Questioning Ancient Hair Volume
Did the ancient people have astonishing hair volume? Could they create such high buns with their own hair? Well, it's a joke! The ancient people already had the "baldness crisis" and secretly wore wigs.
In fact, the hair volume of the ancient people might not be as thick as that shown in Zhou Fang's Painting of Ladies Wearing Flowers in Their Hair (《簪花仕女图》). The so - called "Yiji" (义髻) in ancient times was the predecessor of the wig buns we see today. The fashion of wearing wigs started among upper - class women, aiming to increase hair volume and create more complex bun styles, similar to today's hair pads.
Materials and Styles of Ancient Wigs
The common materials for Yiji were hair or alternative modeling materials like wooden pieces. This spiral - shaped Yiji was made of "false hair". Lined with linen, wrapped with palm hair and dyed, it was made into a spiral shape. You could just press it on your head to complete the makeup, showing both simplicity and ingenuity.
The materials for making Yiji were diverse, not limited to real human hair. For example, thin wooden pieces were used. This lacquered wooden wig bun unearthed from the Astana Ancient Tombs in Turpan, Xinjiang, is one of them. It is a standard single - edged half - flipped bun, made of wood, painted with black lacquer, and white lacquer was used to draw images of flowers, auspicious clouds, and phoenixes on the black lacquer. There are several small holes with residual metal rust at the bottom of the bun for inserting various hairpins. It has a thin wooden base (hollow), and a real - hair bun is placed inside and fixed with hairpins.
The History of Wig - wearing
Even earlier than the Han Dynasty, the Zhou Dynasty used wigs. There is a line in The Book of Songs: Gentleman, Live in Harmony with Your Wife (《诗经·君子偕老》) that says, "Her hair is as black as clouds, and she disdains to wear a wig." "Black hair" refers to hair as black and shiny as lacquer, so there was no need to wear a wig. "Di" means wig. By the Tang Dynasty, wigs were extremely popular and came in various styles. Documents such as Records of the Dressing Table (《妆台记》) and Categories of Hair Buns (《髻鬟品》) recorded more than thirty - related styles. Tang poems also described the popularity of wig buns at that time, such as "The Yiji was thrown into the river, and the yellow shirt floated with the water" and "In the city, high buns are in fashion, and those in the countryside make them one foot higher". Even Yang Guifei was no exception. The Biography of Lady Yang (《杨太真外传》) recorded that she often wore false buns as ornaments.
The Tang poem Palace Poems (《宫词》) says: "Three layers of hairpins are inserted on the jade cicada and golden sparrow, and the green bun on the high hair is false. When dancing, the spring wind blows it to the ground, and when she returns, the emperor rewards her with a comb." It tells the story of a court lady whose false bun fixed with three - layer hairpins was blown off by the wind while dancing, and the emperor rewarded her with a comb to fix it well.
The Preference for Wigs in Different Dynasties
After the Yuan Dynasty, Han women preferred Jiujis (鬏髻), which were woven with gold and silver threads, horsehair, hair, etc., covered with a light veil, and placed on the top of the head, paired with a full set of headdresses, showing elegance and nobility. This fashion had a profound influence.
It can be seen that, whether ancient or modern, people's pursuit and creation of hairstyles have never stopped. Even today, hair pads are still an indispensable "secret weapon" for creating perfect hairstyles. Although wearing wigs can be inconvenient, when hair volume is insufficient, hair pads come to the rescue. Facing the "hair - volume challenge", modern people are still eager for beauty. It can only be said that whether in ancient or modern times, wigs are a must - have at home!
