The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1872-04-03
800: E11.,r d. Ruin,Vol.-.M j .Weris.

,,yrr,,Ns mon the heads OF our iasIiohSpt1
sai,es Has no commercial yulue. through
,aiIch crimpiDg, curling and dosing WIN
1ynrio,ls hafr inyigorators, rcstorers,
nonnsties, &c, IL not only becomes vafaegatea
In color but hard and brittle, rendering II
wholly unfit for use in the manufacture %
hair work. Indeed, 1t is found that the more
neople "take care" of their hair the more
they iniure Il, while those European peasants
who let nature take It's course, and seldom,
even comb their hair, produce the finese anu
most delicate article. .,nr 44.:
r.. ITS VALUE. ...s..
In the shape in which the buyer DIlhgs l.
in from. the country this hair IL worth apoul
$40 per pound in gold. After 1t mas Deeh
sorted the different lots vary in value, accor ~
ING TO length and shade, from 81 .oo 10 FLU
nsr ounce. Indeed it is almost Impossible 20
set limit to the outside price OF cnoice , .oss
of lono' hair of desirable shade, for SO diin-
cult are they to obtain, and so urgent Is tle
Il ,m,nd from parties with whom money Is u
secondary consideration altogether, that the
fort,nnte holders can set their own prlce ana
hn s,ire Of customer. "a switch OF very
ligh. rray hair" said dealer, "thirty-sl%
;nchcs long and weighing five ounces, Is
worth 81 900, and can rarely befound at that
price, .....-...
SUBSTITUTES
Ina country like ours, where fashion Is
law to tI;c moor as we'll as to the rich, IL mas
been necessary to provide some cheap SUD-
stit,,tc for human hair in order that factory
and shop girls and others OF slender means
nav vie with the weather. sisters IN thc
adornment e. of their heads,
For tllis purpose several substances arc IN
use. The first material applied to this pur-
nose was jute, which, after passing through,
several processes, Is reduced to long ana
glossy fibre, which, in general effect, closely
resembles hair, and which, owing to It's COM
narrative cheapness, rapidly came into gene,
raj use. By means of dyeins it was produced
in all possible shades, and was eagerly bouSnI
in the shape of switches" waterfalls"
&c.
ITS INJURY TO TIE SKIN.
In the process of adapting jute to this use,
n;cotine. the essential principle of tobacco,
and corrosive sublimate, u most deadly mer,
c11rial poison. are used. 1t is also rendered
exceedingly brittle, and breaks as easily as
snun Glass. The small particles find their
wuy through the hair to the scalp, and their
edges being ragged from the combing pro-
cess, act like so many poisoned parps, winch
Entering the pores, and held in place, intro
duce the poison beneath the skin and cause
irritation and liberation. 1t is OWING 10 cnls
that the idea became current that the jute
contained animal parasites that bored into
the skin and laid their eggs beneath it. The
most careful examination has failed to dis
cover any yestigcs of animal life in iute, but
the little barbs we have spoken Of have been
distinctly seen protruding from the pores OF
the SCALP. and the sores they produce give
every evidence of being the result OF MEL
curial poison.
LINEN AND COTTON.
Amore recent and harmless substitute for
human hair is found in fine cotton and linen
thread, dyed to the proper shade, and sized
to give it the requisite gloss, and then made
ND into the various forms in which 1t can be
used. Switches of this material are sold at
retail for about Que dollar each-a price at
which very handsome profit is probably
realized by the dealer.
SILK AS SUBSTITUTE.
Probably the best substitute for human
hair vet introduced is silk fibre. Its fineness
and strength render it peculiarly suitable,
while its brilliant lustre adds to its rcSenl-
blance to the real article. 1t is used both
alone and i'll connection with real hair, espc-
ciaily in those cases where switch just
spriukled with gray isreQuircd. oproduce
this effect dark hair and gray silk fibre are
taken in unequal proportions, varying accord
ing to the shade desired, and woven together,
the result being with difficulty distinguished
from combination Of real hair, yet costing,
owing to the immense price of long gray hair,
moderate sum comparatively. Bands and
brsids are also made Of silk, the exposed per-
ton only being of this material, and the I'LL
ing of jute or "Combings."
THE EXTENT OF TIE TRADE.
Formerly hair work was sold only in 4 few
of the leading hair-dressinS establishments.
Now large and expensive stores are devoted
to its sale in the large cities: nearly every
dealer in fancy articles keeps some of the
grades of so-called chair goods" and in
every country store neat c;rd-board boxes,
containing switches, chignonS, and other
head gear. are offered for sale. So long as
fashion holds its present course every woman
in the land, nearly, is Il customer; ana thus
an enormous bulk of business is done, paying
handsome profits to all engaged in 1t. al
first the percentage of profit was extremely
large, but competition has reduced this ma
tcrially. But the volume of business has in
creased in like ratio, and the sale of hail
and hair work continues to be exceedingly
profitable.