In describing the formation of hair, and speaking of the cuticle, or outer sheath, I have said that it is of a horny description; that hairs are somewhat cylindrical in shape (excepting curly or wavy hair, which is rather flat); that the cortical structure of human hair is jagged like the teeth of a saw, and that this serrated appearance is produced through the outer layer, or sheath, being composed of flattened cells or scales, which overlap each other like the scales of fishes. This can be seen by means of a good microscope, and felt in passing hair quickly from point to root through the fingers. By reversing the hair and drawing it through the fingers from root to point, the difference can more readily be detected in consequence of its smoothness. The knowledge of this structural arrangement is important as it bears largely upon the “turning” operation.
The combings are to be picked out and “carded,” being at the same time held rather loosely in the hand. By so doing, the matted hair becomes disentangled, and is deposited in or upon the “card.” It is then to be drawn out, piece by piece, and laid aside. When the whole has been “carded” in this way, it can be loosely tied in the middle, washed, and dried. I will now assume that the cleaned hair is before you, and that it is to be “turned.” Place it in the brushes; draw off a convenient portion, taking care that the part held in the hand is clubbed, and proceed in either of the following ways:—Hold the piece of hair in the left hand, have a cup of warm water near, into which the fingers of the right hand are to be dipped as occasion requires. The hair is to be worked between the thumb and finger, and the peculiar formation of the hair gradually forces the roots upwards. These roots may be seen plainly with an ordinary magnifying glass; they can be easily discerned by those whose eyesight is good, and are to be discovered by the touch. They generally present a whitish appearance, and are bulbous in form. It should be borne in mind that I am speaking here of the roots in a business sense only, without any regard to the more minute scientific considerations. As the roots present themselves, the hairs to which they are attached are to be pulled out and “turned,” i.e., they are to be put at the bottom of the piece of hair in hand. As each portion is done, it is to be laid aside, until the whole is completed, the roots being at one end, the points at the other. To finish the turning process, the hair should then be drawn off and tied as previously described.
Several other ways of turning hair are adopted, but the principle is the same. Some use the “card” with the “nitting machine” attached. The teeth of the machine are allowed to be open or close, depending upon the coarse or fine quality of the hair, proceeding upon the principle that these “knobs,” or roots, will offer a slight resistance and be intercepted in their course. Others, again, employ a row of needles, closely set together, with the same object in view, and producing a like result.
I observe that in a recent American work on the Hair, by C. Henri Leonard, M.D., the subject of hair “turning” has not escaped his notice. He says, speaking of the epidermal coat or cellular layer, that “the flat, quadrilateraloid cells forming it overlap each other, just as the tiles or shingles do each other on our houses,” and that “this peculiarity of arrangement of the scales can be detected by the touch; thus, drawing the hair briskly through the fingers, from the tip to the root, it will then seem to be rough and uneven. Often, when quite firm pressure is used, a humming sound may be produced by this manœuvre. You can by this means always tell which is the root-end and which the tip end of the hair, as the overlapping layers lie from the roots. Now if you turn the hair, end for end, and draw it from the root to the tip, it will be felt to be smooth and even. Advantage has been taken of this fact by hair dealers and dressers, in arranging their stock. Where the hair has become disarranged, that is, a part with the roots one way and the remainder with the tips in the same direction, the whole is thrown upon a smooth, hard surface, and rolled briskly back and forth with the palm of the hand, or pulp of the fingers, when those with the roots in the same direction will begin to ‘back out’ from the mass, and then can be easily sorted out and arranged in a proper manner. Were this precaution not taken (to have the points all one way) the hair would never lie evenly and smoothly upon the head. This same ‘rolling’ process, in a minor degree, takes place at each twist of the head on the pillow, and hence explains why our ladies’ hairs are less snarled and tangled than they would otherwise be after a night’s repose.”
CHAPTER IV.
