You asked: “medieval hair, what’s the deal?”
Medieval folks definitely had some thoughts about their hair, and specific styles were highly dependent on time, place, and social status.
Women’s hair was, you guessed it, sometimes linked to sin and temptation. So usually only young, unmarried women wore their hair uncovered and loose.
It was more common for modest ladies to wear their hair braided, plaited away from the face, and covered with a veil, hat, hairnet, or wimple.
Here, the relative ages of the women are communicated through their hair. Virgin Mary is younger and her hair falls down her back, while her older cousin, Elizabeth, wears a covering.
People also took care of their hair—combs of ivory and wood were sometimes elaborately carved.
Before shampoo, hair was washed with water, and for the more well-off, a mixture of ashes and egg whites was used, along with herbs and flowers for a nice smell.
Men also tended to wear their hair long, especially those of the noble classes, for whom it was a sign of social distinction.
But ideally not too long, lest he be mistaken for a woman.
And many monks and clerics wore their hair in a tonsure, shaving a portion of the head as a sign of their induction into the clergy.
Haircare, it’s always been a thing.
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