Hair has always been more than just hair. Throughout human history, it has been a symbol of status, beauty, rebellion, conformity, faith, and identity. And the products people have used to style, color, clean, and care for their hair tell an extraordinary story — one filled with ingenuity, vanity, danger, and occasionally, downright disgust.
At SAP Salon in Clintonville, Columbus, Ohio, we believe that understanding where hair care has been helps us appreciate just how far we have come — and why the plant-powered, science-backed Aveda products we use today represent the pinnacle of generations of human curiosity and craft. So pour yourself a cup of coffee and join us on a fascinating journey through the strange, surprising, and sometimes shocking history of the products people once used on their hair.
Table of Contents
- Ancient Beginnings: Egypt, Greece, and Rome
- The Middle Ages: Faith, Hygiene, and Hidden Hair
- Renaissance Excess and Elaborate Powdered Wigs
- Victorian Era: Macassar Oil and Mercury Madness
- The Roaring Twenties and the Birth of Modern Hair Care
- Mid-Century Marvels: Aqua Net, Perms, and Pin Curls
- The 1970s and 80s: Big Hair, Bigger Chemicals
- The Modern Revolution: From Synthetic to Sustainable
- Why This History Matters for Columbus Today
- The SAP Salon and Aveda Difference
- Frequently Asked Questions
Ancient Beginnings: Egypt, Greece, and Rome
The story of hair care begins thousands of years ago in the cradles of civilization. Ancient Egyptians were arguably the world's first true beauty enthusiasts, treating hair care as both a spiritual and aesthetic practice. They used a remarkable concoction of ingredients including almond oil, castor oil, and animal fats to condition their hair, while henna was used to color it vibrant shades of red and orange.
Egyptians also pioneered some of the earliest hair removal techniques and wore elaborate wigs made from human hair, plant fibers, and even sheep's wool. These wigs were often scented with cones of perfumed wax that would slowly melt throughout the day, releasing fragrance — an early version of long-lasting fragrance technology.
The ancient Greeks preferred natural blonde hair and would lighten their locks using a mixture of lemon juice, vinegar, and prolonged sun exposure. They also used olive oil as a deep conditioner, a practice that has, remarkably, stood the test of time.
The Romans took hair care to extravagant new heights. Wealthy Roman women used lead-based dyes to achieve fashionable colors, mixed pigeon droppings into bleaching pastes to lighten their hair, and applied leeches fermented in wine to darken graying strands. While many of these practices were ineffective at best and toxic at worst, they reveal an enduring human truth: people have always been willing to go to extraordinary lengths in pursuit of beautiful hair.
The Middle Ages: Faith, Hygiene, and Hidden Hair
The fall of Rome ushered in a dramatically different approach to hair care across Europe. During the Middle Ages, religious doctrine often required women to keep their hair covered with veils and wimples, and elaborate styling fell out of favor. Bathing was infrequent, and most "hair care" consisted of basic combing with bone or ivory combs to remove debris and lice.
That said, the medieval period was not entirely devoid of hair innovation. Herbal rinses made from chamomile, rosemary, and nettle were widely used, and these botanical preparations represent some of the earliest examples of plant-based hair care — a tradition Aveda has revived and refined with modern science.
Monks and nuns also preserved knowledge of medicinal herbs in their gardens, including many plants that would later become foundational to natural hair care formulations. The rosemary, lavender, and sage still used in salons today have roots (literally) in medieval monastery gardens.
Renaissance Excess and Elaborate Powdered Wigs
The Renaissance brought a renewed appreciation for elaborate beauty, and by the 17th and 18th centuries, hair had become a canvas for outrageous artistic expression. Powdered wigs, made fashionable by Louis XIV of France, dominated European aristocracy for nearly two centuries.
These towering creations were powdered with starch, flour, and orris root powder to achieve their signature pale color, and scented with lavender or jasmine to mask the inevitable odor. Wigs were rarely cleaned and often became infested with lice and other vermin — leading to the invention of the wig scratcher, a long thin rod used to relieve itching without disturbing the elaborate styling.
Women of means used pomades made from bear fat, pig lard, and beef marrow to hold their natural hair in place beneath wigs or to style it into massive coiffures. The famous Marie Antoinette is said to have worn hairstyles so tall they required her to kneel in carriages. The fire hazard was substantial, and burn injuries from candle accidents were tragically common.
