THE DARK AGES
For centuries, women had very long manes of hair. It was not considered acceptable for a woman
to cut off her ”crowning glory”.
In some American Indian Tribes, a woman cut off her hair to
show her grief for the loss of her husband or her betrothed.
Catholic Nuns cut their hair to show
their commitment to God, since they were never seen without wimple and veil, and because a
woman without her hair was considered unattractive to men.
THE MIDDLE AGES
In the Middle Ages, European and other Western women washed their hair once a year, when they washed the rest of themselves. During this time, it was considered sinful to bathe more
regularly than once a year. This is where the tradition of June weddings comes from; the yearly
bath was taken in May, so the marriage often took place in June, with the bride carrying flowers
to cover the smell.
The carrying of the bride over the threshold comes from this time, also,
because the rushes, or reeds placed on floors to keep out winter's chill and make the rooms
fresh-smelling were never taken up- More and more were placed over one another, til a small
board had to be placed in front of the doorway to keep the rushes from piling out the doors when
they were opened. These were replaced one time per year, also in May. Now we know exactly
why the phrase “spring cleaning' was coined.
VICTORIAN TIMES
Women eventually began to wash their hair more often, increasing this ritual to once a month in
the 19th century, as more Scientific discoveries were made about hygiene.
When motion pictures
arrived, women began to wash their hair more and more often, in order to style it like their
favorite movie stars. In the 1920's, women began to cut their hair short, like Coco Chanel's
trademark black bob hairstyle, and they also began to get the first permanent waves put into their
hair, known as the Marcel Wave. It was at this time that sanitariness became the vogue in
everything from new indoor bathrooms to the human body, and women with short hair began to
wash it one time per week.
Just a few short years later, women could have short or long hair, as they chose, as long as this
hairstyling did not conflict with the mores of their religion. Many of the more strict Christian
sects did not, and still do not, allow women to wear short hair.
WORLD WAR 2 TO THE 1980S
In the 1940s, America and the rest of the world was embroiled in World War Two, and many
women entered the workforce, doing the jobs ordinarily done by the men who were now off to
war. During this time, daily, instead of weekly, baths and hair washing became the vogue, as
women came home from a hard day's work in munitions factories, aircraft facilities, etc. This
trend in personal hygiene continued after the war, because women finally could have again all
those things which had been rationed so tightly in order for Victory to be won over the Axis
Powers.
Women would not dare go out of the house in blue jeans or work clothes; now they
dressed more femininely, went to a hairdresser or had a friend coif their hair.
Daily hair washing
became the norm, and this trend continued to the 1980s, since so much styling product was used
in the hair to form the outrageous and unnatural- looking styles considered attractive at the time.
THE DEBATE STILL RAGES
Now, here we are, in the 21st Century, and we still coif our hair to resemble our favorite
celebrities. No one will argue that daily showering or bathing and the wearing of deodorant is a
necessary and integral part of being considered fit for society. There is, however, debate about
how often hair should be washed.
The human hair is composed mostly of dead skin-type cells, known as keratin. It must be kept
clean in order for it to shine, but not enough moisture, and too much brushing and processes like
dyes, perms and relaxers, and heat- styling all take their toll on the hair. These things will make
the hair dry, frizzy, dull and brittle, and cause split ends.
Some hairdressers still recommend washing fine, limp hair every day, so styling products and the
hair's natural oils don't weigh it down and make it look stringy. Many more recommend hair be
washed every other day, and in both cases, a conditioner must be used to protect the hair from
heat styling and to repair damage done by processes such as dyes and perms. People who have
wavy or curly hair, which tends to be more coarse and dry than straight hair are recommended to
wash the hair once or twice per week, depending on how oily their hair and scalp is, so that it
doesn't dry out, break off, and generally turn into a frizzy mess.
The long and the short of it is, that each individual now is free to wash their hair as often as they
feel comfortable, as long as it doesn't harm the hair or cause a health hazard to those around
them.
