Today, we take the process of hair coloring for granted, but it wasn’t always this way. It’s more convenient than ever to color our hair at home or get it done professionally at the salon, but people have colored their hair since ancient times.
Hair dye is incredibly popular, as a 2017 report by Statista showed that 74% of women aged 18-59 dyed their hair at least once a year, and 16% of women 18-29 dye their hair at least once a month.
But how have people throughout history color their hair? And how did we arrive at the processes we have today? You’ll find some of these facts fascinating and surprising.
Ancient Times
The ancient Egyptians were innovative in many ways, and as far back as 1500 BC, they were using a henna-based dye to cover gray hair. This particular dye created a reddish-brown tint. Hair coloring in the ancient era was created using plants such as henna, indigo, turmeric, cassia obovate, senna, and black walnut shells.
Ancient Greeks and Romans used a mixture of lead oxide and calcium hydroxide (made from slaked limestone) to dye hair black. Due to the lead content, this coloring method was very toxic and was eventually used less often.
During the Roman Empire (27 BCE –476 CE ), men and women both used hair dyes to adorn their appearance. Romans were exposed to hair styles from many different places because of trading and empire expansion. Blond was a popular color in ancient Rome – this was an exotic look associated with Germanic and Scandinavian people, Franks, and Gauls.
Blond hair was seen to represent youth and vigor, so both women and men in ancient Rome would use various methods to turn their hair blond. Some would use a mixture of vinegar and lemon juice, or a mixture of goat fat and ashes, coating their hair and sitting in the sun to lighten their hair.
Red and black were also popular in the Roman Empire as hair colorings. One method for turning the hair black was to use a mixture of vinegar and crushed leeches, which was fermented for two months. This concoction was applied to the hair, after which you would sit in the sun to let your hair absorb the mixture. But not every ancient hair dyeing method was this unpleasant.
The wealthiest Romans were sometimes known to powder their hair with gold dust, such as the emperor Commodus (161-192 BCE). This was a striking look that only a handful of Romans could afford.
The Dark Ages (500-1500 AD)
During the Middle Ages, redheads were looked at suspiciously, because red hair was seen as a sign of witchcraft. Red hair is a recessive trait, stored in the MC1R gene on the 16th chromosome. The first readheads are thought to have appeared in Central Asia about 50,000 years ago due to a genetic mutation. Today only 1% of people have red hair. Because in the Dark Ages, redheads were thought to possibly be witches, they often dyed their hair blond using a mixture of alum, honey, and black sulfur which would help accelerate sun bleaching. It wasn’t until 1558 with the coronation of Queen Elizabeth I, who had reddish-auburn hair, that red hair began to be widely accepted in Europe again.
The Middle Ages
In ancient times, both women and men dyed their hair, but by the Middle Ages hair coloring was mostly done by women. Blond hair was still popular, but the methodology for bleaching hair in the early 1600s was quite harsh. A process for bleaching hair was detailed in the book Delightes for Ladies written by Sir Hugh Plat in 1600, used sulfuric acid to lighten hair.
The Vikings also bleached their hair, using lye soap to turn their hair blond. Celtic men also used strong lye soap to turn their hair reddish. Despite the modern misconceptions, these tribes were surprisingly self-conscious of hair grooming and appearance. Both of these hair dyeing habits were thought to be tied to tribal and cultural identity.
18th Century
In the 1700s, Europeans rediscovered the ancient Roman formulas for dyeing hair, using lead oxide to turn gray hair to black. This mixture proved to be rather toxic, as the lead would absorb through the scalp.
Women in Italy during the 18th Century used a formula of lye, wood ash, and honey, to bleach their hair by sitting in the sun for several hours.
19th Century
In the early 1800s, some men used a formula containing silver nitrate to dye their gray facial hair into black. This was known as “Grecian water”. Repeated use of this formula would turn the hair purple.
In 1856, British chemist William Henry Perkin invented the first synthetic dye while searching for way to create quinine. At the time, quinine was made from tree bark and it was an expensive process. Perkin experimented with coal tar, which was believed to have shared components with quinine. Instead of clear quinine, a black substance was the result of Perkin’s experiment. This black goo could be distilled into mauvine, an aniline which was the first synthetic organic dye, a vivid purple which was more brilliant than the current colors of the time. Perkin’s professor, August Wilhelm von Hofmann was able to enhance Perkin’s discovery, creating para-phenylenediamine (PPD), which is still the base for many permanent hair colors currently.
