Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1895-03-01
HUMAN HAIR.
IT HAS MUCH VALUE FOR I'M.
DUSTRIAL PURPOSES.
Paris tho Great Contro for tho Man
ufacture of Prepared Hair
The Main Sources
OF Supply.
ARIS is the centre of the fine
- manufacture of prepared hui
man hair. OF course the re-

=; man hair. OF course the re-
erence hero is to woman's
hair, for mans hair is worthless for
any industrial purpose. Aside from
the houses that manufacture exclu-
sively for the export trade, tho city
numbers about 1000 hair dressers and
5000 workmen, about half of whom
are engaged in the manufacture prop
erly SO called.
The source of supply of the hair
may be divided into three categories.
The hair of the first category is fur
nishcd by foreign countries, India and
China being the largest suppliers.
This hair is exclusively black and
gray, and comes in boxes, carefully
packed. In addition to these ooun-
tries. Italy, Spain, Germany and Rus
STA supply small quantities. The hair
from India and China undergoes quite
o lengthy preparation. It is first
matched, sorted and combed and then
immersed in solution of soft SOAP
and carbonate of soda, in order to
scour it. Upon coming from this bath
it is united, root end to root end, and
formed into locks that are tied near
the roots. 1t afterward remains to
ronder the hair thin and flexible. To
this effect, it is first placed in earthen
pans filled with chlorureted water and
water mixed with hydrochloric acid,
which renders it thin and decolorizes
it. Then it is immersed in solution
of soft soap and chlorate of potash, in
order to render it less brittle. Finally,
a definite color and shade are given It.
A light or blond shade is obtained
with oxygennted water or saturated
solution of carbonate of potash. Tc.
dye it black, it is boiled for few
hours in bath prepared with q de-
coction of nutgalls or Campeachy
wood, in which sulphate of iron is
dissolved and into which little
sumao is put, in order to give it
luster and remove the blush tint pc
culiar to the hair of the dead. Finally,
it is bleached by immersing it several
times in baths of oxygenated water to
which n few drops of ammonia have
been added.
Thus prepared, the Chinese or Hin
doc hair is sold to the hair dressers,
who work it to their fancy, and after
ward sell it at moro or less moderate
prices.
3 The finest hair, forming the second
category, is TINT of France, and COM
prises variety of shades exceeding
hundred. The most beautiful is fur
nished by Limousin, Brittany. Nor
mandy and Bnauce. Some lots are de-
rived from young ladies' boarding
schools and from converts. All OF
this is collected by travelling men
called CUTTERS" who make their cir
cult along toward spring and visit tho
villages to gather their crop.
In some localities of Brittany and
Auvergne, on certain market days,
the damsels who desire TO sell their
head of hair get up on a cask, undo
their hair and allow it to fall over
their shoulders. An auction soon be-
gins and every lot, as soon rs cut, is
delivered to the highest bidder for
spot cash. This product does not pass
into the bath, but is simply combed
and then secured with buckwheat
flour.
Finally, tho third category COM
prises hair (which, it must be con-
fessed, is olassed among the most es-
teemed) derived from the sorting of
combings collected by ragpickers,
who stuff it into bags just as they find
it,, soiled by dust, felted by water,
and adhering to the sweepings of
houses, and sell it to small manufac-
turers, who undertake to utilize it.
Five operations are necessary in order
to make a .presentable commercial
product of this refuse -.