THE HAIR.
There is nothing that so adds to the charm of an individual, especially a lady, as a good head of hair. The skin of the head requires even more tenderness and cleanliness than any other portion of the body, and is capable of being irritated by disease. The hair should be brushed carefully. The brush should be of moderate hardness, not too hard. The hair should be separated, in order that the head itself may be well brushed, as by doing so the scurf is removed, and that is most essential, as it is not only unpleasant and unsightly, but if suffered to remain it becomes saturated with perspiration, and tends to weaken the roots of the hair, so that it is easily pulled out. In brushing or combing, begin at the extreme points, and in combing, hold the portion of hair just above that through which the comb is passing, firmly between the first and second fingers, so that if it is entangled it may drag from that point, and not from the roots. The finest head of hair may be spoiled by the practice of plunging the comb into it high up and dragging it in a reckless manner. Short, loose, broken hairs are thus created, and become very troublesome.
Vinegar and water form a good wash for the roots of the hair. Ammonia diluted in water is still better.
The hair-brush should be frequently washed in diluted ammonia.
For removing scurf, glycerine, diluted with a little rose-water, will be found of service. Any preparation of rosemary forms an agreeable and highly cleansing wash. The yolk of an egg beaten up in warm water is an excellent application to the scalp. Many heads of hair require nothing more in the way of wash than soap and water. Beware of letting the hair grow too long, as the points are apt to weaken and split. It is well to have the ends clipped off once a month.
Young girls should wear their hair cut short until they are grown up, if they would have it then in its best condition.
DYEING THE HAIR.
Hair Dyes
The numerous preparations vended, under different names, as hair dyes, have generally a basis of lead or silver, and possess a sameness of composition which scarcely occurs, to an equal extent, in any other class of cosmetics. A few, it is true, contain bismuth, crude pyro-gallic acid, and certain astringent vegetable juices, as their active ingredients; but these are only occasionally met with in the stores. Do not attempt any recipe that lists bismuth or lead as an ingredient.
A serious objection to dyeing the hair is that it is almost impossible to give the hair a tint which harmonizes with the complexion. If the hair begins to change early, and the color goes in patches, procure from the druggist's a preparation of the husk of the walnut water of eau crayon. This will, by daily application, darken the tint of the hair without actually dyeing it. When the change of color has gone on to any great extent, it is better to abandon the application and put up with the change, which, in nine cases out of ten, will be in accordance with the change of the face. Indeed, there is nothing more beautiful than soft, white hair worn in bands or clustering curls about the face. The walnut water may be used for toning down too red hair.
BALDNESS.
Gentlemen are more liable to baldness than ladies, owing, no doubt, to the use of the close hat, which confines and overheats the head. If the hair is found to be falling out, the first thing to do is to look to the hat and see that it is light and thoroughly ventilated. There is no greater enemy to the hair than the silk dress-hat. It is best to lay this hat aside altogether and adopt a light felt or straw in its place.
Long, flowing hair on a man is not in good taste, and will indicate him to the observer as a person of unbalanced mind and unpleasantly erratic character—a man, in brief, who seeks to impress others with the fact that he is eccentric, something which a really eccentric person never attempts.
Liniments or washes to make the hair grow, can. always be employed, with greater or less success, so long as there is any vitality left in the hair follicles or roots. If, however, these are entirely dead or destroyed, there is no possibility of inducing a fresh growth of hair. This will be evident from the shining or glistening appearance the scalp assumes when the hair roots are destroyed. The loosening of the hair, which frequently occurs to young persons, or those of the middle period of life, will generally, if neglected, become real baldness. Such a state is common in women, and generally terminates, in its mildest form, in excessive loosening of the hair. The case, however, is not the hopeless one which is generally imagined; and if proper treatment be pursued, the hair will grow afresh, and assume its pristine strength.
