The Secrets Of Achieving ‘Black Panther Hair’

by Liz Seyi Digital marketing manager

There’s a certain blockbuster that’s been tearing up the box office records lately, and – more than that – got pretty much anyone and everyone talking about African-inspired Natural Haircare. You might just have heard of it – it’s called Black Panther, and as you might imagine given how inspired we’ve always been by the Motherland here at BAREANDBEYOND.COM, we love it.

We’re not alone there, as even former first lady of the United States, Michelle Obama, has weighed in on the film’s cultural significance. You might have also noticed a few of the headlines declaring the movie a “love letter to natural hair” – and, well, we just had to find out more.

So with no further ado, here are some of the best ways to emulate that Wakandan magic with your own next ‘do – with a little help from the Marvel juggernaut’s lead stylist, Camille Friend.

How to achieve that amazing natural texture

As Friend recently told TODAY: “My philosophy with natural hair, and almost any type of hair, to make it beautiful and shiny you have to have a mixture of cream and oil. If you put too much cream, sometimes the hair doesn’t absorb it. If you put too much oil, it makes the hair heavy.”

The hairstylist therefore urges those wanting to replicate Black Panther’s natural hair textures to “just go and try products and try and see what works.”

You, too, can be as cool as Killmonger

Given that Michael B. Jordan’s character was the movie’s antagonist and, well, as effortlessly swaggerlicious as basically any baddie can be, we can forgive you for wanting to give his similarly cool hair a go.

We therefore go back to Friend: “Michael really grew his hair out really long, so all we did with him was add dreadlock extensions.” How about that for a simple ‘do it yourself’ hair styling tip?

What about Nakia’s ‘Wakandan knots’?

The ‘cinnamon roll’ hair style of Lupita Nyong’o’s character has attracted plenty of admirers, and Friend urges those wishing to imitate it to first shampoo and condition their hair, before towel drying to get rid of excess moisture.

“Then, you’re going to put the product of your choice in, and take sections and you’re literally gonna twist your hair tightly into coils, twisting the hair onto itself. Then you’re going to twist it down into a cinnamon roll shape so it’s a flat – not raised – shape, and then really allow the hair to dry.”

Friend added that it was important to allow the hair to completely dry before touching it, sitting under a dryer if necessary. You will then be able to lift the knots from the scalp for extra impact.

We’ll leave you with those teasers and, well, encourage you to try out a few of these techniques for yourself! Certainly, when it comes to shopping for natural haircare products that represent the best of Africa, we don’t think you can do better than our own complete online Organic Marketplace UK .