African Beauty in 1948: Women Straightening Their Hair | Vintage Fashions
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 4 окт 2024
- In this hair tutorial for African women from 1940, we see various techniques applied to straight out the lady's hair. Life before GHD hair straighteners sure was tough!
For Archive Licensing Enquiries Visit: goo.gl/W4hZBv
Explore Our Online Channel For FULL Documentaries, Fascinating Interviews & Classic Movies: goo.gl/7dVe8r
#BritishPathé #History #Fashion
License this Film: britishpathe.co...
Subscribe to the British Pathé YT Channel: goo.gl/hV1nkf
Subscribe to the British Pathé War Archives YT Channel: goo.gl/QY21c9
Subscribe to the British Pathé Vintage Fashions YT Channel: goo.gl/XT1Zo7
Subscribe to the British Pathé Sporting History YT Channel: goo.gl/ELDCsT
BRITISH PATHÉ'S STORY
Before television, people came to movie theatres to watch the news. British Pathé was at the forefront of cinematic journalism, blending information with entertainment to popular effect. Over the course of a century, it documented everything from major armed conflicts and seismic political crises to the curious hobbies and eccentric lives of ordinary people. If it happened, British Pathé filmed it.
Now considered to be the finest newsreel archive in the world, British Pathé is a treasure trove of 85,000 films unrivalled in their historical and cultural significance.
Film ID: 1355.18
I love that he says "Nature will always come out on top".
Absolutely
Love the serendipity of him being an accidental natural hair movement supporter
Kimani2 Coppin State C he got that right!, humidity is not our friend!!!!
@@ANGELSLVME No peace and love, humidity is our friend and so is nature. Our hair is best in its naturally coily state not contorted into some eurocentric ideal of beauty.
As he said "Nature will always come out on top" 🔥
Yeah me too.
I love that he says kinks and curl pattern. He doesn't sound degrading or anything really, which is really nice
A c Just goes to show this definitely wasn’t filmed in my country 😂😂😂
A c African hair has a "permanent wave". Much nicer than what I've heard people say about our hair in my lifetime!
@@Maki-00 I agree. He was respectful when describing our hair.
Yea but it's because this is from the UK not America
Yeah, he was very nice! Must’ve been from the UK or just literally anywhere other than the US😂😂😂😂
the hot comb....my ears will never forget the heat.
Gabrielle Johnson
I couldn't help but cringe at that part.
Watching this video burned my ears and hit me in the head with a comb for complaining about it
You ain't lived until that hot grease burned your ears...Chile
Flossy Childz and then they have the nerve to tell you “it’s just the heat- ain’t nothing burning you”
Yees everytime my grandmother pulled it out i covered my ears
This is really cool to see they acknowledged black hair and not in a rude type of way. I remember getting my hair hot combed it was so awful! I couldn't imagine doing that on a regular basis.
Nine in the Afternoon my grandma still hot Combs her hair 😭
Nine in the Afternoon this isn't real.
Tina Loye - Hot combing? Yes, yes it is.
CassiTheNerd I meant the year
I hate the hot comb, you have to be really still or else you'll get burned! Even if you are still, you still get burned. But I'm grateful that I don't live in those days!
"Curly or straight, nature comes out on top." Love that line, so true.
Yessss
Totally agreed
Nature 🔛🔝
I think it is surprising that in 1948 they were talking about black hair care.
Not everyone was racist in the back aswell. Racism still exists but its just not as extreme as it was.
+Vanessa White This is in the UK, not the United States...
+Cassie Tad nah, they didnt have the years of slavery taken from them via battle, causing passive aggressive racism and entitlement.... The UK may not be the best butThe US is much more racist.... trust and believe
+Vanessa White Why?
I thought the same tbh
Some people may never know the fear that a hot comb evokes. 2019, and I am still flinching.
Amen.
Yes!! Either your ear or forehead is in danger! 😂
I tensed up just watching this! Thank God my hair hasn't been straightened since the 90s!
Toi Haynes I’ll take a hot comb over a perm or relaxer any day tbh.
