- Water (or liquid) is essential for nourishing the hair.
- Fat(hair oils, creams, butters) is essential for both growth and protection.
Many curly-haired folks already use natural resources and plants to care for their hair - aka DIY hair-care. So characters concocting their own products should not be a strange concept. (I personally buy most of my natural hair products, and create my own hair masks, protein treatments, and oil blends.).
Hair Healthy Produce:
Coconut: The all-purpose hair aid with multi forms, from oil to solid cream. Hardens in cold weather; best not to use when environment has freezing temps.
**Banana ** :Typically removed after use (hair masks, conditioners)
**Avocado ** :Applied as hair products, masks, and oils.
Strawberry :Mashed and applied directly to hair or mixed with oils.
Hair Healthy Proteins, Plants, Fats:
Eggs - Hardens when dry. Strong odor. Removed after use. (protein masks)
Honey - Pulls moisture from air into hair - avoid during the dry winter!
Shea Nuts - Made into shea butter. All-purpose hair and body care.
Flaxseed - Gel made by boiling & straining flax seeds.
Hair Healthy Herbs and Flora:
Hibiscus - Sebaceous = oil-producing gland. Flowers crushed into paste or oil.
Peppermint - Can rub out oil from leaves. Often used in oil form on scalp.
Lavender - Often used as an oil directly applied to the scalp, or brewed as tea.
Rosemary - Often combined with olive oil in use with hair; can be used alone.
More Hair Healthy Herbs and Flora:
Aloe Vera - Succulent. Can extract sap directly from leaf and apply like gel.
Burdock - Contains essential fatty acids and phytosterol compounds.
Dandelion - Can use the roots, stems, leaves and sap for hair and skin.
Rose - Common use is rose water: steep roses in boiling water to create.
Hair Healthy Products (rare or require effort to make/find):
Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) - Diluted before use and often washed out after.
Bentonite Clay - Aged volcanic ash. Combined with ACV for best activation.
Oils - Key component for sealing moisture. See the next discussion.
Yogurt - Base of many DIY hair products like masks and deep conditioners.
Oils for Hair:
Oil is a key component to afro hair care. It nourishes and seals in moisture. Let’s discuss common hair oils and extraction methods that could, more likely, be done using homemade or historical equipment.
Oil Extraction:
If oils aren’t readily available to purchase, the person would need to find or create tools to either extract the oil via pressing or heat the nuts or seeds. Consider the basic tools that have been around since ancient times. For example, the mortar and pestle. What creative use can be made out of existing tools in the person’s environment?
Hair Oils and Benefits (by potential ease to extract.:
Coconut Oil, Castor Oil, Almond Oil, Olive Oil, Avocado and Grapeseed Oil.
FYI: These aren’t the only methods or necessarily professional means of extraction. I also left off hair-healthy oils that seemed complicated to extract without high-grade equipment. So, this isn’t an all-inclusive list of oil or methods.
Natural Hair Product Creation:
So what exactly would your character create? Here’s some natural hair products and potential main ingredients. May be used alone or combined.
- Leave-in moisturizers: Plain water, coconut water, rose water
- Leave-in creams: (protect/style) honey, shea, aloe vera, flaxseed, flora
- Hair Cleansing Conditioner: plant water, coconut, honey, light oils
- Hair Rinse/Co-wash: Apple cider vinegar, coconut, brewed tea water
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Hair Masks: Mashed fruits, yogurt, proteins (eggs), clay, honey.
More Sources: - 15 DIY Hair Recipes for Almost Every Step in Your Regimen
- Best DIY Recipes for Naturally Curly Hair
Product Storage: - Most homemade products last everywhere from a few days - weeks
- Extend the life of spoil-prone products via the cooling system in the work.
- Honey does not spoil. Be mindful if it’s mixed with spoil-prone ingredients.
- Oils can usually be kept at room temperature and last a long time.
Keeping a small bit of ready made supply may prove time-efficient. If impossible, they may opt to use products that don’t require much time and effort, and are worth their time to make in small batches or to potentially dispose of after.
Natural Product/Oils Creation:
With just the above compounds, I can see creative naturals being able to create styling products and moisturizing leave-ins, shampoos, conditioners and hair masks.
Do consider the following: - How simple or complex can their regimen be?
- Would they rely more on protective hair styles in their situation?
- What is the natural environment: what products are accessible?
- How will they store products or must they make a new batch each use?
- Can items be purchased by craftsmen or found in abandoned locations?
- Can they afford to use edible plants if food is scarce? Food scraps and non-edible plants (like the flora).
Natural Hair and Styling:
LOC Method as base style:
Moisture, sealing in the moisture and protection are the basic needs for natural hair. T he Liquid, Oil, and Cream (LOC) Method, or a variation of the steps, fulfills those basic needs. It can be treated as both a care routine and a style in itself. Personally, if my hair is not in a protective style, I use it every week.
- Liquid - Liquid opens hair cuticles to allow moisture to enter hair strands.