20th Century
In 1907, French chemist Eugene Schueller created the first commercial hair dye, using the synthetic paraphenylanadiamine (PPD), first discovered by William Henry Perkin. He called his version of PPD Aureole. In 1909, Schueller established the French Harmless Hair Dye Company, named thusly because people were still skeptical about using synthetic hair color. For branding and advertising purposes, this name was later changed to L’ Oréal – the famous brand you know today.
Schueller’s innovation was monumental, because before this, natural substances were the primary source of hair coloring. With the advent of manufactured hair coloring, more shades were available, and the coloring process was more stable and predictable. This was a huge step in hairstyling and hair coloring.
In the 1920s, during the flapper era, women would color their hair, but there was social backlash. There was a common trope that only promiscuous women dyed their hair. By 1930, this social stigma had relaxed.
In 1931, platinum blonde hair dye was created specifically for the film Platinum Blonde, starring Jean Harlow.
In 1950, New York chemist Lawrence Geld developed hair coloring that penetrated the hair follicle and altered the hair pigment. At was at this point he started the company Clairol.
In the 1950s, Marilyn Monroe became an international star with her platinum blonde hair and alluring beauty. Hollywood was a catalyst for women wanting to replicate hairstyles of stars such as Monroe and Audrey Hepburn. This helped grow the demand for beauty treatments and hair coloring processes.
In 1956, Clairol created the first single step hair dye, Miss Clairol Color Bath. Before this, hair had to be bleached and then colored. Now, hair could be lightened and colored in one step. Advertising copywriter Shirley Polykoff created Clairol’s legendary campaign slogan, “Does She, or Doesn’t She? Only her hairdresser knows for sure!” The brand promise was women could now get salon-quality hair coloring at home.
In 1971, L’Oreal hired ad executive Ilon Specht to create the iconic slogan “Because I’m Worth It”, reflecting the values of the women’s rights movement of the 1970s. Forty years later, a variation on the line was still being used by the company, promoting the idea that coloring your hair is part of women’s empowerment.
In the 1980s-2000s, more vibrant colors were commonly seen in hair colors, as people emulated the hairstyles of music stars like David Bowie, Cyndi Lauper, Boy George, Gwen Stefani, Avril Lavigne, and Katy Perry.
21st Century
In the early 2000s, a new style of hair coloring, the ombré technique was introduced. This coloring effect was inspired by the unique hairstyle of the singer Aaliyah, and it is characterized by a smooth seamless transition from dark roots to lighter tips. ombré comes from the French word for shadow or shade.
Another notable coloring technique is balayage, a technique first invented in the 1970s, which made a huge impact during the 2010s. Balayage is a hair highlighting technique that does not use foils to separate the treated hair from the untouched hair. In balayage, the hair stylist paints the color or lightener directly onto the hair, creating an effect that emulates the natural lightening from sunlight.
Balayage comes from the French word for “sweeping“, referring to the application technique, not the coloring. The final result is an organic-looking blending of natural roots to the lightened tips. This hair highlighting process is a low-maintenance option for clients that provides a natural appearance.
Present Day and the Future
GenZ has access to innovations and technologies in hair color that are an evolution of previous decades. Unconventional colors are more popular than ever, whether they are denim blue, teal, ruby red, or pink hair, hair colors are more daring than ever. Pop singer Billie Eilish has made her neon green hair part of her iconic look – likewise with rapper Young Thug and his cotton candy pink hair.
Balayages and milk tea hair are in fashion right now. Keratin rich shampoos and repair masks help heal and repair your hair.
Technology has also advanced with hair coloring processes. Augmented reality (AR) apps help show you what you might look like with different hair colors or hair styles. The future of hairstyling is brighter than ever.
Learn How to Be a Professional Hairstylist
If want to master the art of hair coloring and hair styling, Paul Mitchell the School at Campus, formerly MTI College, has a world-class cosmetology program at our Sacramento facility. In about 30 weeks, you’ll learn the skills you need to start your career as a hairdresser. Students train to pass the California Board of Barbering and Cosmetology licensing exam. Financial aid is available for eligible students. For more information, contact our Admissions team or call 888-675-2460.