Wigs used as an artificial substitute for hair first appeared way back in ancient history. Early man sought to resemble strong and ferocious animals, so they decorated their heads with wreaths of grass and leaves as well as animal hair and bird feathers. In fact, these were the first wigs.

In Ancient Egypt, before a child would reach maturity, they would cut off all of their hair and offer it as a sacrifice to the gods. Nobles wore several wigs at once creating a layer of air between them and preventing them from getting sun stroke. The hairstyles of the Egyptian wigs were metrical in their form and usually round. The visible parts of the most valuable Egyptian wigs were made from real human hair. In order to make it more luscious and full, they wrapped it with brown-red fibers of Phoenix palms.

In the middle of the third millennium B.C., the Egyptian fashion for artificial hair spread to the Far East and the Mediterranean. Persian kings wore wigs of quality equivalent to the likes of Egyptian farrows. Out of Persia, a new fashion spread into Ancient Greece. Wigs were used most for plays and theatrical performances. Oddly enough, bright artificial hair was worn only by prostitutes, while dark hair was considered a sign of honesty and thriftiness.

Louis XIV was the first man to start wearing artificial hair after the church banned it. After that, with a special decree, he ordered everyone else in his court to wear them as well. They fulfilled the order, making the age of Louis XIV the era of the wigs. Naturally, the entourage of kings wore wigs known by the names of “lap dog” and “poodle” that were smaller than Louis’ wigs. Before the sun king, more than 45 different kinds of wigs existed.

Men who had respect for themselves owned at least three wigs at a minimum. These included a black wig for the morning, red for the day, and a light wig for the evening. If they could not get artificially white hair, then they sprinkled the dark-haired wigs with light powder or flour. France became the European center of wig production. The most valuable wig was the so-called “Allonge” wig, made out of the hair of blond women. They cost up to 3,000 crowns and only the members of the royal family had the right to wear these wigs. Women liked this fashion and the servants took to wearing them as a duty. While those who were more religious did not accept this fashion at all.

At the time of the Bourgeois Revolution of 1789, they banned the white-powdered wigs. Those who were condemned to death by the guillotine had their head shaved in a spooky fashion called the “victim” where only the hair on their temples was left on.

In the 80’s, wigs made of natural hair came back into fashion. This was great for women as they did not have to spend their mornings getting their hair into shape.

Nowadays, wigs have taken on a second life in the forms of natural, artificially straight, curly, naturally-colored, and unexpectedly bright-colored wigs. Wigs today offer the easiest way of changing your image for a period of time without actually making any changes to your looks.