Men in the Qing Dynasty wore long braids. How do they wash their hair?

During the Qing Dynasty in ancient China, men wore long big braid. Because parents were valued in ancient times, they didn't shave their heads, but sometimes they trimmed them. At that time, there was an industry called shaving, which was to wash their hair, apply hair oil, and then braid their hair. Some people wash their hair once every few days because their hair is too long.

It was hot to shave your head with a pole, which was an industry at that time. Shaving your head is a burden. They are carrying a pair of shoulder poles and a box at one end, which is full of razors, towels, hair oil, washbasins and benches. At the other end, they are carrying a small brazier with a pot of water on it. They walked up and down the street, and when someone wanted to shave their heads, they set things up for the guests to sit or lie down. Then they boil hot water, scald the towel with water, apply it to the guests' faces to relax their faces, and then they start shaving with a knife.

A skilled master will thoroughly clean the beard on his face with one knife and the sideburns on his forehead with another knife. The speed is so fast that it is brand new before the guests feel it. Then I began to wash my hair. I'll take the braid apart first, oil my hair after washing, and weave it again to make it compact and shiny. At that time, it was popular to hang the braid with a kind of iron wire called scorpion tail hook.

Because ancient men's hair was too long, it was very difficult to take care of it, and haircut was a big deal for them, so it was generally necessary to choose an auspicious day first, and the trimmed hair should be put away or burned. Hair grows very fast, and the conditions in ancient times were not very good, so it usually takes a long time to wash braids, and some of them are messy.