Hahaha
I don't know her BUT That model is REALLY BEAUTIFUL and sweet smile. So does The Hairdresser is too!! :)
Roxi Smith they deliberately chose a mixed race lady whilst discussing "African...black" how typical of the time and all
Beth Smith anybody can have curly hair that's besides the point. I was referring to his constant reference to "black" And "African". They used a mixed race model as it was less "offensive" to portray in those times.
freemindsloveforever Don't be so hurt, you've come a long way baby! In a short amount of time at that.
L Coop darling are you giving Oscar awards? Baby racism isn't dead and of course progress is continual. Stay dramatic sweety xx
freemindsloveforever I was trying to give you a new perspective, if that's being dramatic...your life must be incredibly boring. Tired of negative Nancy's such as yourself. Suck it up and be happy for what ya got.
'They're born with a permanent wave' this is a cute way of describing natural hair awwww
"Secret oils" lol..
Wow this is amazing footage. I love that hairstyle at the end.
That being said though, I'm glad more of us black women are more accepting of our kinky / natural hair these days. Her hair was beautiful before and after in my opinion.
I agree. She looked beautiful thru out the whole video
At that time it was some Vaseline or maybe some hair grease or pressing oil. that's what I remember. Dax, Madam C J Walker, Dixie Peach those were the secret oils I remember! lol
I prefer working on natural hair. To me its just easier. But that's me and my opinion. But I have friends who prefer relaxed hair.
I love black women's hair, it's so gorgeous. I'm glad that people are embracing their natural hair too. I'm white but I have really curly hair and I used to dislike it and always straightened it but I gave up heat and I love my natural hair now
Kara Electriclady
Versatility is beautiful.
Only in the UK would a video from this time actually show two beautiful black women doing natural hair. And using the proper term "Kinky" instead of "Nappy".
Alexander Towery nappy? What an odd way to describe hair
Elmara Dray Yep. It's a very hurtful word thrown around at black hair.
Alexander Towery. Is nappy a term americans use? Ive never heard it here in the uk
born in the wrong generation well not for hair but for taking actually naps.
Actually a lot of blks in the usa have embraced the word Nappy as a way to describe our texture
this is my first time in all my years ever seeing a hair tutorial for black women during this time! i wanna see more stuff like this about black people from back then. it’s so important to the culture.
I like how he says 'here' haha "hayeree'
Eve Yitagesu - actually sounds more like "yeah". it's called received pronunciation. cut-glass.
First thing I noticed about the video.😂😂
Eve Yitagesu my friend still talks like that lol
I Wish People still talked like that haha 😅
It seemed like all narrators sounded the same back then to me.
"Do they like it? They're women aren't they?" Cracked me up.
49jubilee: Rite, I ded LoL’d wen I herd this, hilarious
@49jubilee That's true. I have curly hair and went my whole life straightening it. My friends with straight hair who I desperately wanted to be like all wanted curly hair. Now I've let "nature come out on top" and let it my hair be as is.
I receive more compliments on my hair now, then I did when it was straight. I guess we just need to accept nature and let our follicles do what they want, and are designed to do. Its the best for your health and well being. ❤️
@@Lynn-ip9sh We just need to accept the way GOD created us because He knows what He was doing creating you like that in the first place.
😂😂
@@TedEhioghae Exactly!❤️❤️❤️
the model is really beautiful
She really is beautiful
No she not
Sabiha Sungur They're both BEAUTIFUL 😍
yes very beautiful and her hair is so thick. I would kill to get that much of hair :'(
SkittleBlitz It looks good if styled correctly but is probably a pain to deal with.
I was genuinely surprised at the lack of racism in this clip for the time period then realized it's not from America so it makes sense.
C G EXACTLY!!! bahahahaaa ... 😢
True
That's America 🤷🏾♀️
Lmao
True
If the hair gets wet lol
He didn’t say nothing wrong in this video 🙃
rosegoldbb
Right
4/5/2020
11STARFIRE they truly were I appreciate respect for all races for some reason when it’s regarding blacks it’s really sensitive and scrutinized for everything lil thing sometimes we can get a little more lighthearted and laugh educate those who don’t understand u or where u coming from
He didn’t acknowledge that this was a style popularized by black Americans.
chgosyndicate for the 1940's that's about as progressive as a white man is gonna get, cut him some slack lmao
@@gyptianskin not everything is about you all. And fyi, these styles were imitations of how ww were doing their hair. You did it assimilate. You didn't invent these hair styles af all. 🙄🙄
This is basically a 1948 version of the silk press videos we watch today. The techniques have a lot of similarities.
