Victorian Woman’s Hair

The Western ideal of beauty has changed throughout time and radically in the last 100 years and in this blog I want to take you to the Victorian era.

Just like today, Victorian woman’s hair was her crowning glory. They had a very different hairstyle back then. Women curled their hair, as it portrayed a sweeter temperament. Those who had straight hair were frowned upon. 

The silky curl trend came from a French hairdresser. His name was Marcel Grateau. It was achieved by applying hot tongs to produce a curl rather than a crimp. These crimps are done at intervals over the head. It looked like watered silk. The curly hairstyle went on until the 1930s. 

Each hairstyle was done for an occasion. For instance when women put up their hair, it meant that it was a rite of passage in her life. If there was an event coming up then women would put their hair up loosely with a ribbon. 

During the Victorian age, gray hair was deemed very attractive and hair dyes were not really popular as they were just coming out into the market. Herbs and homemade tinctures were applied to the head. 

Not only were hair purely silk and extravagant, but so were the hats. These hats had very big with feathers.