Victorian era hairstyles in Britain were not just a matter of fashion; they were intertwined with and a symbol of social status, wealth, and personal identity. From the simple elegance of everyday styles to the elaborate creations for special occasions, hair was a canvas upon which Victorian women (and men) expressed themselves. The Victorian era, spanning from the 1840s to the 1890s, saw a dramatic shift in hairstyles, influenced by fashion, social norms, and technological advancements.
Before Queen Victoria’s reign, the Georgian and Regency periods favored more natural hairdos. Women often wore their hair in uncomplicated updos or let it flow in gentle waves. As the Victorian era dawned, hairstyles evolved to become more elaborate and structured, reflecting the growing emphasis on formality and decorum.
Victorian women usually had long hair, with many different elaborate styles. Hair was often used like a canvas to display wealth and femininity. Long hair was the norm, with styles ranging from simple middle parts to elaborate arrangements incorporating human hair. Neatness and cleanliness were paramount, and hairstyles often complemented the overall silhouette of a woman's attire.
While many photos show women with long, wavy hair down, this was mostly a style used for the sake of art. "Respectable" women would not wear this look in public, and it was more common for girls to wear their hair down until the age of 15 or 16, when they were expected to begin wearing it up.
To achieve the desired looks, women often turned to false pieces, usually made from human hair, to create more elaborate styles.
Read also: Women's Headshot Hair Guide
The Chignon: A versatile style where hair was gathered into a low bun at the nape. It could be simple for everyday wear or elaborately adorned with accessories for special occasions. The photo here is an example of how the Chignon is still used today as a popular style.
Ringlets: Younger women and girls often wore their hair in soft ringlets framing the face. This style was seen as youthful and demure. In the 1840s, women began sporting “barley curls”, long ringlets that were worn mainly by children before they came into style for adults. Variations over the decade included ringlets on both sides of the face for young girls.
The Pompadour: Inspired by Madame de Pompadour (a 18th Century mistress of King Louis XV), this style involved sweeping the hair upwards from the face and wearing it high over the forehead. It’s a style we most commonly associate with men such as Elvis or James Dean, popularised by these cultural icons in the 20th Century. Before it was a popular style for men and children though, it was popular amongst affluent women. Pompadours appeared in the 1880s, sometimes accompanied by bangs.
The Gibson Girl: Popularized towards the end of the Victorian era, this style involved piling hair atop the head in a loose and slightly tousled manner, often with a few strands artfully escaping around the face. It epitomised the idealised female image of feminine beauty at the time. The style takes it’s name from artist Charles Dana Gibson, who at the end of the 19th Century, would draw images for popular magazines of women sporting this style. It started out as an American style, popular amongst young fashionable women, with an athletic and confident nature.
Braids: Braids were not just for children; adult women also wore them. Hair was braided and then wrapped around the head like a crown, sometimes incorporating ribbons or flowers. Hair styled with a center parting and plaits. The July 1860 edition of Godey’s Lady’s Book describes a simple coiffure comprised of four, intertwined sections of plaits. To create this style, the hair was divided first from “the centre of the forehead to the nape of the neck” and then by “a transverse parting” made from ear to ear. With the hair in four equally divided sections, the two sides of the front were then plaited back from the forehead. With the four plaits in place, all that was left was to secure them together. “The plait of back hair on the right hand side is passed across the nape of the neck, and the end fastened by a hair pin, under the root of the plait on the left side. The plait of the left side of the back hair is brought round to the right side, and fastened in the same manner; and thus the two plaits cross each other at the back of the neck.
Read also: Mastering French Braids
The Marcel Wave: Introduced towards the end of the Victorian era, the Marcel Wave was a game-changer in hair fashion. Created by François Marcel in the late 19th century (1870’s), this technique involved using a heated iron to produce controlled waves in the hair. Though popular, it wasn’t seen often at first. The irons used to curl the hair properly were not widely available until the patented curling iron came about at the start of the 20th Century. The style became immensely popular later into the 1920’s, loved for its elegant and sophisticated look. The hot curling iron was essential to every woman’s vanity. The iron crimped the hair into waves around the face as well as corkscrew curls that hung from the ears to the shoulders.
