The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-01-09
AS HER HAIR TURNS R A
VIII Es OF WOMEN TO CONCEAL THE
"PURGATORY" STAGE.
Dyed she Bas and Dse she VIII ne IonE ne
Hair Will Net SHIFT to silver white In
One Might. Though the Dye Ruina Nee
Hair aud Sometimes Makes Her Grassy.


any woman %contemplatcs dyeing her hair
she had better join a Don't Worry Circle"
frat. She'll need the schooling that che would
get in that ring, and a lot more besides. before
she is thoroughly dyed in the wool, SO to speak.
DyeinG the hair is no easy process. 1t takes pa
thence. perseverance. and pluck, but the aver
age woman who sets out to change her
respected gray hairs TO q rich brown
or her red locks to raven black doesn't
know this. Fools may or may not
rush in where angels fear to tread; but one
thing is certain. women do. 1t is quite the fad
for women to dye their hair nowadays. and they
use various methods. Men have an idea that 1t
is not possible to dye hair so that it cannot be
detected. Bosh and nonsense! Let such men
look carefully after the heads Of their own
household. Many a wife laughs up her sleeve
at the husband who complnccntly remarks:
We'll, my dear, though we are well on our
way down llfe's hill, I'm thankful to say that
Two taken such good care Of you so far you
have no gray hairs yet"
y l haven't. thanks to your tender care
she answers, adding mentally, land thanks to
Mrs. Woman Boautiiier's hair dye"
There are hundreds Of hair dyes. both veReta-
bic and mineral. on the market, and the effects
produced by many are rs startling as the use of
them is dangerous. II n woman Is not abso-
lutely sure that tho dye she selects is harmless,
or at least as harmless as any solution strong
enough to change the color of hair can be, she
cannot be certain what color her hair locks will
turn out. The directions on the bottle may
sound very ailurinG. and the rich chestnut
brown or beautiful gold with the simmer of
sunshine in it which the dye promises to pro-
duce on the head OF the purchaser is undoubt-
cdly very tempting. But. alas! Hair dyes can
no more BIO counted on than women them
selves. The contents of one bottle may turn
ten heads ten different colors and stripe
or plaid n few others into the bargain.
Dye is very like love or religion. 1t never af-
fects two heads the same way, not even il the
hair is exactly the same shade or of the same
texture. A head of hair shading from a muddy
brown on through the yellows to a bright green
might be profitable as n source of income to one
desiring to go into the dime museum business,
but it does not set well on a dignifed wife and
mother. and yet that is what sometimes hap
pens to the elderly matron who despises the
first frosts of time that nip her locks, as the
pocticnl compounders OF hair dye stuffs put il.
The final end OF the head of hair that has been
dyed is often tragic, for the coloring matter
sometimes pcnetrates and poisons body and
brain Of the dyed one, and. instead of growing
old gracefully. after the advice of philosophers,
she brings her own gray hairs to her grave.
1T would astonish the public to know how
many women in this city dye their hair" said
the manager of n concern that has made its repu.
tation on dycing hair without injury TO hair or
persons. The interesting thing TO me is that
the majority of our customers are elderly
women and women whose hair is Just beginning
to turn gray. We sell more hair dye than any
other toilet article. and have for a number OF
years. 1t seems that the average woman hates
the ldca of her hair passing through what one
woman who had her hair dyed called the purga-
tory stage. BY that she meant the pepper and
salt stage. II hair turned suddenly, say in one
night. from black or brown or red or yellow
TO snowy white the women would be perfectly
delighted and there would be absolutely no sale
in hair dyes. But nature doesn't so at things
in that way. Nature is always gentle and never
abrupt. even when it comes to turning the hair
gray. II any person could discover some pro-
cess by which the hair on the head could be
bleached perfectly white there would be mil
lions in it. Whenever a woman whose hair be-
gins to show gray streaks sets out to have it
white White hair is becoming to both old and
pearance. Hair has to be cut off to be bleached
white. for IL of the ordinary texture it would
take all of the color out of it. 1t takes exceed
ingly strong hair 10 stand i, such as Chinese
hair, and most OF the pure white switches. wigs,
What are the various methods OF dying the
hair = asked the reporter.
There are many methods used, but only one
meets with success. and il is n tedious one. ' re-
piled the manager. =" Some women are ashamed
to let even a professional artist whom they've
never seen before know that they want to dye
their hair. so they drop into a drug store and
the affections saw To- immerse the head in The
dye three days in succession. or to apply it 10 the
scalp for seven mornings and seven nights. II
the dye happens to be a harmless vegetable
tally or physically. her hair usually comes
Ho-.n6 ontspt 1tlyn N srn nr a -.
leopard. Whyi Because it is impossible to
dye the hair wholesale. The only correct
method is TO dye it strand by strand, and II is
impossible for any woman to do this without
assistance.
9TH hair is first carefully washed and care
fully dried unit! the scalp is as clean as the face
and every particle of natural oil has been re-
moved. 1t is then carefully divided into very
brushed with a small toothbrush dipped in the
dye. from the roots to the end. 1t is an all-day
suit of hair. In thrcc months the hair will need
touching up again at the roots. as 1t grows out
enough IN that length OF time TO show its natu'
Can hair that is dyed be washed 7" asked the
"Certainly. Indeed. expert artists recon-
mend shnmpooing the hair twenty:fonr hours
after it has been dyed. using water dashed with
ammonia. The ammonia sets the color. 1t is
always advisable to have the hair dyed the first
time by an artist. the idea is 10 get il done
get it . half dozen shades. Two different
bUpllCNllOilS " uStI. ny Ithl TLlsth.
The first prepares the hair and the
second dyes it; 1t is very seldom that
two heads take alike in dyeinG. That depends
entirely on the texture. Oily hair will not alb
sorb dye as readily as dry. II costs from $l5
TO $50 IN get the hair properly dyed the first
time. That looks like a good dealot money to
lay out, but IL n woman determines TO have her
hair dyed 1t is cash well invested. for after that
it is easy for her to keep it touched up herself"
When asked il all hair dyes were not more
or less dangerous in effect the manager said:
Some vegetable hair dyes are thoroughly
harmless. and | know many women who have
kept their hair dyed Tor twenty and even
thirty years without harm either 10, the inside
or outside of their heads. NcIetahle hair dyes
were in use in ancient times, for the Persians
used hcuna to dye their hair. and henna Is used
10 this day in dyes Shedding oil the reddish tones.
1t is absurd 10 deny. however. that many hair
dyes, especially strong mineral ones, are harm
full. Every day womcn come lT hero in despair
because they've used some dye that has ruined
their hair or hurt them in some way.
and they want US TO take II out. That's no
easy Job either. A woman WAS in here q few
DAYS ago whose hair had been reduced TO n state
OF pulp hy dye. As soon as her hair was wet IL
looked like "a mars Of g~elatinc, and felt as Shiny
Hs "A snake. You've seen this ~gclRtinc in sticksi