Victorian hairstyles 1837 - 1901

Victorian Hairstyles

The victorian age in British history is named after Queen Victoria who was Britain's queen during 1837 till 1901. This period was a time of piece and prosperity.

'A women's crowning glory' - This is an expression relating back to the Victorian period, women's hair was usually styled and badly damaged due to the use of hot iron to produce a curl rather than a crimp. This lead victorian women having to overlay the unpleasant scent of burnt hair with perfume. Typical women of this era had hair at a wool- like texture. The hair was only cut due to serious illness.

Hair for the average face included graceful waves, coquettish curls and plaits of hair arranged to create a unique interesting piece. The hair was often braided and twisted and arranged to either create height or to help make the shape of the face appear oval or round. Curly hair was to indicate a sweet, kind temperament however strait hair was considered much more reserved or awkward. Within undo's the hair was often lifted up however when the hair was down their was often a smooth, slick centre parting commonly worn in the 1870's.

Barely or sugar curls, 1843 - This hairstyle was based on making tight curls with long hair. the style was created by using hot irons to cripple the hair. This style was seen to be very elegant, feminine and glamorous as helped to frame the face. Later on in the 19th century women began to adapt and experiment with the curls typically leaving one or two ringlets down the side of their face.
These were often seen worn by children with ribbon and lace secured designed to match their dresses.

Crimping, 1872 - As the use of hot irons was growing in popularity during the victorian era, many women were experimenting with crimping. this lead to many crimped updo's. Accessories made a huge difference when it came to the crimping style as the hairstyle looked very elegant and glamorous when braids, flowers, strings, beads, lace and ribbons were added. Many women would also crimp their fringe leaving a short curly fringe framing the face making several appearances in Victorian era portraits.

The Marcel wave , 1872 - M. Marcel Grateau was a Parisian hairdresser who created a natural looking wave by turning the curling wand upside down. In the Victorian era the curling iron was heated over a rectangular shaped gas burner between 6-7 inches long and two inches wide. Due to the way of heating the hair was challenging to create the wave as the hair may not set as the iron had cooled down or the hair got burnt. To tell if the iron was too hot to use on the clients hair the hairdresser would test it out on a piece of plain paper, if the paper burnt the iron was too hot.

Pompadours, 1880's - Pompadours were worn by the end of the 1880's. This is where the hair is lifted up from the forehead. Many would add height and volume by adding padding or fake pieces of hair. Full pompadours were worn on special occasions however low pompadours worn daily as it was much more casual. Hats were also worn with this hairstyle held in place by long hatpins. As time went on and progressed the trim on the hat decreased as brim increased.

Titus , late 1880's - This hairstyle was very short where the hair is cut around the head, the hair would then be curled and various ornaments or flowers would be added. Unfortunately the titus hairstyle didn't survive for a long time as women were afraid and had very little courage to wear this hairstyle in a conservative society.

Braids - Early in the victorian era braids were worn by most women with long strait hair. The hair was often pulled into a pony with braids that include 1, 3, or 5 section braids, each section braided individually. Many victorian undoes were complimented with braids as either a finishing element or a flourish. Within the link below i have found a tutorial of a victorian era hairstyle including a three strand braid created by many women in this era.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7N7_7_NlnF0

Chignon - Chignons hairstyles are formed by pinning the hair low into a knot at the back of the head. Chignons were extremely popular during the victorian era with people adding false hair or padding to create height and volume. Chignons are traditionally placed at the nape of the neck however can be positioned in any area of the head. Chignons can also be positioned anywhere on the head from a few inches from the hairline to the middle of the back of the head between the crown and nape of neck. 

Loops - During the beginning of the victorian era it was widely popular for women to arrange their hair into a middle parting and create a loop at either side of the head down beside covering their ear then towards the back of the head into a bun. At times the hair was braided and then formed into loops. This hairstyle is simple, easy yet effective and wasn't damaging to the hair as it required no heat onto the hair. In several Queen Elizabeth portraits her hair was placed in a centre parting and looped around the sided and secured in  an undo. As the hairstyle grew in popularity one or more loops were formed leading from the front of the hair and arranged into the back looking like sash.

The Gibson girl, 1890's to early 1990's - This style was known as the century first pin up created by illustrator Charles Dana Gibson in 1902 to represent the image of an ideal women. The Gibson girl consisted of a soft pompadour puffed up to add height, volume and a cloud effect. The gibson girl is a loose soft bun which represented and an independent, sporty and simple type of women with the hairstyles loose and care-free not like many of the victorian era updo's. This hairstyle is effortless, simple and graceful.

In conclusion, as time progressed so did the styles. Women began to experiment with hot irons, curling techniques, undo's and braids. Curls were created and women's hair became much more individual and unique. The hair became much bigger and volumous to make women  much more feminine and elegant. This era was considered by many one of the most contributed era in the fashion and beauty industry for both women and men. Many say this era contributed and opened many doors to both industries.

List of websites used -  http://www.1920-30.com/fashion/hairstyles/marcel-wave.html
http://www.hairarchives.com/private/victorian1new.htm
http://www.crystalinks.com/hair.history.html
http://slodive.com/inspiration/victorian-hairstyles/
http://www.stylisheve.com/glamorous-victorian-hairstyles-for-women/
http://www.crystalinks.com/hair.history.html
http://slodive.com/inspiration/victorian-hairstyles/
https://pntheatre.wordpress.com/2012/11/10/diy-victorian-hairstyles-inspired-by-a-little-night-music/