It seemed very easy to decide what the very first blog post should be about. Where did it all begin? Who decided that it would be a good idea to remove body hair and why? And what were the first methods of waxing used? There are entire books on this subject, so I will endeavour to condense as much interesting info as I can into this post!
The Encyclopedia of Hair claims that in Egypt and Mesopotamia, copper razors have been found dating as far back as 3,000BC, indeed there are many reports of Egyptian ladies removing all body hair, even that on their head, by using pumice stones, tweezers made of sea shells, or beeswax. Far from being a beauty regimen, it is thought the practice originated to reduce parasites, fleas and lice – all commonplace when living in such hot conditions. In ancient Greece it was customary for courtesans and elegant ladies to depilate themselves, either by plucking or singeing the hair away and some archaeologists believe that Samoans would scrape their skin with sharp seashells to rid themselves of excess hair. In the Middle East, the still somewhat commonplace “sugaring” began, with a mix of cooked sugar and lemon juice, and the Roman Empire, too, was known to be keen on hair removal, with the practice signifying wealth and class. Men in particular liked to keep their legs smooth, and waxing the entire body was not uncommon with the use of resins. There are even reports that bat’s blood was used for waxing eyebrows!
Intimate hair removal dates back a long way too. The “Brazilian” (the removal of most of the hair from the labia, perineum and anus, with a small “landing strip” left on the mons pubis) is commonly linked to the J-sisters, a group of 7 sisters from Brazil who came to New York in the 1980s and set up a salon there, however Debby Herbernick, author of Read my Lips, points out that there are paintings from the 1500s showing women with little or no pubic hair, implying that the practice has been around for quite some time!
In more recent history, a depilatory powder “X-Basin” was released in 1907, which promised to remove “the humiliating growth on hair on the face, neck and arms”. Then, in 1915, Gilette launched the first razor aimed at ladies, to enable the “removal of objectionable hair”. Thanks to the shortage of nylon during the war a short time later, women were soon encouraged to depilate their legs, too. It wasn’t until the 1960s that wax strips were introduced, giving women a longer lasting, yet not quite as simple solution to their hair woes. Laser hair removal also made a brief debut around this time, before being shelved again due to skin damage problems. The fairer sex were allowed a brief respite in their hair removal routines in the early 70s, but it was short lived, and in 1987 the aforementioned J. Sisters changed the way we looked at intimate hair removal for good, ably assisted nearly a decade later by popular TV program “Sex and The City
The 1980s also brought about the beginnings of men becoming more concerned about their appearance and grooming. Indeed, Mr Olympia himself, Arnold Schwarzenegger, when interviewed about his decision to run for governor is quoted as saying "It's the most difficult [decision] I've made in my entire life, except the one I made in 1978 when I decided to get a bikini wax." Men have been grooming themselves ever since, from the 90s “metrosexual” look right through to the “manscaping” we see today.
In ancient cultures, removing body hair was seen as a sign of status and class for both men and women.Today thankfully, we are a little more advanced than plucking it out with seashells, and the modern waxes and skincare used ensure that it is a more relaxing experience than ever before!