Two
brushes are necessary for the toilette of the hair — a penetrating
and a polishing brush; the penetrating brush, especially for a
lady's use, should be composed of strong elastic hairs cut into
irregular lengths, but not so hard or coarse as to be in any
danger of irritating the skin; after being passed once or twice
through the hair, to ensure its smoothness and regularity, the
brush should be slightly dipped in Eau-de-Cologne, or sprinkled
with a little perfumed hartshorn, as either of these preparations
are beneficial in strengtheing the hair. The polishing brush
should be made of firm, soft hairs, thickly studded. Combs
should only be resorted to for the purpose of giving a form to
the hair or assisting in its decoration, as their use is more or
less prejudicial to the surface of the skin and the roots of the
hair. The small toothed ivory comb is particularly injurious,
as, besides its irritating effect on the skin, it has a tendency to
split and crush the hair as it passes through it; surely this
comb is not necessary at the toilette of a lady ?
The growth of the hair is best promoted by keeping it
scrupulously clean, and by cutting it frequently.
A moderate profusion of hair, gracefully arranged, is a
characteristic adornment of women, and its appearance and
condition will be found to convey conclusive evidence of the
habits and taste of the wearer. In the disposition of the hair
attention should always be paid to the style of the features and
the formation of the face; yet it would be scarcely possible to
imagine a countenance whose symmetry would not be injured
by adopting any ou^re method. Braiding the hair, though a
simple and unpretending method of dressing it, yet requires
extremely regular features to relieve its formality, and is be-
coming perhaps only to those ladies whose style of face resem-
bles the Grecian. Braids are, however, indispensable in deep
mourning, when decoration is least in the thoughts of the
wearer. Curls and ringlets generally harmonize with the female
face, and seem really to be the most tasteful method of dress-
ing the hair. Papillotes, the usual and best way of curling,
should be put up gently and secured from coming out by a
small pin run through the paper, because if they are too tightly
twisted they not only occasion headache and uneasy sleep, but
actually injure the hair by drawing it out by the roots; and in
plaiting or tying the hair with a ribbon care should be taken
not to draw it so tightly as to render the head uncomfortable,
for anything that prevents the natural, easy flow of the hair
tends to deprive it of its moisture, and thus, by checking its
growth, renders it weak and thin. If the hair be very soft and
fine, pomatum or oil is not required to dress it, but a fluid com-
position, such as either of the following, will be serviceable,
both in giving it a fine gloss and imparting strength to it:
Grate carefully down a pound and a half of good white soap,
and put it with six ounces of potash and three pints of alcohol
mto a jar, which place in a hot water bath, stirring the mixture
until it is thoroughly melted, then leave it to settle; pour off
the clear liquor; perfume it with essence of violets, and put it
up in well-corked bottles for use.✪ Hair Curling Fluid
Page 51 · 1 recipe record on this page
Presented as published in 1883. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
Two brushes are necessary for the toilette of the hair — a penetrating and a polishing brush; the penetrating brush, especially for a lady's use, should be composed of strong elastic hairs cut into irregular lengths, but not so hard or coarse as to be in any danger of irritating the skin; after being passed once or twice through the hair, to ensure its smoothness and regularity, the brush should be slightly dipped in Eau-de-Cologne, or sprinkled with a little perfumed hartshorn, as either of these preparations are beneficial in strengtheing the hair. The polishing brush should be made of firm, soft hairs, thickly studded. Combs should only be resorted to for the purpose of giving a form to the hair or assisting in its decoration, as their use is more or less prejudicial to the surface of the skin and the roots of the hair. The small toothed ivory comb is particularly injurious, as, besides its irritating effect on the skin, it has a tendency to split and crush the hair as it passes through it; surely this comb is not necessary at the toilette of a lady ?
The growth of the hair is best promoted by keeping it scrupulously clean, and by cutting it frequently.
A moderate profusion of hair, gracefully arranged, is a characteristic adornment of women, and its appearance and condition will be found to convey conclusive evidence of the habits and taste of the wearer. In the disposition of the hair
attention should always be paid to the style of the features and the formation of the face; yet it would be scarcely possible to imagine a countenance whose symmetry would not be injured by adopting any outré method. Braiding the hair, though a simple and unpretending method of dressing it, yet requires extremely regular features to relieve its formality, and is becoming perhaps only to those ladies whose style of face resembles the Grecian. Braids are, however, indispensable in deep mourning, when decoration is least in the thoughts of the wearer. Curls and ringlets generally harmonize with the female face, and seem really to be the most tasteful method of dressing the hair. Papillotes, the usual and best way of curling, should be put up gently and secured from coming out by a small pin run through the paper, because if they are too tightly twisted they not only occasion headache and uneasy sleep, but actually injure the hair by drawing it out by the roots; and in plaiting or tying the hair with a ribbon care should be taken not to draw it so tightly as to render the head uncomfortable, for anything that prevents the natural, easy flow of the hair tends to deprive it of its moisture, and thus, by checking its growth, renders it weak and thin. If the hair be very soft and fine, pomatum or oil is not required to dress it, but a fluid composition, such as either of the following, will be serviceable, both in giving it a fine gloss and imparting strength to it: Grate carefully down a pound and a half of good white soap, and put it with six ounces of potash and three pints of alcohol mto a jar, which place in a hot water bath, stirring the mixture until it is thoroughly melted, then leave it to settle; pour off the clear liquor; perfume it with essence of violets, and put it up in well-corked bottles for use.
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Hair Curling Fluid