Free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1888-1908, 1901-06-15

The earth is being put to new use:
It has been turned into hair dye. Not
all the earth, by any means. Only one
little corner OF it-a little red clay
corner in this state, says q Den
yer writer. If you ask Mrs- Frances
Sherman where that corner IL she will
reply: That's my secret" And you
really can't blame her when you con-
slider that IL we knew the secret We
could all come to Colorado and pick
up a pocketful of clay Jumps which.
would turn us into auburn-haired;
beauties within a day. No wonder
Mrs. Sherman prefers to keep her clay
bed as her own property. Nothing but
a common reddish-brovn clay it is to-
all appearances. and what magician
chemical properties lurk in it she does
not know All she does knows Of its.
workings is that, applied to the hair it
changes it to dark shade of reddish
gold such shade as no other hair dye
has ever succeeded in producing. 1t is
only a few weeks since she learnedi
the secret of the clay. and at first she
exprimented with it very gingerly. She
tried it on locks of hair that she cut.
from different heads. and in every case
the same results occurred. The hair
was dyed to a beautiful shade Of
brown, having bright tinge, and was
darker or lighter, according to the
length of time of the application It's
preparation is a slow one. First 1t
must be ground, into a mortar; next it
is put through an S0-sieye, which,
means a fine one: finally it is sifted.
through boiling cloth. The Jumps OF
hard red clay, which look very much
like adobe, come out from the boiling
cloth operation in the form of a fine
powder. From this it has been found
that two kinds of dye can be made,
For one. the powdered earth is simply.
mixed with water until it becomes a.
stiff paste. and there you are. For the
other. the clay and water paste is
baked until it turns an inky black.
The baked clay is used for the darkest
shades of dye Never was anything.
more simple than the use OF the dye,
1t is applied warm-that is, all that
has to be remembered The operator
warns the pan of paste, then with a;
brush dipped in it, goes carefully ali
over the hair. brushing the paste in,
from roots to ends. It is a queer thing
l1ldl II uOoS uOI III any way dnSCI IuS
skin or scalp where it touches. al
though it has so quick an effect upon
the hair 1t washes off readily from
the skin. Mrs Sherman is a pioneer
in the use of the X-ray for scalp treat
ment and also as physician of many
years standing on matters connected
with the hair she has experimental
most carefully and thoroughly with
| this new discovery All the gray hairs
| must be captured and colored, and this
| takes a great deal of time and much
! patience, but once done the job is over
until the new hair begins to grow out.
| after some months. 1t has been proved
| that the dye is permanent. Whatever
shade it gives after being applied that.
shade it keeps forever after, and there
| is no danger Of waking up some day to
| find yourself a green-haired lady or a
| blue-beard, as in the days of old-time
| hair dyes The chemical properties OF
| the clay are so powerful that one appli--
| cation is all that is needed. After the
paste has been thoroughly brushed in,
| the pastee sits, in all the patience with.
/ which she can possess her soul. for so
| long as the desired color requires. A
| light shape close TO a Titan takes only
two hours waiting; the darkest au-.
| burn wants twelve hours. At the end
of that time she is shampooed in half
a dozen waters. and then she may face
| herself in the glass and get acquainted
with her new appearance.