The scoop on how hairspray became a popular styling product
Think Nikki Blonsky and Zac Efron when we mention Hairspray? Us too... but actually hairspray has been an important styling product throughout history. Here's how hairspray rose to be the popular styling product it is today.
Victorian Era
Way before the invention of aerosol hairspray, Victorian women in the 1830s to 1900s were already using similar hair products to fix their hair in place. Liquid bandoline was a sticky product that kept hair tangle-free and held them fabulously consistent throughout ballroom dances and evening strolls. The cult product was available at most Victorian perfumers, but was also made from home with easily procured ingredients such as quince-seed, rose water, cologne, and rum or brandy.
The term "fixtures" was used to illustrate a combination of hair products that fixed the hair into place, namely bandoline and wax pomatum. It's worth noting that although wax pomatum was useful for smoothing down stray strands of hair; nothing could replace the setting properties of liquid bandoline, which is able to hold an entire coiffure in place. Liquid bandoline is of a naturally gummy texture that is easily applied to the hair either with a sponge or by running through fingers, depending on the style intended.
In the late 1870s, the popularity of liquid bandoline was on a decline. But that didn't stop women from using fixtures through the remainder of the century, right till the early 1900s when aerosol hairspray was introduced.
The Rise of Aerosol Cans
Aerosol cans, containing pressurized liquified gas, were developed in the 1940s as effective insecticides during World War II. Postwar, the hairspray dispenser took off and became so popular that it was mass-produced all over the world. Hairsprays are chemical compounds that are propelled from aerosol cans in the form of a fine mist. The chemicals that make hair adhere together were originally called resin. The first hairspray was developed from a resin-like substance that was similar to shellac. The bonding materials of the chemical holds hair strands together as they create layers of sticky film when left to dry.
Hairspray's Voluminous Effect
In 1948, Chase Products was the first company to package a sticky, hard, resin-based spray. However, it was not introduced as the household term "hairspray" that we refer to now. "Hairspray" was first coined by Spray Net's beauty expert Helene Curtis. By 1955, Spray Net company was selling it across the world alongside its competitor Aqua Net. Very quickly, hairspray became the best-selling women's beauty product of the era. Thanks to hairspray, voluminous, beehive hairstyles took off and reached its peak in the '50s and '60s.
Think about Adam Shankman's movie, Hairspray! The 1988 movie was set in 1962 in Baltimore, Maryland--the climax of the hairspray era. Characters portray really high updos and use hairspray in their daily routines. In 2002, a Broadway musical adaptation of the same title revived the updos and voluminous hairstyles.
End of an Era
The updos deflated as rapidly as the decline of the era. Unfortunately, it was soon discovered that aerosol cans contained chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs); incredibly toxic to the ozone layer and its consumers. The exposure to vinyl chloride was also identified to cause tumors--specifically liver cancer. Eventually, tighter regulations regarding the production of hairspray products were enforced, and CFCs were banned entirely.
Hairspray sales took a dip between the late 1960s and 1970s, as the new era welcomed simpler hairstyles—flowy, straight, and loose locks—during the "hippie" or "flower child" era. Haircuts were not as demandingly bouffant, requiring little to no use of hairspray.
Continued Popularity
Luckily for us all, that wasn't the end of hairsprays! Once safety concerns and hazards were addressed and formulas were improved, hairspray companies found new success in the 1980s! Big hairstyles regained popularity with the rise of the punk and rock-and-roll scene. Voluminous hair, again, represented style and glamor.
Though we rarely see bouffant updos today, hairsprays are still consistently used for a more natural look than in previous eras. The different formulas and holds—such as flexible, medium, and maximum--are used for different needs and occasions. Interestingly, hairsprays today double-up as a fragrant product, packaged in a variety of bottles and scents for personal preference.
Resources — Victorian Hairspray History, Chicago Aerosol, LeafTV
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