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Egyptian
In the heat of Egypt, noblemen and women clipped their hair close to the head. But for ceremonial occasions heavy, curly black wigs
were worn. Womens wigs were often long and braided, adorned with gold ornaments or ivory hairpins. Men's faces were generally clean shaven, but stiff false beards were sometimes worn.
Grecian
In classical Greece womens hair was long and pulled back into a chignon. Many dyed their hair red with henna and sprinkled it with gold powder, often adorning it with fresh flowers or jewelled tiaras. Men's hair was short and even shaved on occasion.
Roman
The tendency was to follow Greek styles. The upper classes would use curling irons and favoured the gold powdered look of the Greeks. Women often dyed their hair blonde or wore wigs made from hair of captive civilization slaves. Later, hairstyles became more ornate with hair curled tight and piled high on the head often shaped around wire frames. The upper classes were attended to by slaves or visited public barber shops.
Chinese
Unmarried Chinese girls hair was usually worn long and braided whilst women combed the hair back from the face and wound into a knot at the nape. The Manchu regime of the time dictated that men shaved the front of the head and wore the back hair long and braided, tied with black silk.
Japanese
Males in Japan also shaved the front of the head but kept the back hair pulled tightly into a short stiff ponytail. During the Medieval period womens hair had been long and loose but by the 17th century the hair became more styled, swept up from the nape of the neck and adorned with pins and jewelled combs. Geisha womens hairdos were especially elaborate, high and heavily lacquered and often enhanced with hairpieces.
Native American (North & South)
Native American Indians were divided in their hairstyles those on the East Coast sporting entirely shaved heads save for a ridge of hair along the crown (Mohican), whilst Plains Indians, both men and women, wore the typically recognized long braids adorned with feathers. Further South the Incas wore black headbands over relatively, short often bobbed hair, whilst Aztec women plaited their hair entwined with strips of coloured cloth then wound around the head. The Mayan nobility, although having shaved heads, donned high, ornate headdresses.
The Western World - 15th century
During the Renaissance period the ladies of the upper classes really took plucking to its limit! Plucking the entire front hairline away to give the appearance of a higher forehead! The rest of the hair was tightly scraped back to show off the elaborate headdresses of the day.
-16th Century
Queen Elizabeth was the main female icon and set the trends for the era. Her lily-white complexion and red tresses set women everywhere rushing for white face powder and red wigs. Those really serious about achieving a pallid complexion used the very successful but highly poisonous white lead, adding glowing cheeks with – lead based rouge! Follow this with a thin layer of egg-white to bind it all together and you were ready to party (and die probably quite soon after!)
-18th Century
The 18th century saw the emergence of elaborate wigs, mile-high coiffures and highly decorated curls. White powdered wigs with long ringlets were the fashion of the day often tied back with a black bow for men or decorated with feathers, bows and garlands for women. Big hair was definitely the 'in' thing.
Victorian
The emphasis was on natural beauty. Hair was supposed to look sleek, shiny and healthy and styles were altogether more elegant and demure. The hair was often smoothed down with oils and curled into long ringlets. Hairnets were often worn during the day to keep curls confined and clipped to the back of the head with a simple comb or bow. 'Loose' hair would have been considered vulgar. Men of the time kept their hair relatively short, and most would have worn some form of moustache, beard and sideburns.
1920s
The 'Roaring Twenties' saw the emergence of short, bobbed and waved styles (Marcel). Make-up was very much back in fashion powder, rouge and very red lips were 'in' . Men's hair remained short, as in the Victorian era but was most often worn with a centre parting and slicked back using brilliantine
1940s
1940's women had soft curls falling onto the shoulders or long, wavy natural looks. Practical or working women wore their hair in a neat roll around the neck and over the ears, often covered with a headscarf knotted at the front leaving only the fringe exposed.
1950s
The 'domestic goddess' look was fashionable. Ladies wore shoulder 'Flick out' hair. Many wore alice bands or ribbon in their hair. Men wore greased back hair with sideburns and quiffs.
1960s.
Back-combed beehive hairstyles with a fringe or left their hair longer to wear it loose adorning it with flowers or ribbons during the fashionable 'hippy' phase. Mary Quant also influenced the short bob to be worn with 'mod' dresses. The Beatles influenced many men to have their hair cut into a 'pudding basin' style or grew it long if they were a hippy.
1970s
Long, free and natural best describes hair in the 1970's. Manes of free-falling curls, soft partings and long fringes. The cult-series 'Charlie's Angels' depicted everything that 70s woman should be. Men had longer, flick out styles, layers and tight afros. Spiked hair, dyed many different colours were worn by the many punks roaming the streets.
1980s
The long-bob was popular as were 'big' hairdos and two-tone hair. Masses of curls with huge bows. Choppy styles and asymmetric styles completed the 'New Romantic' look. The punk craze was also still present.
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