Hairdressing is the art of cutting, washing, styling, setting, and arranging the hair. Throughout history, men and women have arranged their hair, primarily to enhance their appearance.
The hairdressings worn by a particular people generally conform to the society’s ideal of beauty. However, many styles have been created for social, religious, or political reasons and have been designed to make the wearer appear less attractive. In ancient Greece, for example, slaves were required to wear their hair short as a symbol of servitude, in contrast to the fashion ably longer style of freemen. Since hair is regarded as an adornment, Orthodox Jewish women have long observed the custom of covering their hair in public so that they appear attractive only to their husbands. An example of changing hairstyles for political reasons occurred after the French Revolution. To dramatize their hostility to the French aristocrats, who wore elaborate hairdos, the French people wore their hair in extremely simple styles.
Most hairstyles are determined by changing fashions, the need for novelty, and the persistent desire for improving the appearance. Each age produces an ideal of beauty in hairstyles, which ranges from the almost concealed hairdos worn in 14th century and 15th century Europe to the elaborate powdered wigs popular in 18th-century France. In the 20th century several well-known public figures have established vogues in hairstyles. During the 1930′s the motion picture star Jean Harlow made bleached blonde hair a symbol of beauty.
In the early 1960′s the bouffant coiffure of Mrs John F. Kennedy, the President’s wife, was widely imitated. In the 1980′s it was Diana, the Princess of Wales. In the 1990′s Jennifer Aniston and her many different hairstyles.
The modern woman may dress her own hair or use the services of a professional hairdresser.
Styling and Care
When selecting a suitable hairstyle, a woman should consider the characteristics of her hair, the shape of her head, her facial features, her weight, and her height. For example, the fullness of a round face may be offset by wearing the hair piled high on the forehead.
The angularity of a square face may be reduced by wearing soft waves at the sides. Very curly, thick hair generally looks best when worn short.
Other factors to consider include the manageability of a hairstyle and its suitability to the wearer’s personality and age. The most beautiful hairstyle may be a failure if it accentuates the wearer’s less attractive features. On the other hand, an appropriate hairstyle may improve a woman’s personality, as well as her appearance, by giving her the confident feeling that she looks her best. Among the hairstyles commonly worn in the United States and Europe within the last few decades have been the French twist, chignon, pageboy, Italian, pixie, fluff, Cleopatra, feathercut, artichoke, and beehive. Young girls often wear their hair in braids, ponytails, or Buster Brown cuts.
The most important requirement for a successful hairstyle is clean and healthy hair, which results from regularly washing and brushing the hair and from eating a well-balanced diet. Hair should be washed about once a week. If the hair is very oily, it may be washed more frequently. Dry hair should be washed less often to preserve natural oils. To maintain healthy and attractive h air, a daily brushing is essential.
Through brushing, the hair becomes glossier and tangles are removed. In addition, brushing stimulates the circulation of blood in the scalp, providing adequate nourishment to the root, or living part, of the hair.
Hairdressing for Men
Men’s hairstyles and hairdressing procedures are less complex and varied than those of women. The short hair commonly worn by men limits any difference in style to subtle variations in haircuts. Among the many aids for hair care available to men are tonics, lotions, and creams. They are designed to make the hair more attractive and more manageable.
Among the most popular male hairstyles of the 20th century are the crew cut, flattop, Madison Avenue cut, and English, or longhair, cut. Occasionally, men as well as women imitate the hairstyle of a famous person.
For example, the shaggy hairstyle worn by the Beatles, a singing group in England, was popular among young men in the mid-1960′s. Hair dyeing is a less common practice in men than in women.
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