History of Haircoloring
colors
Objective:

The student will be able to understand color
theory in relationship to history
from prehistoric times to the present
Introduction
Haircoloring is the science of changing the
color of the hair by either removing or
adding color to hair with chemicals
 Color is not new
 Popularity throughout history

– at least as long as history has been recorded
Haircoloring

Neanderthal man
– strange methods
– ingredients
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mud
clay
berries
nuts
roots
minerals
insects
Primitive times
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Paint provided
–
–
–
–

camouflage
disguise
identification
decoration
Favorite coloring
by - products
– plants
– small shrubs
plants & shrubs
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
Grew wild in desert
Plant parts
– released a dye
– thick paste
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Common plants
–
–
–
–
henna
indigo
sage
chamomile
plants & shrubs

applied to hair shaft
– messy
– unpredictable


face
body
Moving through history : 27BC

Thought of as “pre-carrot-top” age
– Sign of class distinction or status
» Gauls dyed their hair red

Dark ages - red was associated w/witchcraft
– actual genetic error , appeared in Scotland around this
time

Women wanted blonde hair
» ashes & elderberries & nutshells
» vinegar sediment
27 B.C.

Women who wanted red hair
» goat’s fat
» beech wood ashes

Popular colors
» blues & green

Created from
» herbs
» teas
» plants or plant extracts
Different colors

Created from herbs, teas, plants or plant
extracts
– heated with wine or vinegar
– metal container
» type of metal determined the color

Lemon & citrus fruits
– lightened
Color

Most popular color
– Black
» leeches
» vinegar
» fermented for two months
» baked in sun
» oil in mouth
» prevented teeth from turning black
1300 B.C.-1600’s

Early Egyptians
– Style of the period was
set by Kings & Queens
» sign of distinction or status
» very prestigious
– Queen Elizabeth
» gave regal RED
its proper place
in history
1300 B.C.-1600’s
– Concoctions
» henna , sage , & indigo
» packed on their hair to brighten & cover gray
» results again were undesirable
Egyptian style

Men & women shaved their heads
– for reasons of hygiene
– ritual feast
– wealthy women of high lineage had their wigs
made from real hair
– poorer women used wool
– social status was immediately evident from the
wig & color
Egyptian

Color of wigs
–
–
–
–
–
blue
brown
orange
pink
white
» most popular of wigs or hair

women wearing yellow-blond was identified as a woman
of a particular profession
Golden Age : Roman Empire

Captives of unfamiliar races
– fair haired titian’s awed the Romans
– bleached their own hair w/ saffron , red arsenic,
nut shells and ashes of plants

Roman law
– decreed that yellow or blonde was to be worn
by “women of the night”
– first indication that blondes were having more
fun
Roman hair
Roman elite had hairdressers to help
prepare hair dye
 Cut their hair off when in mourning

– wear a wig
Choice of wig determined time of day,
occasion & social standing
 Imported blonde hair from Germanic tribes

Renaissance Period
Re-birth, end of middle age
 Beginning of new era
 Beginning of Modern Times
 Renaissance women favored golden hues

– by then considered angelic
Renaissance

Colors created from herbs, teas, plants or
extracts
– heated w/ wine or vinegar
– type of metal container determined the color

Lightened hair
– lemons & other citrus fruits
– soap or alum , black sulfur & honey
– spread their tresses over a brimless hat until the
sun helped them achieve the shade they desired
Renaissance

Black most popular color
– leeches & vinegar fermented for 2 months
– applied while in sun the women held oil in
mouth to keep their teeth from tuning black

Lighter look to hair
– weave strands of pure gold into their hair
– wigs made of Scandinavian hair ; very wealthy
– powders, pomades, roots, herbs & every
conceivable concoction imaginable
19th Century
Natural ingredients remained the essence of
haircolor until the 19th century
 1800’s , men began using silver nitrate to
darken their mustaches
 1825 - first real haircolor was developed

– Grecian Water - mixture of distilled water,
silver nitrate & gum water
» repeated usage made hair turn purple
19th Century

1859 - German student working w/ coal tar,
diluted it with alcohol
– result was purple dye
– trappers used to dye fur
– first synthetic dye to be used on fabrics & hair
19th Century
1885 - discovery of
Para-Phenylene-Diamine
 Used alone or with metallic salts
 Expanding the range & quality of color
available

19th Century
Unfortunately this product looked artificial
 General public would not accept this color
 Left to actresses and wealthy women of
leisure

20th Century

Around the turn of the century
– metallic substances mixed w/ chemicals
– could only darken
» continual usage caused hair to go black
– adverse reaction to other chemicals
» permanent waving

Still a taboo to color your hair
– ladies would deny they colored their hair
Early
th
20
Century
Popular
for actresses to
color their hair.
It
wasn’t until the middle of
the century that a common
woman dying her hair was
accepted.
1920’s

Silver Blonde Era
– identified with entertainment figures
» Jean Harlow - almost white blonde hair

Bleaching
– daring but popular
– mixed soap flakes, ammonia, peroxide & white
henna with an old-fashioned egg beater

Eliminate yellow
– mercury or silver dust was used
1930’s
Chemicals were still unstable & harsh
 Nonetheless, women were running to get
their hair bleached

– even though the chemicals were comparable to
present day laundry bleaches

Hair color went back in the closet because
only “loose girls” used it
1932
First oil shampoo tint introduced by Clairol
 Could be applied directly to the hair with
swab or brush because of the viscosity
 Produce a true-to-life color
 Launching haircolor on the route to become
a huge, profitable industry

1940
Women admitted they colored their hair
 Demand for color

– needed to produce a permanent hair color
– compatible with permanent waving
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Two - step process
– pre-lighten
– to color
1940
The dye was without viscosity
 Professional application

– with cotton swab
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Desired color
– processing time

Beginning of the industry
1950
Silver & pastel blondes became the rage
 “Technicolor” & motion picture industry

– created a never-ending demand
– “titian” & high-fashion shades

First real breakthrough
– lightened hair without bleach
1950

Clairol
– introduced Miss Clairol Hair Color Bath
– lightened & tinted in a single step
– spray - in colors became popular

Color took off
1960’s
Introduction of shampoo - in color
 Manufacturers made products so easy to
apply

– it could be done at home

7 out of 10 women color their hair as well
as men
1960’s
Down fall of the industry
 Drop in business in coloring
 Created a need for special effects through
application
 This gave the Cosmetologist the opportunity
to prove that haircoloring belongs in the
hands of the professional

1980’s

Women had choice
–
–
–
–
temporary
permanent
semi-permanent
vegetable dyes
» for those with a “ natural bent “
Today
Advances in haircolor chemistry results in
diversity of products
 The field of dimensional haircoloring has
brought a whole new audience to
professional haircoloring
 It is the combination of these skills that
make a truly creative haircolor artist

Today


Laboratories throughout the world are now
working on the first laser color
Lasers can lighten in a nanosecond
– process has yet be controlled

Unless you want to go from black to white blonde
( maybe hairless ) in a lightening flash
– forget lasers for the time being, they are perfected for
use in hair removal