CHAPTER XII.
Removal of Superfluous Hair.—Effects of High Living.—Work of Typhoid Fever.—Roman Tweezers.—Lola Montez’s Recipes.—Paste of Wood-ashes.—Bleaching Arms with Chloride.—Cautions about Depilatories.—Public Baths.—Improving Complexions by the Sulphur Vapor-bath.—How Arabian Women Perfume Themselves.—Profuse Hair, Sign of Nature’s Bounty.
A correspondent wishes to know what will remove superfluous hair, adding that she is annoyed with such a growth of it on her face that she is the remark of her friends. These unfortunate cases are the result of morbid constitution, freaks of nature which are to be combated as one would eradicate leprosy or scrofula. The extreme growth of hair where it should not be comes from gross living, or is inherited by young persons from those whose blood was made of too rich materials. Living for two or three generations on overlarded meats, plenty of pastry, salt meats, ham, and fish, with good old pickles from brine—in short, what would be called high living among middle-class people—is pretty sure to leave its marks on lip and brow. Sometimes typhoid fever steps in and arrests the degeneration by a painful and searching process, which, as it were, burns out the vile particles, and, if the patient’s strength endure, leaves her almost with a new body. The red, scaly skin peels off, and leaves a soft, fresh cuticle, pink as a child’s; the dry hair comes out, and a fine, often curling suit succeeds it, while moles and feminine mustaches disappear and leave no sign. But this fortunate end is not secured to order, and there are preferable ways of renewing the habit of body.
For immediate removal of the afflicting shadows which mar a feminine face there are many methods. The Romans used tweezers, regularly as we do nail-brushes, to pull out stray hairs; and Lola Montez speaks of seeing victims of a modern day sitting for hours before the mirror painfully pulling out the hairs on their faces. But this often makes the matter worse; for if the hairs are broken off, and not pulled up by the roots they are sure to grow coarser than before. Often one hair pulled out sends two or three to grow in its place. A paste of fine wood-ashes left to dry on the skin is said to eat off hairs, and is probably as safe as any remedy. The authority on feminine matters quoted above recommends very highly a plaster which pulls the hairs out by the roots. Spread equal parts of galbanum and pitch plaster on a piece of thin leather, and apply to the place desired; let it remain three minutes, and pull off suddenly, when it brings the hairs with it, and they are said not to grow again. This will probably bring the tears into the eyes of any one who tries it; but the courage of damsels desiring a smooth face is not to be damped by such trifles as an instant’s pain. If the plaster were left on more than three minutes, it would be apt to bring the skin with it in coming off. It is better to use daily a paste of ashes or caustic soda, left on as long as it can be borne, washing with vinegar to take out the alkali, and rubbing on sweet-oil to soften the skin, which is left very hard by these applications. Applied day after day, it would not fail to kill the hair in a month, when it would dry and rub off. This may be used on the arms, which might be whitened and cleared of hair together by bathing them in a hot solution of chloride of lime as strong as that used for bleaching cotton, say two table-spoonfuls to a quart of water. Bathe the arms daily in this, as hot as can be borne, for not over two minutes, washing afterward in vinegar and water, and rubbing with almond or olive-oil. This should be done in a warm room before an open window to avoid breathing the fumes of the chloride, which are both unpleasant and noxious. Strong soft-soap left to dry on the arms would in time eat away any hair. But the trouble is that these strong agents eat away the skin almost as soon as they do the hair, and nice care must be used to prevent dangerous results. If the blood should be in bad order, though not suspected by any one, least of all by the person interested, caustic of any sort might eat a hole in the flesh that would fester, and be a long time healing. I saw a frightful sore that a lady made on her neck, trying to remove a mole with lunar caustic, and should advise every one to be careful how they run such painful risks. It is not wise to endure pain heroically, thinking to have the matter over and done with at once. Better try the applications many times, leaving them to do their work gradually and surely.
To lay the foundation of true beauty, the system should be purified within as well as without. Nothing is of so much value in this respect as the vapor-bath. In all our large cities public establishments exist for taking these baths, and their virtues are well appreciated by those who once try them. At the largest bathing-houses in New York ladies attend regularly for the sole object of improving their complexion. Perhaps the most successful form administered is the sulphur vapor-bath, which works wonders for neuralgia. It purifies and searches the blood, and I have seen a patient who had lost one of the loveliest complexions in the world, as she thought forever, come out of her bath day after day visibly whitened at each trial. For ladies past youth nothing restores such softness and child-like freshness to the cheek or such suppleness to the figure. Of course these baths can only be taken at places for the purpose, where chemical means are not wanting. I only mention them to urge all ladies who have the chance of trying them not to fail of doing so, both for pleasure and benefit.
The vapor-bath, pure and simple, has stood for some time among household remedies for various ills, and is given by seating the undressed patient on a straw or flag chair over a saucer in which is a little lighted alcohol, and wrapping chair, patient, and all in large blankets. After a few minutes the perspiration streams as if he were in a caldron of steam, and may be kept up any length of time. Fifteen minutes are enough. A tepid bath should follow, if one is not chilled by it, and after that either a good sleep or exercise enough to keep one in a glow. Impurities are discharged from the system in this way which else might occasion fever. The hair, skin, and nails are insensibly renewed and refined by it. There is not the least danger of taking cold if the precautions are taken of rubbing dry, dressing quickly and warmly, and keeping the blood at its proper heat by work or fire—in short, by doing just those things which ought to be done should one never go near a vapor-bath.
Arabian women have a similar method of perfuming their bodies by sitting over coals on which are cast handfuls of myrrh and spices. The heat opens the pores, which receive the fumes, till the skin is impregnated with the odor, and the women come out smelling like a censer of incense. Twice a week is often enough for the vapor-bath; as for the fumigation, some creature doubtless will be wild enough to try the experiment once, which will be sufficient for a lifetime. If she do, she will be very glad to know that ammonia bathing will destroy most traces of her adventurous caprice.
A profusion of hair, however, is a sign of nature’s liberality, and this growth is found in connection with a strength and generosity of constitution that is capable of the best things when duly refined. South Americans, with their supple bodies overflowing with vitality, have splendid tresses, and so have the Spaniards and Italians. Such people are quick and lasting in the dance, own deep tuneful voices, move with vigor and ease, and have a luxuriance of blood and spirits, which is too precious to restrain or lose. Fasting, denial of pleasant food and plenty of it, till one is worn to an anchorite, may do for religious penance, but does not reach physical ends so well as moderate and satisfying indulgence. If any poor girl think, from reading this paper, that she ought to starve and waste herself by sweating because she has a pair of mustaches and a coat of hair on her arms, she is vastly mistaken. If she want to know what she may eat, let her study Professor Blot’s cookery-book. Whatever is there she may eat, as it is there, assured that all the delightful French seasoning will not do her blood half the injury of a season’s course of pies made after good Yankee fashion—the crust half lard and half old butter, the filling strong with spice or drenched with essence, as the case may be.