On a day-to-day basis, however, Victorian women of more moderate means stuck to more practical styles. These styles included firmly pinned plaits, simple chignons, and rolls bound up in a hair net or secured with a ribbon.
A tightly plaited, well-pinned hairstyle could last throughout a busy work day. It not only served to keep one’s hair out of the way, but also to keep it clean and tidy. Plaits were generally unobtrusive, especially when bound close to the head. Victorian ladies often styled their hair in simple chignons or coiled or interwoven plaits. A simple chignon or “bun” was another option for the Victorian lady of more moderate means. All that was needed was a handful of pins. For added security, the bun could be covered with a fine, silk hair net. During the 1860s, “invisible” hair nets were available. Made in the same colours as a lady’s hair, invisible hair nets were a practical, everyday way to keep stray hairs in place without appearing gaudy or ostentatious. They were also quite suitable for keeping the hair out of the way during athletic endeavours.
Victorian men wore their hair in a variety of different styles. Beyond ‘fashion’, these styles were a symbol of a man’s dignity and social standing.
The Side Part: This style is still regionally popular amongst the ‘well-to-do’ gentlemen in society. The side part(ing) was all about understated elegance.
Read also: Easy Braided Hairstyles
Slicked Back Hair: For a more formal appearance, men slicked their hair back using oils or pomades. This was a particularly popular style amongst young businessmen and those in the public eye. It remained popular well into the 20th Century, but evolved to incorporate a slick back top, with short, clean sides. Products like Brylcream were commonly used to maintain the slick shape and look well into the late 1900’s, and are still sold today.
Mutton Chops: Facial hair was a significant aspect of men’s grooming in this age. Mutton chops - large, bushy sideburns that extended down the jawline - were a statement of virility and were often paired with a neatly styled hairdo. It’s a look more aligned to country living today, and not often sported by the wealthy anymore.
The Full Beard: The full beard though not uncommon before Victorian times, really saw a surge in popularity toward the latter half of the era. These magnificent facial beards were often well-groomed and maintained, sometimes with oils. The look was often adopted by those in intellectual or educational fields, and more popular amongst older men. They may accompany a full head of hair, short or long but were also popular on those with a balding scalp too.
The Dandy Look: Influenced by the ‘dandy’ fashion movement, this style involved neatly combed hair, often with a middle part, and a more tailored approach to facial hair. It presented a polished and sophisticated appearance and is a style that has stuck with us.
People at the other end of the social spectrum, the working and lower classes, often had very different hairstyles from their wealthy neighbours. Mostly as a result of economic priorities, but also for practical reasons. There was no point in a chimney sweep sporting a neat side parting for example. It wouldn’t last long!
For poor men, practicality was key. Hairstyles in this demographic were generally simple and low maintenance. The style reflected their working-class status and the more ‘grounded’ needs of their daily labour. Hair was usually kept short to avoid interference with work and to minimize the need for upkeep. Short hair was easier to keep clean and less likely to harbour lice, a common problem in the crowded and unsanitary living conditions many poor people endured.
Unlike the upper classes who used various products to style their hair, poor men’s hair was typically left natural. Given the harsh living and working conditions, along with limited access to hygiene facilities, the hair of poor men often appeared rough and unkempt. Facial hair, such as beards and moustaches, was common among the working class, partly due to the lack of regular shaving. Shaving required both time and resources (like razors and shaving soap), which were scarce.
In Victorian times, children’s hairstyles were a miniature reflection of adult fashion, albeit simpler. Girls typically had long hair, styled in soft, gentle curls or simple braids. They might often have ribbons or small flowers in their hair. The flowers would often be real but sometimes made of silk, particularly in the cold months when flowers were out of season. Young boys, usually had their hair kept long and in curls until they reached a certain age, known as the ‘breeching age,’. At this stage of childhood they would start to wear trousers and their hair would be cut shorter. Much like their parents, Victorian children’s hairstyles were not just about looking presentable.
Wealthy Victorians used a range of different tools and methods to maintain their elaborate hairstyles.
Hairpins and Combs: Much like today, hairpins and combs were perhaps the two most essential items for securing hair in place.
Hairnets: Additionally, hairnets were used to keep styles intact, especially for women engaged in work or during windy conditions. Snoods. Hair nets cover a multitude of sins-and short hair.
