Hair oil

“ Take croton oil, twelve drops (minims) ; oil of almonds, four troy grains. Mix. A little is to be well rubbed on the scalp twice a day. Soft down, we are assured, appears in three weeks.
For Improving the Hair.—Palma Christi oil for thickening the hair: Take one ounce of Palma Christi oil, add oil of lavender or bergamot to scent it. Let it be well brushed into the hair for two or three months, particularly applying it to those parts where it may be most desirable to render the hair luxuriant. This is a simple and valuable oil, and not in the hands of any monopolist. ”

“ Care of the Hair and the Nails.—The scalp should be kept clean by thorough and frequent washing and daily brushing. Hair oils are seldom needed. If the skin of the head is kept in a healthy condition, the hair requires no oil. ”

“ Melt together and stir till cool. This I have found one of the best salves for all skin diseases I have ever tried. Apply twice a day, but use with care since it contains mercury.
HAIR OILS AND HAIR DRESSINGS. While oiling the hair is a thing of the past, we might indulge a few remarks as a matter of history. Thirty years ago almost every customer used oil on his hair, and every barber was expected to know how to mix his own oils. A favorite preparation was made as follows: 1 pint of alcohol and 11⁄2 pints of castor-oil were shaken together, and then perfumed with citronella or bergamot. ”

“ In truth, a mature man who uses hair-oil, unless medicinally, that man has probably got a quoggy spot in him somewhere. As a general rule, he can’t amount to much in his totality.
But the only thing to be considered here, is this—what kind of oil is used at coronations? Certainly it cannot be olive oil, nor macassar oil, nor castor oil, nor bear’s oil, nor train oil, nor cod-liver oil. What then can it possibly be, but sperm oil in its unmanufactured, unpolluted state, the sweetest of all oils? ”

“ The gradual darkening of the hair may also be effected by agents, which are converted into colored combinations only by the atmospheric oxygen or the content of sulphur in the hair, such as extract from nut shells, tannin, pyrogallic acid and many metals, the latter chiefly in the form of pomades or hair oil. Dilute acids used for some time make the hair somewhat lighter. Mothers wishing to keep the hair of their children blonde, avoid oils, and frequently wash the heads of the children with vinegar or lemon juice. No coloration is, however, durable ”

“ Care of the hair.—The hair may become dirty like any other part of the body. Brushing it takes out a great deal of dirt, but you should also wash it once a week.
The oil in the skin ought to be enough for the hair. Hair oils do not do the hair any good. ”

“ To make the fat oils used as hair oils more durable and to protect them from becoming rancid, they are also treated with benzoin. For this purpose digest for three hours, with frequent stirring, in the water-bath 100 lbs. of the oil with 1 lb. of [Pg 301] pulverized benzoin. With the exception of alkannin for red-colored oil and chlorophyl for herb oils, no coloring substances are used for hair oils. About 51⁄2 to 81⁄4 drachms of perfume are required for 1 lb. of oil. ”

“ If the hair cannot, without some application, be kept tidy, then a little of the best sweet oil might, by means of an old tooth-brush, be used to smooth it; sweet oil is, for the purpose, one of the most simple and harmless of dressings; but, as I said before, the hair’s own natural oil cannot be equaled, far less surpassed! ”

“ We have lost most of our hairy coating, but whenever we get chilly, whether from cold or from fright, these little muscles of our hair bulbs contract and pull the hair glands of our skin up toward the surface, so that it looks all "pimply" or "goose-skinned."
Each hair pouch has sprouted out from its sides a pair of tiny pouches, which form oil glands to lubricate the hair and keep it sleek and flexible. It is hard to beat nature at her {172}own game, and her method of oiling the hair is far superior to any hair oil that can be put on from the outside. ”

“ The fats and oils used should not be rancid, for, on the one hand, the bad odor arising from rancidity is troublesome in perfuming, and, on the other, what is of still greater importance, rancid fat injuriously affects the scalp and the growth of the hair. Of the oils above mentioned, which are sometimes used, poppy oil is a drying oil, and, therefore, not suitable for the purpose.
Some fats enjoy a special reputation as hair pomades, the property of strengthening the scalp and promoting the growth of the hair being ascribed to them. ”

