How Did Ancient Chinese Wash Their Hair?

Image Source: History Skills

The Ancient Chinese didn’t have shampoo, so how did people wash their hair? Back then, everyone had long hair, regardless of gender, so washing, drying, and styling their hair would take hours.

In fact, the Han Dynasty even had hair-washing holidays, with officials taking leave every five days to wash their hair.

Ancient hair-washing products included rice water, plant ash and Chinese honey locust. While the rich used raw egg whites to condition their hair, ordinary people felt that hair-washing was too troublesome, and tried to avoid it by using a special tool called the bizi. The bizi is a thin and dense comb that removes oil, dust, and lice.

People would also wear wigs and hats to avoid washing their hair.