19th Century Hair Treatment: To Wash or Not to Wash?

Hair treatment principles and possibilities changed once and for all when Hans Schwarzkopf, the German pharmacist, invented the world’s first shampoo. As people of the 21st century, we doubtfully can imagine our lives without that bathroom cosmetic solution. Still, times were different in the past. Let’s try to take a look at the short historical period from the hairstyling viewpoint.

Decades and even centuries before the first shampoo invention, both men and women had the need to care about their hair. Actually, the topic just mentioned might become an excellent concept for an academic assignment. By the way, those looking for the opportunity to pay for essay online shouldn’t forget to read this speedy paper review.

While coming back to the topic of hair treatment, it won’t be a mistake to say that women of all times did whatever they could to be as beautiful as it was possible. Until the 19th century, personal hygiene principles were not too widespread in Europe. Read on for: 19th Century Hair Treatment: To Wash or Not to Wash?

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In the early 1800s, ladies still preferred not to wash their hair. Nevertheless, making one’s hair wet with a piece of cloth to get rid of sweat particles became a norm slowly but surely. That was progress worth noting, but still, hair treatment was far from being correct back in those days.

Dirt and lice on one’s hair were thought to be the main reasons for almost all headaches: people stated that dirty pieces and lice prevent normal exchange processes between the scalp’s skin and the “outer” world. Multiple guides for young ladies and mature women stated things pretty clearly and understandably: a lady should let more air flow through her hairlines. To do that, it was recommended to use hair brushes of different types, including very thin ones made of ivory.

In the middle of the century, the opinion about washing to make hair become brittle and dry tended to prevail. As a result, a person was thought to risk losing hair early because of washing it with water. Fortunately, there were alternative concepts.

How Frequently They Washed Hair

The thoughts about the most suitable hair washing procedure frequency were different depending on the territory and social status of a particular person. Wealthy families of Europe living in the 19th century used to keep up with various recommendations.

Some spent enough time to wash it three times weekly, while others felt it completely alright to go in for cleaning their hair with water only once per month. Girls from poor neighborhoods could spend three months without a single hair washing and thought it was enough.

Ways to Treat Hair

Hair Styling Tricks and Mysteries

It was somewhat of a taboo to let hair remain loose in the 19th century. Women preferred a braid or any strict hairstyle and even considered them as obligatory. Yes, they kept their braids tight through the nights as well. A hairdresser was the one to bring aid to wealthier ladies. A professional used to visit a lady at home and make her a week-long hairstyle.

The main hairstyling secret was the fact that the hair remained fat throughout styling. Special hair washing pomades combined with skin fats caused an effect likely to that of a modern hairspray. The hairstyle could keep its shape for 7 days straight if a hairdresser was skilled enough.

In the modern world, we have an array of styling tools used by many. To prevent damage caused by hot tools, use the Iles Formula Finishing Serum which has built-in heat protection for all styling tools. This Iles Formula Finishing Serum not only protects hair against heated tools, it also protects against UV color fade and humidity without ever weighing the hair down. It has the power to make thin hair feel thicker and calms down thick coarse hair. The trick is to ADD HEAT to the serum and blow it dry in.

Article by guest writer Eva Thaler from Wizz Links