Inside the Intricate Hairstyles of Wakanda Forever, From Floating Wigs to Head-Shaving Rituals

When Camille Friend, the hair department head on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, watched an early camera test involving the sea-dwelling people known as the Talokanil, she immediately knew she had a problem. As soon as the actors went underwater a big white cloud developed around their heads—residue from the product used to keep their hair in place. The executive producer, Nate Moore, turned to Friend and said, “So, Camille, what are you going to do about that?”

Friend went to work, developing a solution she calls a “glue hairspray” consisting of spirit gum diluted with alcohol that she could spray on the hair pieces, which she then would literally sew into place. “Listen, my favorite store for hair is Home Depot,” she explains in an interview with Vanity Fair.