How Often To Wash The Hair – Victorian Hair Care
Are we washing our hair too much? Could we learn something from the Victorian era that's been forgotten, or worse yet... lost on purpose?
If you've ever studied the Bible, fairy tales or history, you have heard stories and myths about the power of long hair. But is there any truth to it?
Let's take the bible story of Samson and Delilah for example...
The Bible tells us Delilah lulled Samson to sleep with his head in her lap, and then she called in a man to shave off the seven locks of his hair. In this way she began to bring him down, and his strength left him.
And there's many other fictional and nonfictional accounts of how long hair gives us all strength. So, what can we learn from the Victorian era about hair care? You might be surprised!
Women of all ages can wear long hair! Men can wear long hair too! But society has given us some bad beauty advice in several ways when it comes to how to grow it long, keep it healthy, and daily care.
Victorian Hair Care Advice
According to several resources I've found, here are a few tips and advice for growing long and healthy hair.
The hair should be washed once or twice a week with pure white soap and water. Avoid ‘daily shower-bath, which […] excites local irritation, and, as a result, loss of hair quickly follows. […] The most acceptable time to wash the hair […] is just before retiring, in order to avoid going into the open air or getting into a draught and taking cold.’ (Scientific American Supplement Volumes, 1883)
Oily hair can be remedied by being washed once in two weeks, while hair with a normal amount of oil should not be washed more than once a month unless one is engaged in dusty work or is traveling constantly.’ (Marin Journal, 1901)
Another interesting fact about after you shampoo your hair is the way they would "dry it".
To keep the hair fluffy as the style demands, you may wash the front locks every other week with castile soap and use a beautiful fan to dry your hair.
After doing much reading and research, I think I will wash my hair less often and brush more often than I normally do.
It's funny how we can learn something "new" by looking at "old" ways. Perhaps we should all do this more, and not always listen to commercials and media for advice!
RELATED: Eating For Healthy Hair
Comments