She has a very healthy head of hair. I love it.
@WARRIOR4YAH I see a ton of compliments about the model...
It looks damaged in the beginning honestly.
😍
_"A number of secret oils"_
😂😂 that part took me out.
I find this refreshingly none racist for its time and age.
it is: "another crazy thing women do" instead of " an exotic thing africans do"
and women off all times and colorings do crazy things because they think they aren't pretty the way they are.
lesson learnt :-D
@SkittleBlitz yes, but dont get it wrong. Racism is still prevalent here in the uk.
SkittleBlitz Just because they made a video on black women’s hair doesn’t mean they’re not racist.
@@ashleyk8406 yes! The original sin of racism. Nobody is exempt. Honestly, this is all so like Catholicism it’s mad, down to the puritanical belief that only they are right and they are such good people. Hmm
@Marie Mercer lmao 🤣 okay Marie 👌
He spoke in such eloquence. He compared how women with different hair types wanted the opposite of what their natural hair was without sounding too iffy.
And they showed light skin mixed looking women as the beauty example without being..iffy.😆
"Do they like it? They're women, aren't they?" I fucking died LOL
I gasped when the hairdresser tucked away her hair (0:50) as if he was opening a thick theatre curtain and her face was shown for the first time! Her face looks so fresh and her smile is so beautiful it really touched my heart. This moment felt so magical.
Janes Blue the hair dresser is female.
The smell of burned hair in the kitchen takes me back.
eyecandyzz I just tense up thinking about my burnt ears! 😱
Ew lol
Burned ears, burnt areas around the forehead and neck..... yeah.... I won’t do that to kids. I’ll let them keep it natural. 😉
I smell the burnt skin and sulfur8 and doogroo grease mix ToT
What a beautiful girl in the chair. The beauty of 1940s women is so underrated and beautifully understated.
I Want To Survive They were classy and didn't look like tacky hoes like some women today!
My mother did my hair exactly like this in the 90s! Yes it took forever. Yes there is a chance of the comb burning your ears:(
and as soon as you get out of the house and its raining
I am almost 50 yo and I will never forget when my mother took me to a beauty school where the student dropped the straightening comb on my neck. I was ten and from that day on did my own hair...
Hon.. you mean burning hot ? u surious ?
HerMajestyBarebone Me too!
Me too. Nostalgia.
i thought it was funny how the narrator kind of made the comment about their hair already being curly and how most women wanted it so. he just seemed so confused lol xD
Just like the old proverb. The grass is always greener. Those with straight hair want curly, those with curly hair want straight. XD
But the woman's hair wasn't curly. It was kinky. She'd possibly already damaged her natural hair texture from using methods like this. The process was used to smooth out the texture of each hair strand. Then bigger curls were added after to create similar styles to what she ended up with. Basically black women did this to fit in and appear more acceptable to white people. Women still alter their hair for the sane reasons. More so in the USA. In some work places it's unacceptable to wear your hair in a natural afro. Glad I live in the UK. And so grateful for the natural hair movement! 💕
Kierie Burton if they view black textured hair as curly also let them because to me that’s what it should be just because they’re tighter doesn’t remove them
From the curl category. Calling them anything other than curls because they’re “too tight” is over absurd
im suspicious of that "secret oil".
Sumida Ryogoku Probably just plain old grease
Look up an oil blend called "Best of Africa" brand, I believe it's called.
Sumida Ryogoku that's a good oil.
kelly Goodman prob'ly a snake oil !
Ha ha ha ...right you had me laughing so hard!!!
The description commentary was perfect and non-discriminatory. Like that a lot!
In Britain there wasn't any reason to be discriminatory.
@@Alaois I guess they why they had light skin women to represent Beauty. That's not discriminatory at all 😁🤣
"But do they like it? They're women aren't they?" haha I love it.
iEatEmos I know I thought that was adorable
I dont get it. Is he saying they do or they don't
Bonbon Bonbon they don’t. Basically it’s the whole, women with curly hair want straight. And women with straight hair want it curly.
