Morning journal and courier., 1888-11-12
The Mysteries of the Hair Trade.

From the St. James Gazette.]
 The editor of the Parisian barbers' organ ! in an interview with a representative of Gs- 1ignani's Messenger, communicated many in teresting facts regarding hair dressing, hair buying and the hair dresser's art generally ! There is human hair market at Morlans in the department of the lower Pyrenees. It is little known, except perhaps in Paris, where it has high reputation. The market is held every other Friday. Hundreds of traficking hair dressers throng to the little place from far and near to buy up the hair of the young peasant girls. The dealers wander up and down the long narrow street of the town, each with huge pair of bright shears hanging from black leather strap around his waist, while the young girls who wish to part with their hair stand about in the doorwsys, usually in couples. The tran saetion is carried on in the best room of the house. The hair is let down, the tresses combed out and the dealer names the price. This varies from three to twenty francs. If bargain is struck the dealer lays the money in the open palm of the seller, applies his shears, and in a minute the long tresses fall on the floor. The purchaser rolls up the tresses, places them in paper and thrusts them into his pocket. Of course maiden can rarely see her fallen tresses disappear into the dealers pocket without crying; but she consoles herself with the thought that it will grow again aud by looking at the money in her hand.
 There is at present scarcity of fancy hu- man hair in the market. The scarcest hair is pure white, and it's value is constantly in creasiDg; and if it is unusually long-that is from four to five feet-the dealer can get al most his own price; while if it is of ordina- ry length it is worth from three hundred and seyenty-6ve to five hundred francs (6fteen to twenty pounds sterling) an ounce. The fact that pure white hair is the court coiffure throughout Europe keeps the demand for it very high. It is much priEed by American women whose own hair is white, and who desire to enrich it's folds, for white hair ia held to give certain distinction to the wearer. There is no fancy market for gray hair; it is too common. It is used to work into wigs of persons who are growing old.
 What is described as golden hair is either a washed out pale red or 8 dull blonde. The gold color so much valued has no relation to red hair except in the vividness of it's color ing The demand for the virgin gold color is great in the capitals of Europe. A wo- man who gets 8 ooifure of it is considered fortunate. There are four type colors of hair-white, blonde, black and brown-and each of these has been subdivided into six teen different shades. The commonest types are black and brown, and these are cheap.
  black or what is called blue black. Next to pure white hair the demand is for hair of the color of virgin gold. There are many braids made of hair colored to meet the demand with certain preparations, but they prove unsatisfactory. Many foolish women have sought to change the color os their own tresses, but they have uniformity repented the attempt. A fine suit of hair of the purest blonde type will sell for from one thousand to two thousand five hundred francs (forty to one hundred pounds.) It is said that the Empress Eugenie paid one thousand francs (forty pounds) ounce for 8 braid of golden hair that exactly matched her own.
 The largest supply of hair comes from Switzerland and Germany, and especially from the French provinces. The country fairs are attended by agents of merchants in London. Paris and Vienna. Only at inter vals, however, is prize like perfect suit of golden hair obtained. and I told that there are orders ahead in the shops of Paris l and London for all the golden hair that can l bs obtained in the next five years. When | stock of hair is collected by travelling agents | it is assorted, washed and cleaned. Then | each hair is drawn through the eye of nee dle and polished. When the stock Is ready | for the market here the nobility is permitted | to make the first choice.
 A woman's hair may grow to the length of | six feet. Mme. Hess of Paris refused five | IuousduQ IFuDCS TOT u6f CIaulal cOVeTlnRy which was about that measurement. Four | hundred hairs of average thickness would I cover an inch of space. The blonde belle ! has about one hundred and forty thousand l to comb and brush, while the red 1 haired beauty has to satisfied with eighty eight thousand; the brown haired damsels may have one hundred and nine thousand; the black haired but one hundred and two | Few ladies consider that they | carry some forty or fifty miles of hair on their head; the fair haired may even have to dress seventy miles of threads of gold every A German experimentalist has proved that a single hair will suspend four ounces without breaking, stretching under the process and contracting again. But the hair thus heavily weighted must be dark two and one-half ounces.