Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-03-03

badness and grayness OF Americans
az people is, in a great measure,
owing to their non observance of
hygienic rules, and to excess of
mental and physical labor in a eli
mate foreign to the race.
| The consequence of all this is an
enormous increase in the business
of preparing false hair and of com
pounding nostruns called chair re-
storers" for forcing the growth of
natural hair, together with number
less devices in the direction of pad
ding, chignons, etc. The idiocy, also,
Of regulating the color of the hair
by fashion instead ofby complexion,
as nature does, is very prevalent,
and every drug shop has its chair
dyes" The hypothesis put forth
by the concoctors of these CONS
pounds upon the subject of the hair
are very amusing. The usual doc
trine advanced is that each hair is
a tube, through which flow certain
juices, and the remedies recon-
mended are supposed to enter the
tube and afford nc lrishment to the
hair, or to be absorbed by the pelli-
| cles, and stimulate them into action.
Upon the tubular hypothesis is
founded the practice of singing the
hair after cutting to prevent the es-
cape of the juices. The hair, how
ever, is not a tube, but is composed
throughout of cells, loosely packed
together in the center-more closely
toward the exterior. As for any
nostrum imparting nOurishment to
the hair, the idea is absurd. The
blood is the life of the hair as much
as any other part of the body, and
is the only channel by which it can
obtain nourishment. The marvel
GUS stories told of reservations of
hair upon bald places by means of
applications thereto are all apocry-
phal, whether told of heads or of
trunks, and the "now look on this,
and now on that" pictures with
which gratis almanacs are en-
livened, representative of human
heads before and after the applica-
ton of some wonderful fluid, belong
strictly to the domain of imagin-
ative art. Many of these articles
are hurtful, all Of them useless.
The mania at present is in favor
of golden hair. The most simple
process used for obtaining that color
is to wash the hair in an alkaline
solution, such as potash, and then
brighten it up with oil and brush
ing. A more Objectionable method
used is to make an application to
the hair of a metallic compound, as
of tin, or iron, or nitrate of lead,
followed up by "mOrdant" Ga sub
stitute having an affinity for the
hair and the coloring matter so as
to fix the latter to the former, such
as chromate of potash, soda, or
lime. OF late the color has been
produced by the use of arsenic,
with a mordant of hydrOsulphuret
of ammonia. The golden brown
hues are produced by the applica
ton of the above dyes to brown
hair. An application of blue Wit
riol, followed by ferroeyanide of
potash, is also used. These appli-
cations have to be made with great
care. Red hair is easily produced,
but except in oriental countries
that color is nowhere consi lered a
desirable one. In Persia, albania
or henna is employed. The dyes
for producing black hair are COM
posed principally of sulphur and
nitrate of silver, and are of all
dyes the most constantly popular.
There is little doubt that these APP
plications are all more or less iniu-
rious, destroying the life Of the
hair and tending to badness be-
sides which they are imperfect and
uncertain in their effects and require
constant and troublesome repeti-
ton in consequence of the growth
of the hair.
We would advise our readers to
have nothing to do with either hair
"dyes" or "restorers. The former,
as has been said, are imperfect and
uncertain in their effects. and the
good taste of using them is at least
| doubtful. The natural color of the
hair, if not in itself the most beau
| tiful, is commonly that which agrees
best with the complexion. Dyeing
the hair is, perhaps, most eXcusable
in cases Of premature grayness from
sickness or other causes. As for re-
storers, be sure that they are all
worthless. No outward application
can have the least effect in restoring
hair, and no remedy taken inward
| ly can have any specific action upon
it. The nutrition of hairs is effect
ed through vessels in close contact
with their tissue without entering
into their structure, so that causes
affecting the general health, and es-
pecialIy the condition of the skin
f act powerfully upon the nutrition
r of the hair. Cleanliness of the skin
and a healthful circulation of the
: blood from exercise, together with
proper diet and such other mean:
r as tend to promote the genera
health, are the only restorers
e The use of much oil on the
q hair is undoubtedly injurious by
e clogging the pores of the skin, ant
5 if not frequently removed, becom
Y ing rancid. Let the reader whC
r thinks he cannot do without OF
e on his head try the following plal
Q before he decides Wash the heat
q thoroughly with soap and water
and treat your brush and combs il
/ the same manner if they contain
o oil. Dress the hair in the shap
h YOU want it while moist Whel
n perfectly dry, brush it plentifully
It Clean the head daily by rubin
G the scalp with the balls Of the fin
gers, and by free brushing. Contu
/ macious portions Of the hair ma
: be brought under subsection wit
# the aid of little water. Persever
t, in this course for a few days, an
/. you will find your hair become
IS quite manageable and far more so
,e and silky than ever you knew
- | l,.T,,o Dlo,,t;f,Ily- d,s1y hVrS IN N