The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1884-06-18
INJURIOUS TO THE HAIR.
THE AMERICAN CLIMATE SAID TO
CAUSE BADNESS.

THE AMERICAN CLIMATE SAID TO
CAUSE BADNESS.
Destructive Influence Of the Weather
on the Capillary GrOwth-What
Wigs are Made Of-All About Hair.
An inquiry by Il Cincinnati News re-
porter among some of the leading dealers
in hair goods led to the revelation that
the alarming fact was generally rccog-
nizcd among those who cater to the de-
mands of fashion in the matter of false
hair, that the growth of the hair was in
iured by the climate of this country.
"Ycs," said an extensive importer,
this weather is snatching us bald
headed Just as fast as it knows how,
and | hate to think CT what will be the
fate of the native American a hundred
thousand years hence. The noble red
man, if he has not been cxtcrminatcd by
that time. will have to skirmish around
pretty lively to get a scalp.
NO, | cannot say how it is that the
climate has such an effect on the hair.
1t may be that the Anglo-Saxon race is
not yet thoroughly a%cclimatcd. At any
rate, American women as Il class have
not the luXuriant hair European women
have. Emigrants, too, who arrive with
splcndid heads Of hair, in from five to
ten years have but a few rat tails, tlgura.
lively speaking. to boast Of. y proof OF
the destructive influence of the climate
ON the hair is furnished by the increasing
sale of wigs. There never was such a
demand for wigs as at present. Human
beings arc not alone affected in this way.
The Sheep that bear the finest grades OF
wool are also injuriously affected IN tins
climate. The wool loses its lustrc, and
in time it becomes diminished in guam
titv, so that the animals, after a few
years residence in America, find their
way into the butchers shop before they
have an opportunity Of getting tough
enough for IA clearinghouse table. 1t
is an i'll wind that blows nobody good.
"Whcre. then, do you get the hair
from that forms the head pieces, switches,
ETC., that are the staple OF your husl-
ncsS?' asked the reporter.
Europe and China"
'China? Why, l thought the c~cclcsi-
astial laws of that country forbade the
Mcngolian to part with his hirsutc adorn-
mcnts. The queue there is supposed to
be as sacred as the cat in Egypt or the
monkey in India-or the pig in Gin
%cinnati."
Young man." said the merchant in
hair, IL will gladly give you any infor-
nation I can in relation to my business;
but if you persist in firing scientific prob
lens at me l shall have to plead another
engagement
"Well, then, to what base uses do you
apply the sacred Chinese pigtail9"
;If by that You mean the Chinese hair,
it is Il coarse article from which we Tab
ricatc the cheapest hcadpieccs, switches,
etc. Langtry bangs made Of Chinese
hair will retail for Sevcnty-tivc cents and
inward, and Chinese hair switches
realize from two to four dollars. They
are not, however, very substantial, as
the process the hair has to undergo in
order TO render it Salablc makes it
BRITTLE"
SIS there any danger Of importing
lcprosy or other contagious diseases IN
the hair from China?"
81 cannot say that there is no danger
to the importer of the raw material, so to
speak; the manufactured article passes
through a chemical process before it is
made up that destroys all the germs of
disease. No, there is no danger to the
consumer.
"Whcrc do you get your better quality
of capillary tissue from 2"
From Europe principally. The dark
hair from France and Spain, light brown
and auburn hair from Germany, and all
colors from England. The Anglo.Saxon
mixture of races produce a crop hctero-
genous in color.
"How do merchants in Europe get pos
session of the hair p
"They have travelling agents who 60
from village to village and bargain with
rustic beauties for their tresscs. Peasant
maidcns. with a wealth of hair, are in the
habit of selling it and purchasing with
the proceeds articles of tincry so dear to
the female heart. Of course with shorn
heads they have a tom-boy appearance
for a time, but nature soon supplies the
deficiency"
"Do American girls ever sell their hair
when in need of money with which to
buy fictitious aids to adornment 2
avery seldom. During an experience
of twenty years l have not purchased
more than a dozen heads of hair direct
from women upon whose heads the hair
has grown. The only portion of this con-
tincnt where women sell their hair Is in
the Canadian Provence of Quebec.
There the rural population is mostly made
up of French Inhabitants. and the IL s
toms of old France are strictly observed
by those people. The hair dealer still
plies his trade there. American women
will not sell this element of female beauty.
They must be reduced TO abjcct poverty
before they will barter this inheritance of
nature"
GLOW much can a woman procure for
Il good head of hair"
'Thc prices vary according to color.
Red hair is worth very little, and dark
brown hair and black arc very valuable.
Light auburn is a rare commodity. A
good head of auburn or black hair is
worth from $40 to $25. The texture and
quantity regulate the price"
''Is hair cut from a person in the de-
lirium of an infectious fever valuablc:'
"Oh, yes; but whenever hair is
brought to usalrcady cut from the head
it is disinfcctcd before anything is done
with it. We have to dye gray and red
hair, but dyed hair is not as valuable as
hair of natural color"
"What are the prevailing modes in
hair today"
''Front pieces, known as Langtry bangs
and Langtry curls, are the prevailing
fashion. Those who have plenty of hair Of
their W use these false pieces on ac-
count of their convenience. They are
always curled, and do not become disar-
ranged like onc'sown hair. Switches went
ont of fashion a couple of years ago, but
now the sale is beginning again. The
present is an era of revival. in the hair
business all round, and it may be taken
as another evidence of the force Of ca
pillary attraction"
The Name of America.
The Biographies tell us that the name