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The History of Hair Coloring and Hair Styling.

Were you ever curious how hairstyling ,beauty, and hair coloring
ever came about? Who, back in the day would have ever come up
with the idea of changing ones hair style, let alone color of the hair?
Well studies reveal that haircutting and hairstyling were practiced in
some form as early as the glacial age. They used simple but
effective implements like sharpened flints, oyster shells, or bone.
Animal sinew of hide were used to tie hair back, or as a adornment.
Your probably thinking the same thing I did. "yuck!" but that's all they
had to use in those days long ago.

The Egyptians were the first to cultivate beauty in a extravagant
fashion, and became well-versed in the art of makeup and
hairdressing. The ancient Egyptians also were the first to use
cosmetics as part of their personal beautification habits, and in
religious ceremonies when preparing the deceased for burial.
Ancient records show that coloring matter was made from berries,
the bark of trees, minerals, insects, nuts, herbs, leaves and other
materials that were used on the skin, hair, and nails. Even though
eye paint was the most popular of all cosmetics, henna (a dye
extracted from the leaves of an ornamental shrub) was used to
impart a reddish tint to the hair that is still used to this day. The first
recorded use of henna as a coloring agent was in 1500 B.C.
Excavations from Egyptian tombs also have revealed combs,
brushes, mirrors, and razors made of tempered copper and bronze.
Hairdressing was an art for the Egyptians who liked to wear
elaborate hairdo's and cosmetics, as well as wigs. Egyptian women,
and the Roman women were known to apply a mixture of soil and
water to their hair. They then wrapped their hair on wooden made
rollers to bake in the sun, creating a temporary wave. The first
evidence of nail care recorded in history was prior to 3,000 B.C. in
Egypt and China. Ancient Egyptian men and women of high social
rank stained their nails with red-orange henna. The color of a
person's nail was a sign of rank. Kings and queens wore deep red,
while people of lower society wore only pale colors. Beauty and
grooming took on great symbolic significance in many cultures.
Military commanders in Egypt, Babylon, and early Rome would
spend many hours before a battle, having their hair curled, and their
nails painted the same shade as their lips. Weird, but interesting.

During the golden Age of Greece (500B.C), hairstyling became a
highly developed art. Hairstyling services were introduced in Rome
around 300 B.C. Women used haircolor to indicate their class in
society. Noblewomen tinted their hair red, middle class women
colored their hair blonde, and poor women colored it black.
Hairstyling and barbering continued to grow in importance, and
eventually became identified with the world of medicine. During the
medieval times, cosmetology and medicine were taught as combined
subjects in English universities. When Pope Alexander III forbade the
clergy to shed blood, barbers were enlisted to assist monks and
priests during surgery. They regularly performed bloodletting and
minor surgery, administered herbs, and later pulled teeth. In fact, for
centuries, dentistry was performed only by barbers for more than a
thousand years, they were known as barber-surgeons. Wow how
things have changed dramatically. Now let's go ahead to the
Renaissance times, where emphasis was placed on physical
appearance. The hair was done carefully with ornaments, and
headdresses were worn. Around this time, in 1450, a law was
enacted that separated the practices of barbering and surgery.
They could no longer perform surgery, and surgeons were forbidden
to act as barbers. Now the 19th century an era by research and
innovation, that saw many changes in the field of hair care. In 1875,
a Frenchman named Marcel Grateau developed the technique of
using irons for waving and curling the hair. This developed into the
art of thermal waving, still known today as Marcel waving. In 1890,
the first hairdressing academy was opened in Chicago by Brisbois
and Federmeyer. And finally, in the 20th century, hairstyling began
to follow trends, and soon became available to all classes of people
who could choose their styles based on their needs and desires. So
their you go, there is all need to know about the early history of
hairstyling! And I'm sure we'll be in the history books some day
about all the new, trendy styles we perform today in many salons
and spas around the world.

Michelle is a beauty professional at Salon Destino in Strongsville,
Ohio and a writer for www.beautykazoo.com

References: Milady's Standard Cosmetology Book & Thomson
Learning.com