- Oil - Once cuticles are opened, the oil penetrates hair & seals in moisture.
-
Cream - Cream further locks in the moisture, and can be used as a styling agent as well to shape and define curls.
Protective Hair Styles:
Protective hairstyles protect the hair by tucking ends away from the elements. For example, heat, air, hand and fabric manipulation. While not forever solutions (except maybe locs which are a permanent style) there’s many benefits to your character’s wearing them.
Benefits:
- Hair growth retention
- Saves time styling hair
- Helps prevent damage and keep hair healthy
- Ideal for any natural (the best style itself may depend on hair type)
- Lessens hair’s need and dependence on moisture and hair products
- Eliminates some hair maintenance activities (such as detangling)
Considerations: - Hair more difficult to wash and dry thoroughly.
- Dryness (unable to access all tucked away hair to moisturize)
- Styles kept in too long accumulates ■■■■ skin and product build up.
- Uninstalling styles can be time consuming, and should be done gently.
- Style gets frizzy from growth overtime and/or getting soaked in water.
Protective Styles Short-term (lasting days to weeks): - Afro puff(s) or bun(s)
- Back Tuck or Roll and Tuck
- Bantu knots
- French roll
- Pompadour
- Roller set
- Two-strand twists
- Wash and go (low manipulation style)
- Shaved(lower maintenance, but not an overnight decision)
Protective Styles Long-term (lasting weeks to months+): - Braids (endless styles and patterns. Typically smaller braids last longer)
- Cornrows
- Dreadlocks/locs (permanent style, research the hair care)
- Extensions
- Flat Twists /Twists
- Head wraps and hats (endless wrapping styles, colors and patterns!)
- Wigs (unless glued, hair maintained underneath or often put in braids)
Protective Hairstyles:
Protective styles are an amazing way to protect the character’s hair and would very likely be the go-to for any natural in an uncertain or fast-paced environment. Just in everyday life they’re highly worn so it would especially be the case! Just remember the character needs to eventually undo whatever protective style they have installed to do some hair maintenance (washing, detangling, etc) and give their strands a rest. Also, even hair in protective styles need some attention.
Curly Hair Type and Associated Needs:
Determining your hair type is important to knowing its needs. Certain ingredients work best for certain hair types. However everyone is unique and there are more factors to consider than just curl pattern (Also, most curly folks cross into a mix of hair types). There is hair thickness (width & density) and how much moisture and product your hair absorbs (porosity) to consider as well.
Type 3 curly hair:
Curly Twirly (3A):
Defined loopy “S” pattern. Curls well defined and springy. Big, loose and shiny. Size: Sidewalk chalk size.
Best Products: Gels and creams with light moisture and curl definition.
Curly Spirally (3B):
Well-defined, springy copious curls that range from bouncy ringlets to tight corkscrews. Size: Sharpie size.
Best Products: Gels and styling creams with extra moisture and frizz control.
Curly ■■■■■ (3C):
Voluminous, tight corkscrew curls. Either ■■■■■ or very tightly curled, with lots of strands densely packed together. The very tight curls are usually fine in texture. Size: Pencil.
Best Products: Styling creams, butters, and oils. Needs gentle care.
Type 4 coily hair:
Well-defined “S” Pattern. Tight, coily, and the most fragile curls.
Size: Crochet Needle or smaller.
4A Best Products & Tips: Styling creams, butters, and oils. - Clarify scalp with tea tree or jojoba oil during washes
- This hair needs extra moisture and tender care
- Be gentle when handling and detangling hair to avoid stress & breakage
- Use thick moisturizers like mango and shea butters to maximize styles
Coily Crimpy (4B):
Well defined Z pattern. Tight, coily fragile curls. Hair bends at sharp angles.
4B Best Products & Tips: Styling creams, butters, and oils. - Add moisturizing oils before washing (pre-■■■/pre-shampoo) with coconut or castor oil to help retain the natural oils in scalp
- Do heat-free styles on stretched hair for maximum definition and less frizz
- Air-dry hair whenever possible, or use soft cloth to gently dry.
- Terry cloth will strip hair’s natural moisture and cause tension on strands
Coily Ziggly (4C):
Tight, coily, fragile curls. Curl pattern won’t clump without styling. Little to no visible definition.
4C Best Products and Tips: Styling creams, butters, and oils. - Use a cleansing conditioner with slippery elm or marshmallow root
- Use a creamy humectant like honey as a leave-in to maximize protection
- A curl defining custard or gel can stretch the coils safely for styled looks.
Hair type and needs:
While hair type is just the start of all the intricacies of natural hair needs, it’s definitely a good start. There are other important parts to consider for real life naturals, but going off from hair type and the commonly associated needs should be enough for a story.
The following information will be nestled under the read more: - Hair Routine Samples - One super simple and one complex hair routine
- Hair Straightening - Not ideal to maintain in survival situations, but also was a means of survival and daily living during some historical contexts