Victorian hairstyling

‘In the Victorian era, a woman’s hair was often thought to be one of her most valuable assets and held huge significance, with strict social codes of conduct regarding how they wore/covered it. The face and hair were the only areas of a woman's body that were always visible at a time when women's bodies were mostly covered. Writers and artists of the time focused on hair, with elaborate description in novels.

It was believed that a woman's personality could be inferred from her hair. Curly-haired women were considered to be sweeter-natured than women with straight hair. Long, thick, loose hair was associated with a woman's sexuality – the longer and thicker the hair, the more passionate the woman's nature.

Perhaps it was for this reason that women began to be photographed from the side or rear with their long hair flowing freely down their backs. It also demonstrated that they did not have to resort to artificial pads or hairpieces to achieve their hairstyles.’

Arbuckle, A. (1900) The Victorian women who never cut their hair. Available at: http://mashable.com/2015/08/25/victorian-long-hair/#hcZB2MKXakqx (Accessed: 26 February 2016).

‘Styles varied quite a bit throughout the nearly 7 decades of Queen Victoria’s reign, with everything from simple middle parts to elaborate pieces made from human hair being in fashion. Accessories such as combs, pearls, hats and bonnets each had their time in the spotlight throughout the 1800's. Victorians weren’t as serious as people think they were, but they sure took their hair seriously.

Hair was long in the Victorian age. Haircuts weren’t exactly a thing yet for women. They did occasionally trim split ends, or even singe them, but long hair was viewed as being ultra-feminine and desirable. Loose hair wasn’t something that “respectable” women would wear in public and was mostly a style used for the sake of art. Girls often wore their hair down, but were expected to begin wearing it up around the age of 15 or 16. More often than not the women with long, cascading hair were models and actresses intended to depict intimacy and romanticism.

When it comes to long hair, nobody could top the “Seven Sutherland Sisters”. They became a national sensation in the 1880’s because of their hair (37 feet in total), and made a living doing musical performances with their hair down. They capitalized on it even further by producing a line of hair care products, and became quite rich.

Long hair styled in an updo was the way most women, especially upper class women, wore their hair during this era. Neatness and cleanliness were important. Hairstyles also often reflected dress styles, with the entire silhouette of a woman being taken into account. To create more elaborate looks, women would use false pieces, usually made from human hair. These pieces were much easier to style and also added volume.

Long Victorian hair

1830’s – women usually rocked a clean middle part with their hair tied back in a neat bun, braids, or twist. Occasionally they curled the sides, but bangs weren’t in fashion.

1840’s – women began sporting “barley curls”, long ringlets that were worn mainly by children before they came into style for adults. Chignons moved to the back of the head.

1850’s – hoop skirts took over this decade and hair expanded to match. While still parting it in the middle, many women began padding the sides, creating large wings or rolls.

1860’s – chignons began to move towards the back of the head, mimicking changes in dress style. Huge hoops reached max fullness and women began wearing dresses that were full in the back, giving the silhouette more of an S-shape.

1870’s – bustles burst onto the scene and hair moved even higher.

1880’s – hair got a little weird. Pompadours appeared, sometimes accompanied by bangs. Just like the 80's of the 20th century, frizzy bangs were hot. Middle parts fell out of fashion.

1890’s – introduced a hairstyle that later became an Edwardian icon: the Gibson Girl look. This consisted of a natural, simple bun without much detail. Young women swept their hair into a loose bun at the back of their head. The bun mimicked the more elaborate pompadour style of the 1880’s since it swept hair away from the forehead, but it lacked the height of the pompadour.

Victorian women often had rats in their hair to increase volume. They were usually made from the loose hair collected from a woman’s comb, which would be stuffed into a hair receiver – a small box or dish kept on the vanity table. Rats were used as padding to fluff out the sides or top of the hair, often in order to create a more balanced silhouette in which the head appeared to be approximately the same size as the waist.’

Text and image reference: Harris, K. (2015) Victorian Hairstyles: A short history, in photos. Available at: http://www.whizzpast.com/victorian-hairstyles-a-short-history-in-photos/ (Accessed: 26 February 2016).

Hair decorations:

‘While bonnets and hairnets remained popular hair ornaments and coverings, the practice of decorating a hairstyle with flowers rapidly grew after Elisabeth of Bavaria, empress of Austria during the mid- to late-19th century, first started the practice. Some young women opted to weave flowers directly into braids and curls, while other women wore headdresses with flowers attached. For example, headdress might consist of petunias woven together in a chain, roses tied into a wreath or pansies attached to a comb amongst gold leaves.’

Written and lowe, caitlynn (1999) Simple victorian hairstyles | eHow UK. Available at: http://www.ehow.co.uk/info_8144594_simple-victorian-hairstyles.html (Accessed: 26 February 2016).

Victorian hats and bonnets 

(no date) Available at:
http://www.fashion-era.com/images/HairHats/original_hathair_images/3hats1840-58.jpg (Accessed: 26 February 2016).

Men’s hairstyling: 

‘This period was an age of energy, with a huge industrial and economic expansion, in which Britain held the position of world leadership, with the biggest colonial Empire. The Victorian moral was of straight and solid principles. Hairstyles were successively changing during different moments of this period. Men, since 1840 until approximately 1865, wore their hair more or less long, and became in fashion big moustaches, sideburns, and beards. Also was "à la mode" the puritan hairstyle of the 19th century, with no moustaches, and sideburns attached to a short beard, like Abraham Lincoln.

After 1860, and until the end of the century, hair was used shorter, but beards and moustaches were constantly used. Gentlemen used different kinds of waxes and oils to keep their hair in shape, including wood frames used at the night time to preserve the form of their moustaches. At the end of the century many decided to use a clean shaven face and short hair. Amongst all the products used to conditioning or fix the hair, the most popular was the Macassar oil. Made with a mix of coconut oil, palm oil and oil from flowers called "ylang-ylang", advertisements promised "to strength and stimulate hair growth". Because of the popularity of this unguent, housewives began to cover the arms and backs of their chairs with an "anti-Macassar" protection, which was a cloth designed to prevent soiling in the fabric.’

The hair at the nineteenth century (no date) Available at: http://thehistoryofthehairsworld.com/hair_19th_century.html (Accessed: 26 February 2016).

Victorian men's hairstyles and facial hair

Fashionisto, T. (no date) In the next room. Available at:
https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/335307134728527091/ (Accessed: 26 February 2016).