From Love Locks to Valentine’s Glam: The Romantic History of Hair
Hair as the Original Love Language
Long before heart-shaped chocolates and red roses became Valentine’s Day staples, hair was one of the most powerful symbols of love, desire, and devotion. Throughout recorded history, across every culture and continent, how people wore, styled, and shared their hair communicated volumes about their romantic intentions.
At Sofia Loren Salon, we see this tradition alive every February. Our Valentine’s week is one of the busiest of the year, with clients wanting to look and feel their most beautiful for date nights, proposals, and celebrations. But the connection between hair and romance goes back thousands of years, and the stories are absolutely fascinating.
Ancient Love Rituals: Egypt, Greece, and Rome
In ancient Egypt, hair care was deeply connected to attraction and love. Cleopatra herself was famous for her elaborate hairstyles and hair care rituals, reportedly using castor oil, almond oil, and even bear grease to keep her hair lustrous. Egyptian women would braid precious gold threads into their hair before meeting suitors, believing that shining hair attracted love.
The ancient Greeks associated specific hairstyles with Aphrodite, the goddess of love. Young women preparing for marriage would dedicate a lock of their hair to Aphrodite at her temple, asking for a blessed union. Greek brides wore their hair in elaborate updos adorned with fresh flowers and gold pins on their wedding day, a tradition that directly inspired modern bridal hairstyling.
In Rome, the festival of Lupercalia, celebrated from February 13 to 15, is considered the direct ancestor of Valentine’s Day. During this festival, women would carefully style their hair and anoint it with perfumed oils to attract the attention of eligible men. Roman poets frequently described a lover’s hair as the feature that first captured their heart. The poet Ovid even wrote a guide advising women on how to style their hair to attract specific types of suitors.
Medieval Romance: When Hair Told Your Love Story
Medieval Europe had perhaps the most fascinating hair-romance connection of any era. An unmarried woman was expected to wear her hair loose and uncovered, signaling her availability. The moment she married, her hair was covered with a veil or wimple, visible only to her husband in private. A woman letting down her hair for a man was one of the most intimate gestures possible.
Knights in tournaments would carry a lock of their lady’s hair tied to their armor or lance, believing it brought both luck and the strength of their love. This practice was so widespread that requesting a lock of hair became one of the most recognized romantic gestures in medieval courtship. Refusing to give a lock meant rejecting the suitor entirely.
In the medieval period, long golden hair became the ultimate symbol of feminine beauty and romantic desirability. The fairy tales we still tell today, from Rapunzel to Lady Godiva, echo this deep cultural association between flowing hair and love stories.
Victorian Hair Art: The Most Romantic Tradition You Have Never Heard Of
The Victorian era took the romance of hair to extraordinary heights. Hair art became one of the most popular expressions of love, and it is a tradition that deserves to be better known today. Lovers exchanged locks of hair as tokens of affection, and these were not simply tucked into lockets. Victorians developed an entire art form around human hair.
Skilled artisans would weave strands of a lover’s hair into intricate jewelry: brooches, bracelets, watch chains, earrings, and rings. A gentleman might carry a watch fob woven from his sweetheart’s hair. A woman might wear a brooch containing an elaborate flower design made entirely from her beloved’s hair. Some of these pieces are now museum treasures, and the craftsmanship is breathtaking.
Hair wreaths were another popular Valentine’s tradition. Families would collect hair from loved ones over generations, creating elaborate framed wreaths that hung in parlors. When a couple became engaged, they would often exchange specially commissioned hair wreaths as a symbol of their intertwined futures. Queen Victoria herself was a devoted practitioner of hair art, wearing jewelry made from Prince Albert’s hair throughout their marriage and after his death.
The 20th Century: Hair Rebellion and Romance
The early 1900s saw the Gibson Girl updo become the romantic ideal. Women piled their hair high in elaborate pompadours, and a man seeing a woman with her hair down was considered a deeply intimate moment. Then came one of the most revolutionary moments in hair history: the 1920s bob.
When women began cutting their hair short in the flapper era, it was seen as an act of romantic independence. Flappers were declaring that they would choose their own partners on their own terms. The bob became a symbol of modern love, free from Victorian constraints. F. Scott Fitzgerald even wrote a short story called “Bernice Bobs Her Hair” that captured how this simple haircut could define a woman’s romantic destiny.
Marilyn Monroe’s platinum blonde curls in the 1950s, Farrah Fawcett’s feathered layers in the 1970s, and Jennifer Aniston’s “Rachel” cut in the 1990s all became associated with romantic desirability. Each decade’s most iconic hairstyle was inseparable from its era’s definition of romance and attraction.
Valentine’s Day at the Salon: Why the Tradition Continues
Today, the connection between hair and romance is stronger than ever. Valentine’s Day is consistently one of the top three busiest salon days of the year, alongside prom season and the December holidays. At Sofia Loren Salon, we see a surge in appointments starting about two weeks before February 14th.
The most popular Valentine’s requests we see are romantic blowouts with soft, cascading waves, fresh color services to look vibrant and confident, conditioning treatments for that glossy, touchable shine, and elegant updos for special dinner reservations. There is something about knowing your hair looks incredible that transforms how you carry yourself on a romantic evening.
What makes this tradition enduring is that it is not just about impressing a partner. Many of our Valentine’s clients are treating themselves. The act of self-care before a special occasion, of sitting in a salon chair and being pampered, connects us to thousands of years of women preparing for moments of love and celebration.
Book Your Valentine’s Look
Whether you are channeling Cleopatra’s confidence, a Victorian romantic, or simply want to feel your most beautiful this Valentine’s Day, we are here to make it happen. At Sofia Loren Salon in Boca Raton, every appointment is a chance to continue this beautiful tradition of hair and romance.
Call us at 561-405-1884 or book online to reserve your Valentine’s appointment. Whether it is a blowout, color refresh, or a full romantic updo, we will make sure your hair tells your love story beautifully.