Greece and Rome

Girls let their hair fall freely and older women wore their hair long and let it fall loose over their shoulders. A low forehead was a mark of beauty, and hair was styled accordingly. Women also wore their hair parted in the middle, waved it with hot irons, and scraped it back to expose the ears. Sometimes spiral curls were sectioned from the rest of the hair and styled so they hung down over the forehead while the rest hung loosely down the back.

By the 7th and 6th centuries BC, the hair was bound by a band, ribbon, diadem, or string of pearls. By 5th century BC, another style had become more popular – women pulled up the back of their hair and looped it over a fillet. After Alexander, hairstyles seemed to become more sophisticated – knots and chignons were held in place with hairpins, and ringlets and corkscrew curls accented the chignons.

Roman women originally wore their hair parted in the center and gathered at the nape in a ponytail or bun.
During the Republic, variations began to appear as married women started to wear their hair coiled on the crown. By the time of the empire, the hair was still parted in the center, but now could be waved, curled, or worn in a loose roll that sat low on the neck. A fringe of curls was another popular look.
During the Flavian era women wore piles and cascades of curls. Emperor Titus’ wife Julia wore her curls high on her head, held in place with a tiara. Her back hair fell in a soft knot of braids. Neither men nor women wore hats.

Ancient Egypt

Head-dresses and wigs of different types were often worn in Ancient Egypt, but we are going to focus on the hairstyles. Hair care was an intricate part of grooming in Egypt, and much time was devoted to styling it. Setting lotions were used, made of bee’s wax and resin. Women plaited or braided their hair, or wore it in ringlets. When hair was worn short, it was cut in the severe crop that is the epitome of Egyptian style. Artificial hair extensions were sometimes added to the natural hair.

Liz Taylor as Cleoptra

Married women wore their hair with shoulder-length locks framing the face, while the rest of the hair fell behind on the back. Another possibility for married women was the enveloping wig, where the hair fell evenly all around the head at the shoulders. Cleopatra often wore her hair in plaits, with a ribbon around her temples. Unmarried women and young servant girls sometimes wore a hairstyle that fell just below the shoulders, with ringlets to either side of the face.

An actual wig from an Egyptian mummy - braided with gold beads.

Intricately woven, crimped, and braided hairstyle.