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EveryHairstyle

History

Styles of the past: the powdered wig, the Gibson girl, the queue. 63 hairstyles on EveryHairstyle so far.

Hairstyles of the past show the tastes, rules and technology of their age. Ancient Egyptians wore wigs over shaved heads; Roman women built crests of curls; European men of the 17th and 18th centuries wore periwigs and women the fontange and the pouf; Qing China imposed the queue; and the 1920s brought the bob and the Eton crop. Many old styles return, renamed, decades later.

Courts and empires

The Fonseca bust in Rome shows the tall crest of curls of a woman of about AD 90 to 100. In 17th-century Europe, men of fashion wore a lovelock, a long tress over the left shoulder, and then periwigs. At Versailles the fontange rose around 1680 and the pouf in the 1770s. In Qing China, from 1645, Han men were made to wear the Manchu queue, a rule lifted only after 1912.

Revolutions in hair

After the French Revolution of 1789, wigs and powder gave way to short natural styles such as the Titus cut, named after the Roman emperor. In the 1920s many women cut their hair into bobs and the even shorter Eton crop, set with marcel waves. In mid-19th-century Scotland women wore their hair in a gathered knot called a cockernonnie. Hairstyles of the past live on in revivals, costume drama and the work of historians who recreate them.

Famous history hairstyles

FontangeThe tall headdress of about 1680 to 1710PoufThe towering style of the 1770sQueueImposed in Qing China from 1645LovelockA tress worn over the heart, late 1500s and 1600sRoman hairstylesCurls and braids of ancient RomeEton cropEton cropThe shortest cut of the 1920sTitus cutA short style after the RevolutionCockernonnieA 19th-century Scottish knot

Further reading

KindCutBraidUpdoPonytailLocsNaturalCurlsShavedFringeStyledWrappedAdorned
Hair typeStraight hairWavy hairCurly hairCoily and kinky hairFine hairThick hairAny hair
Worn byMostly womenMostly menAnyoneChildrenBrides and weddingsFaith and religious ordersUniform and workSubcultures and music
OrderBest knownA to ZOldest firstNewest firstBy length
🇪🇸 SpainPeineta Large decorative comb worn under a lace veilAdorned · Any hair · 1800 🇺🇸 United StatesTignon A wrapped cloth headdress worn by Creole women in Louisiana.Wrapped · Any hair · 1786 🇬🇧 United KingdomSnood A net or cloth bag that holds hair at the back of the head.Wrapped · Any hair · 1590 🇰🇷 South KoreaGache A heavy traditional Korean wig worn by high-status women and kisaeng.Wrapped · Any hair · 1788 🇰🇷 South KoreaDaenggi A traditional Korean ribbon used to tie and decorate braided hair.Adorned 🇨🇳 China and 1 moreBuyao A Chinese hairpin with dangling ornaments that sway when the wearer moves.Adorned · Any hair WorldBangs Strands of hair cut to cover the forehead and fall over the eyebrows.Cut · Any hair · 1880 WorldLong hair Head hair grown to a considerable length, often past the shoulders.Styled · Any hair WorldBun A hairstyle where hair is gathered and coiled into a circular shape on the head.Updo · Any hair 🇫🇷 France and 2 morePompadour High-volume hair swept up and back from the forehead.Updo · Any hair · 1950 🇵🇱 Poland and 1 morePolish plait A matted hair formation viewed as both a medical condition and a folk amulet in Eastern Europe.Styled · Coily and kinky hair · 1600 🇫🇷 France and 1 moreFontange A towering headdress and hairstyle popular in late 17th century Europe.Wrapped · 1690 🇺🇸 United StatesBeehive A conical updo piled high on the crown.Updo · Any hair · 1960 🇯🇵 JapanNihongami Traditional Japanese hairstyles characterized by elaborate updos, side wings, and wax styling.Updo · Straight hair 🇫🇷 France and 2 morePouf An elaborate 18th-century French hairstyle featuring extreme height and decorative ornaments.Styled · Any hair · 1775 🇬🇧 United KingdomLovelock A single long braid worn over the left shoulder by 17th-century Europeans.Braid · Any hair · 1580 WorldMarcelling A heat-styled curl technique from the 1870s.Curls · Any hair · 1872 WorldShort hair A general category for haircuts kept above the shoulders or chin.Cut · Any hair · 1920 🇺🇸 United StatesFinger wave S-shaped waves set by hand with comb and gelStyled · Straight hair · 1920 Victory rolls 🇬🇧 United KingdomVictory rolls A 1940s women's hairstyle featuring voluminous side rolls shaped like the letter V.Styled · Straight hair · 1940 🇨🇳 ChinaLiangbatou A tall Manchu headdress featuring two side-parted hair sections and elaborate ornamentation.Wrapped Eton crop 🇬🇧 United KingdomEton crop A very short, slicked-down women's cut from the 1920s.Cut · Any hair · 1920 🇫🇷 FranceTitus cut Short layered cut with curls from late 18th-century FranceCut · Curly hair · 1791 🇷🇺 RussiaRussian braid A traditional long plait from Russia with historic marital meanings.Braid · Any hair WorldWings A layered cut where side hair flips out like wings.Cut · Wavy hair · 1830 🇫🇷 France and 1 moreHigh roll A towering 18th-century hairstyle built with frames and pomatum.Styled · Any hair · 1760 WorldNubian wig A short, curly Ancient Egyptian wig mimicking Nubian tribal hair.Styled · Curly hair 🇯🇵 JapanSeiko-chan cut A feathered Japanese idol hairstyle from the 1980s.Cut · Straight hair · 1980 Historical Christian hairstyle WorldHistorical Christian hairstyles A survey of hair practices in Christianity from antiquity to the early modern period.Shaved · Any hair 🇬🇧 United KingdomCockernonnie A mid-19th century Scottish updo where hair was gathered into a bun.Updo · Any hair · 1850 🇪🇬 Egypt and 4 moreWig Artificial head covering made from human, animal or synthetic hair.Wrapped · Any hair Jjok 🇰🇷 South KoreaJjok A traditional Korean bun for married women in the Joseon era.Updo · Any hair · 1724 Bettie bangs 🇺🇸 United StatesBettie bangs Short, straight-across fringe from the 1950s pinup era.Fringe · Straight hair · 1950 Pin curls 🇺🇸 United StatesPin curls Vintage wet-set technique for soft waves and volumeStyled · Straight hair · 1930 🇯🇵 JapanNihongami Traditional Japanese hairstyles featuring structured wings and topknots, worn by women in historical periods and by geisUpdo · Straight hair WorldBraids A hairstyle formed by interlacing three or more strands of hair.Braid · Any hair Densinkran 🇬🇭 GhanaDensinkran Short Ashanti mourning cut for royal womenCut · Any hair

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

The weekly digest

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