Victorian Era: Macassar Oil and Mercury Madness
The Victorian era (1837–1901) introduced a new wave of commercial hair products that often blended genuine innovation with frankly alarming chemistry. Macassar oil, made from coconut oil and ylang-ylang, became the must-have product for Victorian gentlemen seeking a glossy, slicked-back appearance.
This oil was so popular — and so messy — that it inspired a furniture innovation: the antimacassar, a decorative cloth draped over the back of chairs and sofas to protect upholstery from oily hair stains. You can still find antimacassars in vintage furniture today.
Victorian women were obsessed with long, lustrous hair and used a variety of tonics to encourage growth. Some were innocuous, like bay rum and quinine tonics, but others were genuinely dangerous. Mercury-based hair dyes, lead acetate "progressive dyes," and arsenic-laced complexion tonics were all sold openly in pharmacies, and chronic poisoning from beauty products was a recognized medical condition.
The era also saw the invention of the Marcel wave in 1872 by French stylist François Marcel, who used heated tongs to create the soft, undulating waves that would dominate hairstyling for the next half century.
The Roaring Twenties and the Birth of Modern Hair Care
The 1920s shattered traditional notions of feminine hair almost overnight. The bob haircut liberated women from hours of styling and inspired a wave of new products designed for shorter, more active lifestyles. Brilliantine — a fragrant, oil-based pomade — slicked down both men's and women's hair into the gleaming, sculpted styles that defined the era.
This decade also saw the introduction of the first commercial shampoos as we would recognize them today. Before the 1920s, most people washed their hair with bar soap or a mixture of egg yolks and water. Brands like Drene and Halo introduced liquid shampoos that left hair cleaner, softer, and more manageable than ever before.
The first home permanent wave kits also debuted in the 1930s, bringing salon-style curls into ordinary households — though early formulas were so harsh they sometimes caused chemical burns and significant hair damage.
Mid-Century Marvels: Aqua Net, Perms, and Pin Curls
The post-war boom of the 1950s and 60s transformed hair care from a luxury into a mainstream consumer industry. Aerosol hairspray debuted in 1948, and by the 1960s, brands like Aqua Net and White Rain had become household staples. The towering bouffants and beehives of the era required industrial-strength hold, and the ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons in those early sprays got the job done — at significant environmental cost.
Home pin-curling was an evening ritual for millions of women, who would set their hair before bed and sleep on uncomfortable curlers to achieve perfect waves by morning. Cold wave perms offered longer-lasting curls but relied on harsh ammonium thioglycolate, which damaged hair structurally over time.
This era also saw the rise of Clairol's "Does she or doesn't she?" advertising campaign, which destigmatized at-home hair coloring and launched a multi-billion dollar industry. Unfortunately, many of those early home dyes contained ingredients now known to be carcinogenic.
The 1970s and 80s: Big Hair, Bigger Chemicals
If the 1950s loved hairspray, the 1980s practically bathed in it. The decade of big hair demanded products that could defy gravity, and chemists obliged with formulas containing increasingly potent polymers and propellants. Mousse, gel, and styling spray entered the mainstream, and salons across America (including right here in Columbus) embraced perms, frosting, and feathered styles that required hours of styling and gallons of product.
The 70s and 80s also marked the peak of chemical hair processing. Relaxers, perms, and bleaches reached new heights of intensity, and the long-term damage to people's hair was substantial. It was during this era that consumers began to question what was really in their products — and a new generation of natural, plant-based brands began to emerge in response.
One of those pioneering brands was Aveda, founded in 1978 by hairdresser Horst Rechelbacher in Minneapolis. Inspired by his studies in Ayurvedic medicine, Rechelbacher set out to create hair care products derived from pure flower and plant essences — a radical concept at the time, and the foundation of everything we believe in at SAP Salon today.
The Modern Revolution: From Synthetic to Sustainable
The late 1990s and 2000s ushered in a new era of awareness. Consumers began reading labels, asking questions, and demanding transparency from beauty brands. The rise of the internet exposed the harsh chemicals lurking in many conventional products — sulfates, parabens, phthalates, formaldehyde-releasing preservatives — and sparked a movement toward cleaner, safer formulations.
