The religious significance of hair is seen in the shaved heads of Christian and Buddhist monks, indicating renunciation of the world, and in the single long lock on the shaved heads of Nluslim men, by which, they believed, Allah would pull them up to heaven. In 17th century England, both politics and religion were pro fessed by the long curling locks of the Royalist Anglican Cavaliers and the cropped hair of the Parliamentarian Puritan Roundheads.
Hair arrangement could also proclaim age and marital status. Boys in ancient Greece cut their hair, and Hindu boys shaved their heads when they reached adolescence. In medieval Europe maidens wore uncovered flowing hair, while matrons bound theirs under veils. As a sign of mourning the ancient Egyptians, whose heads were usually shaven, grew ~ong hair, and long haired Hindu widows cut off their hair.
From the late Middle Ages, hair styles in the West have been greatly influenced by changing fashion. In the 17th century, for example, cour tiers followed the lead of the balding Louis XIV, who wore a wig. In the 20th century women of
all classes eagerly followed the example of film stars with such styles as the platinum hair of Jean Harlow.
Until the 20th century, fashionable hair styles generally were limited to the upper classes, and the dictates of fashion were relatively rigid. To day, with the general increase in wealth, the improvement in mass communication, and the trend toward informality and individualism, women (and men) in all classes can choose the style and color of their own hair, or of a wig, that best suit their needs and tastes.
MODERN HAIRDRESSING PROCEDURE
Styling. The most iruportant qualities for hair are that it be healthy, shining, and in a flattering, easy-to-manage style. Many fashion magazines suggest hair styles according to the shape of the face in order to make the face resemble as closely as possible the perfect oval. The circularity of a round face may be minimized by a sleek, con trolled style with side bangs. A square face needs a style that cuts across the square corners at the temples and is full around the jaw. The best style for a long face also rounds off the corners at the temples and is short. For a triangu lar face, a narrow chin should be filled out with chin-length hair, while a wide chin may be minimized with wide bangs. In finding the ri~ht hairstyle, however, a woman should also consider the proportions of her whole figure, the texture of her hair, her skill in handling it, and the character of her life.
Once a hair style is chosen, it must be main tained by regular washing, setting, and, usually, cutting. Some women care for their hair princi p ally at home, going to the hairdresser only in- frequently for a cut or a shampoo and set for a special occasion. Many women go to the hair- dresser once a week, while still others may see him every day for a combing.
Washing. Clean, healthy hair is the basis of any hair style. In addition to brushing, dry hair requires shampooing once a week, oily hair per haps every day. Shampoos are soapy or synthetic detergents in liquid, gel, lotion, or cream form and may have special uses. There are nondn~ing shampoos for normal hair, egg shampoos to add sheen to dry hair, and lemon shampoos to cut extra oils in oily hair. There are hypoallergenic shampoos for sensitive scalps, medicated sham ~005 for scalp problems, and special shampoos for tinted or bleached hair.
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