Beauty Culture (Woodbury)/Chapter 15

Coloring the hair was a barbaric fashion introduced into Rome from Britain, where fair hair was in such esteem that the inhabitants, endowed by nature with locks of light and auburn hue, tried to lighten and brighten them still more by bleaching and dyeing. Following their custom, the Romans adopted red as the fashionable color, and its vogue continued in Italy until modern times. The great painter Titian perpetuated on his canvases in the painting of woman's hair the rich red tone which is called after his name. It is said that he preferred this color because it was that of his lady-love's tresses, but in this matter sentiment must have been subordinate to taste—his artistic sense choosing the color of hair most representative of the full glow and energy of healthy use. Undoubtedly he was attracted to the sweetheart because of her hair, rather than to the hair because of the sweetheart.

​At one time in rural communities and in some cities where ignorance is at a premium, there was a tendency to hold in derision a red-headed girl, and the would-be funny papers used to crack absurd jokes about the certainty of seeing a white horse very soon after meeting a red-haired woman. Of course, this nonsense tended to annoy persons with red hair and in some cases, where they were very sensitive, drove them to dyeing. Nowadays that rank absurdity has been cast into the limbo of things that never ought to have been; red hair is justly valued by its possessors and greatly admired by most people.

Dyeing the hair had a great revival in modern times along in the middle of the last century, when the fad of having hair of fashionable shades became common, permeating all classes of society, being taken up not only by women, but even by those men who had more hair than brains. The famous French poet, Charles Baudelaire, who was neurotic in body and degenerate in mind, once had his hair dyed a vivid green.

Hair-tinting and dyeing at present, while very extensive, have a much more reasonable excuse for existence than the caprice of mere fashion, though fashion still dominates it in many places. Not so much the being in fashion is aimed at in availing oneself of the resources of the hair-tinter's art as the restoration of hair to its original color, or the keeping it so, when time or care or sickness has begun to threaten a lessening of its beauty.

Many secret recipes have been used for restoring color to hair that had turned gray either prematurely or as the result of the general change caused by advancing age. There has always been a peculiar anxiety to hide the effects of actual age, especially in the prevention or restoration of gray hair; and in younger persons sud​denly stricken with grayness either through illness or instant nervous shock, there is a like desire, though in less degree, to regain the lost color.

Indeed, in their case, grayness of the hair often lends a softness to the features, and sometimes perhaps the dyeing of the hair is postponed by them for years in the hope that nature will restore the color in time—which, once in a very great while, does happen. Or some, instead of seeking a competent hair-tinter, have recourse to the use of internal medicines, rarely productive of any good result and often distinctly harmful.

That gray hair can be prevented to a considerable degree is true. The person affected or threatened with it may do much by using every hygienic means to keep the scalp of the head loose and clean of dandruff or excessive oiliness, or to overcome external dryness from a lack of a proper blood supply, and so may delay the gray or make its presence less noticeable.

Proper massage, faithfully followed, docs much to give life and lustre as well as a natural color to the hair; and this, combined with proper internal medication, will often help to keep the color of the hair normal for many years.

Once the hair has turned gray as a result of old age or even in those with whom it is hereditary, there is little left to do but to dye the objectionable tresses. One thing, however, must be borne constantly in mind, and that is that, once begun, the act must be kept up to give a natural appearance to the hair.

This is an expensive undertaking in that the coloring matter must usually be applied by a second person, since it is practically impossible to color one's own hair evenly and regularly. It is here that the operator is called upon, and with careful and conscientious work and a ​thorough knowledge of the preparations she uses, combined with a steady hand, she can establish a branch of cosmetic culture that will insure great satisfaction and profit to her for as many years as she wishes to continue.

With the dyeing and bleaching of hair that has not turned gray there is also a wide field and the art is highly appreciated, if properly practised. It is needless to say that the operator should cultivate a thorough knowledge of practical hair-dressing as well, for the two go hand in hand.

While bleaching, as commonly understood, refers to the coloring of hair by artificial means directly applied, either by the means of vegetable or chemical preparations, the bleaching of hair apart from artificial coloring is an essential part of the subject, since many effects in shade can he obtained in this way only.

