Beauty salons became popularized during the 20th century, alongside men's barbershops. These spaces served as social spaces, allowing women to socialize while having their hair done and other services such as facials. Wealthy women still had hairdressers visit their home, but, the majority of women visited salons for services, including high-end salons such as Elizabeth Arden's Red Door Salon.[1]
Major advancements in hairdressing tools took place during this period. Electricity led to the development of permanent wave machines and hair dryers. These tools allowed hairdressers to promote visits to their salons, over limited service in-home visits. New coloring processes were developed, including those by Eugene Schueller in Paris, which allowed hairdressers to perform complicated styling techniques. After World War I, the bob cutand the shingle bob became popular, alongside other short haircuts. In the 1930s complicated styles came back into fashion, alongside the return of the Marcel wave. Hairdressing was one of the few acceptable professions during this time for women, alongside teaching, nursing and clerical work.[1]
Beauty industry is now a multinational and million dollar business. The services within the beauty industry have widely changed, as now beauty salons are not places where simply you have your hair cut and get your nails done, but also emphasize to refine and polish the inner beauty through physical and spiritual therapy.
It is not just the beauty salons and beauty shops that come under the heading of beauty industry but sales of cosmetics, perfumes and products for hair and skin care synthesize it. While beauty shops and salons are mere the service sector of this industry. In addition, some economists include cosmetic surgery and health club in this market.
Beauty matters most, to most of the people in this world and so from ages the beauty industry is providing and innovating its services in order to satisfy the needs of its customers. According to the business analyst, the best selling beauty products are that clean and beautify hair. But today beauticians believed that beauty and health are interlinked, and so that is how the idea of spas and health care centers came under this heading.
Queen Elizabeth was the main female icon and set the trends in the 16th century. Beauty was limited to the appearance only, where a little of face powder, glowing cheeks and red glossy lips had done it all. People used to bleach their hair using either saffron or onion skins. It used to take immense of hard work and contrary styling techniques to make a person look beautiful and presentable to attend some event. But with the ace of time and development of
technology, beauty industry has also been able to advance itself by inventing artistry equipments and researching in the biological and chemical sciences which offer more sophisticated, high-performance skin care products, all in the quest for beauty.
Women used to risk their life with many of their homemade cosmetics. They used burnt matches to darken their eyes, berries to stain their lips, and even used young boy’s urine to get rid of their freckles. They even used lead, mercury and even leeches to give them pale appearance. Thankfully, beauty industry has come a long way from using toxic and hazardous mixtures, and has advanced scientifically for providing a vast range to enhance our looks.
Previously, people had limited hair dressing and hair treatment techniques, but more and more are developed in the market. These do not only require temporary techniques but also a permanent makeover of a person. From wigs and temporary hair styling; permanent waving, perms, tinting and coloring gave women a wide range of choices to satisfy their demands. Beauty salons promoted its facilities and equipments. Hair irons were introduced which helped to change the arrangement of the hair with the help of the heat, it is an easy an effective way of styling your hair and does not require the traditional wash, set and dry procedure. Hair lotions and chemicals were also used to straighten hair, but hair iron proved to be an easier and sound method, causing less damage and dryness. Apart from that, hair
extensions and hair transplants revived the idea of hair loss problem. The discovery of hair transplantation blew away the fear of getting bald from many people; men and women equally. This technology later promoted to laser hair transplants which is a “high-tech” way of restoring hair fall.
The desire to be beautiful intensifies with time and so the passion of expanding the industry familiarized us with the words such as tummy tuck, cosmetic surgery, liposuction, breast lift, and breast reduction. These surgeries became common to the rich and famous people who wished to change their beauty. At first cosmetic surgery was rare, and was developed in response to the birth disfigurement and deformities caused by wars but now cosmetic surgery is a huge part of beauty industry, and is available with wide variety of procedures.
However, for many years, people have always associated bronze tan look with health and beauty. In ancient times people used lead paints and chalk to whiten their skin, which proved to be disastrous and had long term effects. The craze of tan continued and so tanning crèmes, and dyes came in the market. By the seventies, eighties and nineties, the industry was able to build and maintain a proper tan. Tanning beds and booths have shortened tanning session times, and sunless have provided quick and easy alternative to ultraviolet lights.
Everyone is now aware of the word “spa”. Well spa actually means a mineral spring or a locality where springs exist, and that is the core aim and concept of the beauty spas present around the world. It redefines the definition of beauty in the present world. In the past years, the idea that inner beauty lies within has gained its attention and so people are more attracted in seeking the cure for tiredness and disease to attain impeccable beauty. It blends with the ancient traditions of natural healing through herbal baths, massage, meditation, respect for nature and the desire to achieve physical and mental well being, the key to maintaining health and beauty.