One of the most interesting facts about hair care before the 19th century is that women didn’t wash it as often as we do now, yet still managed to keep it clean! But how and how often are we talking about? Well, it would be safe to say that washing had not only been far from being a daily duty, it wasn’t even a monthly one! Women living in these times had to brush their hair every evening to remove old oils and that’s pretty much the only time their hair had been let down. Poor gals!
2. The first soaps were quite harsh on hair
Lye-based hair treatments are such a big deal nowadays and we’re constantly being warned about the damaging effects they have on our precious tresses! But how would you feel if you had to use a lye-based soap to clean your hair? Guess that irregular washing don’t sound so bad now, huh? Seriously ladies, modern shampoos came pretty late (1920 to be precise) which left a lot of pre 1920s women stuck with a lye-based soap that would have been too damaging if used too often.
3. Good hair was tied with social status
Having the so called “good hair” had nothing to do with race, texture and whatnot, nor did it mean that richer women had some special means to clean their hair more often. It simply meant that they had more money for hair adornments, various extension-like things with the purpose to make hair appear fuller, wigs, scented oils, dyes and whatnot.
4. Natural care remedies have been quite popular
Miraculous natural ingredients such as coconut and almond oil as well as honey and a form of purified butter called ghee have been the base of hair care in old India! Not bad for seventh century, huh? But that’s not all! They used henna to dye their hair too and the same thing could be said for Egyptians who, as it turns out, had been quite a bit of hair care junkies, fancy wig addicts and even knew which herbs could be used to treat baldness.
5. Modern shampoo is what caused the need for conditioner
Ha! Is that a gasp I’m hearing? Oh come on, you can’t deny that this interesting fact about hair care really is a surprise! The use of natural ingredients in hair cleansing left it soft and shiny, making the product we now consider a must absolutely unnecessary. Lye soaps didn’t do much to change this all thanks to the fact that people didn’t wash their hair too often but, what do you know, shampoos appeared and changed all that, paving the road for this first of many care products we now use and love.
6. Romans were quite hair-conscious
Ancient Greeks might have been the ones to introduce barbershops to the world but we shouldn’t forget Romans either! After all, they haven’t only embraced and perfected all Greek hair care and styling ideas but contributed quite a bit themselves, dictating styling trends, even using the ancient version of what we now know as the curling iron! Wigs and elaborate hairstyles spoke a lot about one's social status and various hair dyes and care concoctions were just as normal and usual as going to the supermarket for a fresh box of dye is for us today.
7. Dyes have been a rather popular choice
Hair dyes are hardly a modern invention! In fact, it would be safe to say they have been a rather popular product in the history of hair care, well…since ancient times! From ancient India, Greece and Rome to even medieval times – women might have been motivated or even forced to wear their hair certain ways but they always had a few dye tricks up their sleeves. Light hair was highly sought after even back then, which yielded a lot of interesting and, as researchers confirm, highly effective ways to obtain the popular color. Romans used hydrogen peroxide, medieval folks relied on natural concoctions and enchantments while the Renaissance was mostly about lye.
8. Some old recipes are worth remembering, others not so much
One particularly famous medieval treaty of cosmetics may sound too passé when compared to the modern cosmetic industry, yet contains pretty cool stuff even the modern naturalistas would find noteworthy. Like washing your hair with vinegar, mint, thyme, rosemary and nettle-infused water. Sounds familiar? Well, don’t get your hopes up too much, I also found some recipes you wouldn’t want to try! Lizards, for example! Now that has been one very popular ingredient in hair care concoctions in both medieval times and the Renaissance! But speaking about the Renaissance – did you know they used to add lye to just everything, including detanglers? Ugh, no thanks, I’ll pass!
Pretty cool hair care facts, huh? Guess the matter of hair is not and has not been a trivial one! What do you have to say about that, lovelies?
Source: allwomenstalk.com
