The function of the head cones has been well known for ages. The Egyptians all wore wigs because they found it impossible to keep their real hair clean. In fact, they considered body hair of any type on an adult to be unsanitary and unseemly. At the same time, they found it just as difficult to keep the wigs clean. Instead, what they did was pile cones of soft wax infused with perfume on top of the wig. Their body heat would keep the wax continuously melting and perfuming the wig to mask any unpleasant odor.
That sort of thing was also true in American colonial times.