Slave traders shaved the heads of African captives, a brutal act aimed at erasing their cultural and spiritual identities. During the transatlantic slave trade, an estimated 12 million Africans were kidnapped and sold into slavery. Shaving their hair was one of the first ways slave traders stripped them of their heritage, considering the deep cultural significance of hair in Africa. As their hair grew back, captives were deprived of their traditional oils, herbal treatments, and combs, tools that had once allowed them to express their identity. With limited resources, they used whatever they had—bacon grease, butter, kerosene for conditioners, and cornmeal as dry shampoo—creating innovative ways to manage their hair under brutal conditions.
