Hair from Over There: Centuries of Human Hair Trade Data

This post was written by Gulnar Nagashybayeva, Business Reference and Research Specialist in the Science & Business Reading Room.

A few years back, I was asked for help with identifying the source of a 19th century table of statistics and trade data on imported human hair. I was not aware that the human hair trade was a thing, but I recognized right away where the table might be found. The answer was Commerce and Navigation of the United States, an annual trade data compilation published between 1820 and 1965 by the Treasury Department and other government statistical agencies. The Library of Congress has print volumes of this important publication going back to the first volume and it is one of the sources of historical and current trade statistics listed in our new International Economics and Trade: Sources of Information research guide.

For those interested in the subject of global economy and trade, the International Economics and Trade guide offers selected resources that will help users to delve into the history of world economics, understand the basics of international trade and finance, and learn how our world is shaped today by interconnected economies and trade.

The hair trade is only one small example of the threads that have connected us across oceans, but I was surprised to find out how substantial the human hair trade was in the 19th century. In 1876, the value of imported human hair was $144,894 or $4.5 million in today’s dollars (per Measuring Worth).

Two questions came to my mind: where did all this hair come from and what was it used for? I initially pictured hair being taken by force from unwilling owners. However, upon exploring the subject, I found that while there were cases of people being forced to part with their hair, many people, mostly women, voluntarily participated in the trade. Hair collectors roamed the countryside in Europe purchasing well-cared for tresses from women willing to sell them for a good price, with Nordic blond or white hair being the most valuable. Combings and cut hair, presumably from salons, also made it to the market. Most of the imported hair came from Germany, France, and England, while much smaller amounts came from China, Italy, and Quebec.

The reason for all this trade came down to fashion. In the mid-1870s women’s hairstyles became more elaborate, requiring a variety of supplemental pieces that were prepared using human hair. Men also needed hair for toupees and wigs. A simple search for ‘hair’ and ‘wigs’ in Chronicling America produces an abundance of historical newspaper articles and advertisements for hair products including wigs, toupees, braids, curls, nets, and many other items that are unfamiliar to a modern reader, like coquets, scollops, and a French crimpee. There are columns on the proper use of false hair pieces, like this one on arranging finger puffs.  Another article, published in 1908 in the Washington Times, and titled “Where Milady Gets Her False Hair,” covers the state of the human hair industry extensively.

The U.S. is still a major player in the human hair trade: it placed third among the top exporters and 15^th among importers of human hair in 2024. (ITC Trade Map HS Code: 0501, Human Hair, Unworked, Whether Or Not Washed Or Scoured; Waste Of Human Hair) For those interested in exploring the topic further, the Library of Congress has a lot of books on the history of hairdressing.

If you are interested in historical trade data beyond human hair, you can find import/export statistics by commodity, by exporting country, imports by customs districts, import duties, etc. on the pages of Commerce and Navigation and the other resources of our International Economics and Trade guide.

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