“ Can we believe that the real God, if there is one, ever ordered a man to be killed simply for making hair oil, or ointment? We are told in the thirtieth chapter of Exodus, that the Lord commanded Moses to take myrrh, cinnamon, sweet calamus, cassia, and olive oil, and make a holy ointment for the purpose of anointing the tabernacle, tables, candlesticks and other utensils, as well as Aaron and his sons; saying, at the same time, that whosoever compounded any like it, or whoever put any of it on a stranger, should be put to death. ”

“ The expedition will be divided into two parties, one going by way of Siberia, the other by way of Greenland.
The use of aniline red for coloring hair-oils is condemned by the Laboratory, and an instance is cited in proof of the injurious effects resulting from the employment of oils so colored. A man in Boston, who had for some time frequented a barber's shop in which aniline-colored oil was used in hair-dressing, began to experience a disagreeable itching of the scalp, very similar to that produced by arsenic. ”

“ To make 1 quart, take nearly one half a pint of cold pressed castor oil and fill it nearly full of 95 per cent. alcohol, then add 1⁄2 ounce of spirits of hartshorn, 1⁄2 ounce of tincture of cantharides, 40 drops oil of bergamot, which gives it an elegant perfume—shake well and it is ready for use.
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Directions for Use.
Wash your head first with whiskey, then apply the hair oil freely, pour it on the head gently and rub with the hand or stiff brush. For children only use the hair oil. To remove the dandruff, comb the head well with a fine comb, do this every time you use the preparation. ”

“ Do not plaster the hair with oil or pomatum. A white, concrete oil pertains naturally to the covering of the human head, but some persons have it in more abundance than others. Those whose hair is glossy and shining need nothing to render it so; but when the hair is harsh, poor and dry, artificial lubrication is necessary. Persons who perspire freely, or who accumulate scurf rapidly, require it also. Nothing is simpler or better in the way of oil than pure, unscented salad oil, and in the way of a pomatum, bear's grease is as pleasant as anything. ”

“ Oil of Roses—for the Hair.—Olive oil, two pints: otto of roses, one drachm; oil of rosemary, one drachm; mix. It may be colored by steeping a little alkanet root in the oil (by heat) before scenting it.
Arnica Hair Wash.—When the hair is falling off and becoming thin, from the too frequent use of castor, Macassar oils, &c., or when premature baldness arises from illness, the arnica hair wash will be found of great service in arresting the mischief. It is thus prepared: take elder water, half a pint; sherry wine, half a pint; tincture of arnica, half an ounce ”

“ The oil of nuts is the only oil that has any real effect upon hair. No perfumer has ever dreamed of it. I saw an engraving of Hero and Leander, and I said to myself, If the ancients used all that oil on their heads they had some reason for it; for the ancients are the ancients, in spite of all the moderns may say ”

“ The oil of mace one-half ounce, mixed with a pint of deodorized alcohol, is a powerful stimulant for the hair. To apply it, pour a spoonful or two into a saucer, dip a stiff brush into it and brush the hair and head smartly.
On bald heads, if hair will start at all, it may be stimulated by friction with a piece of flannel till the skin [Pg 392] becomes red. Repeat this process three times a day, until the hair begins to grow, when the tincture may be applied but once a day, till the growth is well established. ”

“ ROWLAND’S MACASSAR OIL.
This Elegant and Fragrant Oil possesses wonderfully nourishing powers for promoting the growth, restoring and beautifying the Human Hair. It prevents it from falling off or turning gray—cleanses it from Scurf and Dandriff—and makes it beautifully soft, pliable, and glossy. For children it is especially recommended as forming the basis of a beautiful head of heir. ”

“ Nature is slow and gentle in her teaching even the accomplishment of the spoon. And as for women's hair, don't plaster it with scented and sour grease, or with any grease; it has an oil of its own. And don't tie up your hair tight, and make it like a cap of iron over your skull. ”

