Hair Styling by PRO

The profession of hair dressing dates back to ancient Egypt, where hairdresser decorated their cases to keep tools, scissors, lotions and other styling materials. In ancient Greece and Rome, wealthy men had their servants as personal hairdressers, in addition to dyeing and shaving.  As the Greeks were into beard trimming, they first opened a barber shop. In 296 BC, barber shops were common and brought back the tradition of Rome. Romans were particular about their appearance and they called their barber shop as Tonstinae. These barber shops also introduced waxing, manicure and pedicure. The demand for hair care increased in 1092 when Roman Catholic clergymen were asked to remove facial hair.

The 18th century was all about wigs and so hairdressers turned into wig makers. By the late 19th century, wigs were no longer in use and the salons gained the reputation of being a bad place. In the 1600s, Europe started seeing men styling women’s hair. One of the most popular hairdressers of that time was Champagne who opened his hair salon in Paris and styled wealthy Parisian women till his death in 1658.

The addition of plumbing and shampoo bowl saw the salons gaining popularity. Hairdressers started using hydrogen peroxide and synthetic hair dye to change hair color. In 1890, a hairdressing academy was started by Frenchmen Brisbois and Federmeyer in Chicago.