You may not know that hair wigs’ first usage can be traced back to thousands of years ago. Unlike today, in the past, people wear a wig for various purposes. Especially men who were assumed to use wigs for cover baldness. So if you want to know the reason why did men wear wigs in the past or even in ancient times, read through this article to check it out!

Why Did Men Wear Wigs?

Earl wigs

The very first wigs were made with human hair or palm leaf fibers and wool. It was invented in Egypt since c. 2700 B.C.E to denote social status, and religious piety of men. This is the first cause for “why did men wear wigs?”.

Moreover, they were used to protect the head from the sun and vermin.

It was not until the late 1500s, hair was constructed more sophisticatedly for fashion purposes.

A head covered fully with false hair called perruque. It got its different name as peruke, periwyk, and periwig in France. Up until 1675, the name “wig” was born.

Read more: Wonder How To Take Care Of A Wig? The Easiest Ways To Follow

Why did men wear wigs in the late 17th century?

In the seventeenth century, the wig was the pinnacle of fashion for both males and females. That is another reason why did men wear wigs in the past. Many people shaved their heads to make the wigs fit comfortably.

By the eighteenth century, full wigs were used in the formal occasion by men who had the finances. At that time, wigs were considered as a mark of class and income. Those who owned more “full-bottomed” the wig, were richer since it cost more expensive. That is why did men wear wigs instead of just their hair. Hence if one could not afford a wig, they would make their look the same as a wig.

Why did men wear wigs in the late 17th century? Wigs achieved their enormous popularity around 1600, when King Louis the XIII who was reported to be suffered from baldness, used a wig to cover the balding area. After that time, the wig became a signal of royalty and upper class. By the middle of the 1600s, King Louis XIV also wore a wig because of its aesthetic features. This trend of wearing wigs was continued by King Charles II in England and the rich to show off their wealth and luxury.

Why did men wear wigs in the 18th century?

To look mature and older, many men wore wigs in the 18th century. They thought wigs could make a patriarchal appearance. And they assumed husband should older than wives so they wore wigs to look older than their real ages. That is why did men wear wigs in colonial times.

Why did men wear wigs in the 1700s? By the mid-eighteenth century, many men wore white powdered wigs. So why did men wear white wigs? White is the favorite color for wig making since this color of wigs was made for judges and military officers only. Furthermore, they were used on formal occasions or events. Hence, many men who could not afford a white wig and then they simply powdered their hair to make it look like a white wig. That is also the answer to the questions ” why did men wear powdered wigs?”

However, Richard Corson stated that that the full wig was eliminated by 1790, but “when there was a good deal of natural hair in evidence” (Corson, p. 298). Hence, more hair was collected from the heads of humans to achieve a more natural look with various styles.

In the late 18th century, the trend of wearing wigs are decline among the young because they thought it was less fashionable. However, some conservatives still wore wigs to dignified their traditional look of their forefathers.

Why did men wear wigs in the 19th and Early 20th centuries?

At that time, the natural aspect of wigs was highly appreciated. hence, fashionable hairstyles were demanded a myriad of forms, such as fronts and transformations. Moreover, hair was sorted into bundles to ease the styling process like curling in order to build up massive hairstyles.

Why did men wear wigs in the 1920s to the present?

Why did the men wear wigs during victorian times?

Wig become more popular with a wide range of people in Victorian times. They were like convenient tools offering fashionable styles without undergoing the time-consuming or any painful styling process.

By 1968, it is estimated that one-third of all European women wore wigs. Men tended to use wigs for naturalism. In the early 1950s, wigs were hand-made. However, with the advancement of the machine, cheap wigs were created by nylon or acrylic in Hong Kong which triggered mass-produced wigs on the market.

An until now, wigs are worn more by men and women to hide baldness or hair loss and for fashion aims. Wigs can help to dress fine hair or hair loss. They also use a wig to meet the hairstyles changing demand because the desired result is immediate and time-saving. Wig protected natural hair and scalp as well.

In the bottom line

After nearly two centuries, wigs are back with more useful effects. Both men and women now are interested in wigs.

Wigs systems nowadays are not just combining only white hair but any color along with a variety of shades and sizes which suit daily use. A wig is not just used for special occasions as in the past, it can be used in any type of event with different purposes.

We hope that the article “Why did men wear wigs?” will have you have a deeper insight into the functions of the wigs from the past to now. If you fell for wigs after this writing and want to find the best one for you, visit Layla Hair. We offer you a various choice of hair wigs that meet all of your demands.

We assure you that all the hairpieces we provide you are high-quality and authentic at the most reasonable price. No synthetic, just virgin human hair.

In case you want to learn more about hair wigs, drop us a message in our box chat or contact us via WhatsApp or email [email protected]. We active 24/7 to answers your questions in the shortest time.

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