Renaissance · 1540
From barber-surgeons to trichologists: 500 years of the hair professional
The red-and-white pole outside a barbershop is a bandage. It remembers when the man with the razor also let your blood.
Era 03 · 1400 – 1600
Renaissance: the age of gold
Venetian blondes, pearls and the barber-surgeon's pole.
Venetian women sat on rooftop terraces in brimless hats, soaking their hair in lye and lemon to bleach it in the sun. Pearls were woven into braids. In England, barbers and surgeons shared one guild.
Highlights
- Venetian sun-bleaching
- Pearl-wound braids
- The Company of Barber-Surgeons
Cover image: AI-generated period-style interpretation for The History of Hair — not an archival photograph.
Stories from this era
Pre-Trichology Foundations Certificate · Trichologist Academy
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