“ A very good oil for the hair is made by mixing one part of the liquid hartshorn with nine parts of pure castor-oil.
529. An economical Hair Wash.—Dissolve in one quart of boiling water one ounce of borax and half an ounce of camphor; these ingredients fine. When cool, the solution will be ready for use. Damp the hair with it frequently. This wash not only cleanses and beautifies, but strengthens the hair, preserves the color, and prevents baldness.
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530. ”

“ A Wash for Moist, Lax Hair. Take of essential oil of almonds, 1 fluid drachm; oil of cassia, and essence of musk, of each, 2321⁄2 fluid drachm; rectified spirit, 21⁄2 ounces; mix, and add gradually, with brisk agitation, 16 ounces of distilled water, in which 1 ounce of finest gum arabic has been dissolved. The hair and scalp should be slightly moistened with the liquid, and the hair at once arranged, without wiping, whilst still moist. ”

“ This method of adoration affords them so much muscular activity that it takes to some extent the place of physical exercise.
Perfumed oil should be rubbed over the body, especially over the head, ears, and soles of the feet. Medicated oils diminish fatigue, promote strength, comfort, and sleep, and improve the colour of the skin, keep it soft and healthy, and thus contribute to the prolongation of life. The anointing of the head with oil prevents, or helps to cure, diseases of the scalp, and assists the growth of hair. ”

“ The fur of animals thickens and strengthens when exposed to air and wet. Your hair falls off, and you oil it. If it grows weak, change its habits. If it is not washed, and if it is oiled, begin to wash it, and leave off oiling it.
Every week an Eastern lady has her hair thoroughly washed at the bath. It is first well soaped and rubbed. They are very particular about soap, and use none but that made of olive oil. The Castile soap, which in this country is sold at the apothecary’s, is the soap the least injurious to the skin. ”

“ Avoid irritating the scalp with fine combs or hard bristles, and wash it once or twice a week with a weak solution of ammonia or borax. Hair that is properly brushed is always glossy with its natural oil, and needs no vulgar ointment, offensive to the smell and suggestive of uncleanliness. If with these hygienic precautions the hair refuses to become beautiful, it is time to get medical advice; for the dull colour and dryness of the hair which lead to baldness are often due to constitutional disease. ”

“ Bay rum six ounces, aromatic spirits of ammonia half an ounce, bergamot oil six drops. Mix.
TO MAKE THE HAIR GROW.
If the head be perfectly bald, nothing will ever cause the hair to grow again. If the scalp be glossy, and no small hairs are discernible, the roots or follicles are dead, and can not be resuscitated. However if small hairs are to be seen, there is hope. Brush well, and bathe the bald spot three or four times a week with cold, soft water; carbonate of ammonia one dram, tincture of cantharides four drams, bay rum four ounces, castor oil two ounces. Mix well and use it every day. ”

“ In other cases, when a disposition to baldness exists, shown by the hair falling off in large quantities, or ceasing to grow with its usual vigour and rapidity, the frequent but gentle use of the hair-brush, and of any bland stimulating oil, pomade, or wash, if adopted in time, will generally prove sufficient to arrest the progress of decay, and, very frequently, to restore the hair to its pristine condition. The head may be advantageously washed in cold water, at least once a day; or what is better, a shower bath may be taken on rising in the morning. ”

“ No power, as I say, can make the hair grow on bald heads; just as you can never dye, without serious danger, red or white hair. But in advertising the benefits of oil you commit no mistake, you tell no falsehood, and I think that those who use it will probably preserve their hair. ”

“ For arresting premature baldness and preventing the hair turning grey its virtues are equalled by no other oil known to us, and there is a fortune awaiting the hairdresser who can find means effectually to remove or suppress its peculiar and penetrating odour. ”

“ WASHING THE HAIR.—One suspects that those who advise washing the hair once a week have more of all eye to the increase of their business than to the welfare of their customers' hair. The egg shampoo has been advised. Use a soap made of vegetable oil if possible. Never rub soap in the hair, and be very careful to rinse thoroughly, to get all the soap out using hot water for washing, then graduating the temperature till the final douche of cold. Do not use ammonia, soda or borax on the hair. ”