Why did people wear powdered wigs?

In 1624, 23-year-old King Louis XIII of France faced a crisis: he was losing his hair. At a time when a monarch's hair symbolized power and nobility, this was a significant concern. Louis, however, chose not to dwell on it and instead initiated a 150-year fashion trend by donning an exceptionally full wig.

Long before Louis, wigs were used for various purposes, including hygiene, theater, and anti-aging. Their history dates back to ancient Egypt, where skilled hairdressers created elaborate styles. In ancient Rome, women's wigs became increasingly elaborate, with some poets even mocking their many layers. During the Middle Ages, the Catholic Church discouraged wig-wearing in favor of humility, so those in medieval Western Europe who wore wigs chose more natural styles. However, as attitudes relaxed in the 1500s, wigs became more accepted.

Queen Elizabeth I of England, for instance, owned over 80 red wigs to enhance and cover her thinning and graying hair. One of her wigs even appeared on her funeral effigy. But it wasn't until Louis XIII showcased his grand wig a couple of decades later that wigs truly became popular. His court members, eager to gain favor, adopted wigs, and soon aristocrats across Europe followed.

The trend might have been spurred by concerns over hair loss linked to mercury treatments for syphilis and other illnesses, but wigs were also praised for their convenience, eliminating the need for daily hair care. The trend continued to grow under Louis XIII's son, Louis XIV, who heavily invested in France’s luxury industry. His administration established specialized guilds, set seasonal releases, enforced dress codes, and banned foreign imports. Louis XIV even commanded his son to burn a coat made from foreign fabric.

France’s expanding colonial empire increased its wealth and influence, making Parisian-style wigs popular across Europe. These elaborate wigs required so much hair that ten heads' worth could go into just one wig. The number of Parisian wigmakers quadrupled within a century, with even small villages having at least one. Wigmakers primarily used human hair, often sourced from poor women, or cheaper materials like wool and horsehair. To maintain their wigs, people used perfumed powders of flour, chalk, and scents like violet, rose, clove, and lemon in dedicated rooms, giving rise to the term "powder room."

By the mid-1700s, men's wigs had simplified, often featuring curls around the face and a ponytail at the back, while women's wigs reached impressive heights, sometimes up to a meter. These were built with rods, ribbons, and wool stuffing, covered in hair and embellished with various decorations. Lighter-colored wigs became fashionable, often powdered in shades of purple, pink, or blue. However, not everyone embraced the trend. Caricaturists ridiculed wig-wearers as excessively vain, and the heavy powdered wigs became cumbersome in warmer European colonies. By 1740, a visitor to Maryland noted the rarity of wigs, suggesting people might be sick or preparing for bed.

In the late 1700s, a backlash against aristocratic excess grew, especially during France's bread shortage, which made flour-powdered wigs seem particularly problematic. The French Revolution in 1789 further accelerated the decline, and in 1795, England imposed a "powder tax," leading many to abandon their elaborate wigs. Consequently, wigs fell out of fashion, becoming mere relics of a bygone trend.