Bethany Monges ohh I used to want my hair Straight when I was younger, but now I love me hair.
lol it’s so true though 😂
Different hair textures I know. But my mum used to iron her hair. With an actual iron.... she'd lie down with her hair on a board and get my aunty to iron it straight. Thank God technology has moved forward
I iron my hair extensions.
fallingnutria89 Fletcher I'm black, but I have white step cousins. They did the same back in the 70s!
Lolll
I used to do that with my friend before I got money for a normal iron lol
MoonOnTheWindyNight Did it ruin your hair or was it fine?
I just got a flashback of my childhood when I saw that straightening comb. And then when the I moved out of pain, I'd get a ,"It's just the grease melting." or "It's just the heat that made you jump."
Veronica M lol!! Remember the sizzle? "Hold your ear please"
😫😥😥😥😥
I do not miss hot combs one bit. I can feel my ear burn just by watching this.
AbsoluteMdot my mom:. hold you ear down please😂
LOL!!! Right!!!!!!!!
Let us not forget the forehead.
I'm getting "hold ya ear" flashbacks
This vlog brought back childhood memories of getting our hair washed and pressed on Saturday night for church on Sunday and easy styles during the week.
She could walk out of the salon with the look at 1:10 and walk right into Coachella now.
I just had a flash of getting my hair straightened by Ms. Bea as she drank Jim Beam from a plastic cup! 🥺
...and she still had a steadh hand after sippin?!? Now, THAT'S talent! 🤣
Wow seeing things like this is amazing. Her hair is so healthy and shiny.
She is so beautiful. Seems women had such a classic/timeless look about them. I miss the no surgery/ no extreme makeup days :(
they had surgery and extreme makeup back then too
"If the hair get's wet or steamed up it naturally un-straightens itself" 😂😂 the narrator sounds like he's shocked and fascinated about black hair as he's reading the paper
My auntie says... "It's the grease, not me...everytime she burned my scalp..or my ear.
Oh they all said that, but we know it was them.😄
Lmao
Yep! 🤣
Right Lol....
Yup. Hated this process. Remember my mother use to say when she taught me, “you gotta use the back of the comb!” Lol glad to see she knew the tricks
Out of curiosity, did that reduce the chance of burning your scalp or not?
"Nature always seems to come out on top!!" Love it!! Beautiful model/client. Love the bantu knots as well. Very tongue and cheek video but also true.
Can we take a second to appreciate how DROP DEAD GORGEOUS THAT HAIR MODEL IS!?
"A number of secret oils" 💀
Did he say....
"Do they like it? They're women aren't they"
Soooo...no.. of course not!
We can never be satisfied 😂😂😂
Yup, no mater what ethnic group or time frame, we women can never be satisfied 🤣
I still use my grandmas hot comb lol
a marie what brand is it because they dont make hot combs like they used to.
Love y'alls natural hair
This is much more respectful than I thought it would be
This is hilarious 😆 who would've thought there was tutorials out there back then
Ikr
They were shown before the main attraction movie.
She's beautiful the model!
Hello sharmeila!!!! It's me Dalini!!! Omgosh I've been trying to contact u for ages now!! It's your birthday today!! Txt me ASAP 647-625-0309 man I miss you Sooo much.
Dalini Ramirez ....
divaquana I hope they did
How did yalls friendship go
Such beautiful women & those hair styles were really artistic!
Hello friend
Did anyone else flinch when she brought out the hot comb? My ears still feel the heat
That girls face like don't burn me with that hot comb. LOL. Brings me back. LOL
The hairstyle she has at the end is beautiful!
I actually learned how to use a hot comb. My best friend used to have her mother do her hair, but her visits were sporadic so we discussed my learning how to hot comb and even grease her scalp, and thus I was introduced to the beautiful world of black hair. I could never braid like her mother, though. She had magic fingers.
“They born with a permanent wave, but do they like it? They’re women, aren’t they?”
Hilarious
Cute vintage hairdo!
i agree. im a natural--been natural all my life---yet i have no problem with women perming/straightening their hair.
