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morenae
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Joined: 02 Sep 2006
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Posts: 332
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 Topic: "Wonderful Hair Grower" Secret???
Posted: 09 Oct 2006 at 12:47pm |
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Here's a random thought - We all know about Madam CJ Walker, the first black female millionaire "hair culturalist" from way back - without her there would be no black hair product industry....
BUT RIDDLE ME THIS - In 1905 she perfected her first product, the "Wonderful Hair Grower" which history says grew her hair after severe damage. She said the recipe came to her in a dream and that some of the ingredients came from Africa. This product was her most popular and was marketed all over the world.
WHAT IN THE WORLD WAS IN IT????? I'm SO curious. The only thing I've found via research is SULPHUR.
Here's a bit of history:
http://www.black-collegian.com/issues/35thAnn/walker.shtml
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3c natural, BSL, patiently growing out layers...
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=10wyxn26.1okka5z6&x=0&y=csgr27
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TexasBelle
Junior Member
Joined: 18 Jul 2006
Location: United States
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Posts: 184
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Posted: 09 Oct 2006 at 1:04pm |
Originally posted by morenae
Here's a random thought - We all know about Madam CJ Walker, the first black female millionaire "hair culturalist" from way back - without her there would be no black hair product industry....BUT RIDDLE ME THIS - In 1905 she perfected her first product, the "Wonderful Hair Grower" which history says grew her hair after severe damage. She said the recipe came to her in a dream and that some of the ingredients came from Africa. This product was her most popular and was marketed all over the world.WHAT IN THE WORLD WAS IN IT????? I'm SO curious. The only thing I've found via research is SULPHUR. Here's a bit of history:http://www.black-collegian.com/issues/35thAnn/walker.shtml
Hmmmm a little history mystery. I love to research, I'm going to look into this!
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wavylady
Junior Member
Joined: 26 Sep 2006
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Posts: 295
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Posted: 09 Oct 2006 at 4:00pm |
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Please let us know what you find..good thread!
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Jesus is my everything
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Tetsuko26
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Joined: 11 Aug 2006
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Posts: 563
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Posted: 09 Oct 2006 at 5:42pm |
This was a curious search. I went to the Madame CJ Walker site, but I couldn't find anything, but on Google, I found a middle school's kid's report. She lists the ingredients as: "beeswax, copper sulfate, sulfur, violet extract, coconut oil, and carbolic acid." She lists her sources, but a lot of the links don't work anymore. http://www.oberlin.k12.oh.us/talent/isp/reports2004/6Robyn.htm
I'm still looking.
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morenae
Junior Member
Joined: 02 Sep 2006
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Posted: 09 Oct 2006 at 7:17pm |
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Great find! "Juices and berries," as Eddie Murphy said in Coming to America. LOL.
I'm glad you ladies are finding this as interesting as I am. I wonder what the benefits of each ingredient were for the hair.
Also, I wonder what was in the Glossine product. Was it regular grease (mineral oil, petrolatum, Vaseline and all that bad stuff), or was it something more wholesome? I'm not too sure how much access we had to "extra vigin olive oil" and stuff like that....
Makes you say "Hmm..."
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3c natural, BSL, patiently growing out layers...
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=10wyxn26.1okka5z6&x=0&y=csgr27
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wavylady
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Joined: 26 Sep 2006
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Posted: 09 Oct 2006 at 7:58pm |
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I also thought about Miss Jessie..I know her products are expensive but maybe they are on to something..why else would they charge $60 for it unless they knew it was really good?. BTW, I didn't like the curly pudding myself but tried the buttercream and LOVED it.
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Jesus is my everything
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morenae
Junior Member
Joined: 02 Sep 2006
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Posts: 332
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Posted: 11 Oct 2006 at 5:45pm |
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bump
still searching........
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3c natural, BSL, patiently growing out layers...
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=10wyxn26.1okka5z6&x=0&y=csgr27
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SwtyPie
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Joined: 03 Oct 2006
Location: US - Georgia
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Posts: 539
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Posted: 11 Oct 2006 at 6:21pm |
After reading this topic you had me out searching for what the ingredients were. It was so long ago so it may be hard to find. One of the sites said that some sales man told her to try mixing her ingredients together and that's what she did until she came up with something that worked for her hair. I won't believe what I find until I see it in more than one place or so. Anyway, while doing my search here's what I came across...
1) It was in St. Louis that Walker thought of putting together the ingredients for a solution that would treat a then-common scalp disease, using massage, frequent shampooing, and an ointment or pomade containing therapeutic sulfur. The system also employed hot combs, though she did not invent this tool, despite its having been credited to her in the past
http://web.mit.edu/INVENT/iow/cjwalker.html
2) She developed three products - Wonderful Hair Grower, Glossine and Vegetable Shampoo
http://www.topblacks.com/business/madame-c-j-walker.htmz
3) The ingredients were beeswax, copper sulfate, sulfur, violet extract, coconut oil, and carbolic acid http://www.oberlin.k12.oh.us/talent/isp/reports2004/6Robyn.htm
I will post whatever else I come across
Edited by SwtyPie - 11 Oct 2006 at 6:22pm
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morenae
Junior Member
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Posted: 11 Oct 2006 at 7:20pm |
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Thanks. Me too...I'll beleive something when I see it in more than one "credible" place.
I haven't seen any other list of ingredients besides on that www.oberlin.... site - the little girl's school report. I wonder where she go her info.
On more than one site, I've seen sulphur mentioned. Was sulphur believed to stimulate hair growth or just condition the hair and protect from breakage - like Sulphur 8 (*pwew!* Can't stand that smell!). I wonder... And these ingredients from Africa......I REALLY wonder....
Madame Walker's mansion still stands in upstate NY. Maybe I'll go bustin' up in there........LOL
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3c natural, BSL, patiently growing out layers...
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=10wyxn26.1okka5z6&x=0&y=csgr27
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IP Being Analyzed |
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