Hair styling as a craft goes back thousands of years. Ancient art and frescoes show people working on someone else’s hair, while Greek authors like Aristophanes and Homer refer to the practice in their writings. In certain African societies, hair was thought to house a person’s spirit, which elevated hairdressers to positions of high respect. That prestige spurred practitioners to perfect their techniques and fostered strong bonds with clients—hours were spent washing, combing, oiling, shaping, and adorning hair. Typically, men styled men and women styled women. When a master hairdresser neared death, they ceremonially passed their combs and tools to a chosen successor.