Shampooing

“ Oily hair needs a thorough washing every two weeks, while drier tresses should not be given a bath oftener than once a month. Half the reason for falling hair, or hair that seems never to grow, is caused by improper shampooing. The scalp must be kept scrupulously clean. And I doubt very much whether the soap and soiled water can be thoroughly rinsed out without the use of running water, the bath spray being the most convenient means of getting this. How often, after washing one's hair, one finds a white, sticky substance clinging to the teeth of the comb! ”

“ Vigorous friction with a coarse glove succeeds the shampooing. This detaches the dead portions of the epidermis, and is an operation generally practised in the Lavatorium—a washing room adjoining the shampooing room. In the same place the bather receives copious ablutions with warm water. The less robust conclude the cleansing process with a douche, needle, spray, or shower bath, graduated from warm to cold ”

“ Many women dread the shampooing because of their liability to take cold in the process. Let such a person choose a room where the air is warm and dry. After wiping the hair thoroughly dry with towels, and pinning a fresh one around the neck and shoulders, let her get some one to come and make a breeze with a large palm-leaf fan upon her hair while she is engaged in carefully disentangling it with a brush and comb, occasionally giving the scalp a little vigorous rubbing if it begins to feel chilly. ”

“ The bath itself (inner chamber) is a spacious vaulted chamber, paved and lined with marble; beside it are four small rooms: a vapour continually rises from a fountain and cistern of hot water, with which the burnt perfumes mingle."
His notice of the process of shampooing differs somewhat from that of others:—"A gentle moisture diffuses itself over the body; a servant comes, gently presses and turns the bather, and when the limbs are flexible, makes the joints crack without trouble, then masses (touches lightly) , and seems to knead the body without giving the slightest sensation of pain. ”

“ The shampooing just referred to, and previously mentioned as forming one process in the Russian bath, is another means of relief constantly in use while the patient is going through his terrible struggle. Our attendants upon Lord's Island are picked men. ”

“ The Care of the Hair.—There is never any danger of shampooing the healthy scalp too frequently. The oil in the scalp is not removed by washing, but is, on the contrary, always increased through the improvement in the circulation. Where there is much dandruff, or if the hair has begun to fall out prematurely, owing to long neglect or following an illness, it is well to begin by washing the hair two or three times a week, and then gradually increase the interval to every two or three weeks. ”

“ One application is all that is needed for any fresh grease spots, but for old or dried a second may be required. For shampooing take a small quantity of the Magic Annihilator with an equal quantity of water, apply to the hair with a stiff brush, brushing into the pores of the scalp, and wash out with clear water. You will be surprised at the silk gloss of your hair. For cleaning silver ware, etc., buy five cents' worth of whitening, mix a small quantity with the magic annihilator, and apply with a rag, rubbing briskly. ”

“ Eminent physicians tell us that: "The chief requirement of the hair is cleanliness—thorough shampooing for women once a fortnight, and for men once a week." And that: "The best agents for the purpose are 'pure,' 'mild,' 'antiseptic' soap and water. ”

“ Water to be used for shampooing should always be warm.
EGG SHAMPOO. This favorite preparation should be used immediately after mixing.
Take 1 fresh egg, 1 teaspoonful of silver gloss shampoo, and 1⁄4 teaspoonful of powdered borax. Mix together with an egg beater, and then use as other shampoos.
20 A CHEAP SEA FOAM. Take 2 ounces of the silver gloss shampoo, 2 ounces alcohol, 1 ounce glycerine and 1 pint water; shake well together and perfume to suit your fancy. ”

“ When they are called in for shampooing, three oils are well boiled, and cooled. The patient lies on a plank, oil is poured over him, and every part of his body is well shampooed, and afterwards he is bathed in water boiled with medicinal herbs. ”

“ The shampooers spend eight hours daily in the steam; they undergo great labour there, shampooing, perhaps, a dozen persons, and are remarkably healthy. They enter the bath at eight years of age: the duties of the younger portion are light, and chiefly outside in the hall to which the bathers retire after the bath; still, there they are from that tender age exposed to the steam and heat, so as to have their strength broken, if the bath were debilitating. ”

“ It is of various kinds, and the barber caste in India is supposed to be expert in the art. It is a great curative agent in the treatment of complaints connected with the nervous system, and always produces the most agreeable sensation. The advantages of shampooing have begun to be appreciated by the Western Medical Science, which no longer hesitates to recognise massage as a therapeutic agent. ”

“ I have already explained that the operation of shampooing requires that the skin and the whole body, especially the muscular system, should be thoroughly softened before this process is commenced; and it would appear that when the proper degree of softening is attained, the Eastern people, who are remarkable for the pliability and elasticity of their joints, can support the operation without inconvenience. But the Northern races [71] are built for strength and endurance; their quality is solidity, not pliability ”