Precautions. In bleaching and dyeing the hair the operator should beware of the use of the average hair dyes obtained in the open market. Most of them contain such chemicals as lead acelate and gallic acid, which are not only destructive to the hair, but dangerous to the health of the patient, often causing paralysis and blood poisoning.

The formulæ herein given are essentially non-toxic and may be used without fear of harming the most delicate structure.

One kind of hair dye should be used for the patient only, since the changing of one to the other will invariably lead to a horrible mixture of tints foreign to any human hair, a condition difficult to overcome even after months of patient treatment.

If a patron presents herself for hair-coloring who has ​been attended by some other operator, it is well to take a strand of hair and color it according to your own formula before treating the whole head.

Sometimes it is absolutely necessary to bleach the dyed hair several times before the new dye can be successfully used.

For this purpose pure peroxide of hydrogen, mixed with various parts of water as indicated in the following pages, is generally used and thoroughly allowed to dry before the dye is applied.

Preparation for Hair Dyeing. To dye the hair of the head properly, the hair should be first thoroughly washed with warm water and castile or pure birch tar soap, the recipe for which has been given on page 137.

This is done to remove all the dirt and oil from the hair which would prevent the "taking" of the dye.

After the shampoo, the soap should be washed out thoroughly with several rinsings, of warm water preferably, using the sprinkler or spray attachment and gradually cooling the water to as cold as the patron can comfortably stand for the last rinsing. The hair is now loosely gathered on the head, and mopped over with a dry towel, to absorb most of the water.

After a half hour, or more, the towel is removed and the hair is rolled or patted with fresh dry towels, taking a strand at a time. Rubbing the scalp with the towels is also a good method of drying. If possible, the patron is now allowed to sit in the sunlight to finish the drying, while the operator combs the hair gently to separate the strands and to untangle the hairs.

Rapid drying by artificial heat is not to be commended as it invariably injures the hair.

The hair should not be dyed until absolutely free from all oiliness and entirely dry.

​Necessaries. To accomplish the best results and to be hygienic and up to date, every operator should provide herself with the following:

The black rubber cloth apron is made to Gt around the neck of the patron and to fall well around the shoulders, to prevent the dye from staining the dress.

The operator would do well to wear an apron of the same material reaching from the neck to the knees. White rubber cloth, while much neater in appearance, becomes permanently stained too readily. On the black rubber apron these stains do not show.

The rubber gloves are to be worn by the operator to save her hands and finger nails from the same stains. Vaseline answers the same purpose, but is usually objectionable to the refined patron.

The black fine combs are used to take up a certain amount of the patron's hair and to protect the scalp from becoming stained as the dye is applied with the shorthaired tooth brushes.

A clean tooth brush should be used for each patron and only one brush for the individual dye used.

Mordants. With the chemical hair dyes a mordant is used to set the color, This is usually a liquid as later described, and should be preferably applied to the hair with a soft tooth brush and before the dye proper is applied, which helps to prevent staining the scalp. The dye is applied a few minutes after the mordant has been used.

The setting of the color is a chemical one containing ​an ingredient that combines with the dye to produce a color of more or less permanency. Mordants differ, of course, with the kind of dye used.

Color Guide. Let it be understood that to render dark hair lighter in color, it must be bleached to the desired shade. It cannot be dyed to a lighter color.

Light hair or gray hair can be dyed to any given color from light brown or chestnut, to brown, red, dull red, auburn, and black.

The color effect is usually obtained by using certain mixtures or dyes for certain lengths of time as indicated hereafter and then washing the hair to free it of the extra amount of chemicals.

Sometimes certain dyes given to produce a certain shade will not produce the desired result. This is not necessarily a fault of the preparation, but may be due to the fact that the hair does not contain sufficient sulphur in its structure. It then becomes necessary to use sulphur in some form between the times of dyeing, as will be referred to later.

Certain chemicals are used to give only a certain color or a shade thereof. Others may be called "time dyes," giving the shade after having been on the hair for a definite period, according to the strength of the solution.

Most vegetable dyes may be called "progressive dyes" in that the desired shade is attained only by their repeated use.

As a further guide and index to the color produced by the various formulæ, the author has placed the shade of color obtained in parentheses with each formula to facilitate their indication and value at a glance.

Home Hair Restorers. Certain harmless preparations may be properly denominated "home," or "house​hold" recipes, because of the availability of ingredients and the simplicity of their compounding.