A useful practice in men, and those of the opposite sex whose hair is short, is to immerse the head in cold water morning and night, dry the hair thoroughly, and then brush the scalp, until a warm glow is produced. For women with long hair, this plan is objectionable; and a better one is to brush the scalp until redness and a warm glow are produced, then dab among the roots of the hair one or other of the hair lotions. If the lotion produce smarting or tenderness, the brush may be laid aside, but if no sensation is occasioned, the brushing should be resumed, and a second application of the lotion made. This treatment should be practiced once or twice a day, or at intervals of a few days, according to the state of the scalp ; namely, if tender, less; if insensible, more frequently. When the baldness happens in patches, the skin should be well brushed with a soft toothbrush, dipped in distilled vinegar morning and evening, or dipped in one of the washes given below.
If either of these lotions should be found too irritating to the skin, use them in smaller quantity, or diluted, and less frequently. If they have the effect of making the hair harsh and dry, this inconvenience may be removed by the use of oil or pomatum after each application of the lotion. Pomatums for the growth of the hair are very inferior to the lotions in efficacy. The basis of most hair invigorators and restorers is either the tincture or the vinegar of cantharides; the method of preparing the latter ingredient is given in the next receipt.
THE USE OF HAIR OILS.
Do not plaster the hair with oil or pomatum. A white, concrete oil pertains naturally to the covering of the human head, but some persons have it in more abundance than others. Those whose hair is glossy and shining need nothing to render it so; but when the hair is harsh, poor and dry, artificial lubrication is necessary. Persons who perspire freely, or who accumulate scurf rapidly, require it also. Nothing is simpler or better in the way of oil than pure, unscented salad oil, and in the way of a pomatum, bear's grease is as pleasant as anything. Apply either with the hands, or keep a soft brush for the purpose, but take care not to use the oil too freely. An over-oiled head of hair is vulgar and offensive. So are scents of any kind in the oil applied to the hair. It is well also to keep a piece of flannel with which to rub the hair at night after brushing it, in order to remove the oil before laying the head upon the pillow.
To Perfume Hair Oils
The mixtures of essential oils, and other odorous substances, used in the preparation of the perfumed spirits, will furnish examples which may be followed in scenting hair oils and pomades, and from these can be framed other combinations as the fancy may suggest.
Colored Hair Oils
The colored oils derive their hues from the fixed oil of which they are prepared being tinged before the scent is added. In each case the colored oil should be allowed to clarify itself by repose in a closed vessel and a warm situation (60 to 70° Fahr.) before being decanted for further treatment. It is also better to pass it through a piece of coarse muslin, to remove floating particles; and, in some cases, it may be necessary to filter it, to render it quite brilliant - a quality which it should always possess.
Any scented greasy matter of appropriate consistence, or any mixture of fats, used, or intended to be used, in dressing the hair, now commonly passes under the name of pomatum or pomade. The usual basis of ordinary pomatum or pomade for use in this climate, is either a mixture of 2 parts of hog's lard and 1 part of beef suet; or of 5 parts of lard and 2 parts of mutton suet; the fats being both previously carefully rendered or prepared, and then melted together by a gentle heat. The latter mixture is chiefly used for white pomatum or pomade. Essential oil, and other volatile matter used to scent this fat, should be added to it and stirred up with it, after it has somewhat cooled, but before it begins to solidify, in order to prevent loss. The unscented mixed fats form the plain pomade or pomatum of the perfumers. (Cooley.)
To Purify Suet or Lard for Making Pomades.
Suet or lard form the body of pomades ; and that their quality may be unexceptionable, the rendered suet must be subjected to a purifying process, in order to fit it for use in perfumery. This is done by melting the rendered fat by the heat of a saline or steam bath in an enameled iron vessel, and adding to it, gradually, 1 ounce powdered alum and 2 ounces chloride of sodium (pure table salt) to every fifty pounds of fat under treatment.
The heat is to be continued above 212° Fahr., until scum ceases to rise to the surface, which contains all the organic and other impurities, and must be skimmed off as fast as it is formed. The fat is then strained through bolting cloth into clean stone jars, and left to cool. It is next to be spread upon a circular stone slab, the top surface of which is slanting from the centre, (that is, slightly conical in form), and provided with a stone roller which is made to revolve by suitable gearing. As the roller, or muller, revolves over the fat, cold water is allowed to trickle upon it, and this dissolves the saline impurities remaining in the fat. After this the fat is heated until all water is expelled by evaporation. When cold, the fat will be found to be very white and pure, and in a condition to preserve its sweet-ness, and suitable for use with the most delicate odors.
