Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1865-12-07
geleftea lisfellaag.
The Market For raise Hair.

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The Market for False Hair.
WHERE THE awArERFALLs" COME From.
a pleasant writer in the London GRE
view" gives an account Of the sources Of
supply Of the false hair for which the arti-
folal curls and awaterfalls" of the prevail
ing fashion create market. The stocks
come generally from Germany, Holland,
Britanny, Spain, Italy and the Catholic con.
vents. The peaaant girls Of Brittany cover
the head with picturesque white cap,
which wholly 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 furnishes con-
siderable contributions to the collector of
jet.black locks. The main crops Of the
golden hair now 30 much prized come from
Germany, and the yellow hair from Hol.
land. In all Catholic countries one great
source Of supply is the convent, Their hair
is known in the trade as church hair. "In
visiting wholesale hair warehouse and
mandatory lately" says the the Gre
view, sswe wereahown some Of these yes.
tai tresses fresh from an English convent.
Vanity of vsnities-its next appearance in
all probability will be on the hehd Of some
maiden Of Belgrayia. " $3.50.
Hair merchants, by long experience,
have acquired great proficiency in judging
.of the nationality ofthe article: One Of
the largest dealers in the trade, in England,
declares that be could tell in the dark the
nationality Of any piece Of hair. This is
done either by the sense Of touch or smell.
Some nations have much coarser hair than
others indeed, there is constant differ.
ence both with respect to the length and
weight. The average weight Of a French
head of bair lby which is meant the piece
of hair which forms the knotat the back of
the head is FIVE ounces of italian, six
ounces, Of German, ten. This difference
has much to DO with its color
The chiffouneirs who 60 about in Paris,
merning and evening, picking out prizes
from the gutter, have not overlooked the
human hair. By their agency the combings
of the fair Parisienne, are. returned once
more to the human head no doubt there
is dust-beap odor the hair merchant
knows well. 5asss, ~ ~ 2,
RI. ! u. r.L- - -.
But there is still 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 sslessh" of hair (for that is the trade
name for the small parcels 10 which they are
done up for sale, after being. prepared and
cleansed) } eis known as church-yard hair L
AS be draws attention, with a certain sub
dyed manner to the squared end of the
"leech, yon perceive that they have not
been ont, but pulled ont Of the head With the
bulb sdherent; sometimes this class Of hair
comes to market with pieces OF the scalp.
skin at the end How this hair Ia obtained
is q mystery which the trade do not care to
fathom. When we 30 often hear of the desc.
Grafton of churchyards, and the shoveliug
away of the old bones and decayed cofins,
We iuay peruup. rnsko shrewd guess at
the source from which this hair comes. 1t
must be remembered that haIr is almost in.
destructible,& : The beautiful wig auburn
hair noW.in the British Museum had lain
in the tomb of Theban mummy for up
wards Of two thousand years before it found
Its way to the national collection, yet that
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 ia.
ken out evenly the application Of heat
.Church:yard harris brought into the market
by home as well as foreign collectors, and
we cannot help suspeeting that the grave
digger is no mean member Of the craft. i.
The English woman very rarely sells her
hair; she must be reduced to the last con.
dition of poverty before she would consent
to this sacrifice. But there is q class who
are compelled to do 80. There can be little
doubt that the majority Of the long English
tressess comes frop the heads Of criminals.
Raw hair. comes from abroad 10 bales
tied up in "eeches," and containing hairs
of various lengths. The first in its prepa-
ration ia to cleanse. it of its oily matter
This is done by rubbing it in fine sand,
which CON pietely absorbs all the fatty mat.
terit contains. II Is then oarded BY hand
the workman throwing the. lock Of hair
with great rapidity over the iron, teeth Of
the p4rd, and speedily reducing 1t to . rsga:
lar smooth6ess The next step in the pro-
cess is to select from the different ssIeeches"
the different lengths Of. hair they contain ;
these lengths are then matched with others,
and In this manner the sleech,' ,, as it is Of
fered for sale, is perhaps the products of a
dozen beads. The manufacturer has TIVE
markets. to supply-the demand for simple
uncurled locks for the purpose of plating,
etc., with the natural hair, and purled hair
for the needs of the wig and front makers,
and for the thousand and one fashionings
in which hair dressers now tempt our bloom
ing bellies. The curl is permanently fixed
BY twisting the hair tightly round small
OFFENDERS of wood, and then boiling them
for considerable time in water. -
The golden hair is now selling in Eng,
land for twelve or fifteen shillings the ounce,
or at about thres times the price Of silver.
But there is rarer hair still. Youth and
beauty iu the race of vanity are outstripped
by the age. Gray hair is in such demand
IL n. ~. 80 oblioad - 81. - Al -.