516. Curling Liquid for the Hair.—When the hair will not curl naturally, the curling irons should not be used; they only extract the moisture, and render the hair crisp and harsh. An excellent curling liquid is the following:—Put two pounds of common soap, cut small, into three pints of spirits of wine, with eight ounces of potash, and melt the whole, stirring it with a clean piece of wood. Add some essence of amber, vanilla, and nevoli, about a quarter of an ounce of each, to render the fluid agreeable. The liquids which are sold for the professed purpose of assisting in curling the hair, are chiefly composed of either oily or extractive substances.
517. To prevent Hair from falling out.—Make a strong decoction of white-oak bark in water, and use it freely. It is best to make but little at a time, and have it fresh at least once a fortnight.
518. To avoid Grey Hairs.—Those who would avoid that prominent mark of approaching old age, called grey hair, must be careful in the treatment of the hair in their youth. They must avoid constricting the skin, and strangling the hair at its roots, and everything that may throw into the blood an undue portion of lime. We say an undue portion, because a certain quantity of lime is indispensable in our system for repairing the wear and tear of the bones, teeth, &c. The lime necessary for the repair of bone is manufactured by the stomach and liver, along with the blood, from various articles of our diet which contain it. The greatest supply is usually from the water which we drink, or which is employed in the various processes of cooking and preparing liquors. All animal food also contains some portion of lime, as well as some of the sorts of vegetable food. Ascertain, then, by chemical trial, whether the water used for your tea, coffee, soups, &c., contains a large proportion of lime; and, if it do, you must either have it chemically purified, or remove to some other place where the water is more free from lime. If water be hard, you may be certain that it contains too much lime to be safely used. Rain-water is the safest for tea and other liquids. Bread will always contain a portion of lime; you must, therefore, be careful in dealing with respectable bakers, who will not increase that unavoidable quantity by means of adulterating matter (such as whiting) which contains lime.
519. To soften and cleanse the Hair.—Beat up an egg, rub it well into the hair, and then wash the head well. If the hair is very oily, add the juice of half a lemon. This receipt also answers much better for washing pet dogs than soap.
520. To make a Curling Fluid for the Hair.—Melt a piece of white bees'-wax, about the size of a filbert kernel or large pea, in one ounce of olive oil; to this add one or two drops of attar of roses or any other perfume.