Method of Purifying Fat.
Take 1 cwt. of perfectly fresh grease, either of lard or beef suet; cut the grease into small pieces, and pound it well in a mortar; when it is well crushed, wash it with water repeatedly, until, in fact, the water is as clear after withdrawing the grease as before it was put in. The grease has now to be melted over a slow fire, adding thereto about 3 ounces crystallized alum in powder, and a handful of common salt; now let the grease boil, but allow it to bubble for a few seconds only; then strain the grease through fine linen into a deep pan, and allow it to stand, to clear itself from all impurities, for about 2 hours. The clear grease is then again to be put into the pan, over a bright fire, adding thereto about 3 or 4 quarts rose water, and about 5 ounces powdered gum benzoin; it is allowed to boil gently, and all scum that rises is to be removed, until it ceases to be produced; finally the grease is put into deep pans, and when cold taken carefully off the sedimentary water; it is then fit for use, and may be kept for an indefinite period, without change or turning rancid. It will be observed that the principal feature in this process is the use of benzoin.
To Perfume Melted Fat.
In adding aromatics or perfumes to the melted fat, its temperature must be adapted to their relative degree of volatility. Essential oils and alcoholic essences, particularly the more delicate ones, are added at the lowest possible temperature compatible with their perfect union with the fat; whilst substances like the aromatic resins and balsams are better added to the fat more fully liquefied, aiding their solution and union by stirring the mass with a wooden, bone, or porcelain knife or spatula. With the latter, after the union is complete, it is often necessary to allow the mixture to repose for a short time, and to pour it off from the dregs before adding the essential oils and essences, and concluding the work.
To Finish off Pomades.
In finishing off pomades two methods are adopted, according to the appearance it is desired they should have. Those which it is intended should be opaque and white, should be stirred or beaten assiduously with a knife or spatula until the fat begins to concrete, or has acquired considerable consistence, before potting it; but when it is desired that they should be transparent or crystalline, the clear liquid mass is poured into the pots or bottles, previously slightly warmed, and the whole is allowed to cool very slowly, without being disturbed, in a situation free from draughts of cold air.
For the ordinary pomades a mixture of lard and suet is generally employed; for the harder ones, suet chiefly or wholly; or a little pure white wax or beeswax (according to the intended color of the product) is melted with the fat to increase its solidity. For white pomades, mutton suet is employed; for others, in general, beef suet. In those which are artificially colored, either may be used; but beef suet is preferable when either clearness or a crystalline appearance is desired. (Cooley.)
These are prepared by digesting the odorous substances in the simple pomade, at a very gentle heat, for 2 or 3, to 8 or 10 hours, according to their nature, in the way already noticed under "Oils" ; observing to stir the mixture frequently, and to keep the vessel covered as much as possible during the whole time. 1 part of flowers, carefully picked and pulled to pieces, to 3 or 4 parts of pomade, are the usual proportions.
The next day the mixture is again greatly heated, and, after being stirred for a short time, is thrown into a strong canvas bag, which is then securely tied, and at once submitted to the action of a powerful press. (This should have been previously made moderately warm. This is effected either by means of a steam-jacket, or by filling it with hot water. In the latter case, care should be taken to perfectly free it from water before use.)
The whole operation is then repeated, several times, with fresh flowers, or other bulky odorous substance, until the pomade be sufficiently fragrant. This will require 3 to 6 times its weight in flowers. Lastly, in the case of flowers, the pomade is liquefied in a covered vessel, at a gentle heat, as before; and after sufficient repose to allow it to deposit adhering moisture, is poured off for stock, or is at once potted.
To obtain essences the fat is treated with spirit, which combines with the essential oil, leaving the fat with still a strong odor of the flower. This latter forms the French pomade. The delicate perfume of some flowers is impaired by heat, and the process of absorption (enfleurage) is adopted.
The mode of proceeding with the aromatic barks, seeds, resins, balsams, etc., the duration of the infusion, and the proportions taken, are, for the most part, similar to those of the corresponding huiles or oils; but here the first two substances, and others of a like nature, are only bruised, ground, or sliced very small, and not reduced to actual powder before digestion, as pomades, unlike oils, cannot be freed from fine powder or dust by filtration through fine media, or by repose in the cold.
