Plants Use in the Care and Management of Afro-Textured Hair: A Survey of 100 Participants

Abstract

Afro-textured hair has unique characteristics and requires specific care due to its curly, coily, and often fragile nature. The care practices adopted by individuals with afro-textured hair increase the incidence of certain pathologies that have become specific to this hair type over time. To treat these pathologies, an increasing number of people are turning to the use of plants due to the harmful nature of certain chemical components present in hair care products available on the market. Therefore, our work aimed to list the plants used by individuals with afro-textured hair and to verify their effectiveness in managing various hair pathologies. After an initial bibliographic section focusing on hair, including its histology, growth cycle, and hair pathologies, we conducted a survey among 100 individuals with afro-textured hair in Rabat over a period of 3 months. We identified a total of twelve plant species, eleven of which possess a range of beneficial properties in managing pathologies of afro-textured hair. The most cited plant was Ricinus communis, followed by Cocos nucifera, Syzygium aromaticum, Aloe barbadensis, Argania spinosa, Rosmarinus officinalis, Vitellaria paradoxa, Olea europaea, Cannabis sativa, Trigonella foenum-graecum, Prunus dulcis.