Were the Vikings more diverse than some modern depictions of them suggest? See Were the Vikings black? to learn more. So, though Viking men usually wore their hair long - except for Viking warriors, who probably wore their hair very short, with longer bangs in front - the photographic and textual evidence that we have today does not support the idea that male Vikings wore braids as a common hairstyle. Darker-haired Vikings would use a lye bleaching agent to stain their hair and beards a lighter, straw color. While Northern Scandinavian Vikings tended to be naturally blonde, Danish Vikings were darker-haired and could be red-heads or brunettes. īleaching was also a common practice among Vikings. According to Mary Wilhelmine Williams, another historian of Viking culture, men would brush their hair back from their faces and secure it with a silk band, or sometimes a band of silver or gold. (Also see Did Viking Helmets Really Have Horns?)įor other professions in Norse society, men reportedly wore their hair long, at least to shoulder-length. Additionally, Vikings would have been able to wear their helmets more comfortably by keeping their hair short in the back. This style would have been the most convenient in battle, to prevent enemies from grabbing a Viking’s hair. The men had long fringes and short hair on the back of the head.” Fringes likely refer to bangs. Louise Kæmpe Henriksen, a historian at the Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde, states that “from picture sources, we know that the Vikings had well-groomed beards and hair. A true warrior Viking, one who explored and raided in Viking longships, probably wore his hair short on the back of his head and long in the front, in a kind of reverse mullet.
Hairstyles differed between classes and professions.
However, Viking hairstyles probably did not conform to how we imagine them today. In contemporary media, Viking hair is often shown as twisted into long braids or elaborate knots. What kind of hairstyles did female Vikings have? See below Male Hairstyles among the Vikings See Did the Vikings Wear Dreadlocks? to learn more. Viking hairstyles were both functional and practical. įor hair to be included in Viking titles, hair must have had a high degree of importance in the Norse society. Harald Fairhair and Sweyn Forkbeard were both Viking men of royalty, with mentions of their hair in their bynames. It could be that Vikings simply liked having their hair combed.Īdditionally, notable Vikings throughout the centuries mentioned hair in their epithets. Yet this hypothesis is unconfirmed few microscopic studies have been performed on Viking artifacts, and what studies have been done did not yield conclusive results. Some researchers have speculated that combs were used for the control of lice and nits. (Also see What Hairstyles Did Vikings Have?) Vikings also practiced frequent bathing and would comb their hair at least once per day. Some of the most common relics left over from the Viking age are grooming tools, including hair combs. Nonetheless, the evidence suggests that the Norse took good care of their hair.įrom recovered artifacts, historians have determined that hygiene and grooming were very important in Norse society. Researchers of the Viking age have examined ancient texts, carvings, and statues, in an attempt to learn more about Viking hygiene and Viking daily life in general. Unfortunately, not many sources exist, which can tell us how Vikings kept their hair.
What hairstyles did male Vikings have? See below The Importance of Hair in Viking Culture
#VIKING BRAID SKIN#
This article will review the current knowledge of how Vikings wore and styled their hair.Īre you curious about what the Vikings looked like? See What Did the Vikings Look Like? to learn what scientists believe about their faces, hairstyles, clothing, skin color, and more. For example, certain Viking men often wore their hair at shoulder length, and their haircuts likely differed between social classes. Other hairstyles existed in Norse culture. By examining statues and texts discovered from the Viking era, it appears that most Norse warriors wore their hair short, making braids fairly uncommon.
However, braids were likely not the most common hairstyle for most Vikings. Some Vikings-young women in particular-may have worn braids. Yet the common conception that braids were popular in Viking culture is not entirely accurate. Aspects of this image are true: Vikings did have long hair that was usually reddish or blond. In popular culture depictions of Vikings are often portrayed as tall with long hair, wearing horned helmets, and wielding axes and swords.
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