Hair coloring has a vast history among humans. Ancient people began to explore ways to enhance the appearance of hair—either chemically or artificial means. The solution was to apply products containing dye that changed the color of hair. While Greeks and Romans favored soaps and bleaches, Romans went for black dye. Black dye was made with ingredients such as leeks and boiled walnuts. Germanic people adorned their hair and beards with festive colors such as orange, green and blue.
Chemical hair coloring product debuted in 1909 when France introduced it into the beauty world. The essential chemical composition that made the product unique was the blend of ammonia, hydrogen peroxide and paraphenylenediamine.
Despite the product resistance among American women—the economic flourish made women to embrace luxury and glamour. Chemical hair coloring were purchased for home application and beauty salons.
Initial chemical coloring product received a significant amount of criticism because of bad smell like rotten eggs and unpleasant color effect. In addition—user was required to master instructions in order to use the product effectively—those negative qualities downplayed it.
While in the 1950s—only 7% of women used hair coloring products for the purpose of eliminating grayish in their hair, there was another hottest product in the market invented in 1956, called Miss Clairol that was loved by mainstream. Upon the introduction of this product—hair coloring became inevitable trend for women.
Hair coloring products have been widely applied by celebrities and non-celebrities. Research shows that—in the twenty-first century, 75% of all American women colored their hair.
REFERENCES:
Adams, David, and Jacki Wadeson. The Art of Hair Coloring. London, England: Macmillan, 1998.
Gladwell, Malcolm. "True Colors." New Yorker (March 22, 1999): 70-81