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Hair, a cultural marker

Since time immemorial, the comprehensive art of arranging hair has enabled people to express their identity. Framed by religious or military context, impacted by innovation or influenced by culture, hairdressing has been constantly reinventing itself for centuries, and represents the 2nd most important craft activity in France. Here's a look back at the history of a sector that has always followed the trends of its time.

A few historical fun facts

While today's hair fashions are launched by influencers on social networks and sometimes musealized by major cultural establishments (see the “Hair and fur” exhibition at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in 2023), for millennia they have been made and unmade according to political or religious changes.


Here are a few historical facts to illustrate the chronology:

  • In ancient times, cutting one's hair was synonymous with mourning. The tendency was therefore to cut hair long, except for priests who, in Egypt, had to shave their entire body to be as “pure” as possible when presenting themselves before their god.
     
  • The Celts, on the other hand, used their manes to... frighten their enemies. 

Warriors soaked their hair in a mixture of water and powdered chalk. The hair was then pulled back towards the nape of the neck and stiffened as it dried: a shaggy, dissuasive effect guaranteed!

  • We remain in the martial register with the instructions given by Alexander the Great to his soldiers in Greece: cut their hair very short and shave their beards so that these 2 attributes cannot be caught in close combat. True heroes of the Hellenistic period (323-31 BC), these soldiers were gradually followed by civilians during their territorial conquests.
     
  • Citizens who, in addition to appearing combative, were thus able to differentiate themselves more easily from the Barbarians. To avoid being equated with slaves, they also had to avoid shaving their heads, a characteristic only attributable to enslaved populations.

I can't keep up with fashion,
as each day seems to introduce a new style.

Ovide (43 av. J.-C)
  • Under the Roman Empire, the “social marker” dimension of hairstyles took another turn with the arrival of the comb. The object inspired increasingly sophisticated hairstyles, and some wealthy Roman women even had a slave whose sole task was to comb their hair (the slave had to master the subtle art of plaiting).
  • This advanced art of arranging hair declined with the introduction of pearls and tiaras. These accessories were very popular throughout the 5th century, but also went out of fashion in the Middle Ages: under the influence of the Catholic religion, covering the head in public (with veils, chaperons or headdresses) became the rule.
  • Another royal influence was the wigs introduced by Louis XIII... when he started to lose his hair!

The Renaissance also saw the return of ornaments and long hair, both of which were true signs of wealth and refinement.

  • Speaking of distinction, the 18th century was the century of excess. Jewelry, ribbons, flowers or even scale models of objects: intricate creations competed on the heads of men and women (such as Marie-Antoinette) wanting to stand out with their spectacular hairstyles.
  • In contrast, the 19th century was much more low-profile, with soft, natural cuts inspired by the artistic movements of Romanticism and Realism. More pragmatic, these hairstyles adapted to everyday life, as have all those that have appeared since, such as the famous garçonne cut of the Roaring Twenties, a direct legacy of the First World War, which saw women occupy historically masculine professions.

The salon is where it's at

It was also in the 19th century that the 1st hairdressing salons emerged in Europe, with France quickly establishing its position in the art of hair styling with its many “coiffeur-perruquiers” practicing their skills in their own homes or workshops.

Cutting, straightening or straightening, coloring or bleaching, braiding, adding a hairpiece or extension, styling....
Their profession involves mastering a wide range of actions and tools, such as scissors and hairdryers, the latter two of which have considerably advanced the profession.

Among their missions, one corresponds to an ancient but still very popular practice: hair coloring. 
In fact, hair coloring didn't wait for the emergence of these businesses, now an essential part of French people's daily lives, to express itself:

  • The Greeks dyed their hair by dipping a lead comb in vinegar or covering it with colored powder (as did the Druids long after them).
  • Roman women used sapo germain, a dye obtained by mixing goat fat and beech ash.
  • And the Celts used lime, or a caustic ointment made from tallow and certain types of ash.

Since then, hair coloring techniques have evolved, with products that are less and less harmful to the hair, and at the same time offer more options for personalization: from simple balayage to highlights to full coloring in a wide range of shades, this practice is one of the most popular in the nearly 100,000 salons open in France.

Among these popular local businesses are the 500 salons run by DESSANGE, a brand launched in 1954 and internationally renowned for its hair care expertise. So, would you like to make an appointment to change your head? Find a DESSANGE hair salon.


Valérie from Comme des Français
 

 

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Crédit photos : https://depositphotos.com/fr/