This thread reminded me last night of a Baltimore hairdresser who has made a project of re-creating ancient hairstyles as they appear in works of art; what she’s done is fascinating:
http://www.livescience.com/26112-oldest-roman-hairstyle-recreated.html
I can’t imagine sitting still for the long hairstyling processes that lots of women go through today to get those fancy braids; but apparently we’ve been doing it forever ;-)
-JT
Good find. :-)
Braids used to be very popular in modern-day America, too, especially when I was growing up. We wore all types of braids, such as the French braid, pigtails, little braids hidden in long hair, etc.
Also, I remember women with straight hair sometimes braiding their wet hair into multiple braids so that it would dry with some wave added to it. Those of us with frizzy hair would braid our wet hair to dry that way, too.