Wigged Out!

The other day a friend asked me about 18th Century wigs, and how people wore and maintained them; that it might be an interesting subject for my blog. I said yes, that is an interesting subject, and so, here are some good points:

Men's wigs, or perukes, were powdered in our to give them their particular white color. By that time, women didn't wear wigs, but supplemented their coiffure with artificial hair, and powdered it with grey or bluish grey color. The powder was made from finely ground starch, scented with orange flower, lavender or orris root.

These wigs were essential for full dress occasions, and continued so up until the end of the 18th Century. But, powdering these wigs were messy and eventually, powderless wigs were incorporated, made of horsehair. Many of this type were used for court dress and the legal profession as ceremonial wigs for barristers. Women sometimes powdered their own natural hair, from the 1770's onwards. After 1790, women seldom powdered their tresses. The fashion was declining. But also, the British government levied a tax on hair powder, and so there went that. Imagine if Congress instituted a tax on rainbow colored hair dye, or tattoos, for that matter?!

In the late 1700's, in the French court, elaborate themed wigs were in vogue, sometimes called "boat poufs", which included combed up extensions often set with pomades, powders and other ornaments. Here again, the fashion started to die as these coifs became symbolic of the decadence of French nobility, and quickly went by the wayside with the French Revolution, 1789. Politics can well play a roll in fashion! Think of the politics of long hair in the 1960's.

Care of wigs was most important. Head lice were everywhere, and "nitpicking" as it was called, was painful, time-consuming, and annoying to say the least. But, people will suffer for style, won't they!? Wigs, though, actually helped with the problem, as people cut their own hair very short, or shaved it off, and the lice stayed on the wigs instead. Ouch! I bet you thought they would be eliminated entirely. But, delousing a wig was easier. You would send your old infested wig to the wigmaker, who would boil it and Ta-dah!, remove the nits.

During the 170's, the cost of wigs continued to increase, and perukes became a scheme for flaunting wealth. The everyday wig generally at about 25 shillings, or a week's pay for a laborer. Elaborate and enormous creations ran upwards 800 shillings! Snobs were  described as "big wigs"!