The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-03-25

to carry Il to q hair dealer. Mere conbings
vary In lengthf from 8 TO 40 inches, the length,
Of course, regulating the price, and before
they can be dressed at all they must 10
lie killed., tina 10, separated with an tistru-
ment not unlike a steel rake, and then
turned, the roots one way. the ends an
other.
Twenty years ago, or so, a first clnss
workman could turn only two pounds
Of combings a day. Now he can do fifty
pounds, and at that time it cost us s2S to
bleach II pound Of hair, which. now we
can leach FOR a. This will explain why
human hair fetched q higher price many
years ago h now
it is simply this. The oomtings after
being heokled, instead of being separated
by hand, are put In warm soap suds, when
ACCORDING to a law Of gravity the roots,
which are the heavier, stay down and tho
ends curl up.
Owing to the limited supply of first
and second quality. hair. and the tremen-
dous demand for false hair not at top notch
prices, dealers have to help themselves and
the public by supplying a third and much
cheaper grade OF hair the dealer said in
answer to q question.
This for the most part is Chinese hair
and me silly combinRs. Unless the China
man renc,irc es his religion he doesn't dare
10 2 IT with his queue.
There Is nothing the matter with Chinese
hair. IL is good, strong hair and would
bring as high a price as any were it not
TINT 1t Is very coarse and always nearly
bLack In color. Consequently nearly every
ounco Of it must he ble, b and dyed be-
fore 1t ~ ready for the market. for no one
buys hGir Of the color OF natural Chinese
hair.
in the process Of blea ching, the hair is
thinned a little with acids ard by the time
it gees through the h st touches Chinese
hair can hardly be told from the best quality
except by a dealer who knows it at once
by the feel. Here Is a switch, for example,
which we have made to order for one OF the
retail huir detlers to whom q customer
brought a sample Of her he ir to he matched.
He couldn't ma toh il. nor is it likely any
other dealer in the city could, for the reason
that her hGir WITS a REM rkl BILE shn de of
rcd seldom or rever seen in is lse hlir.",
Tho switch displayed, gloriously red in
color, " s shiny, be, utiful to lock at and
m. tched perfectly the, E; nipple pinned to the
end. To a novice the hair VI S all that could
be desired. The desler shook his head.
Feel of it, said he. and any one will
detect that it is more CLASSY than the other
qualities and heavier; and this is an extra
good piece. too.
As a RUE Chinese hair fetches about ore
eighth the price Of first guilty hair, some
times only ore-tenth ss much. II is used
largely in I'M king negro switches and wigs,
BY a certain process Chinese hair, which.
by the way, is quite suita BILE in color, can
be crinkled into a perfect imitation of negro
wool.
so far no one has been able to manu-
facture a good in itation of human hal" but
for all that there is a lot Of stuff sold for
hair in New York and elsewhere which is
not hair at all. 1t is ya''. the hair of a goet
found in Turkestan. and always cream
white. We import only the tails of the
animal, and these are covered with hair
sometimes thirty-two inohos long.
Elm natural white hair it is not easv to get
r switch longer than twenty-four inches,
and a two ounce switch of first quality
white hair costs at retail about $3.50. Here is
some yak before it il dressed"
The make believe hair displayed looked
something like wool before it is carde6,
only much longer and less fine. In response
TO the question Can that ever be made to
lookiike hair?Tth dealer produced q switch
OF pure white hair-beautiful hair, one
not in the secret would say-Silky in ~
paarancs, the long strands fine and dis
tine.
This can be combined very successfully
with dark hair to make a soft gray and
retailers have manv orders for white
switches and pompadOurs at a low price
which thew. can fill only by using yab," he
said. -Nc, I have never handled Indian
hair. The indian values his hair too highly
to rart with il, Ithink. At any rate,'so far
as | know, there is none in the market