We have been dyeing, highlighting, balayaging, toning, and glossing enough to make your head spin.
The Egyptians used henna to camouflage gray hair (yes, the preoccupation with grays dates way back). Greeks and Romans used plant extracts to color their strands. They also created a permanent black hair dye. It took a few hundred years to expand the color choices beyond black.
During the Roman Empire, prostitutes were required to have yellow hair to indicate their profession.
The Gaul and the Saxons were dyeing their hair a variety of vibrant colors to show their rank and as a means of intimidating opponents on the battlefield.
Not much changed until the 1800s, when English chemist William Henry Perkin made an accidental discovery that changed hair dye forever. In an attempt to generate a cure for malaria, Perkins created the first synthesized dye in 1863. The color was mauve and appropriately named Mauveine. Soon after, his chemistry professor August Hoffman derived a color-changing molecule from Mauveine (called para-phenylenediamine, or PPD), and it remains the foundation for most permanent hair dyes.
In 1907, Eugene Schueller created the first chemical dye for commercial purposes. He called it Aureole. It would later be called L’Oréal, as would the company he founded. Prior to 1950, going blond involved bleach and a lot of damage. Lawrence Gelb advanced formulas in the 1930s, but the truly revolutionary discovery came in 1950. That year, Clairol, the company Gelb founded with wife Jane Clair, introduced the first one-step hair dye product that actually lightened hair without bleaching it. Miss Clairol Hair Color Bath, which allowed women to color their hair at home, discreetly (this was important, as women preferred not to publicize the fact that they colored their at this time) became a huge hit with the masses.
By the late 1960s, coloring your hair was commonplace, and 1968 was the last year Americans were asked to state their hair color on passports—the prevalence of hair dye made this information pointless. And by the 1970s, public sentiments toward dyeing your hair began to change. Slogans like L’Oréal’s “Because you’re worth it” encouraged acceptance of openly using hair color products. Clearly, the shift in viewpoint was a lasting one.
Today, an estimated 70 % of women in the U.S. use hair-colors. It’s clear that the desire to improve our looks is on the rise. The transformation achieved through a cut and a color is one of the most affordable and easily accessible. The “color therapy” is one of my favorite go to, and feel good therapies, that I wholeheartedly recommend to all of my clients!
The Egyptians used henna to camouflage gray hair (yes, the preoccupation with grays dates way back). Greeks and Romans used plant extracts to color their strands. They also created a permanent black hair dye. It took a few hundred years to expand the color choices beyond black.
During the Roman Empire, prostitutes were required to have yellow hair to indicate their profession.
The Gaul and the Saxons were dyeing their hair a variety of vibrant colors to show their rank and as a means of intimidating opponents on the battlefield.
Not much changed until the 1800s, when English chemist William Henry Perkin made an accidental discovery that changed hair dye forever. In an attempt to generate a cure for malaria, Perkins created the first synthesized dye in 1863. The color was mauve and appropriately named Mauveine. Soon after, his chemistry professor August Hoffman derived a color-changing molecule from Mauveine (called para-phenylenediamine, or PPD), and it remains the foundation for most permanent hair dyes.
In 1907, Eugene Schueller created the first chemical dye for commercial purposes. He called it Aureole. It would later be called L’Oréal, as would the company he founded. Prior to 1950, going blond involved bleach and a lot of damage. Lawrence Gelb advanced formulas in the 1930s, but the truly revolutionary discovery came in 1950. That year, Clairol, the company Gelb founded with wife Jane Clair, introduced the first one-step hair dye product that actually lightened hair without bleaching it. Miss Clairol Hair Color Bath, which allowed women to color their hair at home, discreetly (this was important, as women preferred not to publicize the fact that they colored their at this time) became a huge hit with the masses.
By the late 1960s, coloring your hair was commonplace, and 1968 was the last year Americans were asked to state their hair color on passports—the prevalence of hair dye made this information pointless. And by the 1970s, public sentiments toward dyeing your hair began to change. Slogans like L’Oréal’s “Because you’re worth it” encouraged acceptance of openly using hair color products. Clearly, the shift in viewpoint was a lasting one.
Today, an estimated 70 % of women in the U.S. use hair-colors. It’s clear that the desire to improve our looks is on the rise. The transformation achieved through a cut and a color is one of the most affordable and easily accessible. The “color therapy” is one of my favorite go to, and feel good therapies, that I wholeheartedly recommend to all of my clients!