Loved how he talked about how long it takes and how we section our hair....what a nice video
My grandma was a beautician and grandad a barber. We stayed hooked up, weekly! I can still see her putting that blue grease on the back of her hand as she parted and straitened my locks.
gorgeous model!
We as black women came a long way with hair care 😅
Ty Iyona Agreed.
😩 chills just went down my spine when they got close to the ears and nape of her neck . Memories
born with a natural permanent wave I love that description!
They're from Britain so they're not African American and people in Britain don't really say African British!
Same in America. African American was a term that came about in the 2000s. It was black man or woman before that.
Ash M
🤔how old are you?
@@linkin5961 lol what!!!! Hahaha 2000s ?? LMAO how old r hunny!?
@@linkin5961 you're right Ash. I became aware of that term in 2000 when a black group advised they didnt want to be called black americans. Now they call everyone African American even if you aren't from America. Which kind of silly. Lol
He was referring to her HERITAGE!
Black women have always been resourceful,talented and beautiful.
Girll ....they can put a braid in your hair that will last through anything!!!
So have everyone else too. Or is that the wrong thing to say? What makes black people better than others? Isn’t it their skin? How would that work. Racism racism racism something something.
@@eccremocarpusscaber5159 wow you sound really mad😏.
I experienced the pressing comb process when I was younger. Such memories.
2 hours? Child's play. It takes me three hours to straighten my hair!
Chiann Thomas the greater the gain the more the pain! Your hair does look gorgeous on the profile pic..ive grown mine to almost waist length and yes styling takes a lot longer
Chiann Thomas Giiirl, tell the truth. Used to take me about 4.
That's because you have a lot more hair than the lady in this film. Remember they had it hard, no blow dryers to break the hair down and you had to comb it out and press every last piece. Also no flat iron to speed up the process either.
Why straighten your hair? Imagine white women trying to transform their hair into afros
@SkittleBlitz bo derrick wore braids in the movie 10
So I'm latina and 12 years ago I was roommates with a friend who was a black woman. Our apartment had an electric stove and I remember the first time I saw a gold comb on the burner and just being so confused. I had never seen, or heard of a hot comb before. I was mesmerized by the process she would go through of straightening her hair with it.
He said “they un-straighten themselves and back comes the kinks” 🤣🤣🤦🏽♀️
Really love the tone of this video, very refreshing to see this as an “alternate women’s beauty” video as opposed to “look at these different looking people doing different ‘unconventional’ things to their hair” like I would imagine a video from the 40s to do when talking about black beauty.
This was at the peak of the Windrush era. There would have been a huge drive to be accommodating. Also note that the hair is being done at the ‘London Colonies Club’, i.e., these ladies were British Subjects.
Oh my goodness, the model is so beautiful and I’m loving that adorable hair style she’s sporting! 😍
The hot comb steam, the pops in the back of my neck and flinching. I miss my grandma but lords knows i dont miss that part.😔😀
I still use a hot comb to straighten my hair, cant get used to the flat iron. Still pin curl or bantu knot my hair for curls. Nice video brought me back to when my mom did hair back in the day. Positive video.
I really wanted to see how the bottom is done 😞 looks so beautiful and satisfying!
IM A HAIRSTYLIST LICENSED SINCE 2007 I LOVE WATCHING THESE OLD VIDEOS MY GRANDMOTHERS PROBABLY WORE THOSE STYLES 😍👍🏽
i'm a boy and ive always wanted to know how they did those ladies hair styles then
I started sweating and holding my ears the moment I saw that hot comb...
Secret oils, lol.
And ohhhhh yes I remember the hot comb, followed by the barrel iron for shirley temple curls. I love vintage hair styles of all cultures because they were so ornate and beautiful.
when my mother was a girl this was the way it was done
but do your hair anyway *you* like! curly, straight...anything goes~~^^
be your own beautiful creation & live out loud
I like that! It's your hair after all. Same way you can tattoo your skin, if that's what you like. People have unnecessary strong views about minor issues. Whereas, I would be more worried about issues around such as "war all over every continent", child poverty, domestic violence, homelessness, repairing the ozone layer, increasing community conscience, understanding and treating mental illness, eradicating pandemics, etc. and worry about those who may think that reducing the world population is the solution.
