Author: Tegan

The reclining shampoo chair is one of the key pieces of salon furniture that you use every day and probably don’t give much thought to. But it was invented by Martha Matilda Harper, one of the very first female entrepreneurs in the hairdressing industry. Born in Canada, she worked as a servant from an early age but gained a recipe for a hair tonic from one of her employers after he died.

In 1888, she used her life savings to open her own hair parlour in New York state, with the tonic at its core, but focusing on customer services and an enjoyable experience for all. So successful was her salon that more than 500 others bearing her name opened on a franchise basis, forming one of the world’s first modern salon chains.

Madam C. J. Walker

The first razor blades are thought to originate from the Bronze Age, so barbering can be traced back to early tribes and ancient civilisations. In ancient Egypt, just like today, barbers’ core duties were cutting hair and grooming, including beard trimming and head shaving. However, barbers also led religious ceremonies in priest-like roles, due to the belief that evil spirits could enter a person through their hair. People thought that barbers had special powers and could interact with the divine, so they would play a central part in weddings and even baptise people.

In ancient Greece, barbering was considered a highly respected occupation. Barbershops were social centres where men got together to engage in conversation, often themed around politics and philosophy. The Romans then adopted the practice of barbering from the Greeks, establishing public barbershops where men could receive haircuts and shaves.

During the Middle Ages, barbers actually functioned much like today’s surgeons and dentists. In fact, they were widely known as barber-surgeons. They performed surgical procedures alongside their grooming services like bloodletting, setting broken bones, tooth extraction, trepanation (drilling holes into skulls) and – just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse – amputations. Maggots would be employed to purify infected wounds. Removing blood from patients for medical reasons was a common practice at the time, for conditions such as epilepsy, plague, smallpox and gout. Incredibly, no formal training was given for any of this, as the first barber schools didn’t open until the late 1700s.

In the Renaissance period, barbering gained more prominence as grooming and personal hygiene became increasingly important to people’s reputations. This surge was also due to the increase in urban centres, where affluent men would network around public spaces containing civil buildings. These areas were held in high regard as places to get together to discuss art and culture.

In the 17th and 18th centuries, barbershops continued to offer medical services, while also serving as social places where people could meet for lively interaction, discussions, and news sharing (otherwise known as gossiping). Men could buy cosmetic products to take home and continue their self-care routine in between appointments.

The mid-18th century saw the division of the barbering and medical professions, as medicine became more specialised. A bill was passed in 1745 to separate these lines of work; the surgeons who instated this went on to found the Royal College of Surgeons of England.  However, barbers weren’t actually banned from performing surgery; they just ceased to be the primary providers of these procedures. It took a good while until grisly scenes around the barber’s chair were finally phased out. The surgical element of a barber’s duties didn’t die out until around the mid-1800s. After this, barbershops became places offering more relaxation and enjoyment, with these important social spaces for men becoming pleasant community gathering spots once again.

In the 1900s, electric clippers and other modern grooming tools were introduced, making haircuts and shaves more efficient. Barbershops became more simplified in terms of the services they offered, focusing on haircuts, shaves, and grooming. Towards the latter part of the century, unisex salons were established, which led to the rise of hairdressing chains. As a result of people preferring these types of businesses for their haircare needs, there was a decline in traditional barbershops. However, there was a resurgence of interest in traditional barbershops towards the end of the 1900s and the beginning of the Noughties. This was driven by nostalgia and a desire for more personal grooming experiences.

Today, modern barbershops offer a blend of traditional grooming services with contemporary styling and products. Barbershops have once again become social hubs, often offering beverages, music, and a returning sense of community as people hang out and chat.