The Victorian Era

Victorian Hair and Beauty

Article · Fashion & Dress · The Victorian Era, 1837–1901

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The Victorian hair and beauty culture of the period was central to the visual life of the era, and it was the subject of a major industry. The hairdressers, the perfumers, the cosmetics makers, the beauty therapists, and the fashion magazines all combined to create a substantial and lucrative trade. The hair and beauty culture of the period was, in many ways, a contradiction: the period is famous for its elaborate fashions, its heavy fabrics, and its careful concealment of the body, but it was also a period of great attention to the hair, the face, the hands, and the figure. The history of hair and beauty is examined in Victorian Fashion and Dress, and the broader context of fashion is set out in Women’s Victorian Fashion.

The Hairdressing Industry

The hairdressing industry of the Victorian period was substantial, and it was the subject of major developments. The great hairdressers of the period, including the Maison Alexandre in Paris (founded 1814), Truefitt & Hill in London (founded 1805, the oldest firm of hairdressers in the world), Eugène in Paris, and the perfumer-hairdressers Rimmel, Atkinson’s, and Floris, all built their reputations in the period. The hairdressers were not just practitioners but also theorists, and the great hairdressing manuals of the period, including William Thompson’s The Art of Hairdressing and the various Toilet and Mirror of the Graces manuals of the mid-century, laid down the principles of the trade.

The hairdressing trade included both male and female hairdressers. The male hairdresser, the friseur, was the hairdresser of the gentleman, and he was responsible for cutting, washing, pomading, and dressing the hair of his clients. The female hairdresser, the coiffeuse, was the hairdresser of the lady, and she was responsible for cutting, washing, dressing, and ornamenting the hair of her clients. In the great houses the hairdresser was a regular visitor, and on the morning of a ball or a court presentation the lady’s maid would spend two or three hours on the dressing of the hair.

The Hair Styles

The hair styles of the Victorian period were many and varied. In the early Victorian period, the 1830s and 1840s, the hair was generally parted in the centre, drawn smoothly back over the ears, and gathered into a simple knot or chignon at the back of the head. The mid-Victorian decades saw the back hair grow fuller, with large chignons, often enclosed in nets or snoods, reaching their greatest size in the late 1860s. In the late Victorian period the coiffure moved upwards, with curled fringes over the forehead in the 1880s and the full, softly swept-up styles of the 1890s.

The hair of the Victorian lady was often augmented with switches, hair pads, false braids, and the pads known as rats. It was dressed with preparations such as pomade, bandoline, hair oil, and brilliantine, and ornamented with flowers, ribbons, combs, hairpins, feathers, aigrettes, veils, nets, and snoods. The history of women’s hair styling is examined in detail in How did Victorian women style their hair?.

The Hair of the Gentleman

The hair of the Victorian gentleman was generally cut short, often with the side whiskers, the moustache, the imperial, the goatee, the full beard, or the clean-shaven face. The hairstyle of the early Victorian period was often the Brutus or the à la Titus, with the hair cut short and the side whiskers long. The hairstyle of the mid-Victorian period was often the moustache and imperial, with the moustache waxed and the imperial long. The hairstyle of the late Victorian period was often the full beard, with the moustache waxed and the beard long. The hair was dressed with pomade, with bandoline, with hair oil, with hair cream, with brilliantine, and with a wide range of other preparations.

The moustache of the Victorian gentleman was a particular feature of the period, and it was the subject of a long history. The moustache was associated with the military, with the empire, and with the masculine ideal of the period. The waxed moustache, the forked moustache, the drooping moustache, the turned-up moustache, the imperial, the handlebar moustache, and the walrus moustache were all in use. The moustache was often waxed with moustache wax (a preparation of beeswax, spermaceti, or resin), with moustache cream, with moustache oil, or with one of the other preparations, and it was often trimmed with moustache scissors, with a moustache comb, or with one of the other implements.

The Cosmetics

The cosmetics of the Victorian period were more limited than the cosmetics of the twentieth century, but they were still substantial. The principal preparations were face powder, rouge, and lip salve. Face powder, generally rice powder, talcum powder, or violet powder, was dusted over the face, neck, and chest; rouge, sold in pots, sticks, and papers, gave colour to the cheeks; and lip salve softened and faintly tinted the lips. Preparations for darkening the eyebrows and eyelashes also existed, though they were used far more sparingly and carried a stronger taint of the theatrical.

The cosmetics of the Victorian period were, however, the subject of a long debate. The natural look, with the face unpainted, was the ideal of the period, and the use of cosmetics was widely regarded as the preserve of actresses, of prostitutes, and of women of ill repute. The use of cosmetics by a respectable woman was widely regarded as a sign of loose morals, and the great beauty manuals of the period, including The Book of Beauty, The Lady’s Toilet, and The Mirror of the Graces, all emphasised the importance of the natural look. The history of cosmetics is examined in What were Victorian beauty products? and in What did Victorian makeup look like?.

The Perfume

The perfume of the Victorian period was a major industry, and the great perfume houses of the period, including Guerlain in Paris (founded 1828), Houbigant in Paris (founded 1775), Roger & Gallet in Paris (founded 1862), Atkinson’s in London (founded 1799), Rimmel in London (founded 1834), Yardley in London (founded 1770), and Floris in London (founded 1730), all built their reputations in the period. The perfumes of the period were generally based on the floral notes — rose, jasmine, violet, lily of the valley, lavender, and orange blossom — and they were sold as extraits, as eau de cologne, as eau de toilette, as sachet powders, as soap, as hair oil, and as hair cream. The perfumes were sold in elaborate bottles of cut glass, crystal, porcelain, silver, or gold, and they were a major element of the dressing table of the period.

The Hand and the Foot

The hand and the foot of the Victorian lady were the subject of elaborate attention. The hand was washed frequently, rubbed with hand cream, hand lotion, hand oil, glycerine, rose water, or lemon juice, and adorned with rings, bracelets, and gloves. The foot was washed frequently, rubbed with foot cream, foot lotion, foot oil, glycerine, rose water, or lemon juice, and adorned with stockings, garters, shoes, boots, or slippers. The history of the hand and the foot is examined in Women’s Victorian Fashion.

The Bath and the Toilet

The bath and the toilet of the Victorian period were the subject of elaborate attention, and they were a particular feature of the new domestic life of the era. The bath of the period was generally a long, deep, narrow bath of copper, tin, zinc, iron, enamel, porcelain, or marble, filled with hot water, cold water, salt, soda, bran, starch, herbs, flowers, oils, or soap. The toilet of the period was generally a long, low table of mahogany, walnut, rosewood, satinwood, marquetry, inlay, or gilt, set out with a wide range of implements, including a mirror, a brush, a comb, a powder puff, a sponge, a washbowl, a ewer, a soap dish, a toothbrush, tooth powder, a mouthwash, a nail file, a nail scissors, a razor, a strop, a shaving brush, and shaving soap. The history of the bath and the toilet is examined in Victorian Interior Design.

The Soaps and the Skin

The soaps of the Victorian period were a major industry, and the great soap makers of the period, including Pears (founded 1807), Yardley (founded 1770), Rimmel (founded 1834), Atkinson’s (founded 1799), Bronnley (founded 1884), and Knight & Castles, all built their reputations in the period. The soaps of the period were generally made of tallow, palm oil, olive oil, or coconut oil, often scented with rose, jasmine, violet, lavender, or another floral note. Pears’ transparent soap, first produced in 1807, was a particular favourite, and was advertised with the famous Bubbles painting by Millais. The toilet preparations of the period are examined in What were Victorian beauty products?.