The Arkansaw traveler., 1888-06-30
HOW TO BLEACH THE
 HAIR.
New York Graphic.

 word, an easy sense of opulence in it's sound that wins its way into the most truth guarded columns of a newspa- per.
 One of the most beguiling of these champagne stories is that women use it for bleaching their hair. It reap pears with the periodical recurrence of the sea serpent.
 The thought of lovely woman float ing her locks in bottle of champagne is always too much for the suscepti- ble youth who works the scissors, and in it goes.
 Now, the fact is that not even & boarding school girl would divert champagne from its natural uses to this end. The experiment in the first place is too costly; in the second place women are like creatures to ourselves. They would rather drink it.
 However, a number of different hairdressers have been interviewed on the subject. The result of these in- vestigations must be painful to the exchange reader and his fervid imag- things. One and all agree that there is no authority for saying that cham pagne will bleach the hair. The effervescent quality of champagne might tighten the hair little, as will acids, but something further is re- quired.
 Naturally each hairdresser is ready to produce that something further. This is in every case colorless liquid. At once place it is called, we will say, "Dawn;" in another Ltquide dOf. At third it appears ss under some musical and beguiling syllable, mean ing nothing.
 In every case it is assured that this magical colorless liquid is the only thing that will bleach the hair with out destroying it. There are also other preparations to which a good deal of care has been given to provid- ing them with musical names to turn hair red, chestnut and other desired tints.
 In each case the question was plumply asked, "Do you know any, thing about peroxide of hydrogenp"
 "Yes, it will bleach the hair, but it is a powerful acid and will ruin it. Now the Dawn Cor the Ltquide POr or the 'Aureole,' as the case might be) has been analysed and is medically pure"
 To settle all these conflicting claims and testimony an attempt was made to interview Mir. Charles Meyers, the theatrical wig maker. MT. Meyers has gone to Europe, but he had left in his place an able assistant, who was dealing out face powder of different tints with small scoop to waiting customers.
 AS he was busy, he was laconic, but his brief words carried conviction of their truthfulness.
 "What do you use to bleach hair?"
 Peroxide of hydrogen with am- monia added to make it stronger"
 "How does it bleach the hair?"
 "It is powerful acid, and bleaches by burning the hair."
 "Doesn't that injure the hair."
 "Certainly-ruins it."
 "Why do you do it, then?"
 "People want it."
 "Will nothing else bleach the hair?"
 "Nothing."
 "What, then, is 'Dawn?'"
 Peroxide of hydrogen"
 "What is Liguide FOr?"
 "Peroxide of hydrogen"
 "What is sAureole?'"
 "Peroxide of hydrogen"
 "What does peroxide of hydrogen look likel"
 "Water"
 There seemed to be nothing more to be asked on that subject.
 Some face powder was bought as emollient for the young man, and while he was scooping and boxing few more questions ventured:
 "What will turn hair chustnut?"
 "Peroxide of hydrogen"
 "Then what will turn it red?"
 Peroxide of hydrogen"
 He laid down the box of powder, took up twenty five cents in change, put it in the till, then folded his arms on the counter, leaned on them and thus delivered himself:
 "There are but two things you can do with hair. You can bleach it and you can dye it. If we should put . dozen pieces of hair that looked alike in 8 bath of hydrogen they would come out-more likely than not-all different. It would be owing to the different color tendency of the hair which the oily pigment hidcs- One might be chestnut, another red, an- other gold and another flax. That's all of It."
 "Yes, very well, thank you, sir. But, please" calling this back from the door, "do you suppose that borax or bicarb0nate of soda would bleach the hair?"
 The young man struggled with his feelings and theu snsHered nuyelY: