Beauty Culture (Woodbury)/Chapter 10

In the care of the hair it should be primarily considered that the scalp of the head is a delicate structure, and that the still more delicate hair it supports will not permit of rough treatment such as that of the scraping and scratching of wire hair-brushes, more or less rusty in many cases.

For the same reason fine combs or combs of metal of any kind should not be tolerated. These not only injure the scalp, but pull out the hair and may, by reason of such a wound, cause serious disease of the scalp and, through blood-poisoning, even death.

When a brush is selected, let it be one with long soft bristles. Never use wire brushes.

The comb should be of hard rubber with teeth well shaped and rounded at their sides so as not to present sharp cutting edges, and these teeth should be uniform throughout—not a comb half coarse and half fine.

Never use a fine-tooth comb—especially on the head ​of a child. Wash carefully the comb and brush in warm water impregnated with a few drops of ammonia. Dry in the sunlight, whenever possible.

Method of Combing. The hair should be combed from the free ends upward, toward the scalp, short sections at a time, until a gentle sweep will carry the comb through the hair from the scalp down and through the ends.

If tangles occur, the fingers should be used to disengage the hair before the comb is again applied.

Comb the hair first on one side of the head and then the other, making the part about the middle of the scalp.

Comb until the entire hair is free and falls soft about the shoulders, then follow with the brush, brushing from the scalp down.

Do not press hard on the brush. The objects of its use are to remove the dead cuticle naturally thrown off by the scalp; to remove whatever dirt has been deposited on the scalp and in the hair by the atmosphere, and to distribute the sebum, or natural oil, secreted by the sebaceous glands, keeping the hair pliant and lustrous.

Part the hair in sections or strands to accomplish the best results in brushing. Remember that the hair brush does not take the place of the finger tips of the masseuse.

Exposing the loose hair to the air, if mild, and to the sun rays is a great factor in beautifying it and stimulating its growth. The chemical changes these occasion facilitate the evaporation of the perspiration, cleansing the hair of foreign matter, and the sun's warmth causes a mild softening of the oil about the roots.

Resting the Hair. The hair, especially when it is abundant, should be rested frequently. This is accomplished by loosening it, combing and brushing it some​what vigorously and sitting for half an hour, or even longer, in sunlight. The sitter is not to face the sun, but have its rays fall on the top and back of head, moving occasionally so the light may visit the sides also.

Not only is this practice highly beneficial to both hair and scalp, hut, after several sittings, it is likely to become peculiarly agreeable, a very delicate, exquisite sensation, The mind of the sitter should be lightly occupied either in gay conversation with a friend, or in pleasant reveries, or with some not too exciting novel or book of essays, The sitter should also move the lower limbs, particularly the feet, from time to time, so that the blood should not be flowing too vehemently toward the head,

Indulgence in this natural and very simple performance, especially when women have an unusual or a very thick and heavy crown of hair, will often cure a headache, and will serve to prevent many headaches, or ward off any tendency of that kind. There is no hair tonic in the world so effective as the sunlight. But caution your patron not to overdo what is good. Many persons, when they get a good idea, instead of possessing it, get possessed by it and push it to extremes.

Care of a Child's Hair. Care of the hair should begin in earliest childhood. Neglect or rough treatment of a child's hair lays the foundation for scalp diseases or for premature baldness. Never violently comb or brush a child's hair. Children are often tortured in such ways and rendered averse to cleansing the hair regularly in after life.

Never plaster down a child's hair with pomade or grease of any kind. Such things prevent the elimination of the natural excretions; in other words, they store up the dandruff, causing the scalp to itch, and tempting ​the child to scratch for relief, and perhaps thus poison with its nails the tender skin.

Rainwater that has been boiled and is fairly warm is the best thing to use for washing a child's head. Use only the purest of soaps, such as good castile. After rinsing the hair thoroughly and drying promptly with a soft towel, brush the hair with a very soft brush very gently, and downward, or in the natural direction of its growth. The child will soon enjoy this kind of treatment and will gain a liking for the sense of cleanliness.

If crusts have gathered on the scalp, use a few drops of pure olive oil, and apply it several times a day, if the crusts are thick and obstinate. When the saturation with oil has loosened the crusts, wash the scalp with tepid water and castile soap. Then rinse thoroughly with water alone and proceed to dry with a soft cloth—never a coarse towel.

Bear in mind that nothing except the purest soap, purest olive oil and warmish water should be applied to a child's head, unless a clear case of scalp disease is indicated. Then consult a physician,

If the scalp of the child is dry, try at once a little olive oil, rubbing it in very gently. It is needless to say that the hair of young girls ought to be as loose as possible so that it may grow well.

A simple cleaning of the hair and gentle massaging of the child's scalp once a fortnight will sometimes within a year work wonders for a child with comparatively scanty or not very pretty hair, and result in giving her permanently such locks as will be, indeed, her "glory" as a woman.

In braiding the hair, braid loosely as possible. In tying at the ends, do not tie the ribbons tightly. Do not dress the hair in a thick mass or coil on any one part ​of the head. Aim to distribute it so that the air can readily ventilate it. Avoid all fantastic styles in dressing a young girl's hair. And remember that a child's—particularly a girl's—hair should be very rarely cut. The less cutting, the more likelihood of a finer, softer, silkier, longer growth.

Fig. 47.MASSAGE POSITIONS OF FINGERS

Massaging the Scalp. The scalp should be massaged with the tips of the fingers. The operator should keep her nails short so as not to injure the scalp. To begin with, the thumbs are placed closely together at the back of the head, while the tips of the fingers are made to press firmly, but not harshly, upon the scalp at the front of the head. Each finger tip is then made to move in a circle of about one inch in diameter.

​As a section of the front of the scalp is covered in this way, the thumbs of the operator are moved down lower so that a new surface is exposed to the finger tips and so on until the entire scalp has been covered, An idea of the mode of procedure is outlined in Fig. 47, showing the position of the thumbs and fingers in the steps of treating the entire surface.

Four divisions or steps of treatment are indicated in this figure, but the scalp surface may be divided into as many sections as the operator pleases, in order to give a thorough treatment.

Another method is to place the thumbs at the back of the head and draw the finger tips, placed firmly on the scalp at the hair line of the forehead, toward the thumbs. This causes friction and a slight raising of the scalp, as the finger tips move toward the thumbs.

A third method advocated for healthy heads is to gather a quantity of the hair between the fingers and the palm of the hand and apply gentle traction or pulling—just enough to raise the scalp.

If this third method is to be used at all, it is particularly advisable that the operator should practice it first for a while on the heads of personal friends in order to discover just the safe amount of strength to exert; that is to say, such a degree of pull as will not cause discomfort to a patron or set up an irritation of the nerves afterward.

And here it is proper to say that students of this course ought to be conversant with the general principles and practice of facial massage (see page 259), not only to guide them in massaging scalps, but because it may frequently happen that a hair and scalp patient, suffering from facial troubles connected either directly or indirectly with their scalp and hair disorder, will de​sire, and require, facial attention in conjunction with the special treatment through which they are seeking relief and restoration of their former attractiveness. At any rate, let the common-sense of the operator prevent her from using any violent methods in massaging the scalp.

Washing the Hair. One of the greatest mistakes of most women and men is to wash the hair of the head too frequently. Nothing is more conducive to baldness. Irritating and perfumed soaps are a menace to any scalp and its hair. The natural odor of clean and healthy hair is finer than any perfume.

Remember that by washing the hair with soap the oil thrown out by the sebaceous glands to soften the hair is removed, leaving the hair dry and fluffy; and that by repeating this at short intervals the hair loses pliancy and softness—cracks and breaks off easily with the least effort at combing. This is one of the commonest causes of baldness, especially with men who are given to wetting their hair daily.

While it becomes necessary, in certain occupations, to wash the hair frequently to remove foreign matter and dirt, it should never be overdone. Washing the hair and scalp once a month is amply sufficient for the average head, except where there is an over-secretion of the oily matter, or where the hair is coarse, and exposed to the elements or to continual fine dust because of special occupation.

But light hair, as a rule, demands to be washed oftener than dark hair, and also requires more rinsings. In the last rinsing water some advise an addition of a few drops of peroxide of hydrogen, but the direct object of this is obscure, and in our judgment a danger lurks that the hair may get a streaky look from such a practice. ​The ancients, who prized blondness, are believed to have washed their hair in œnomel (honey-wine), something like the mead of the Scandinavians, and there are some to-day who try to keep their blondness by using a mixture of honey, rhubarb and white wine. These fantastic methods are not to be recommended. The fluffiness and lustre they may temporarily cause are apt to end in an almost incurable muddiness.

If the hair has a tendency to fall out, washing should only be indulged in as a necessity of cleanliness. For such persons, a good shampoo, that not only cleanses the scalp and hair, but also nourishes the hair, is made up of an entire egg, well beaten, to which about one once of water is added.

This is rubbed into the scalp and about the roots of the hair thoroughly, beginning at the forehead and gradually working toward the temples and the back of the head or nape of the neck. For this purpose the hair should be parted, and the egg shampoo rubbed or massaged into the scalp with the tips of the fingers. To do this, the mixture should be put into a saucer and the finger tips dipped into it for the amount requisite for use.