Hair Dyes: Hair dyeing in the Victorian era was not as common or as advanced as it is today, but some did experiment with natural dyes. These dyes were not very good quality, limited in colour and not very long-lasting. One popular method was to use henna for bringing out reddish tones. It was much easier to change your hair colour simply by wearing a wig than to try and dye in during this age.
Wigs and Hairpieces: Believe it or not, fake hair was widespread in Victorian times, especially among the upper classes. Various styles of wigs, hairpieces, and extensions were all used to create or amplify styles to taste. Extensions helped to create the voluminous and intricate styles that were fashionable at the time. Hair pieces in Victorian times were not just for aesthetics but also a practical solution for women who lacked natural volume. These pieces came in various forms - from false braids to buns and even elaborate curls.
Curling and Crimping Irons: Crimping and curling were popular techniques to add texture and volume to Victorian hairstyles, particularly later in the period. Heated irons were used to create curls, which were then set with pins until they cooled.
Hair Rats: Did you know that Victorian women had rats in their hair? No, not rodents. Rats (or ratts) were used to increase volume. They were usually made from the loose hair collected from a woman’s comb, which would be stuffed into a hair receiver - a small box or dish kept on the vanity table.
Accessories such as combs, pearls, hats and bonnets each had their time in the spotlight throughout the 1800s. On that note, it’s important to remember that the right hair accessories can transform any look.
For balls and other formal events, fashionable women of the early 1860s often arranged their hair in elaborate styles with artificial tufts, pads, and false plaits.
Victorian hairstyles spanned the 1840s to 1890s. Each decade had a certain style for the wealthy classes involving hair parts, braids+, rolls, buns, and decorative accessories.
1840s: Most hairstyles of the 1840s were simple and symmetrical. In the evenings, lace, flowers, and leaf crowns/headbands perched on the head with a flat top and lush sides.
1850s and 1860s: In the 1850s and 1860s, Princess Eugenia inspired hairstyles as well as dress fashion. Variations over the decade included ringlets on both sides of the face for young girls, as well as the chignon bun and twisted knots placed at the nape of the neck for all women. The net covered chignon moved back up the head and was coiled loose and wide to make the hair look bigger. Tight backward rolls could add some framing near the face. Side and back curls were worn for both day and evening looks. Hoop skirts took over in the 1850s, and hair expanded to match. Chignons began to move towards the back of the head in the 1860s, mimicking changes in dress style.
1870s: Hair dressing in the 1870s became fancy with long curls, braids, plaits and twists cascading down the center back. A center part was still the most common, but a side part or un-parted smooth top was an option. Hair continued to be braided and shaped into buns in high heavy shapes.
1890s: The hair of the 1890s piled up high on top of the crown, in tight coils and curls with fluffy bangs or fringe over the forehead. The top was flat to accommodate small decorative hats. At home hair was kept easy and low at the nape.
Victorian women did not shower every day. Or even every other day. The standard of beauty was different. But it’s okay; I’m not telling you to stop washing your hair. Personally, I can’t stand the texture of my hair after three days. But there are some things to keep in mind when doing these styles. Most of them work best with "day after" hair. Remember, washing every day isn’t great for your hair either.
Looking to bring a classic Victorian style into the 21st century? There are many ways to adapt these historical styles for the modern woman.
Embrace Natural Texture: Wear it loose and natural for an easy go-to look. Skip all the hair products and embrace a touch of frizz. This “I woke up like this” hairstyle is 2021-ready with a vintage spin.
Add Volume: Combine volume and shine for a very modern take on a classic Victorian voluminous look. Tease the hair at the top of your head, then use your hairbrush or comb to smooth the top.
Experiment with Twists and Updos: A no-fail way to D.I.Y. Use the twist and pin method to fake pro updo skills.
Incorporate Curls: Review some of our top hair curler tips and find the best ones for you. Fake these classic, natural-looking tight curls using this overnight curling method.
Use Hair Extensions: Grab your longest hair extensions and clip them into the back of your hair to aid you in creating a super, super long ponytail.
Accessorize: Looking for a Victorian hairstyle that works with any hair type and texture? Try a feathered headband. Elevate your hairstyling game with a touch of timeless elegance.
tags: #Victorian #era #women's #hairstyles
