From Ancient Hair Care to Modern Wig Cleaning: A Journey Through Time

In ancient China, it was always emphasized that “the body, hair, and skin are received from one’s parents.”

As a result, both men and women traditionally kept their hair long.

However, having long hair made washing it extremely inconvenient.

Each time they washed their hair, a lengthy preparation process was required:

First, they had to prepare clean water, fetching a bucket from a river or well. If they wanted hot water, they had to chop wood and boil it.

Before washing, they would undo their hair buns and let their hair down. Using a comb-like tool called a “fine-toothed comb” (similar to a modern comb but with more densely packed teeth, mainly used to remove dandruff and lice hidden in the hair), they would remove dirt from the hair. Then, they would wet a regular comb to comb and rinse the hair.

As for hair-washing products, they didn’t have the luxury of modern bottled shampoos, conditioners, or hair masks.

Instead, they used natural hair care products, such as rice water, plant ash, soapberries, and soap pods.

Though simple, these natural products were free from chemicals and provided excellent hair nourishment.

The most troublesome part came after washing.

Without hair dryers, they could not quickly dry their hair. They could only towel off a little water and let their hair air-dry.

For those with long hair, this was particularly cumbersome. From preparation to washing to drying, the entire process could take a whole day.

Especially in winter, staying with damp long hair for hours could easily cause a cold.

With limited medical knowledge at the time, even a minor cold could be dangerous.

Thus, for ancient people, washing hair was an important affair.

The imperial court even established a special holiday called “Xiūmù,” meaning a day off for bathing and hair washing.

Whether people actually took advantage of this day was up to them.

Given the effort involved, many were reluctant to wash their hair frequently. Daily washing was extremely rare.

For example, during the Three Kingdoms period, Ji Kang wrote in his “Letter of Severance to Shan Juyuan”:
“My nature is lazy and sluggish, my muscles and bones weak; my hair and face often go a month or even half a month without washing. Unless I feel particularly uncomfortable, I simply won’t bathe.”

In other words, he was so lazy that he would only wash his hair and face once every 15–30 days, unless it became unbearably itchy or dirty.

Nowadays, aside from postpartum practices, who goes 10–15 days without washing their hair? Three days without washing is already enough to look oily, and after half a month, the scalp oil could practically be used for cooking.

Of course, washing hair today is far more convenient than in ancient times.

Shampoos and conditioners are bottled and ready, heating water is a matter of minutes, and you can even take a shower at the same time. After washing, a hair dryer can quickly dry your hair, taking at most an hour or two.

There’s an even easier method: simply remove the wig for cleaning, skipping the bending and washing steps.

Don’t worry—we’re talking about wigs for people with thinning hair here.

As a seasoned wearer, everyone usually has two or three wigs.

When it’s time to wash, simply remove the wig, clean your scalp and natural hair, and put on another wig. It’s as easy as changing clothes.

So, how do you clean a removed wig?

It’s simple:

Remove visible adhesive residues using a glue remover or adhesive-cleansing cotton.

Soak the wig in warm water for about ten minutes. You can add a little baking soda or shampoo to the water.

Apply shampoo to the wig and wash gently, avoiding scratching with your fingers. Rinse thoroughly with clean water.

Next, apply conditioner for 5–10 minutes, then rinse.

Finally, use a towel to absorb excess water and let the wig air-dry. If in a hurry, you can use a blow dryer on low heat and gentle airflow.

If, after wearing for a period, the wig loses shine or the netting feels stiff, you can take it to a professional wig salon for deep cleaning. This will restore the wig to its original condition.

Thinking about how ancient people washed their hair, modern washing truly is convenient.

Yet, the long hair of ancient times was something most modern people could never achieve.

So, who should really envy whom?