"Secret oils" had me laughing at the innocence. Like sir, it was probably just olive oil.
"And now for an eye-opener on HAR"
Oh my brought back memories💟. Had my hair done like this as a child by my mother first(my mother had been taught by her hairdresser cousin), then later hairdressers who had been properly trained in the hotcomb technique. Hair would be so straight and silky and actually last a good while even in humid weather. In fact when chemical perms were so popular, I still was having my hair hotcombed and people thought it was permed because it held up so well. Just loved it and miss it now. Since chemical perms are extremely irritating too my scalp I wear my hair natural or I have to hotcomb my own hair now since very few beauticians do this anymore.
The commentary was excellent....
I see people in the comments commenting like the UK didn’t have and still had race problems 😔
Not to the extent of the US and that's a fact. There was always less than 1 million black people in the UK at that time and they were all in London. It's unarguable.
Fun fact- the Islamic slave trade is still a thing happening in Africa, Middle east, and parts of Asia.
I had a friend in 3rd grade who had her hair straighten in the kitchen. Her mom had a hot comb, like the one in the video, on the stove over the flames and used Vaseline to "protect" her hair.
This is how my mother did my hair and it laid right for a week, but I also suffer from PTSD to this day😂😂😂
That girl reminds me of myself. I spent my life trying to have straight hair before I found I suffer from alopecia. And now I would give anything to have some hair at all!!!
I would've been flinching and squirming at every pass...like how is she so calm.
If done correctly, there is not a thing wrong with getting your hair hot combed/ pressed. A person just needs to keep it conditioned and trimmed just like when they have a chemical relaxer in their hair. The heat(of the hot comb) needs to be tested be certained that it doesn't scorch or burn the hair. Generally, the hair comes out to be quite beautiful. Remember to use light oils or hairdressing pomades / oils to keep the hair from becoming greasy and with heavy build-up on the scalp and pores. You can achieve the same results as with a flat iron.
It's the same thing as getting your hair silk pressed...
@@kitkatt430 it truly is like a silk press if done by a real professional stylist.
I need some Royal Crown
@@andreacoleman1782 now that is a old school hair oil. I remember that being used by my mom in the 70s. Nostalgia. Lol...
I remember my grandmother used Crisco cooking oil and my sisters and I hair was beautiful.
My aunt still uses a hot comb, she used it on me once (which wasn't really necessary since i'm only 1/4 black) and burned the shit outta my ear😂 but when we visit her and see that hot comb on the stove in the morning we know she gonna leave the house dressed to impress
mmmmpaARDONN? Heuheu
+Duh No Ahh ExcuseMEeeee
Its not necessary to use it on any one whether 1/4 black or "whole black", there are white chics who used it too.
trinigyul Excuse me. What it means?
why? you already have straight hair
I love this. The way they were educated in black hair and how they knew it would reverse back to kinks if the hair got moist lmao
0:55 .."insert the hair with a number of secret oils. "...lmao we are still using a number of secret oils!🤣🤣🙊💆♀️💆🏾♀️
Wow. Brings back memories of me in my grandmother's kitchen
For anyone shocked at how long it took for the hairdresser to straighten her client's hair, I'm white and it takes me the same length of time to straighten *my* hair. I have to blow dry it mostly straight first, then take the flat iron to individual sections afterward. It's a complete pain in the ass, but my hair is so thick and wavy it would look awful if I didn't.
feverspell - tip: let it air dry overnight first. it'll turn out smoother and with more body if you straighten it from its natural curled state, than if you flat iron it AFTER blowdrying - which stretches and weakens the hair shaft.
“But do they like it? They’re women aren’t they?” As funny as that is it was quite a bit more complicated than that in 1948. And it can still be complicated now.
Why wouldn't it be complicated? They're women aren't they? ;)
It was a joke about ALL women.
0:50 The whole process takes at least two hours
Me: 🤣😂🤣😂
That hot comb made me shiver...😥
We may not see it at the time, but progress keeps happening. This was progressive at the time for just recognizing African hair. In 50 years we will have the same reaction today. We are not here without then.