The sun., 1909-02-21
HATS, HEADS AND HAIR.
The First Pronounced Innocent or sepa'
rating the Other Two.

The rules Of health for the hair 80 far
as We know them are few and brief. Brush
the hair thoroughly at least once day.
but let the scalp alone. Let the brush
ing be thorough. and preferably with two
brushes. which you may use as II you
were currying a racehorse to get him into
show condition
Keep the hair thoroughly clean in this
way and the scalp will largely take care
of itself. Wash the hair as often as
NAV be needed for cleanliness, which as
a rule for men will be once a week and
for women about half as often
Avoid using too strong soaps, strong
alkalies such as ammonia and soda and
too hot water. as all Of these take out
too much 0! the natural lubricant or
oil of the heir and leave it dry and harsh
As a rule it is we'll to dry clean the scalp
as much rs possible, and it is surprising
how clean the hair and scalp can be kept
lust by thorough and regular brushing
and currying alone.
The most important detail about the
washing of the hair is that it should be
rubbed or brushed until thoroughly dry:
III this is done in the short hair OF men
there is no objection to wetting 1t daily
or even two or three times day II de-
sired. The risk in leaving il not per
fectly dry is that the natural oil OF the
hair when mixed with water rapidly
decomposes or ferments.
This condition both irritates the scalp
and furnishes a fine culture medium Tor
germs, which thereupon promptly. sweep
In and give rise to the commonest form OF
dandruff. Particularly Objectionable is
the habit Of wetting or sticking the hair
in order to comb 1t and avoiding the use
of the brush altogether The intelliRently
used brush is the best known hair tonic;
but when the vigor Of the hair is beginning
to fail even this may be carried TO an
extreme and become injurious.
While II Is we'll to keep the scalp dry and
we'll ventilated and exposed to both light
and air there does not appear to be any
valid ground for the belief that going bare
headed, particularly in the sun, in any
-ay promotes the vigor OF the hair.
Dr. Woods Hutchinson says in the
Cos mou' iiiIn that so far as we know
anything about the intentions OF nature
it was never meant that the human head
should be exposed 10 the direct rays OF the
sun. Experts are unanimous in declaring
that excessive exposure OF already tnin-
ming hair to the direct rays Of the sun
will actually accelerate the process.
Il have seen a good many bald heads
exposed to the no hat cure, he said, but
have not seen any crop. except Diisters,
produced thereon.
-The bulbs of the roots OF the hair go
down completely through the skin and into
the fatty layer which lies between 1t and
the skull. and the thing that to the expert
eve is really significant Of the prospect
as to progress or cure in particular case
is not the condition or color or Cleanliness
k,,t ha iflr n fhinnaQQ
OF this fatty layer which underlies 1t.
$50 long as this is present and the scalp
Ia freely movable over the skull there is
hope Of restoring a reasonable growth
of hair, but when this has been absorbed
and the shiny scalp sticks as closely TO
the skull as the cover on baseball the
outlook is practically hopeless.
confidently believed in and applied TO
the scalp have just about as much ehect
upon the vigor Of the hair as they would
have II rubbed upon the soles Of the feet.
No known local applications or manipula-
tions are capable Of increasing the thick
ness Of the underlying fatty layer when
once this has begun to melt away though
skilled and regular massaging may help
to prevent it's wasting,
The strongest and most powerful
curative element Of scalp tonics and hair
restorers is their smell. and the next
powerful is their color. Most Of them
are frauds pure and simple, and produce
no effect whatever except upon the imagi-
nation and the nostris OF their users;
THE most common constituent Of them
all is alcohol. and the next common
probably ammonia or some aromatic
oil or extract which has the double ad-
vantage OF a powerful odor and Of pro-
ducine a mild sense Of warmth and local
irritation. All OF this class are mild irri-
tants to the skin and produce a slight
in the amount of blood circulating through
the scalp, but this has about as much
effect on the hair bulbs as the beams Of
the harvest moon have upon growing
cabbages."