Editorial: Hair Throughout History—A Timeline of Its Transformative Journey

Hair dyeing has a rich history, dating back to ancient times when dyes were derived from plants such as henna, indigo, turmeric, and amla. Synthetic dyes began in the 1860s with the discovery of paraphenylenediamine’s reactivity. Eugène Schueller created the first synthetic hair dye in 1907 the first launch of a home color product was “Poly Color,” in 1947 (Pointer 2005). Today, hair dyeing is a thriving multibillion-dollar industry, utilizing both plant-derived and synthetic dyes. Throughout history, people have altered their hair color for personal adornment and social status. Ancient Egyptians used henna and dried cow’s blood to create red and black shades, while Greeks rinsed their hair with potassium solutions and sun-exposed ointments for lighter hues. In the sixteenth century, Venetian women bleached their hair in the sun. In 1907, Eugène Schueller developed the first synthetic hair colorant, leading to the rise of permanent hair coloring in the 1920s (Pointer 2005). Despite risks like irritant dermatitis and potential carcinogens, hair coloring gained popularity with the introduction of home application products. Over time, hair coloring evolved with changing trends. In the Middle Ages, blonde and red were fashionable, while the Renaissance popularized strawberry blonde. Wigs powdered white were chic in the nineteenth century. The twentieth century saw the advent of chemical coloring treatments, becoming widely popular in the 1920s. Today, hair coloring is a common salon treatment and offers diverse options, reflecting a preference for variety. The future of hair coloring holds continued innovation and alternative options for consumers. Plant-based dyes offer a natural alternative for coloring hair. Henna, derived from the Lawsonia inermis plant, is known for its orange hue. Its active component, lawsone, binds to keratin, making it semi-permanent to permanent, depending on hair type. Over time, henna builds up from orange to red and then auburn. Indigo, sourced from plants like Indigofera tinctoria, can be combined with henna to create brown to black shades. However, some commercial henna products contain metallic salts that may react unpredictably with hydrogen peroxide used in perms or synthetic hair dyes, leading to unwanted tones and skin irritation. Pure plant-based options are available to avoid such issues. Additionally, in 2018, a sustainable method utilizing blackcurrant fruit skin waste to extract anthocyanin pigments for semi-permanent hair dyes was developed, offering intense blue color with high build-up and stability through multiple washes (Rose et al. 2018).