Women's Hair In The Victorian Age

Women's hair in the Victorian age was extremely long. Women never got haircuts, only trims on occasion, and if they were ill. Having long hair was very desirable for women. In many photos, you will see that women had their long wavy hair down. In that age, loose hair wasn't perceived as respectful and was worn more for the sake of art. Children were allowed to wear their hair down but were expected to put it up when they are around the age of 15 or 16. Women, in the 1840’s, wore chignons at the top of their heads, combining chignons with locks falling on either side of the face. They decorated their hair with combs, flowers, leaves, pearls, and jeweled ribbons. They used to part their hair in the center and tied to the nape with a knot. Curls framing the hair were common around 1850. Curls and waves, after 1860, were used, and they used metallic hair curlers at night to preserve the shape of their curls.

To create this hairstyle, women added in front of their heads hairpieces, usually made from their hair, and saving all the hair from their hairbrushes in a small container made of glass or ceramic. Among the fashionable middle and upper classes of the Victorian society, women’s hair became the main point of sexual interest, and the essential expression of her femininity. For the poorer classes, maintaining long locks among the disease and poor hygiene of the time was highly impractical. Many women devoted to selling their hair for cash — not a problem if they typically wore it short or