Skip to main content
Book cover

Encyclopaedia of the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine in Non-Western Cultures pp 1043–1047Cite as

Hair in Egypt

  • Reference work entry

  • 430 Accesses

The ancient Egyptian hairstylist was expected to be able to style hair, as well as cure baldness, make hair (of a rival) fall out, get rid of head lice and cover up the signs of aging by dyeing grey hairs. Ancient Egyptian clients would also require more mundane tasks, such as cleansing and scenting the hair.

Tinting

The Egyptians used natural dyes which are known to coat and partially penetrate the hair's 6–14 layers of cuticles. These natural semi‐permanent tints do not leave roots as they wash out of the hair, although a virtually permanent tint may be achieved with frequent application. The main colour the Egyptians would probably have wanted to achieve was black, emulating the dark brown colour of their youthful hair. One recipe was an ointment made of juniper berries and two unidentified plants kneaded into a paste with oil and then heated. The natural blue‐purple colouring agent in the plants would rub off on the hair, while the astringent properties of the juniper would...

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4020-4425-0_9703
  • Chapter length: 5 pages
  • Instant PDF download
  • Readable on all devices
  • Own it forever
  • Exclusive offer for individuals only
  • Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout
eBook
USD   609.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • ISBN: 978-1-4020-4425-0
  • Instant PDF download
  • Readable on all devices
  • Own it forever
  • Exclusive offer for individuals only
  • Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout
Learn about institutional subscriptions
Fig. 1

Notes

  1. 1.

    Natron was a salt (sodium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate) that was used in the mummification process to dry out the body of the deceased in order to assist in its preservation.

  2. 2.

    Ushabtis were small figurines made from wood or clay, or occasionally stone or ivory. Often the ushabtis were depicted with tools, or in some act of work. They were buried with Egyptians, so that, if the deceased were called to work in the afterlife, the ushabti would take the deceased's place performing the task.

    Fig. 1
    figure 1_9703

    Guests at the banquet with scent‐cones on their heads, Tomb of Nakht (TT52) (author's own photograph).

    Full size image

References

  • Aldred, C. Hairstyles and History. Bulletin of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. n.s. 15 (1957): 141 7.

    Google Scholar 

  • Balout, L. La Momie de Ramsès II. Paris: Éditions Recherche sur les civilisations, 1985.

    Google Scholar 

  • Breasted Jr. J. H. Ancient Records of Egypt: Historical Documents from the Earliest Times to the Persian Conquest. Vols. 1–5. Chicago: Chicago University Press, 1907.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brunton, G. British Museum Expedition to Middle Egypt First and Second Years, 1928 and 1929. Mostagedda and the Tasian Culture. London: Bernard Quaritch Ltd., 1937.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dayagi‐Mendels, M. Perfumes and Cosmetics of the Ancient World. Jerusalem: The Israel Museum, 1989.

    Google Scholar 

  • Davies, N. de G. The Tomb of Nefer‐hotep at Thebes. Vol. 9. New York: Publications of the Metropolitan Museum of Art Egyptian Expedition, 1932.

    Google Scholar 

  • ‐‐‐. The Tomb of Rekh‐mi‐re at Thebes. New York: Plantin Press, 1943.

    Google Scholar 

  • Drioton, É. La coiffure feminine dans l'ancienne Égypte, dans la Femme nouvelle. Le Caire (1949): 27–34.

    Google Scholar 

  • Emery, W. B. Archaic Egypt: Culture and Civilisation in Egypt Five Thousand Years Ago. London: Penguin Books, 1961.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fletcher, A. J. Give Mummy a Wave. Hairdressers Journal International 27/3/92. London (1992): 16–7.

    Google Scholar 

  • ‐‐‐. Ancient Egyptian Hair: A Study in Style, Form and Function. Ph.D. Disseration. Manchester: Manchester University, 1995.

