Hair could indicate you were virile, dangerous, untrustworthy, jealous, or just plain old unsanitary. We trace the ups and downs of hairdos, wig use and hair colouring in this podcast episode. Including some unsettling treatments for hair removal, baldness and dandruff. As the styling of women’s hair moved from the home to the salon, so hair treatments moved from pigeon droppings and urine to electricity and x-rays.
We also explore the Victorian market in hair sewing, hair jewellery and gifting your own hair.
Historical clip: Frank Rowntree compilation recordings. Part 1, Track 14. Wellcome Collection. Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)