This revolution gave rise to the modern clean beauty movement, with brands like Aveda leading the charge by proving that effective, professional-grade hair care could be created using plant-derived, ethically sourced, and environmentally responsible ingredients.
Today's best hair products incorporate decades of cosmetic chemistry research with ancient botanical wisdom. They cleanse without stripping, color without destroying, and style without sacrificing long-term hair health. The result is hair care that genuinely cares for both people and the planet.
Why This History Matters for Columbus Today
You might be wondering: why does any of this history matter for someone getting their hair cut or colored in Columbus, Ohio in 2026? The answer is simple — understanding where we have been makes us smarter about where we are going.
Columbus has a rich beauty industry history of its own. From the Victorian-era barber shops along High Street to the mid-century beauty parlors that once dotted Clintonville and Bexley, our city has always been home to passionate hair professionals dedicated to their craft. Today, Columbus is a thriving hub for conscious, sustainable beauty — and salons like SAP Salon are proud to carry that tradition forward.
When clients walk into our salon, they are not just getting a service. They are participating in a centuries-long human tradition of hair care, refined and elevated by modern science and ethics. They are also making a choice — a choice to support vegan, cruelty-free, environmentally responsible beauty instead of the toxic shortcuts of the past.
For Columbus residents who care about wellness, sustainability, and supporting local businesses that share their values, knowing the history of hair products provides important context. It reveals why Aveda's plant-based approach is not just a trend, but a return to the natural wisdom that has served humanity for millennia — combined with the rigorous safety testing and clinical effectiveness we expect from modern products.
The SAP Salon and Aveda Difference
At SAP Salon, every product on our shelves and every formula we use behind the chair has been carefully selected to honor both your hair's health and our shared environment. We have left behind the mercury dyes, lead pomades, and ozone-destroying aerosols of the past in favor of:
- 100% vegan formulations that contain no animal-derived ingredients
- Cruelty-free certification ensuring no animal testing at any stage
- Plant-based active ingredients sourced from organic and sustainable farms
- Recyclable and post-consumer recycled packaging to minimize landfill waste
- Wind-powered manufacturing through Aveda's commitment to renewable energy
- Partnership with Green Circle Salons to recycle hair, foils, color, and chemicals
When you sit in our chairs in Clintonville, you are benefiting from generations of human learning about what hair really needs — without any of the hazardous trial-and-error that defined earlier eras.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are old-fashioned hair remedies like olive oil treatments still effective? Some traditional remedies, like olive oil conditioning, still hold value today. Many of Aveda's formulations actually incorporate time-tested botanical ingredients (like jojoba, sunflower, and chamomile) that humans have used for centuries — but combine them with modern science to maximize effectiveness and stability.
What was the most dangerous historical hair product? Mercury-based and lead-acetate hair dyes from the Victorian era are strong contenders. These products caused chronic poisoning, neurological damage, and in some cases, death. Modern hair color, especially Aveda's plant-pigmented formulas, is dramatically safer.
Why did people stop using natural hair products and switch to synthetic ones? The 20th century's obsession with industrialization and chemistry led to a temporary abandonment of plant-based formulas in favor of cheaper, faster synthetic alternatives. Thankfully, brands like Aveda spearheaded a return to nature beginning in the 1970s.
Does SAP Salon use any traditional or vintage hair care techniques? While we use modern tools and products, many of our techniques honor classic methods — including hand-mixed color formulations, careful precision cutting, and personalized consultations that prioritize each client's unique hair history.
How can I learn more about safe, modern hair care? Visit us at SAP Salon in Clintonville, Columbus, Ohio. Our expert stylists can walk you through everything you need to know about caring for your hair using the safest, most effective products available today.
Honor the Past, Embrace the Future
The history of hair care is a reminder that beauty without ethics comes at a cost — sometimes a devastating one. By choosing salons and products that prioritize health, sustainability, and integrity, you become part of a better future for hair care.
Ready to experience the very best that modern, conscious hair care has to offer? Book your appointment at SAP Salon today and discover how far we have come — and how much further we can go together.
*SAP Salon proudly serves Columbus, Clintonville, Worthington, Upper Arlington, Bexley, and surrounding Ohio communities with full-service Aveda hair care, color, and styling.*