History of Braids – Story, Types of Braids, and More

History of Braids

History of braids like fashions, come and go; But the braided hairstyles have remained through the years.

Braids are an ancient beauty technique with a long history. This type of hairstyle has transcended through different countries, cultures, and centuries. Cotton Suit Set

STORY

• It is said that the first braid was not seeing precisely in the hair of a woman.
• The first records that have been found speak of an Assyrian gentleman, around 3500 BC, who appeared in public with his beard braided in small braids to adorn his appearance.
• By this time, combing and caring for hair symbolized social status and hierarchy, so caring for and combing the beard could have been interpreted as a maximum expression of elegance.
• So much so that both men and women copied it on their heads, braiding hair as it is using today.
• In ancient times a braid was a hairstyle that reflected style and elegance. But with the popularization of this type of hairstyle in its many forms.
• People of all social classes and styles began to use it for its functionality, especially in summer seasons and places with tropical climates.
• It kept their hair organized despite the heat and looked relaxed. This romantic and straightforward functionality and aesthetics.
• Then it was adopted by the hippies of the ’60s. Through their social movement and aesthetics, they spoke of freedom.
• They retook specific values of rural life and the care of nature, which had been forgetting because of the war and modernization.
• With particular points in common with horse riding, the bohemian style assumed by different artists in the 70’s also appropriated braids.
• As one of the most representative hairstyles of its romantic and idealistic aesthetic with trashy touches.

TYPES OF BRAIDS

L as braids in Africa

• Ancient African hair braiding patterns were displayed in various complex geometric designs, often describing the wearer’s characteristics.
• One of the characteristic braided hairstyles of African culture is the glued braids, which date back to 3,500 BC.
• In the 1950s, a Stone Age cave painting showed a woman feeding a child and carrying the characteristic braided hairstyle. The African braids are tight and vary in complexity and frequency.
• Depending on the design, the person’s relationship, age, ethnic group, and even religious identity. Centuries later, in the 1970s, this style of braids became popular in America.

Braids in Egypt

• In ancient Egypt, braiding was reserved for royalty and ceremonial rituals such as weddings.
• Multiple braids with intricate accessories or ornaments were very common in ancient Egypt. Like the braiding style Cleopatra wore, wealthy women often adorned their heads with beautiful braids, and some even added extensions to make them more glamorous.
• In Egypt, braids were also worn by men, as when wearing the braided beard, it was a sign of divinity.
• They wore simple braids for practical purposes (keeping hair away from the face while working).
• Like what happened with the African braids, the Egyptian braids gave clues about their nature (if they belonged to the real, if they were ordinary people or if they were foreigners).

Braids in America

• Historically, most Native American women and children used braids with different meanings.
• For example, it was possible to differentiate if a woman was married or single according to the braids she wore.

Braiding was also done for religious rituals.

• Native American men wore braids with feathers, furs, leather, or pearls to prepare for war.
• The Mayans created large headdresses with braids while the plains Indians wore simple, long braids with a parting in the center.
• Since the history of indigenous culture was propagating more orally, the relationship between the braided hairstyle and that culture remains a bit mysterious today.

THE BRAIDS IN EUROPE

• In medieval and Renaissance art pieces, upper-class women appeared in elaborate braiding.
• The more simplified braids were often chossing by ordinary women for functional purposes – to keep hair clean between baths and keep hair out of the way while cooking, cleaning, and performing other daily tasks.
• The collecting ones and the braided crowns were the most used braid styles in the medieval European period.
• It was frowning upon in medieval Europe for a woman to wear her hair down because this was considering a lack of modesty and conservatism.
• It was scarce to see a woman wearing a hairstyle other than beautiful thick braids during this time for social reasons.

GREEK GODDESS BRAID

• In Flavian times, the daughter of Emperor Titus wore a beautiful braid style that fitting at the top and was adorning with metallic accessories, twisting braids, and curls.
• These elaborate braids eventually became popular with wealthy Roman women and became even more popular in later Roman periods.
• The more elaborate the style of the braids, it indicated that the wearer had more wealth and more free time available

Analyzing the braids

• There are hundreds of different braids, such as French braids, herringbone braids, English braids, Dutch braids.
• Swiss braids, multi-strand braids, crown braids, headband braids, etc. “versions” of the traditional style.
• In the United States, eleven states have imposed a specialized license for “braiding machines.”
• According to South African research published in the British Journal of Dermatology in 2007, making braids very tight.
• Especially when combined with chemicals to straighten the hair, can lead to alopecia and severe acne on the scalp.
• When YouTube went live in 2005, braids became an internet sensation. There are currently millions of videos on this portal that can offer you infinite inspiration in braided hairstyles.
• Many of l as t modern rentals that take today may have originated in the past, so if you need the motivation to make any hairstyle.
• Maybe you should not look in fashion magazines. Still, history books since you will likely find many ideas for hairstyles with braids.

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