Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1865-11-30
0bllo State,snnarl',,. /.
The Market for False Hair - -
Where the .'Syaierfaiis" Come
From. ,

Wnere inc ''NAterAAERS NVhno
From. .,...
A pleasant writer in the London Reriep
gives an account OF the sources of supply
of the false hair for which the artificial
curls and waterfalls of the prevailing
fashion create market. The stock comes
chiefly from Germany, Holland, Brittany,
| Spain, Italy and Catholic cotivents. The
peasant girls of Brittany cover the head
with a picturesque white cap, which who'll
ly hides the hair; hence from this quarter
the sale of the article has been for long
| time openly carried on. Spain and the
north OF Italy also furnish considerable con-
tributions to the collectors of jet-black
locks. The main crops of the golden hair
now so much prized come from Germany,
| and the yellow hair from Holland. In all
Catholic countries one great source of sup
| ply is the convent. This hair is known In
the trade as the church bair. an visiting
q wholesale hair warehouse and manufac-
tory lately" says the Revio,o, ''we were
shown some of these vestal tresses fresh
from an English convent. Vanity of van
ities-its neXtappearance in all probability
will be on the head of some maiden of Bel
gravia." ...'.r. ..r-g. .su ...... g...rr..
Hair merchants, by long experience, have
acquired great proficiency in judging ofthe
nationality of this article. One of the
largest dealers in the trade in England de-
clares that he could tell in the dark the ma
tionalty of any piece of hair. This is done
either by the sense oftouch or smell. Some
nations have much cOarser hair than others;
indeed, there Is constant difference both
In respect to length and weight. The ay-
erage weight of French head of hair (by
which is meant the piece of long hair which
forms the knot at the back of the'head). is
Hxra nttN NfI IFnlia cix "a
man, ten. This difference has much to do
with its color.
Phiflonniers who go about in Paris, morn-
ing and evening, picking out prizes from
the gutter, have not overlooked human
hair. By their agency the combings of the
fair Parisenne are returned once more to the
human head; no doubt there is dust-heap
odCr the hair merchant knows well.
But still there is another kind of hair
about which there is deep mystery. A
grim smile passes over the features OF the
hair merchant as he tells you that the long
"eech" of hair (for that is the trade name
| for small parcels in which they are done up
for sale, after being prepared and cleansed)
| Is known as the churchyard hair! As he
draws attention, with a certain subdued
manner, to the squared end of the ''leech,
you perceive that they have not been cut;
but pulled out of the head with the bulb
adherent; sometimes this class of hair comes
to the market with pieces of the scalp-skin
at the end. How this hair is obtained is
mystery which the trade does not care to
| fathOm. F .s.
When we so often hear of the desecra-
| ton of churchyards, and the shovelng
away of the old bones and decayed collins,
we may perhaps make shrewd guess at
the source from which this hair comes. 1t
1 l.. l..,.. l.,
destructible. The beautiful wig of auburn
hair now in the British Museum, had lain
in the tomb of Theban mummy tor up
wards of two thousand years before it founC
it's way to the national collection, yet thai
| hair is as fresh as though it had just come
| from the hands of the hair-dresser, and the
| curl is so strong in it that it cannot be
taken out even by the application of heat
| Churchyard hair is brought into the mar
ket by home as well as foreign collectors,
and we cannot help suspecting that the
grave-digger is no mean member OF that
| craft. ma ''. '-'# iHf
The Englishwoman very rarely sells heI
hair-she must be reduced to the last con-
| dition of poverty before she would consent
| to this sacrifice. But there is class who
are compelled to do so. There can be little
doubt that the majority of lifelong Englist
! tresses come from heads of criminals. .
4 Raw hair comes from abroad in bales tiet
up in ''leeche," and containing hairs o
various lengths. The first stepin its prep
aration is to cleanse 1t of its oily matter
This is done by rubbing it in fine sand
which completely absorbs all the fatty mat.
Il ter it contains. 1t is then carded by hand
the workmen throwing the lock Of hail
with great rapidity over the iron teeth o.
the card, and speedily reducing it to reg
ular smoothness. Y at, 7.s~ o,,- gtgrL .
The next step in the process is to select
from the. different "leeches" the differen
lengths of hair they contain these lengthl
are then matched with others, and in thi'
manner the sleech," as 1t is offered for sale
is perhaps the product of dozen heads
The manufacturer has two markets to sup
ply-the demand for simple uncurled locks
for the purpose of plating, &c, with tn,
natural hair; and curled hair, for the needs
of the wig and front-makers, and for tht
thousand and one fashionings In which hair
dressers now tempt our blooming bellies
! The curl is permanently fixed by twisting
the hair tightly round small cylenders o
wood. andthen boiling them for consider
able time in water. NM. t.., w., -....5. a..
2 The golden hair is now, selling in Englan,
for twelve to fifteen shillihgs the ounce, o
at about three times the price of silver. Blu
there is a rarer hair still. Youth and beau
ty in the race of vanity are outstripped b.
the age. Gray hair is In such demand tha
dealers are obliged to exc, their stores. on
by resorting to mOhair. Fine gray hair !
now sold in England fora guinea an ounce
soon as the precious material falls into tn
! hands of this amiable functionary art claim
| it for its own, and the price ascends tabu
lnus heiphts ''A