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Hair and hairstyles over the years
As long as there have been human beings hair on their heads has been cared for and arrenged.
Hairstyles are not only an adornment, they also tell us something about the personality of a man or a woman, about the customs and peculiarities of different peoples, sometimes also about a position or a profession.
Antiquity
The Egyptians (4000 - 300 B.C.)
Based on grave finds we know that the Egyptians cared for their hair with knives, hairpins and combs already 4000 years B.C. Even around 3000 B.C. they wore artistic wigs for important events. At that time already they dyed their own hair or their wigs. Blue, green, blonde and sandy colours, as well as gold dust were mostly used.
The Greeks (1500 - 150B.C.)
Between 1500 and 650 B.C. Greek women had mostly long curly hair. On frescoes we can often see corkscrew curls flowing from in front of the ears down to the chest.
A bit later (500 - 300 B.C.) the women had their hair joined together to a knot at the neck, this hairstyle is called "the Greek knot".
Artistic knots and buns characterized the hairstyles between 300 and 150 B.C. During those years Greek women, whose hair is dark by nature, tried to lighten their hair with saffron. Hairstyles were important for Greek men as well: First they wore long hair and beards. Lateron short curly hair was fashionable and between 1300 and 150 B.C. fashion-conscious town-dwellers had chin-length hairstyles and preferred curly or waved hair.
The Greek had already a special gadget to reshape their hair, a "calamistrum", that’s a hollow stick made of bronze.
Middle Ages
The Romans (500 B.C. - 500 A.D.)
The Romans (men and women) had very plain hairstyles, there were two main types, the short curly hairstyles and plaited hairstyles.
The Romans learnt from the Greeks how to use the calamistrum (curling tongs). The Romans, who were famous for their personal hygiene, added to their hairstyles various decorations made of gold, silver and ivory.
Because Roman Women were fascinated by the blonde hair of the Teutons, they often kept Tetonic slaves, whose blonde hair they had cut and made into wigs. Besides that wealthy Roman women had their hair lightened optically with gold dust.
Romanticism (900 - 1250 A.D.)
In the high Middle Ages noble ladies and gentlemen liked to wear thier hair in loos curles. Who, by nature, had straight hair, had it put into waves. Unlike the rich, the ordinary citizens had their hair in page-boy style, short or chin-length.
Noble women wore flat bonnets that covered the hair of their heads, but showed the plaits decorated with ribbons and gold threads.
Gothic period (1250 - 1500 A.D.)
The church layed down that married women weren’t allowed to show their hair in public. Therefore women wore hats and bonnets partly with veils. As at that time a high forehead was considered as very beautiful women shaved their forehead hair to move their hairline upwards.
Modern Age
Renaissance (1500 - 1600)
During the Renaissance harmony and symmetry were to the fore. The body (the hair, too) was again Allowed to be shown. The hairstyles are getting more imaginative, though sometimes the Roman and Greek hairstyles are simply taken over. Light colours such as blonde and gold were fashionable. They tried to reach those colours with natural dye. Often the hairstyles were decorrated with precious stones, ribbons and pearls. Men were less imaginative than women, rich or poor, they all had similar haircut.
Baroque (1600 - 1720)
In the beginning of the Baroque people wore "Spanish costumes" with very high collars, therefore men preferred short hair. Women still had long hair, but they combed it backwards or upwards, where it was fixed with a wire frame.
After 1650 such hairstyles disappeared. Women mainly had a cross or a round parting. At that time curly or plain fringes covered the forehead. Men let their hair grow after 1650. Curly hair and goatees were fashionable. Therefore the French King Louis 13th (getting bald very early) had a curly wig made.
At the end of the Baroque period women combed their hair upwards again, some got like that up to 60 cm taller.
Biedermeier (1789 - 1848)
In the Biedermeier period wigs disappeared and Romen and Greek hairstyles came to the fore again. From 1804 onwards women used again more often ornamental combs, diadems, bonnets and silk ribbons. While men’s hairstyles changed little at that time, women had more imagination. Mainly T-, V-, Y- or U-shaped partings were fashionable. Ladies had to wear a headgear (bonnets, hats or turbans), that was together with the often high hairstyles not really comfortable.
Art Nouveau (1850 - 1914)
From 1850 onwards more and more people could afford to go to the hairdresser’s. In the beginning most peoble had French hairstyles, whose typical sign was a middle parting. In Austria empress Elizabeth (Sissi) hit the headlines with her long hair decorated with flowers. Around 1870 the hair was once more combed upwards and decorated. 1872 crimping was invented.Hair was pulled over a hot iron and like that a wave was produced. This hairstyle was called turned up hairtsyle. For quite a long time crimping was fashionable. Around 1890 there were hardly any high hairstyles left, also crimping was used less than before. The new hairstyles had to be simple and practical. In the beginning of this period men had curly hair, around the end of the century short hairstyles were successful.
20th century
Various styles (1914 - today)
An important invention in the beginning of the 20th century was the permanent wave (perm), that made it possible to remodel the hair permanently. The different types of curlers and gadgets that were used for the permanent waves were mostly uncomfortable and compicate for the customars.
The hairstyles of the 20th century were influenced on the one hand by technical possibilities, on the other hand by the hairstyles of outstanding personalities.
1st World War
The position of women changed more and more, this could also be seen through new hairstyles. For the first time a French star hairdresser allowed himself to make a woman happy with a short hairstyle. The bobbed hair was the fashionable hairstyle.
The thirties and the 2nd World War
New technical gadgets such as the electric clippers and drying hoods made the hairdresser’s business easier.
Men wore short hair till after the second World War.
After the second World War women liked chin-length naturally swinging hairstyles, the permanent wave, which could be applied in a cold form, was still important.
The fifties
People particularly liked imitating the hairstyles of famous filmstars and other imprtant people. Which rockn’roll made a lot of people feel like a different person, Elvis Presley’s hairstyle was a model for many men!
The sixties
With the enormous succes of the Beatles and their famous Beatle haircut long hair hairstyles became fashionable for men. Millions of young men let their hair grow suddenly.
The seventies
What made the seventies stand out was total freedom in the hairstyles: Everything was allowed. New and shock for many people were the colourful and cheekily cut punk hairstyles.
End of the 20th century
While punk hairstyles still shocked most people during the seventies, they could already be seen in any disco ten years later.
Today dyed and tinged hair are allowed everywhere: The hair is cheekily cut and colourfully dyed from the youngest to the oldest.
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