A formula that slightly varies this simple egg alone, and will be found better in some cases, is this:

Beat well together and rub thoroughly into the scalp. Rinse off carefully in two or three waters. Always be careful not to rub the long hair in such a way as to tangle it. This can be done by holding the long hair up and away from the scalp with one hand, while rubbing in the shampoo with the other.

​Some shampooers favor using only the yolks, and others only the white of eggs for egg shampoo. No sufficient reason appears for the latter variant, the oil and sulphur of the yolk being of distinct value. The reason for omitting the white or albuminous part appears to be grounded on its stickiness, but a thorough beating overcomes any objection on that score.

When the scalp is dry the following is recommended as a good

Add the castor oil to the bay rum, shake thoroughly, and add the other ingredients. Apply nightly by massaging it in.

If the scalp is both hot and dry, the following will be found efficacious:

This can be applied at any time by massaging it in, but is best done at night, covering the pillow with a towel. Do not advise a nightcap to protect the pillow, as a nightcap would be heating and offset the benefit derivable. Nightcaps, anyway, except for persons very bald, are objectionable.

​Another formula for dry scalp and hair which has merit, is this:

Shake well together and apply to scalp with a bit of soft linen.

When the scalp is dry, the following is excellent to massage thoroughly into it the day before giving a shampoo:

A fine scalp cleaner, but not to be used on gray or graying hair, is this:

When the scalp is oily a simple formula like this often suffices:

When the scalp is both oily and inactive the following is good:

​Shake well before using and do not rub in too vigorously at first.

Dissolve in 6 ounces of alcohol and 2 ounces of water. This is good for oily scalps.

A simple cleanser and tonic is made as follows:

When the hair is particularly oily, the following shampoo will be best:

The carbonates should be dissolved in the water first, and the alcohol and bay rum added when the powders have dissolved. This shampoo should be sprinkled upon the scalp and rubbed into the hair thoroughly. A foamy lather will result which may be wiped off with the pressure of a soft towel. The remaining moisture is allowed to dry on the hair.

This is another excellent and simpler shampoo:

The above is used in the same manner as the other dry shampoo.

A drying shampoo is sometimes given by washing the hair in alcohol without the use of water at all. This ​is not advisable, as being too drying for the average scalp.

A dry shampoo will be found useful, when patrons are in a hurry to have their hair dressed.

So-called dry shampoos are made of powder that is dusted into the hair, massaging the scalp thoroughly at the same time. The powder should be brushed out at once. This leaves the hair clean and dry and fluffy, the accumulation of oil and dust having been taken up by the powder, The use of dry shampoos is to cleanse and perfume the hair, at the same time getting the benefit of the exercising of the scalp through the necessary massage. A fine dry shampoo is made as follows:

Mix well together and rub through a fine hair sieve. Use not oftener than once a week.

Another is made of the following:

Mix as the above and rub through a fine sieve or bolting cloth. Use in the same manner.

A dry shampoo for blond and for gray hair is as follows:

Shake well together, then shake or sift into the hair. Rub in somewhat vigorously and brush out ten minutes later.

Or cornmeal alone may be used. It is well to get it very finely ground and dry it out by placing in the oven a little while.

​To tone the scalp it is well to wash the hair once in a month with pure castile soap or tar soap of the best quality. The latter is easily made thus:

In washing the hair with soaps of any kind, warm water should be used, followed by massage or rubbing, and then colder water to stimulate or cause a reaction of the circulation in the scalp. A spray tube, connected with the hot and cold water faucets of the basin, is most serviceable for this purpose. Do not use the water so cold as to shock the scalp, but just cold enough to be pleasant to the patron's head. Use a tar soap only on dark hair, white soap on blond or gray hair. If the hair is inclined to be oily, a little borax, about half a teaspoonful to a basin of cold water, may be used for the last rinsing, but repeated only once in the month, as it has a tendency to make the hair brittle. Its use makes the hair fluffy and lighter in color. Liquid ammonia, a tablespoonful to a gallon of water, is used in the same manner; but the same precautions must be taken.

Drying the Hair. After shampooing, the hair should be well dried with warm, soft towels, the hair being rubbed or rolled in strands between the folds of the towel. The hair, loose and flowing, should then be exposed to the sun, if possible, or to warm air to dry it.

It is better not to dry the hair with a hot air funnel, or at a radiator or open fire-place. Remember that intense heat makes the hair brittle. Drying in the sun is best; with warm, dry towels next best.

Drying will be aided and the possibility of neuralgia prevented by a somewhat vigorous massage given while ​drying. Rubbing the hair between the hands makes it more pliant and softer.

