The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1898-02-19
WOMHN'S LOCKS
BECOMING FEW
Waning Glory of the Tresses
of American Beauty.
Thin Braids Taking the Place OF
Luxuriant Crops OF Hair-Mi :.
crobes Making Havoc.

1t requires. not certified statistics, but
just little observatiop, u show that as
a race American women, as well as men,
lose both the color aHd abundance of
their natural head covering earlier than
any other nation. Started off in life
with fine silken brown suit. curling
well below her waist, ,it is only the ex-
traordinary woman who at twenty-five
does not find her comHiiigs every morn
ing increasing to alarming bulk. Her
scalp seems suddenly 10 fail in fertility,
and in a few years just q thin braid is
left as a remnant OF the once-charming
shock of curls. .r
Now. as a matter of fact, 1t Is not age
or ill-health or heredlty. or even the
grossest neglect, that afTerts the hair as
above described. tft
Perhaps IL is not a. pleasant bit of
news to thin-haired women, but IT is
true, nevertheless. that the scalp dis
ease which causes the hair to fall is a
tiny parasite. which literally eats away
the hair roots. The microscope will re-
veal this evIl-doer who works as vigor-
ously as a weevil in wheat
Just where he comes from is a matter
not yet solved, but his species is rapidly
propagated and communicated from head
to head by the contact of healthy with
diseased hair.
1t is only necessary to pass an elegant
lver-backed brush. seemingly perfectly
clean, and taken from the toilet table
of a NOSE dainty woman. through the
hair to accept enough microbes to abso-
lutely impoverish a perfect scalp. Sleep
ing one night in the same bed with an
infected scalp Is also sufficient or merely
he.
back OF a stuff chair a person with fall
ing hair has lately occupied will COM
municate the disease almost instantly.
Frequently the scalp is sensitive to the
touch, or itches violently, though there
may be no dandrun 10 cause the sensa-
ton. Vigorous brushings the ordinary
shampoo. applications OF the usual tonics
or grease are all unavailable in dislodging
the microbe. though to a certain extent
great cleanliness and rapid application of
the brush discourage very active brows-
ing. and will To certain extent check or
modify the destructive course IL is just
here in the moment Of greatest discour-
agement. that science steps in to the aid
of beauty and shows than the one and
only cure for hair that Is falling from the
roots is water, massage and air.
Immediately the morning combings be-
gin to show any unusual number of long
DrlSnt mars. those precious StTaliuS are
proof positive that there is little reaper
at the roots, and active measures must
be taken 10 combat him. II t were pos
sble TO wash the head and hair quite
clean in clear water and bOrax. leave IL
10 dry in the sun and wind and permit II
to hang free all day. It's owner in the
open air. In a week the microbe would
be eradicated; but for q woman. and es-
pecially one who lives In the city, this
method is impossible. Her chance for
tanning her hair does. however, reSt on
her own energy and painstaking care.
She must not apply any greasy tonic TO
the scalp. for this only encourages the
microbes growth, and above all things a
soapy shampoo must be avoided
II a physician is called. the best he can
do is to hand his patient over to an eX-
pert woman. who, armed with rubber
aprons. plenty OF water, varying I'm tenn
perature from hot 10 cold. and bottle
Of simple lotion. gives the head a series
OF shampOOs. and by her system Of mas
sage remedies the havoc the best she can.