Right from the culture of ancient African civilisations before slavery began, the hair was entrusted to close relatives for styling as it was believed that if a strand fell into the hands of an enemy, the owner of the hair could be harmed.
Hair at the time played significant roles, as it symbolized one’s family background, social status, tribe, their spirituality and even marital status.
Communities as early as the 15th century attributed the hair to fertility, believing that thick, long tresses and neat, clean hair symbolised one’s ability to bear healthy children.
In effect, early African civilisations came with so much tradition and different hairstyles long before the dreadful colonial invasion that ushered in Western civilization.
Scroll through to see some of the hairstyles and how they were done:
