MENTS IN METHOD OF AND COMPOUND FOR REMOVING HAIR FROM THE HUMAN SKIN
Year: 1885

page_text: from the Human Skin.
I SAMUEL RIDGWAY KENNEDY, residing at Woodvale Avenue, Philadelphia in
the County of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, in the United States of
America, gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVE-
MENTS IN METHOD OF AND COMPOUND FOR REMOVING HAIR FROM THE HUMAN
SKIN"
and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
The object of my invention is to provide an improved method of and compound
for removing the hair from the human skin without the use of a razor or cutting
instrument and without danger of possible injury to the skin or the roots of the
hair and to this end my invention consists in the method and compound as herein-
after set forth. Chemical substances and compounds known as depilatories have
heretofore been known and used for removing the hair from the face or head or
from other parts of the body but as heretofore used they were apt not only to
irritate the skin but to injure it and either destroy or injure the roots of the
hair.
There was always danger of not only injuring and making the skin sore but also
of so affecting the roots of the hair as to diminish or entirely prevent subsequent
growth of the hair on the places where the compound or substance may have been
used.
Only naturally hardy skins, or such as had become hardened or accustomed to
the application of the depilatory could stand the application of the compound or
chemical for a sufficiently long time to satisfactorily remove the hair without being
greatly irritated by the action thereof.
To prevent all chance of destruction or injury to the roots of the hair and all
chance of irritation of the skin while allowing the depilatory to act upon or remove
the hair very close to the skin, I first cover the skin with a thin covering or artificial
cuticle which thoroughly and surely protects the skin beneath from the depilatory
compound or substance while leaving the hair projecting up through it.
I then apply a chemical compound or substance adapted to destroy or remove such
of the hair as it comes in contact with, spreading it over the artificial cuticle
covering the skin.
The hair projecting up through the protective coating or cuticle is thus destroyed
or removed down close to the surface of the coating or cuticle while the skin
beneath is left unaffected.
The coating or artificial cuticle is then removed by washing or otherwise and
with it the chemical or compound and the destroyed hair close down to the skin.
This coating or cuticle consists of a very thin film of protective material adapted
to keep the chemical or compound used as the depilatory away from the skin
during the short time that is necessary for the exposed hair to be properly acted
upon and destroyed,

page_text: It is not necessary that the coating or film should be one capable of remaining
permanent. It is sufficient if it is capable of resisting the action of the depilatory
substance or compound for a somewhat longer time than is required for such
substance or compound to do its work and for the subsequent washing off or
removing of the film as described above.
I do not limit myself to the use of any particular material, compound or
ingredient for forming the protective covering or artificial cuticle.
For this purpose I can use collodion which can if desired be rendered more
flexible by the addition of a bland. oil as olive, castor or almond oil together with
balsam of fir, gum, myrrh or equivalent thereof.
Instead of this as I prefer petroleum jelly or paraffine refuse or tarry matter, a
residium from the manufacture of kerosene or coal oil can be used which I con-
template rendering antiseptic by passing chlorine gas through it and thinning by
the addition of some of the bland oils referred to above.
Instead of the above substances and compounds for forming the cuticle I con-
template using when desired a composition composed of gelatine and albumen or
either of them treated with antiseptics as boracic acid, benzoic acid or their
equivalents.
Other substances which may be used are camphor in solution petroleum
residiums etc.
I prefer where a solution is used, employing ether as the solvent as it evaporates
so quickly.
Boracic or benzoic acid can be used as desired with any of the substances or
compounds mentioned above to render them antiseptic. To the solution which is
to be used in forming the artificial cuticle or protective mask I contemplate adding
perfume in the shape of some essential oil such as oil of bay. The cuticle mask or
protective film is preferably to be made antiseptic and emollient.
For the depilatory I can use a sulphide of an alkaline base such as sulphide of
barium, sulphide of calcium, sulphide of iron or sulphide of potash in conjunction
or mixed with starch, resin gum mastic or their equivalents or well known
substitutes.
In carrying out my method any suitable depilatory can be used as desired
without departing from the spirit of my invention. After the protective film,
mask or artificial cuticle has been applied to the portion of the skin to be shaved,
the depilatory substance or compound is applied over the cuticle in a dissolved,
liquid or semi-liquid form by means of a brush made of mineral fiber as asbestos or
mineral wool or vegetable fiber as jute, manilla hemp, Florida moss or tampico etc
A brush made of animal hair or bristles will not do, as it would be quickly
destroyed.
It is not necessary to apply the compound with a brush. After the substance or
compound used has been allowed to remain a sufficient time to destroy, dissolve or
affect the hair projecting up through the artificial cuticle so that it can be easily
removed with the cuticle or by a slight rubbing or washing, the cuticle together
with the depilatory material and the hair destroyed, dissolved or affected thereby
are removed by washing or otherwise.
The skin which was beneath the artificial cuticle is then found to be smooth and
clear of hair and neither it nor the roots of the hair will be found to be irritated or
injured.
Upon close examination the hair will be found to have been removed as close to
the skin as it can ordinarily be by means of a sharp razor.
As already indicated herein any of the well known depilatories can be safely
used by my method.
The common sulphides as used heretofore by depilatory manufacturers have been
neither neutral nor acid but have contained inert matters which not only discolored
the substance and rendered it unsightly but were irritating to any part of the skin
not protected by the film or artificial cuticle into contact with which they might
come The artificial sulphide of arsenic has been used of late as a depilatory, but is

page_text: dangerous and poisonous. This is also true of the sulpho-hydrates which have also
been somewhat used for depilatories.
The compound or composition which I have invented and which I prefer to use
possesses none of the objectionable features and properties of the materials or sub-
stances heretofore used for removing the hair but can be safely used either with or
without the protective artificial cuticle referred to and described herein before.
When applied directly and without the previous application of an artificial cuticle
or covering over the skin it does not either act upon the skin unpleasantly or
irritate it nor does it injuriously affect the roots of the hair while it effectually does
its desired work upon the hair above and close to the skin.
Instead of being irritating or injurious it is rather emollient and affects the skin
favorably while it improves and promotes the growth of the hair.
In making my compound I prefer to use the following ingredients substantially
in the proportions mivan
100
The sulphur and barium carbonate I heat together until they fuse and ignite.
In doing this I prefer to heat to a white heat After such fusing and heating
the resultant mass is broken up into small granules of such size as to pass through.
a No 30 sieve.
The other ingredients as given above except the albumen and musk, are similarly
broken to a size to pass through the same number of sieve.
The albumen and musk perfumed by or mixed with any desired perfumes as
aromatic essential oils are rubbed up together. The musk and perfumes are not at
all necessary to the proper action of the other component parts of the composition.
They are merely employed to make the composition more pleasant to use. They
can then be put in varied or left out as desired.
Instead of the zinc oleate and albumen I contemplate using any of their well-
known equivalents or substitutes or any other substance or substances which will
act as emollients to the skin and to protect it and the roots of the hair from the
irritating or destructive action of the active parts of the composition.
As substitutes for the albumen I have successfully used gum arabic, gum
tragacanth, gelatine, gum mastic and other gums and resins.
As a substitute for the zinc oleate any of the well known glycerides can be
employed But I prefer the albumen and the zinc oleate. The starch is used
merely to dilute the composition Instead of that any other inert matter can be
used for the same purpose, as for instance magnesia, orris root pulverized, barium
sulphate or heavy spar pulverized.
The active and essential parts of the composition which I do not desire to change,
are the barium sulphide and sodium carbonate.
The proportions of the various parts can of course be considerably varied without
departure from the spirit of my invention.
All the substances or ingredients of the composition are mingled together and
preferably compressed into tablets of a size just sufficient for a shave.
In making these tablets, in order to avoid disturbing the proportions of the
ingredients, the dies or molds are each fed from as many separate tubes as there are
ingredients.
By roasting sulphur and barium carbonate together as described above I secure
a barium sulphide free from oxygen, but having great affinity therefor. The

page_text: compressed tablets of the composition are covered as soon as made with a protective
coating to keep away air and moisture.
Such coating can be made of moisture proof varnish, paraffine, wax or any
soluble
varnish adapted to form a film such as will insure the exclusion of oxidizing
-elements from the contents of the tablet.
As long as the composition is kept from air and moisture it remains inert and
will keep for any length of time without change.
When it is to be used to remove the hair from any portion of the body, a tablet
is taken and its contents are dissolved in a little warm or cold water, and the
solution is applied with a brush made preferably of vegetable fiber as such resists
fully the action of the composition while a hair or bristle brush would not.
As soon as the composition comes into contact with this water, it becomes active
so that when the solution is applied to the hair it begins to act at once upon it.
This action on the hair takes place down to the skin, but upon the latter the
composition even when in solution does not act at all. Where the composition is
applied to the skin, and hair growing thereon, as described, not only is there no
irritation of the skin from a single application, but repeated and long continued
applications have been found by experience not to render the skin sensitive or sore
but to toughen and improve it.
After the composition has remained for two or three minutes applied as described,
it is washed off with more water preferably by means of a sponge.
Where it is so washed off, the hair will come away and be removed with it
down close to the skin Upon examination the hair will be found to have been
removed as close down to the skin as it could be with a sharp razor.
The composition used as described does not injuriously affect the roots of the
hair so as to impair its growth but its use has found to rather improve and promote
such growth. Said composition has been fully tested on different skins and it has
uniformly been found to be most efficacious in removing the hair while neither
injuring the skin or roots of the hair or irritating or making tender the skin.
As it is used the solution of the composition appears to begin the destructive
action upon the hair above the surface of the skin which action is quickly
completed upon the application of more water in the act of washing off the
composition from the face.
It is thought that the nascent sulphuric acid in a small quantity generated by
the addition of the first small quantity of warm water in which the composition is
dissolved is absorbed by the keratin or gelatinous element of the beard and the
affinity of sulphurous or sulphuric acid for water causes the hair follicles to absorb
a large amount of water which is increased as the application of water in washing
takes place, to such an extent that the hair is so softened as to be removed by the
sponge, towel wash rag or cloth. That is the hair is reduced to such a soft
gelatinous condition that it comes away under very slight rubbing.
Instead of the carbonate of soda, I can use and contemplate using other of the
well known soluble carbonates.
As indicated hereinbefore my compound can be used as desired either with or
without a protective coating or artificial cuticle previously put over the skin as it
will not injuriously affect the skin or the roots of the hair when applied directly
over the skin.
As in nearly every if not every case the depilatories as heretofore used have
been such as would deteriorate when exposed to the air moisture or oxidizing
influences, it is advantageous to put them up, as I prefer to put my compound in
the shape of tablets, covered with a protective coating of a substance easily
removable by dissolving or otherwise.
The desired quantity for one application or one shave can then be taken and
used without disturbing or exposing the rest of the substance as would be the case
were it kept as depilatories have been heretofore in the bulk or quantity in a large
package, case or bottle.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1. As an improvement in the art of shaving with a chemical substance or
depilatory, the method of preventing possible injury to the skin which consists in
covering the skin with an artificial cuticle before applying the depilatory substan-
tially as and for the purpose described.
2. The method of shaving which consists in first applying to the skin a protective
film or artificial cuticle and then applying over that a substance or compound to
remove the hair projecting through the film or cuticle substantially as and for the
purpose specified.
3. The method of shaving which consists in applying to the portion of the skin
to be shaved a film or covering adapted to protect the skin around and among the
hairs then applying over this film or covering a substance or compound adapted to
destroy or dissolve hair, and then removing the film with the substance or compound
and the destroyed hair from the skin by washing or otherwise substantially as and
for the purpose described.
4. The method of preparing compositions for removing the hair so that they can
be used without injury to the skin, which consists in mixing with the active
substance or chemical adapted to act on the hair, one or more substances to protect
the skin from its action substantially as and purpose described.
5. The composition for use in removing hair containing one or more chemicals
adapted to act on the hair, and a substance adapted to protect the skin from the
action of such chemicals substantially as and for the purpose described.
6. The composition for use in removing the hair which contains a sulphide
mixed with a substance adapted to protect the skin from the action of the sulphide
substantially as and for the purpose described.
7. The composition for use in removing hair which contains barium sulphide
prepared by roasting together barium carbonate and sulphur substantially as and
for the purpose described.
8. The composition for use in removing hair which contains barium sulphide
and a carbonate substantially as and for the purpose described.
9. The composition for use in removing the hair containing a carbonate and
barium sulphide prepared by roasting together barium carbonate and sulphur
substantially as and for the purpose described.
10. The composition for use in removing the hair containing barium sulphide a
carbonate and one or more emollient substances substantially as and for the
purpose described.
11. The composition for use in removing the hair containing barium sulphide, a
carbonate, one or more emollient substances and an inert substance or matter
for diluting the composition substantially as and for the purpose described.
12. As a new article of manufacture a tablet of chemical compound for removing
the hair covered with a protective coating of soluble material substantially as and
for the purpose described.
13. As an article of manufacture a cake or tablet containing a sufficient quantity
of hair removing substance or compound for one application or shave pressed into
a shape and covered with a coating to protect it from oxidizing influences substan-
tially as described.