Combing and brushing the hair should follow the shampooing. If you are giving a shampoo to a patron at night in her own home, a time and place many ladies prefer and for which they are glad to pay extra, it is well to put up the hair as loosely as the patron will permit so as to assure a perfect drying over night and no ill after-effects, such as cold in the head.

Caution your patron, if the weather is damp or cold, not to expose herself to it, until her hair is thoroughly dry. Do not let her leave your parlors, in case she has very heavy hair, until you are thoroughly satisfied as to its perfect dryness.

Effect of Washing on Color of Hair. Sage, tar soap, and oily tonics tend to darken very light hair, as does also the egg shampoo if the yolk is used.

Ammonia and soda brighten light hair, but must be used cautiously and sparingly, as they are very crying.

A teaspoonful of salts of tartar and two of lemon juice added to the last rinsing water of light hair will help keep its color and brightness.

A piece of washing soda, the size of the thumb nail, mixed into a paste or jelly with white castile soap and used occasionally as a shampoo will help keep the hair light and fluffy.

Light hair should be washed twice as often as dark hair, and it should be rinsed through more waters after shampooing. The sun is not so good for it as for dark hair, so it should not be dried in or exposed to the sun as long as dark hair.

The Nightly Care of the Hair. Many women fail to understand the great benefit of the proper care of the hair before retiring, Often the hair is allowed to remain ​done up during the sleeping hours, and combing and brushing at such time is rarely ever done.

To acquire a beautiful growth of hair the following hygienic laws should be followed without fail:

Take down the hair at night and comb out evenly and smoothly; then brush thoroughly with the proper kind of brush and allow to remain flowing, or do up in one or two loose braids according to the amount of hair.

If the hair is inclined to be dry, some bland oil should be rubbed into the scalp with the tips of the fingers. Pure white vaseline answers very well, as it does not turn rancid, but it should be used in moderation, as it has a tendency to darken the hair, especially that of a very blond color.

A tonic vaseline and oil combination may be used. Where the hair is inclined to fall out, the following answers well:

The vaseline and castor oil are thoroughly rubbed together until an even mixture is obtained, and the essential oil is then added slowly and distributed by further rubbing.

A little of the mixture is rubbed into the scalp every two or three nights.

When only an essential oil is required to give lustre to the hair, the following is recommended;

Mix as the mixture before given and use in the same manner.

If the hair is naturally oily and a perfume is desired for the hair, any essential oil, such as oil of violet, oil ​of bergamot or lavender, may be used in the same manner, though much more sparingly and only once in a week.

Sometimes the least touch of an essential oil and a bland oil may be given, especially after a shampoo, to give sheen to the hair. Such preparations are known as brilliantine. A good composition is made as follows:

Put the ingredients into a bottle and shake thoroughly before using.

Apply with the finger, moistening the hair here and there, and brush out with hair brush evenly.

Care of the Eyebrows. The heavy eyebrow usually denotes strength and mental powers. The thin brow highly arched is a sign of the artistic temperament.

The hair of the brows should be kept orderly and in shape by carefully brushing with a fine soft-bristled brush made for the purpose.

A little lanolin, containing a few drops of essential oil, such as lavender or bergamot, should be put on gently with a fine brush twice a day. Very little is necessary.

The eyebrow brush can be bought for fifteen cents, and should be used night and morning.

Brush the eyebrow upward from the nose and outward to the hair line. In this way, if the eyebrows are too straight, the high curve can be cultivated.

Melt the lanolin, add the rosemary and almond oil and ​then the cantharides. Apply every night with a soft tooth brush and keep out of the eyes.

The hair in the lower middle of the arch, sometimes amounting to the condition called "beetle-brows" and giving a sinister look to an otherwise pleasing face, can be removed with tweezers. Lanolin or olive oil massaged at the upper arch will stimulate the growth of hair there. Olive oil has a tendency to darken some hair.

The proper care of the eyebrows includes a cutting of the ends of the hairs once every month or three weeks. Do not cut off more than a sixteenth of an inch, Persistent performance of this invariably results in a marked thickening of the growth; hence, if the eyebrows are naturally too heavy, this should not be done so often, or not till they grow bushy and cutting becomes imperative.

Another formula to make eyebrows grow is as follows:

Mix thoroughly and apply to the eyebrows with a tiny tooth brush every night. This will also stimulate the growth of the eyelashes, but it will irritate the eyes if any gets into them.

Care of Eyelashes. If the eyelashes are thin or falling out, simple vaseline or olive oil or lanolin may be rubbed over the edges of the lids. Perfumed oils or preparations containing alcohol are not to be advised, since they irritate the eye. Use the brush under the lashes, always brushing upward. This will cause them to curl slightly. If done with persistent regularity it should help them to grow.