There was not any evidence that hair lightened as the result of natural post mortem changes and this was confirmed by the study of the natural hair wigs that had not changed color post mortem. Results of the study showed no significant lightening of hair color and in several samples the hair significantly darkened as the result of exposure to the natron. Ancient wigs were studied for evidence of post mortem changes to hair color since construction over 2,000 years ago. Macroscopic and microscopic examinations of samples were employed to ascertain any significant changes in hair color after treatment. Fourteen samples of modern hair from various age groups, sex and ethnicity were subjected to synthetic natron for a period of 40 days to replicate the time taken to mummify a body. To determine if exposure to natron during the mummification process was responsible for the fair hair color an experiment was carried out to partially replicate the environment in which bodies were desiccated. In the majority of unwrapped ancient Egyptian mummified bodies the hair was not fair but rather dark brown or black.
In an examination of three unwrapped mummified children from the Graeco-Roman Period of ancient Egypt there was an unexpected finding of fair hair.
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