What did people use before shampoo? Long before modern bottles filled our bathrooms, civilizations around the world developed ingenious ways to clean and care for their hair using nature. In this episode of Round Robin, we travel from India to Ancient Egypt, Indigenous North America, Japan, and beyond to discover the fascinating history of hair care. Learn how soapberries, shikakai, yucca root, rice water, camellia oil, black soap, herbs, and even kitchen ingredients helped people maintain healthy hair for thousands of years.

We also celebrate our Woman of the Week, Madam C. J. Walker, whose groundbreaking business transformed the beauty industry while creating unprecedented opportunities for Black women entrepreneurs and forever changing American business history.

Whether you love history, fascinating forgotten traditions, or discovering the surprising origins of everyday life, this episode proves that some of humanity's greatest innovations were growing in nature long before they were sitting on store shelves.

If you enjoyed today's episode, please follow Malice in the Mitten wherever you listen to podcasts. Following the show helps more people discover Michigan's forgotten stories and supports everything we do. Thank you for being part of the MALICE family!

#RoundRobinPodcast #History #HairHistory #MadamCJWalker #DidYouKnow

Hosted and produced by Tracy Preston, featuring Christine Mulligan, Nina Mullligan and Todd Preston

Original music created exclusively for Round Robin by Tracy Preston

Original artwork by Todd Preston

Sources:

A'Lelia Bundles. On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C. J. Walker. Scribner, 2001.

National Park Service. "Madam C. J. Walker: African American Millionaire, Philanthropist, Activist."

National Women's History Museum. "Madam C. J. Walker."

Guinness World Records. "Madam C. J. Walker."

Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. "Madam C. J. Walker."

Encyclopaedia Britannica. "Madam C. J. Walker."

Library of Congress. African American History Collections.

National Park Service. "Native Plant Use" (Yucca and Soapweed traditions).

Encyclopaedia Britannica. "Shampoo."

Encyclopaedia Britannica. "Camellia."

Encyclopaedia Britannica. "Ancient Egypt."

Encyclopaedia Britannica. "Ancient Greece."

Encyclopaedia Britannica. "Ancient Rome."On Her Own Ground (Netflix adaptation source material).

Netflix. Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C. J. Walker.