    Google Scholar 

  • ‐‐‐. Hair. Ancient Egyptian Materials and Technologies. Ed. P. T. Nicholson, I. Shaw. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000. 495–501.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ghalinoungui, P. The Physicians of Pharaonic Egypt. Cairo: Dar Al‐Maaref, 1983.

    Google Scholar 

  • Green, L. Hairstyles. The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt. Vol. 2. Ed. D. B. Redford. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001. 73–6.

    Google Scholar 

  • Janssen, J. J. Commodity Prices from the Ramessid Period. Leiden: Brill, 1975.

    Google Scholar 

  • Janssen, R. M. and J. J. Janssen. Getting Old in Ancient Egypt. London: The Rubicon Press, 1996.

    Google Scholar 

  • Keimer, L. Notes prises chez les Bisarin et les Nubiens D'Assouan. Bulletin de l'Institute d'Égypte (Cairo) 34 (1953): 329–449.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kozloff, A. P. and B. M. Bryan, Egypt's Dazzling Sun; Amenhotep III and his World. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1992.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kriesel, C. Altagyptische Haar‐ und Barttrachten. Leipzig: Diplomarbeit (diploma), 1958.

    Google Scholar 

  • Laskowska‐Kusztal, E. Un atelier de perruquerier à Deir el‐Bahari. Études et Travaux 10 (1978): 83–120.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lucas, A. Ancient Egyptian Materials and Industries. 4th ed. Ed. J. R. Harris. London: Edward Arnold, 1962.

    Google Scholar 

  • Manniche, L. An Ancient Egyptian Herbal. London: British Museum Press, 1989.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maraite, E. Le cone de parfum dans l'ancienne Égypte. Amosiades‐Mélanges Offerts au Professeur Claude Vanderslegen. Ed. C. Obsomer, A. L. Oosthoek. Louvain‐la‐Neuve: pars ses ancienes Étudiants, 1992. 213–9.

    Google Scholar 

  • Muhammed, M. A. Q. The Development of the Funerary Beliefs and Practices Displayed in the Private Tombs of the New Kingdom at Thebes. Cairo: Prisim, 1966.

    Google Scholar 

  • Müller, C. Kahlköpfigkeit. Lexikon der Ägyptologie. Vol. 3.Ed. W. Helek and E. Otto. Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz, 1980. 291–2.

    Google Scholar 

  • ‐‐‐. Salbkegel. Lexikon der Ägyptologie. Vol. V. Ed. W. Helek and E. Otto. Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz, 1984. 366–7.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nachtergael, G. La Chevelure d'Isis. Der Alte Orient 42 (1981): 7–26.

    Google Scholar 

  • Petrie, W. M. F. Kahun, Gurob and Hawara. London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Traubner and Co, 1890.

    Google Scholar 

  • Robins, G. Hair and the Construction of Identity in Ancient Egypt, c. 1480–1350 B.C. Journal of the American Research Center in Egypt 36 (1999): 55–69.

    Google Scholar 

  • ‐‐‐. Dress, Undress, and the Representation of Fertility and Potency in New Kingdom Art. Sexuality in Ancient Art. Ed. N. B. Kampen. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1996. 29–39.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, G. E. The Royal Mummies (CCG). Cairo: Institut français d'archéologie orientale, 1912.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wreszenski, W. Der Papyrus Ebers. Leipzig: Hinrichs, 1913.

    Google Scholar 

  • To find out more about the author's work please visit the Website of the Egyptian Cultural Heritage Organisation: http://www.e‐c‐h‐o.org

Download references

Authors
  1. G. J. Tassie
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Hampshire College, 893 West Street, 01002, Amherst, MA, USA

    Helaine Selin (Editor) (Editor)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

Copyright information

© 2008 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg New York

About this entry

Cite this entry

Tassie, G.J. (2008). Hair in Egypt. In: Selin, H. (eds) Encyclopaedia of the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine in Non-Western Cultures. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-4425-0_9703

Download citation