In this way are prepared the pomades of balsam of Peru, benzoin, cassia, cinnamon, lavender (green), orange-blossoms, orris-root (violet), roses (colored), storax, vanilla, and several others, kept by the French perfumers, and known and spoken of in this country by their French names, as "Pomade aux Fleurs d'Oranges," "a` la Rose," "a la Vanille," etc.. (Cooley.)
Piesse proposes a simple method by which any person can perfume pomade in small quantities; and, if desired, prepare-perfumed extracts of favorite flowers. Procure an ordinary, perfectly clean, double glue-pot, the inner vessel capable of holding a pound of fat. When the flowers are in bloom, put a pound of fine lard into the inner vessel of the glue-pot; pour sufficient boiling water into the outer pot, and place the whole on a stove until the lard is melted; strain it through a close hair-sieve into a vessel containing cold spring water.
In order to obtain a perfectly inodorous grease, this process may be repeated 3 or 4 times, using each time fresh water, containing a pinch each of salt and alum. Lastly melt the purified fat and let it cool, to free it from water. Next put the fat in a vessel in a place just warm enough to keep it constantly liquid; throw into it as many of the flowers as it will receive; every 24 hours for a week, strain the fat from the flowers, and add fresh ones.
This repetition of fresh flowers will produce a highly perfumed pomade. In this manner either one kind of flowers, or a mixture of 2 or more kinds may be employed. The perfumed extract may be obtained from the pomade by introducing the cold perfumed fat, finely chopped, into a wide-necked bottle, and covering it with the strongest spirits of wine that can be obtained ; and, after closing the bottle, let it stand for a week, when the spirit may be strained off, and will be a perfumed extract of the flowers employed.
The following flowers are best adapted for this process: Rose, jasmine, orange, violet, jonquil, tuberose, and cassia. Piesse proposes heliotrope, but probably without sufficient grounds.
Pomades by Enfleurage.
These perfumed pomades are prepared by a similar process to that adopted for the corresponding oils. On the large scale, a layer of simple pomade is spread, with a bone palette-knife, on panes of glass, to about the thickness of a finger, and the surface is closely stuck all over with the newly-gathered flowers. The panes are then placed in shallow frames of wood, and these are closely piled one upon another, in stacks, in a moderately cool situation. In some of the great perfumeries of France, many thousands of these frames are employed at once.
On the small scale, porcelain or pewter plates are generally used instead of panes of glass, and are inverted over each other, in pairs, so as to fit close at the edges. In each case the flowers are renewed daily, and the fat stirred up and re-spread occasionally, for 1, 2, or even 3 months, or until the pomade has become sufficiently fragrant to render it of the quality intended by the manufacturer. It is now scraped off the panes or plates, into the store-pots, and is ready for use or sale.
In this way are prepared the finest qualities of cowslip, honeysuckle, jasmine, jonquil, may-blossom, myrtle-blossom, narcissus, orange-flower, tuberose, and violet pomade; as well as the pomades of several other delicate flowers that readily impart their odor to fat by simple proximity or contact.
The imported pomades of this class, like those of the last one, are always distinguished among the perfumers, by their French names; as " Pomade au Jasmin," "Pomade aux Fleurs d'Oranges," " Pomade a la Violette," etc.. The stronger pomades of these last two classes are chiefly employed in the preparation of extraits and essences, and are added to other pomades, to impart the fragrance of the respective flowers. The others are also used as hair cosmetics. ( Cooley.)
Mixed Pomades; Compound Pomades.
These are prepared either by the admixture of the different fragrant pomades already noticed, or by the addition of judicious combinations of the more esteemed essential oils, essences, and other odorous substances, to simple pomade, whilst in the liquid or semi-liquid state. The latter is the method almost exclusively adopted by our perfumers. The usual fatty basis of the preceding pomades is one or other of the following:
The name of pomatum is derived from "pomum", an apple, because it was originally made by macerating over-ripe apples in grease.
