The History of Hair Painting
We’ve all done it, and we’ve all regretted it: the unseemingly terrifying night with the girls when you all decided to box dye your hair a “golden blonde” that turned out hideously orange. That’s OK. Not everyone is a professional, and that’s why being a cosmetologist is a job. During your hair dyeing endeavours, you may have wondered, “Why do we do this?”. We all have thought about where trends like jelly braceletes to thick-highlights start, and we’ve got the timeline for your teen favorite: hair dye. Here is how home-made dyes made their way into the beauty world and eventually turned into the hot trend of hair painting.
Ancient Egypt
Of course Egypt was one of the first civilizations to utilize hair dyes. Henna was usually their dyeing-method of choice, and it still is quite popular to this day. (Just remember to read about henna before applying it, as there may be some adverse effects in the future.)
Greeks and Romans
Following suit to the Egyptians, Greeks and Romans started using plant based paste to dye their hair black. However, their innovations were not as good as henna and became quite toxic. After a few experiments, they moved to using fermented leeches. Roman’s used hair color as an indicator of professions, and many used burnt plants and nuts to get a blonde-ish hue to their locks.
The Accident
William Henry Perkin happened upon hair dye while trying to make a cure for malaria. Thus, in 1863, the first synthetic dye was born. He named it mauveine. This color-changing molecule is still used in most dyes today.
Fast Forward
Ever since the birth of synthetic hair dye, beauty innovators everywhere have been creating their own dyes. Many leaders started their own brands and are still around, like Clairol and L’Oréal. The more and more dye colors expanded, the more and more people wanted them. We can see brilliant examples of the dye colors we use today by simply taking a look around us. Would you ever believe that the color Kylie Jenner’s rocking has a history dating back to 1863? Hair coloring has sure come a long way!
Hair Painting
Considering all the options that hair coloring has to offer, it’s no wonder that hair artists everywhere are specializing in it. These professionals usually refer to themselves as “hair painters”. Hair painters are well-versed in color mixing and formulation, placement, color correction and just about anything else to do with coloring hair. These artists, yes artists, use their colors and brushes, much like the traditional painter, to create complete works of art. Here are a few of our students and alumni showing off their color work.
Do You Want In On the Game?
Does hair painting sound like something you want to do? Check out our Cosmetology Program for more info on what we can offer, and be sure to contact us with any questions you have. In the meantime: check out our Facebook and Instagram!