The ancient Egyptians were very particular about their beauty and hairstyles.

Also the hairstyles determined the status of person in society. Wigs were popular amongst the upper and middle classes, the wealthier presumably maintaining a greater selection of wigs. Wigs were made by barbers or by wig specialists, one of the occupations open to Egyptian women.

Grey hair was hidden by the application of henna since the middle of the 4th millennium BCE at least. Sometimes it was tinted with an ointment containing the astringent juniper-berries and two other, unidentified plants which supplied the colouring agent. However the wigs played an important role. Wigs were also considered necessary for the afterlife, they were buried in tombs, some contained in specialized wig chest.

Quite a few wigs have survived, in particular from the New Kingdom. By the time of the New Kingdom, styles had become more sophisticated. Both sexes wore their hair longer. The hair used in the construction of wigs and hair extensions was human, and was either an individual's own hair or had been traded for, hair itself being a valuable commodity ranked alongside gold and incense in account lists from the town of Kahun.

It is also quite apparent that women's wigs were considerably less elaborate than those worn by men and consequently appear more natural. The best preserved example of the long full style so favoured by New Kingdom women was found inside the tall wooden wig box of Meryt in the Deir el-Medina tomb she shared with her husband Kha. In addition to complete wigs, individual braids were employed to create wider and longer dimensions.

There were periods when the head was clean shaven, others when it was left to grow, cropped short or worn shoulder-long or even longer by both men and women. Priests are shown with cleanly shaved heads since the New Kingdom, but most people seem to have had some hair on their heads and taken good care of it, as the many remedies against hair loss or grey hair indicate. Young girls often had pigtails while boys had shaved heads.

As with modern women, ancient Egyptian women could maintain a hairstyle that was long or short, preferring their hair smooth and close with chin length bobs. For longer hair, women of the New Kingdom had wigs, their hair decorated with flowers or ribbons. Even the poorer women would be able to add adornments such as berries and petals, while children's hair was decorated with amulets, hair-rings and clasps.

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This site covers all areas for Ancient Egyptian Facts. Besides the popular ancient egyptian topics for kids of Pharohs, Gods, Inventions, Religion. Itis one of the biggest websites for ancient egypt information for kids. Many college students use it for research on ancient egyptian times.

Money & Coins	Recreation Part 1	Trading of Goods
Famous Monuments	Recreation Part 2	Translation Of Hieroglyphics
Mummies / Mummification	Religion Part 1	Transportation System
Music in Ancient Egypt	Religion Part 2	Viziers Ranking
Musical Instruments	Religious Beliefs	Famous Wars Fought
Myths Part 1: Creation, Eye of Ra	Sarcophagus	Weaponry & Chain of Command
Myths Part 2: Death	Children's Schools	Common Weapons Used in War
Names and Meanings	Science and Technology	Women's Life Part 1
Numbering System	Role of Scribes	Women's Life Part 2
Obelisks Designs	Life of Slaves & Slavery	Status of Women
Paintings Style, Colours	Social Classes in Ancient Egypt	British Museum and Ancient Egypt
Papyrus Invention	Soldiers in the Army	Burial Tombs In Ancient Egypt
Pharaohs Dynasties	Sphinxes - majestic monuments	Concept of Afterlife
Pottery Designs	Common Sports Played	Farming In Ancient Egypt
Priests' Role	Famous Statues	Common Food and Drink
Process Of Embalming	Symbols and Meanings	King Tutankhamun of Egypt
Famous Proverbs	Tattoos and Designs	Sun God: Ra
Queens Part 1: Cleopatra	Technology Advancements	The Pyramids of Ancient Egypt
Queens Part 2: Other Queens	Temples' Significance	Valley of The Kings
Popular Quotes	Commonly used Tools	Pictures/Photos

This page last updated in Feb 2013