If an apple be stuck all over with spice, such as cloves, then exposed to the air for a few days, and afterwards macerated in purified melted lard, or any other fatty matter, the grease will become perfumed. Repeating the operation with the same grease several times, produces real "pomatum."
According to a recipe published more than a century ago the form given is:--"Kid's grease, an orange sliced, pippins, a glass of rose-water, and half a glass of white wine, boiled and strained, and at last sprinkled with oil of sweet almonds." The author, Dr. Quincy, observes, that "the apple is of no significance at all in the recipe," and, like many authors of the present day, concludes that the reader is as well acquainted with the subject as the writer, and therefore considers that the weights or bulk of the materials in his recipe are, likewise, of no significance. According to ancient writers, unguent, pomatum, ointment, are synonymous titles for medicated and perfumed greases. Among biblical interpreters, the significant word is mostly rendered "ointment;" thus we have in Prov. 27:9, "Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart;" in Eccles. 9:8, "Let thy head lack no ointment."
Perfumers, acting upon their own or Dr. Quincy's advice, pay no regard to the apples in the preparation of pomatum, but make it by perfuming lard or suet, or a mixture of wax, spermaceti, and oil, or some of them or all blended, to produce a particular result, according to the name that it bears.
The most important thing to consider in the manufacture of pomatum, &c., is to start off with a perfectly inodorous grease, whatever that grease may be.
Inodorous lard is obtained thus:--Take, say 28 lbs. of perfectly fresh lard, place it in a well-glazed vessel, that can be submitted to the heat of a boiling salt-water bath, or by steam under a slight pressure; when the lard is melted, add to it one ounce of powdered alum and two ounces of table salt; maintain the heat for some time, in fact till a scum rises, consisting in a great measure of coagulated protein compounds, membrane, &c., which must be skimmed off; when the liquid grease appears of a uniform nature it is allowed to grow cold.
The lard is now to be washed. This is done in small portions at a time, and is a work of much labor, which, however, is amply repaid by the result. About a pound of the grease is now placed on a slate slab a little on the incline, a supply of good water being set to trickle over it; the surface of the grease is then constantly renewed by an operative working a muller over it, precisely as a color-maker grinds paints in oil. In this way the water removes any traces of alum or salt, also the last traces of nitrogenous matter. Finally, the grease, when the whole is washed in this way, is remelted, the heat being maintained enough to drive off any adhering water. When cold it is finished.
Although purifying grease in this way is troublesome, and takes a good deal of time, yet unless done so, it is totally unfit for perfuming with flowers, because a bad grease will cost more in perfume to cover its mal odeur than the expense of thus deodorizing it. Moreover, if lard be used that "smells of the pig," it is next to impossible to impart to it any delicate odor; and if strongly perfumed by the addition of ottos, the unpurified grease will not keep, but quickly becomes rancid. Under any circumstances, therefore, grease that is not perfectly inodorous is a very expensive material to use in the manufacture of pomades.
In the South and flower-growing countries, where the fine pomades are made by ENFLEURAGE, or by MACERATION, the purification of grease for the purpose of these manufactures is of sufficient importance to become a separate trade.
The purification of beef and mutton suet is in a great measure the same as that for lard: the greater solidity of suets requires a mechanical arrangement for washing them of a more powerful nature than can be applied by hand labor. Mr. Ewen, who is undoubtedly the best fat-purifier in London, employs a stone roller rotating upon a circular slab; motion is given to the roller by an axle which passes through the centre of the slab, or rather stone bed, upon which the suet is placed; being higher in the centre than at the sides, the stream of water flows away after it has once passed over the suet; in other respects the treatment is the same as for lard. These greases used by perfumers have a general title of "body," tantamount to the French nomenclature of corps; thus we have pomades of hard corps (suet), pomades of soft corps (lard). For making extraits, such as extrait de violette, jasmin, the pomades of hard corps are to be preferred; but when scented pomade is to be used in fabrication of unguents for the hair, pomades of soft corps are the most useful.
The method of perfuming grease by the direct process with flowers having already been described under the respective names of the flowers that impart the odor thereto, it remains now only to describe those compounds that are made from them, together with such incidental matter connected with this branch of perfumery as has not been previously mentioned.
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