They are intended to restore the natural color to the hair that is beginning to turn gray and not to give it a decided shade.

Vegetable preparations naturally stand high in this list. Dried sage, an ounce in a pint of water, steeped for half an hour to make a strong tea is excellent for darkening the hair and has the added virtue of being a valuable hair tonic or stimulant. It should be applied with a tooth brush about once a week, but no such care is needed to keep it from the scalp as with other things. It is really good for the scalp and hair.

In combination with tea leaves, sage leaves form an admirable hair tonic and color restorer.

Place the two in an iron pot and pour three (3) quarts of boiling water over them. Cover loosely and let it simmer until the liquid has been reduced to one quart. Allow it then to stand for twenty-four hours so as to get the action of the iron of the pot on the mixture; then strain and bottle.

Apply his mixture to the hair each night. Allow it to dry or put a towel over the hair, since otherwise the mixture will stain the pillow.

Other Natural Restorers. Preparations which restore hair to its natural color, and of which minerals form the chief ingredients are the following:

​Dissolve the sulphur in the bay rum by shaking occasionally and use on the hair as a wash once or twice a week, letting it dry.

Since sulphur is an element essential to the healthy growth of the hair, this recipe is also an excellent tonic.

Put ingredients into open bottle and let stand until odor of sulphur disappears, then add ten (10) drops of oil of bergamot or lavender. Rub a little into scalp daily.

Dissolve the iron in the water and add to the wine. Allow to stand twenty minutes before using. Apply thoroughly with a soft brush and allow to dry. Cover hair with towel, if applied at night, to prevent staining of pillow.

Mix and cork loosely. Allow to stand twelve days, shaking occasionally. Strain off the liquid and apply with soft brush.

Hair Stains. The following home remedies give a decided stain to the hair:

Boil fresh potato peelings in an iron pot until they are soft. Strain the water through a cloth, and bottle. ​Apply to hair with a soft tooth brush and allow to dry. Vaseline should be rubbed on your own hands, and on the forehead and back of neck of the patron in using these vegetable mixtures to prevent staining the skin.

The sun is the best mordant to fix the color with the potato mixture, which can be reapplied as often as desired until the proper shade has been attained.

Steep the above in water until the latter is black, then strain and apply to hair with soft brush, Use same precautions to prevent staining.

Place in a bottle and allow to stand for a week, shaking occasionally. Then strain through fine cloth. Keep in a cool place. Apply once a week, using the precautions given to prevent skin staining.

Another Walnut Stain is made as follows:

Heat this in a steamer or an agate pot placed in hot water until the water of the shells has been expelled; then strain, pressing out the remaining liquid from the shells and add a little oil of bergamot to perfume. Apply to hair with a soft tooth brush. Avoid staining as before directed.

​To Darken Eyebrows and Eyelashes. The painting or darkening of light eyelashes and eyebrows has been a common artifice among all nations and at all times.

The following recipes will be found effective:

Powder the gum and ink and mix small quantities of this powder with the rosewater until you get a uniform black. Then add the remainder of the rosewater and apply carefully to the lashes.

Boil the gall nuts in the water for half an hour, strain through a linen cloth and add to the strained-off liquid 2½ drams of sulphate of iron. Boil again until the quantity is reduced one-half and bottle for use after perfuming if you wish with a few drops of thyme essence. Apply to the brows or lashes with a soft small brush or a pencil, and be careful not to get any in the eyes.

A styptic pencil, which may be obtained in any drug store, can be used to darken the eyelashes and eyebrows.

Stains for Stray White Hairs. When there are a few white hairs or a patch of white among the black, this recipe is a good one:

Apply with a tooth brush to the white hair. Do not touch the scalp, forehead, ears or neck. This formula ​is absolutely harmless and is especially adapted for the use of young women who have prematurely white hair. It can readily be washed off if necessary; four or five washings being sufficient to make it disappear.

Another formula for patches of gray or white hair.

When the mixture is cold add one ounce rectified spirits. When using dilute with twice the quantity of soft water. Apply with a soft brush.

