Hair styles in Ancient Egypt (3000-1596 BC)

Throughout the entire periods of their civilization they didn't change their hair-style or their mode of dressing.  At First they wore their natural hair, which was thick and dark, in tightly braided coiffures, sometimes adding false hair. Wigmaking become universally worn amongst the privileged ones .Poorer people on the other hand wore caps of leather or felt.

Plaints were also very popular but for certain ceremonies the wig had to be worn. Males normally had their head shaved under their wigs and women cut their hair extremely short. It must be also stated that the wigs were made up of human hair and at times from sheep’s wool. The wigs ranged from plaits or braids with some ending in ringlets. These were kept in beautiful decorated boxes, and treated as almost as something sacred.

In Egyptian painting it is noted that during banquets shows that guests wore an ornamented cone of scented pomade on top of their heads. This cone is left there to melt down slowly onto the wig.

During  the period of the 12^th dynasty, we can see an emergence of many hair-accessories made of gold and numerous precious stones. Glass beads also were included but not that popular. Hairpins were made out of bone, ivory, or boxwood.

In 1150BC the colored wigs were extremely fashionable, they came in red, blue and even green.

The barber made sure that when cutting children’s hair he'll leave a lock of hair falling over one of their ears. This sounds strange but the reason behind this was that it signifies the youth of the wearer. Also known as the Horus lock.

The kings apart from being clean shaven, they also grew a square beard and during ceremonial costumes they wear a platted beard.

What I found interesting was that even women used to wear an artificial beard during court ceremonies.

The barber was considered as truly essential, especially for the wealthy families. Poor people had to search for a barber under a tree waiting to make a living. The barbers that accommodated the wealthy were at times also doctors; they took care of their entire body.

Tweezers, scissors, razors and combs were carried in leather cases and kept beautifully in ebony boxes..

Joyce Asser's book
Historic hairdressing (1966) - Re- (1970)