Wigs and Hair Extensions Down the Ages
These days, you only have to watch the TV ads to see that long flowing tresses are the favourite way to wear your hair, hence the popularity of hair extensions. It hasn't always been so, however. The fashion for long hairstyles has waxed and waned, along with the need for additional hair.
The 20th Century
A century ago, when women's hair was known as their crowning glory, it was usually worn up, often in complicated and big styles using a pompadour frame that included additional wavy hair. Women bought hair pieces to fill up empty spaces around their heads. It must have been quite tiring to hold up their heads weighed down with heavy hair and frames.
In the roaring twenties of the twentieth century, a few daring young ladies cut their hair short. Soon all fashionable women were having their hair cropped shorter and shorter to go with their shortening skirts, boyish silhouettes and cloche hats.
When the fashion for womanly curves returned in the 1930s, so did longer wavy hair. Medium length hair became the norm. Backcombed, bouffant up-styles, sometimes assisted by false hair pieces became big in the 60s, until the advent of more natural looking, flowing locks and the bouncing flicked styles of the late 70s.
Earlier Hair Fashions
Watch any historical film, where the movie-makers have tried to get the fashions of the period correct, and you'll see mostly long hair in the styles of the day. They might be the exaggerated, complicated up-dos of the 1770s, or the close curls that went with Empire line dresses. Many of them would not be all the wearers' natural hair at the time. They might be complete wigs or just supplemented by hair pieces and extensions.
Very Early Use of Wigs and False Hair
As far back as the fourth century BC, the ancient Egyptian pharaohs and well to do people are known to have worn wigs. Sometimes they shaved their heads, but always wore hair in public. Ancient Greek and Roman upper class women frequently enhanced their natural long hair with hair extensions and wigs.
Wear your wig or hair extensions with pride and remember the connection they give you with women throughout history.
The 20th Century
A century ago, when women's hair was known as their crowning glory, it was usually worn up, often in complicated and big styles using a pompadour frame that included additional wavy hair. Women bought hair pieces to fill up empty spaces around their heads. It must have been quite tiring to hold up their heads weighed down with heavy hair and frames.
In the roaring twenties of the twentieth century, a few daring young ladies cut their hair short. Soon all fashionable women were having their hair cropped shorter and shorter to go with their shortening skirts, boyish silhouettes and cloche hats.
When the fashion for womanly curves returned in the 1930s, so did longer wavy hair. Medium length hair became the norm. Backcombed, bouffant up-styles, sometimes assisted by false hair pieces became big in the 60s, until the advent of more natural looking, flowing locks and the bouncing flicked styles of the late 70s.
Earlier Hair Fashions
Watch any historical film, where the movie-makers have tried to get the fashions of the period correct, and you'll see mostly long hair in the styles of the day. They might be the exaggerated, complicated up-dos of the 1770s, or the close curls that went with Empire line dresses. Many of them would not be all the wearers' natural hair at the time. They might be complete wigs or just supplemented by hair pieces and extensions.
Very Early Use of Wigs and False Hair
As far back as the fourth century BC, the ancient Egyptian pharaohs and well to do people are known to have worn wigs. Sometimes they shaved their heads, but always wore hair in public. Ancient Greek and Roman upper class women frequently enhanced their natural long hair with hair extensions and wigs.
Wear your wig or hair extensions with pride and remember the connection they give you with women throughout history.
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