Simple Dyes. The following formulæ are considered as dyes that give fixed shades of color, but are of simple and harmless nature. Some are vegetable and others mineral preparations. Henna forms the chief ingredient of the vegetable dyes. It is an Oriental plant which has been in use for ages to give a reddish or Titian hue to the hair and it does not injure the hair. Whether your hair is light or dark, henna will give it the reddish tinge. Henna tea is made by steeping one-half ounce of the dried leaves in one pint of hot water for about a half hour—let it cool and strain off the liquid. Shampoo the hair thoroughly and dry it. Then apply the tea evenly with a brush—dry in the sun—then wash the hair in clear water and again dry in the sun.

Reduce enough henna leaves ground to a coarse powder with hot water to make a paste. When cool enough to use, rub the paste thoroughly over the hair and as evenly as possible. Allow to remain on hair for about half an hour, then wash off with warm water and let hair dry. The effect is not only beautiful, but harmless.

Apply to hair as before, leaving it on from a half hour to an hour, according to the color desired. Wash hair and let dry.

After having used the henna paste before described for half an hour, wash the hair and apply a paste made of indigo and hot water. To make the latter, use just enough indigo and water to make a salve-like mixture. The latter is allowed to remain on for one hour or longer—even as long as three hours. The hair is again washed and dried. The result is a beautiful jetty black. Needless to say that the method is harmless.

After any of the henna or indigo applications, the skin when stained may be cleaned readily with a little soap and water. The latter does not affect the hair.

If possible, the hair after being dyed in the above manner should be allowed to dry in the sun to obtain the best results.

When thoroughly dry, sufficient oil, such as sweet almond oil or olive oil, to which a little perfume has been added, is rubbed into the hair to give it lustre.

On mixing the two a dark violet solution results. Apply with hard tooth brush to hair. By changing the quantity of the permanganate the varying shades can be ​obtained, the hair being dyed at once. Avoid staining as before described. Gloves should be used on the hands.

Mix by shaking occasionally. Apply to hair once a week or two weeks with brush. Avoid staining of skin.

If the hair does not take the color well, there is a lack of sulphur in it. Overcome this by moistening the hair twice a week with a weak solution of sulphuret of potash in water, about five (5) grains of the former to the ounce of water. Do not use the two mixtures at the same time.

Dissolve the tannic acid in the glycerine, then add the oil of almonds, stirring constantly to make an even mixture. Lastly add the essential oils, stirring them in.

Apply to the hair with stiff tooth brush and allow to remain. The preparation may be used once every ten days or two weeks. It is non-poisonous, but being of an oily nature does not dry as readily as those of aqueous form. Avoid skin staining.

​Shake and mix with twice its quantity of water and apply to hair with soft tooth brush over fine comb. Avoid staining by using gloves and vaseline on forehead, back of neck and about ears.

This preparation should be used with some caution. When there are wounds or scratches on the scalp, it should not be used.

Pour one quart of water over two or three ounces of saffron and add a half teaspoonful of carbonate of soda. Allow this to steep for about one hour and strain through a fine cloth. Cool and apply to hair with a soft brush and permit the hair to dry.

To set the color, wet the hair with a mordant made of

Allow to dry. The result will give a beautiful red or reddish-yellow shade, the depth of which can be graded by the amount of saffron used for the infusion. The preparation is harmless. Care to prevent skin stain should be observed.

Silver Hair Dyes. While the French, who are adepts in the dyeing of hair, use gallic acid to a great extent, the silver salt preparations are more universally used, and not only with better results but with less danger of poisoning.

It is a fact, however, that the dyeing of hair with silver nitrate must be done very thoroughly, else unevenness of color results.

Only an experienced operator should employ the method and at no time should any one attempt to use it on themselves alone, as the silver salts stain permanently ​and may cause considerable danger if they get into the eyes.

All silver hair dye preparations require a fixing solution or mordant.

The mixtures to obtain the best results are made as follows:

The sulphide of potassium should first be dissolved in a little water. It is strained into a bottle and the alcohol added. The bottle is of white glass and marked No. 1.

This is the mordant which is applied to the hair evenly with a soft tooth brush and allowed to remain for a few minutes. Then sufficient of the silver nitrate solution or dye, which has been mixed and placed in a dark-brown bottle marked No. 2, is poured into a saucer and applied with a new stiff tooth brush to the hair over a fine comb to prevent staining of scalp.

