According to The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Clothing Through World History: 1501-1800 and For Appearance' Sake: The Historical Encyclopedia of Good Looks, Beauty, and Grooming, in the 1600's, long hair became fashionable among men, and towards the late 1600's and early 1700's the trend became extreme and fashionable men wanted a full head of curly long hair like Louis XIV. Unfortunately without regular washing long hair soon become greasy and streaky instead of the desired curly and fluffy texture, and hair often smell bad. Perfumed hair powder not only absorbs the excess grease, it also provides a pleasant smell (you can still buy powdered dry shampoo today that does the same thing). However, hair powder doesn't solve the problem of head lice and ticks. Another problem people would have is hair loss caused by syphilis or other causes, and people soon found it's easier to cut their hair short and wear wigs instead. Both King Louis XIV of France and Charles II of England began losing hair at a rather early age, so they popularized the wig trend.