Bald For A Good Reason...!

When we look back at some of the images that portray Egyptian rulers, we might wonder why they are all bald. Turns out they had a good reason for shaving their heads.

It seems that the folks back then had a real problem with head lice. I never would have guessed, but I do have to wonder what other secrets about the Pharaohs we didn't know. It does kind of make you more than a little curious, doesn't it?

Lice Was So Bad That People Just Gave Up On Hair

Most people shaved their heads in ancient Egypt. We know this from pictures and from records written by people in other countries who looked at Egypt’s fashion choices and puzzled over why Egyptians thought going bald was such a good look.

Today, though, historians are pretty sure they know why. Lice were everywhere in ancient Egypt. The tombs of Egyptian rulers are infested with lice, apparently flooding out from the remains of the bodies.

The ancient Egyptians had lice remedies, but they either didn’t work or weren’t worth the hassle. Most people got so fed up with the nationwide infestation that both men and women shaved every hair clean off their bodies. Women usually wore wigs—hair that could be discarded when it got infested—while some others just went around completely shaved from head to toe.

I figured that head lice was a pretty good way to celebrate the Saturday before Halloween. I picked this article up from the folks at Listverse, BTW.

Coffee out on the patio this morning. No lice in sight...