The brush used for this purpose cannot be used with any other solution and should be kept exclusively for the patron upon whom it is used. It is well to mark or tag your brushes with a patron's name so as to avoid mistakes. Any particular attention shown a patron in the way of exclusiveness is quite sure to be appreciated.

In applying the silver solution, the brush should be dipped gently into it, not soused with it, since too much liquor on the brush will run over the edge of the comb ​or teeth, thus moistening the scalp and resulting in decided black stains.

The whole hair is gone over strand by strand until evenly covered, rubber gloves being worn by the operator during the work and a little vaseline should be rubbed upon the forehead, about the ears and the back of the neck to prevent staining.

At no time is a rubber apron for the patron so necessary as with this process.

As the two solutions combine on the hair, black sulphide of silver is formed which gives the desired shade.

The silver solution should be kept in the dark bottle and in a dark place to prevent decomposition by sunlight.

The shade resulting from the use of the silver solution depends upon the amount of silver in the solution. For a black effect the following is an excellent preparation:

Prepare in the same manner as above and apply in like way to obtain deep black color.

If, after the hair is thoroughly dry, a disagreeable odor is found to permeate it, this may be washed out readily later on that day or the next morning.

It is always best to use the sunlight to dry the hair as it fixes the color more evenly and gives better results than when artificial drying means are used.

The objection to the effect of silver nitrate on the hair is that eventually it has a tendency to burn the hair. To ​prevent the staining of the skin about the forehead, when vaseline is objectionable to the patron, the parts may be washed over with a solution of table salt in water.

If for any reason the operator would care to experiment with the silver solution method, she may apply the silver solution first, and if only a light-brown effect is desired she might have the color set by exposing the hair to direct sunlight, using no mordant. If, however, strong solutions for darker color effects are used, a mordant made as follows can be used after the silver solution has been applied:

This applied to the hair with a soft tooth brush directly after the silver solution sets the color at once.

Some operators prefer the effect of this latter method and while the staining of the scalp is more marked the permanency of the color is claimed to be greater.

If a little of the silver solution should drop upon an unprotected part of the skin, the mordant applied immediately will prevent staining.

To overcome the burning of the hair or its becoming brittle from the use of these silver dyes, it is best to use some bland and perfumed oils, as previously referred to, once or twice a week.

The above method of either form will never give a satisfactory result, however, if the hair has not been previously thoroughly washed and cleansed of all oily matter.

The dyeing of hair with the silver solution should be repeated once each month, and this is the rule with mostly all chemical dyes.

Vegetable dyes have to be used more frequently since ​their color is not as permanent. In fact some of the simpler mixtures must be used every few days to keep the color of the hair near to a natural tint.

Bleaching Hair for Dyeing Purpose. It is sometimes necessary to bleach the hair of the head, especially when the hair is rusty gray or dirty yellow. The regular use of peroxide of hydrogen, one part to four or five parts of water with the addition of a little liquid ammonia, will give a very satisfactory result, and will permit of an even dyeing of the hair thereafter.

The various shade effects in hair of dark color may be obtained by washing the hair with a solution of hydrogen peroxide (pure) in a definite amount of water—more of the peroxide for the darker hair, less for brown or blond. Experience will teach the operator the normal quantity to be used. A small quantity of carbonate of soda (size of a filbert) to the quart of solution used for bleaching enhances the effect. Ammonia, as before said, is generally employed.

The use of peroxide should never be carried to excess, as it has a tendency to rob the hair of its natural oil, especially if some of the cheaper or impure preparations of the chemical are used. Never be persuaded by a druggist to buy the cheap kinds. The best is not too good for your patrons, and eventually proves the very best for you.

A fine formula for obtaining the auburn or Titian effect in patrons with black or dark brown hair is as follows:

Mix and use as a bleach.

​Bleaching Dark Hair to White. It often becomes necessary, and the operator is often directly called upon, to render dirty appearing, rusty, or grizzly hair white in color. Sometimes only a part of the hair is gray or white and the rest variously tinted.

The object of such desire is not to have the hair dyed, but to have it of an even white color, a recent fad with ladies in the French capital.

The free use of liquid ammonia, one tablespoonful to the basin of water, will usually accomplish the desired result in several applications and leave the hair an even snowy white. With judicious care and proper shampooing, such a head of hair is, indeed, very attractive.