The very best wash for the hair is the yolk of
an egg beaten into tepid water, the head afterward rinsed in warm
water ; then, if it seems harsh and wiry, a small quantity of Macassar
oil rubbed on the scalp will soften and beautify it, and under no circum-
stance should the daily brushing be dispensed with.
There are sanitary reasons also for keeping the head clean. One of
our distinguished physicians who has spent much time at quarantine,
says : " Those whose heads are kept thoroughly washed every day
rarely take contagious diseases, but where the hair is aUowed to become
dirty and matted it is hardly possible to escape infection."
Many persons find speedy relief for nervous headache by washing the
hair thoroughly in weak soda water, while others find it the greatest
relief in cases of cold, the symptoms entirely leaving the eyes and nose
after one thorough washing of the hair.
There is a plan which even the busiest among us may find time to
test : At least twenty minutes should be given to brushing the hair each
day with a brush of good stiff bristles. Before beginning apply a small
quantity of the following : Tincture of cantharides, one-half ounce ; bay
rum and cologne, two ounces each, one drachm of oil of rosemary. A
great improvement will be noticeable in a short time, and those ladies
who have red or blonde hair will find it has grown darker. Blonde hair
requires different and more care than dark, and the following prepara-
tion will prevent its falling out without affecting its color: Aqua-
ammonia, two drachms ; bay rum, two ounces ; cologne, one ounce,
and rosemary water, three ounces. Brush well into the scalp every
CARE OF THE HAIR. 359
morning or night. The weak hairs, by this process, grow stronger, and
the coarse fall out, causing the hair to become healthy and curly. This
every day brushing is worth more than all the curling fluids, and other
like humbugs, ever invented.
Don't commence by pinching, crimping and curling your children's
hair, as nothing is so disastrous to its ultimate health. Do not make the
mistake of cutting off their soft, glossy " baby hair," under thd impres-
sion that the second crop will be richer and more abundant.
The most beautiful heads of hair ever seen are those which scissors
have never touched. A woman's hair to be beautiful must be "long,
abundant, undulating, fine of texture, and of brilliant surface." Use
the scissors and it will never become so, for cutting the hair renders it
coarse and far less liable to curl.
Curling-tongs are another abomination, for when the texture of the
hair is destroyed by heat it is really destroyed, and all the so-called
" restoratives " in the universe could not bring it to life and beauty
again.
Dandruff generally comes from an over-heated or feverish state of
the scalp. The cure is simple : Brush it well every day, applying a
mixture of bay rum and brandy ; avoid much oiling, and wash often
with an egg and soft, tepid water.
Page 318
Presented as published in 1886. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
The very best wash for the hair is the yolk of an egg beaten into tepid water, the head afterward rinsed in warm water ; then, if it seems harsh and wiry, a small quantity of Macassar oil rubbed on the scalp will soften and beautify it, and under no circumstance should the daily brushing be dispensed with.
There are sanitary reasons also for keeping the head clean. One of our distinguished physicians who has spent much time at quarantine, says : " Those whose heads are kept thoroughly washed every day rarely take contagious diseases, but where the head is allowed to become dirty and matted it is hardly possible to escape infection."
Many persons find speedy relief for nervous headache by washing the hair thoroughly in weak soda water, while others find it the greatest relief in cases of cold, the symptoms entirely leaving the eyes and nose after one thorough washing of the hair.
There is a plan which even the busiest among us may find time to test : At least twenty minutes should be given to brushing the hair each day with a brush of good stiff bristles. Before beginning apply a small quantity of the following : Tincture of cantharides, one-half ounce ; bay rum and cologne, two ounces each, one drachm of oil of rosemary. A great improvement will be noticeable in a short time, and those ladies who have red or blonde hair will find it has grown darker. Blonde hair requires different and more care than dark, and the following preparation will prevent its falling out without affecting its color: Aquaammonia, two drachms ; bay rum, two ounces ; cologne, one ounce, and rosemary water, three ounces. Brush well into the scalp every
CARE OF THE HAIR. 359
morning or night. The weak hairs, by this process, grow stronger, and the coarse fall out, causing the hair to become healthy and curly. This every day brushing is worth more than all the curling fluids, and other like humbugs, ever invented.
Don't commence by pinching, crimping and curling your children's hair, as nothing is so disastrous to its ultimate health. Do not make the mistake of cutting off their soft, glossy " baby hair," under the impression that the second crop will be richer and more abundant.
The most beautiful heads of hair ever seen are those which scissors have never touched. A woman's hair to be beautiful must be "long, abundant, undulating, fine of texture, and of brilliant surface." Use the scissors and it will never become so, for cutting the hair renders it coarse and far less liable to curl.
Curling-tongs are another abomination, for when the texture of the hair is destroyed by heat it is really destroyed, and all the so-called " restoratives " in the universe could not bring it to life and beauty again.
Dandruff generally comes from an over-heated or feverish state of the scalp. The cure is simple : Brush it well every day, applying a mixture of bay rum and brandy ; avoid much oiling, and wash often with an egg and soft, tepid water.