Dyeing the Hair—Of Hair-dyes generally—Powder Dyes—Liquid Dyes—Iron Dyes—Lead Dyes—Various opinions concerning the use of Lead Dyes—Silver Dyes—Dyeing False and Faded Hair—Bleaching and Blanching Hair.
Dyeing the hair upon, as well as off, the head, is a very important subject, and should be dealt with in as complete a manner as possible. A selected number of recipes will prove, doubtless, interesting as well as useful.
In the days of my apprenticeship—(it is not necessary to say how many years ago)—there were packets of “Pompeian Hair Dye” in the shop window of my master, which bore the name of the famous chemist Orfila, and the recipe for making this dye was found, at least so the label stated, “among the ruins of Herculaneum.” “What a wonderful discovery,” I used to think; and “how I should like to know the secret of its manufacture.” It was a powder dye, and had to be mixed with water, to the consistency of paste, before application, the hair being thoroughly washed and dried first. It was generally applied at night time, and the head had to be well covered with oiled-silk, a bladder, or some other non-porous substance, for hours, to confine the “mixture” to the hair. When the “bandages” were removed in the morning the head appeared as though it had been dipped in a flour-barrel; and, oh! what a task it was to get it clean. These powder-dyes are seldom used now; but, nevertheless, it is as well to give two or three recipes for making them. (1) Orfila’s hair dye: Take three parts of litharge (oxide of lead) and two of quicklime, both in an impalpable powder, and mix them carefully. When used, a portion of the powder is mixed with hot water or milk, and applied to the hair, the part being afterwards enveloped in oil-skin or a cabbage-leaf for four or five hours. (2) Litharge two parts, slaked lime one part, chalk two parts, all finely powdered and accurately mixed. When required for use mix the powder with warm water, dip a brush into the mixture, and rub the hair well with it. After two hours let the hair be washed. (3) Litharge 4½ ozs., quicklime ¾ oz.; reduce to an impalpable powder, and pass it through a sieve. Keep it in a dry, close bottle. Wash the hair first with soap and water, then with tepid water; wipe it dry, and comb with a clean comb. Mix the dye in a saucer with hot water to the consistence of cream, and apply to the hair, beginning at the roots. Place over it four folds of brown paper, saturated with hot water, and drained till cool, and over this an oil-skin cap and a nightcap. Let it remain from four to eight hours, according to the shade required. When removed, oil the hair, but do not wet it for three or four days. There always was an objection to these powder-dyes through the time consumed in the operation, but the following act more quickly. (4) Take of lime (slaked by exposure to damp air) two parts; carbonate of lead (pure white lead) one part. Mix thoroughly, pass the mixture through a gauze sieve, and at once bottle it and keep the air from getting to it. Used as the preceding, but acts in one-third or one-fourth the time. The shade depends chiefly on the length of its application. (5) Chevallier: Take of fresh slaked lime 5 drachms; water, 1½ oz. Mix, strain through gauze, and pour the milky solution into a 4–oz. bottle. Next take of sugar of lead 5 drachms, water 3 ozs.; dissolve. Add to this solution dry slaked lime 1 drachm, and agitate them well together for a few minutes. Wash the resulting precipitate with a little distilled or soft water, drain, and add it to the “milk of lime” in the 4–oz. bottle. Lastly, shake the whole well together, and again before use, if it be not at once applied. It must be kept well corked, as the last, but acts more quickly.
I can imagine the reader expressing surprise after reading the foregoing; and to young men in the trade it would appear marvellous that people should submit to such an ordeal. That writers should condemn the use of “lead dyes” (if the last recipe given be the kind alluded to), I can very well understand; but liquid (lead) preparations I do not consider open to such disapprobation. One reason can be given why lead solutions are preferable, that is, they do not darken the skin; and, indeed, with liquid dyes in the hands of a careful manipulator, there is little occasion to touch the skin; but when such an accident occurs, it ought to be wiped off directly.