B. Hair Tonics.

Hair Restorer.

Tincture of cantharides (see above, page 281)1¾ oz.
Tincture of nut-galls1¾ oz.
Extract of musk150 grains.
Carmine75 grains.
Alcohol3½ oz.
Rose water1 qt.

Tincture of nut-galls is made by macerating 3½ oz. of powdered nut-galls in one quart of alcohol. The tincture of cinchona in the following formula is prepared in the same manner.

Tanno-Quinine Hair Restorer.

Tincture of cinchona1¾ oz.
Tincture of nut-galls1¾ oz.
Carmine150 grains.
Oil of neroli75 grains.
Oil of nutmeg75 grains.
Alcohol3½ oz.
Rose water1 qt.
Orange-flower water1 qt.

Baume de Milan pour les Cheveux.

Lard1 lb.
Expressed oil of almond1 lb.
Spermaceti1¾ oz.
Carmine150 grains.
Tincture of cantharides¾ oz.
Tincture of storax1 oz.
Tincture of tolu1 oz.

Beard Producer.

Lard1 lb.
Expressed oil of almond1 lb.
Spermaceti¾ oz.
Cantharides¾ oz.
Carmine150 grains.
Oil of bergamot75 grains.
Oil of lavender75 grains.
Oil of santal75 grains.

Rub the cantharides with the carmine to the finest possible powder; add this with the essential oils to the other ingredients.

Formulas for similar hair tonics might be given to the number of several hundreds; but we repeat what we have said above—they do not produce the desired result.

While the well-known bay rum is used more as a face lotion or refreshing skin tonic, particularly after shaving, or when perspiring in hot weather, yet it is also often used as a wash for the scalp, and is popularly believed to stimulate the growth of hair, which is in reality not the case. We shall therefore give a formula for its preparation here:

Bay Rum.

Oil of bay (from Myrcia acris)240 grains.
Oil of orange (bigarade)16 grains.
Oil of Pimenta16 grains.
Alcohol1 qt.
Water25 fl. oz.

Dissolve the oils in the alcohol and add the water. Mix the liquid with about 2 oz. of precipitated phosphate of lime, and filter. It will improve by age.

Genuine bay rum is imported from the West Indies (St. Thomas, etc.), where a crude kind of alcohol, obtained in connection with the manufacture of rum from molasses, is distilled with the fresh leaves of the bay-tree (Myrcia acris). The oil of bay obtained from this must not be confounded with the oil of sweet bay. The latter, as it appears in commerce, is a crude mixture of a fixed with a volatile oil.

[CHAPTER XXVIII.]
HAIR DYES AND DEPILATORIES.

The custom of dyeing the hair is universal in the Orient; in the Occident, however, hair dyes are also frequently used, namely, to hide the grayness of the hair, sometimes to give the hair a preferred color. Hair dyes, which are very numerous, may be divided into groups—those containing the dye-stuff ready formed, and those in which it is produced in the hair by some chemical process. Some hair dyes contain substances which in their nature are decidedly injurious to the hair; such articles, of course, must be dispensed with because, if frequently employed, they would certainly lead to baldness. We shall return to this subject in connection with the several preparations.

Regarding the use of hair dyes, especially those consisting of two separate portions, we may state that it is necessary to remove the fat from the hair before applying the dye, as the chemicals in question do not adhere well to fat. The hair should be thoroughly washed once or twice with soap, and dyed when nearly dry.

When dyeing the hair the preparations should first be diluted; if the color is not deep enough, the process is repeated. If the preparation is used at once in a concentrated form, a color may result which has no resemblance to any natural tint; hair meant to be black may assume a metallic bluish-black gloss.