Why, when and how people started shaving

Shaving predates history but it was the early Egyptian men and women who really established shaving and hair removal as a regular part of daily grooming.

And the custom continues today for people all over the world.

The Egyptians had an almost unhealthy personal obsession with body hygiene - and curious customs to accompany it.

The Greek historian Herodotus (485-425BC) commented that the Egyptians bathed several times a day and "set cleanliness above seemliness".

Being so clean all the time was associated with fanatical behaviour by outsiders. The ancient Romans thought that a lack of major body hair was some kind of terrible deformity.

But not in Egypt where priests believed that body hair was shameful and unclean.

Wild animals and barbarians had hair, not the sophisticated and advanced Egyptian civilisation. Being hairless was achieved by shaving, using depilatory creams and rubbing one's hair off with a pumice stone.

Men, women, and even the children of ancient Egypt all shaved their heads bald and wore elaborate specially-made wigs, which were preferred over a natural head of hair for ultimate protection from the sun's harmful solar rays.

These wigs were made of natural or artificial hair, and were strategically designed to keep the head cool.

It was rare to find a man or woman out in public totally bald-headed, not just for sun protection, but for making a fashion statement as well.

Another reason for removing all body hair, including that on the scalp was that being hairless gave people an excellent way to prevent various body infections and diseases.

Living in the Nile Valley wasn't at all easy because it was so very hot and body hair and the heat could become an irritating combination.

Soap was not easily available to the masses and the Egyptians certainly didn't have the hair care products available to us today.

Keeping shoulder length hair clean was very difficult and washing didn't always clear up the lice problem that most people had. A bald head could be easily washed and dried.

A bald head didn't feel itchy under a wig, or create a place for the lice to live. Everyone started shaving everything eventually, yes - everywhere. Being hairless kept people cooler, as well as bug and odour free.

The less hair one had the easier life was.