18th century hair wash

[med]

Around the time of Pride and Prejudice, with no shampoo how did people wash their hair? It's just that in all the TV shows set around that period, the women have pristine, shiny, clean hair. Is this historically accurate? Would their hair really have been greasy and lank?

[Ethel]

I've often wondered about that. And the skin must have been like tanned leather by the time they were in their 40's without the potions and lotions we use today.

I found this excellent site that goes into hair styles and hair care of the 18th century in some depth. Apparently mice lived in some hair dos!

http://www.marquise.de/en/1700/howto/frisuren/ frisuren.shtml

[joko]

unwashed hair becomes nice, healthy and glossy after about 8 weeks, so no, their hair would have been nice.

makeup, oils and creams have been around for thousands of years, so they will have found something to use that would do the trick perfectly well

animal fat was used to make soap so it very possible they used it a skin cream too

[Ethel]

joko - do you go with unwashed wair for weeks on end?

I know people that do, and quite frankly it stinks to high heaven. When a friend of mine gave in and eventually washed his hair after 8 months or so, the water was filthy black and the stench was dreadful as soon as the hot water got to it.

So I am not convinced.

[med]

Thanks Ethel, that's very interesting. I read an article In the Mail a while ago about a group of women who went without shampoo for 3 weeks, and the results were very mixed. I can't imagine that in those times their hair would have looked quite as nice as on the TV though!

[halfadaily]

Hi Ethel, it does seem to feel and look better for me, as I've not used shampoo for over six months now. Having said that, I have fairly short hair, and shower twice a day. I think as long as any grime can be rinsed away then it should be ok.

[Ethel]

halfadaily - you do wash your hair, albeit with water only. I do believe that most people use far too much hair products and reducing my more than half will still be enough.

Joko was referring to unwashed hair.

Med - I would like to know how these women shaved their armpits. They must have done, if the tv and film dramas are realistic. :)

[joko]

ethel - i have done it before and it didn't stink.

rinsing your hair is not washing it so it is therefore unwashed hair - you were the one who mentioned shampoo, not me

your friends hair stunk because he didn't rinse it.

the point is, water was available in those days and they will have rinsed their hair regularly.

it then goes nice - believe me, i have done it

[gary baldy]

Before i was Gary Baldy i was Gary Longflowinglocks and i didnt use shampoo. It goes through a stage of being all manky but if you wet it regularly and occasionally run some talc through it it starts being nice and glossy and thick after about 6 weeks or so.

[xmrs_harmanx]

eeeeew personally i couldn't live without shampoo it would be one thing i'd definetly take on a desert island lol. You see i have VERY thick hair so when it gets greasy it goes mingin!!eeeeeew

[baa_means_no]

the water available back then was not cleaned (although it wasnt nearly as polluted) in any way so i would think that they just wouldnt wash their hair as often, as they would probably end up with unsightly residue even from just using water...

[Lara]

Soap in olden times, pre-1920s, was extremely harsh. Women could not wash with it frequently or it would destroy their hair. They brushed hair daily to move the oils into the hair strands. For a great description of early hair washing, visit this blog. She describes the process quite well: http://www.lydiajoyce.com/blog/?p=1022.

Also our modern sense of what is smelly and what smelled in other times and cultures is different. There is a great book on the history of washing, a review of which can be read here: http://women.timesonl...ve/article3498349.ece