“ The odor will be pleasant and the hair will not ruin articles and clothing with which it comes in contact. Now and then it is well to clean the hair with Castile soap, warm water and a strong brush. Shampooing is excellent.
Hair is a non-conductor of heat,—that is, very little heat or cold can be made to pass through it. It serves as a protection to the brain. While a great many men are baldheaded, you very rarely see a woman thus afflicted. This is because they do not wear air-tight coverings for their heads, but the scalp is kept cool and healthy. ”

“ Bathing is too much neglected in this country; but the consequences of our sedentary habits have forced upon us a greater degree of attention to it, and the imitation of the Turkish system of cleanliness has been carried further in vapour baths and the startling luxury of shampooing, which makes people discover that they have in general two or three skins too many. ”

“ In the hands of the professional shampooer the process is elevated to an art, and words fail to convey other than a very imperfect idea of its nature.
After the shampooing, the bather is brought to the side of the hall—around which are placed marble basins two feet in diameter, supplied by means of taps with hot and cold water—and made to sit on a board near to one of these basins. The [38] attendant draws on a camel's-hair glove. "He stands over you; you bend down to him, and he commences from the nape of the neck in long sweeps down the back till he has started the skin ”

“ Water renders the hair dry, and the daily sousing only washes the head superficially. A good shampoo every week or ten days for those persons exposed to a good deal of dust, and every 2-3 weeks for other people, is sufficient for cleanliness. For the shampoo, soap and water, borax and water, or the yolk of an egg beaten up in lime water, are all simple and good, but it must not be forgotten to wash out these materials with plenty of clean water, and to thoroughly dry the hair and scalp. ”

“ THE INDIAN AND SOME LUXURIES Most city men regard a shampoo as a city luxury of modern times, except, of course, for the rich, who could always have what they desire. Yet the shampoo is more common with some Indians than with us, and they enjoy it oftener than we do. The Indian’s wife takes the root of the amole, macerates it, and then beats it up and down in a bowl of water until a most delicious and soft lather results, and then her liege lord stoops over the bowl and she shampoos his long hair and scalp with vigor, neatness, skill, and dispatch. ”

“ Castile soap makes the best shampoo in the world, especially when a little piece is dissolved in warm water and a tiny bit of ammonia or alcohol added, although for dry hair neither the alcohol nor ammonia is at all necessary. If a tonic is needed, then use the sage tea, which, however, must not be put on light, blond tresses. Common kerosene, if one can endure the odor, is an unsurpassed remedy for falling hair. ”

“ It must not be inferred from this, however, that incessant washing of the scalp, by removing these collections, is a good thing. Now, it is advised by some that the hair should be wetted daily at the same time the bath is taken. But as a general rule this is a mistake; only those who have a superabundance of natural oil can afford to carry out such a practice. With the great majority of people it is absolutely detrimental to the growth of the hair to wash it oftener than once a week. After washing the head, the hair should be thoroughly dried. ”

“ The erroneous idea prevails, that the skin which holds the hair follicles and the delicate secretory organs of the scalp must be kept as 'clean,' so to speak, as the face or hands; consequently young men patronize barbers or hairdressers, and once or twice a week they have what is called a 'shampoo' operation performed. This consists in a thorough scouring of the hair and scalp with dilute ammonia, water, and soap, so that a heavy 'lather' is produced, and the glandular secretions, which are the natural protection of the hair, and promotive of its growth, are saponified and removed. ”

“ The base of any good hair style is a good shampoo. There is no set time for a shampoo. Shampoo your hair when it is soiled. You may want to shampoo it every five days if your hair is oily. Every week may be often enough if it is dry. ”

“ Now soap has the opposite effect. It contains either alkali, potash or soda, which when applied to the beard in the form of lather, unites with the oil of the hair, neutralizing it and removing it, and renders the hairs hard stiff and brittle—in which condition they may be easily and readily cut. For the sake of cleanliness, the face should, of course, be washed previous to shaving in order to remove any dirt or grit from the beard, which might dull the razor; but before applying the lather, the face should be well dried with a towel. ”

“ Many soaps are positively injurious to the skin. In this, as in other matters, judgment and caution must be exercised. A free use of a good skin soap, with warm or hot water, may be recommended for [109] the weekly or semi-weekly bath when the primary object is cleanliness. The soapy lather should be vigorously rubbed over the body, by the hand or a small coarse towel, so as to remove all excretions from the pores, all greasy deposits of the sebaceous glands, and all dead scales from the cuticle. ”

“ In ordinary cases once every two or three weeks is often enough to wash the hair and head. The extreme length of ladies' hair will sometimes render the process of washing it very troublesome and inconvenient. In such cases the patient and assiduous use of a clean, good hairbrush, followed by washing the partings and the crown of the head with soap and water, may be substituted.
The occasional washing of the head is absolutely necessary to preserve the health of the scalp and the luxuriance and beauty of the hair when much oil, pomatum or other greasy substance is used in dressing it. ”

“ For removing scurf, glycerine, diluted with a little rose-water, will be found of service. Any preparation of rosemary forms an agreeable and highly cleansing wash. The yolk of an egg beaten up in warm water is an excellent application to the scalp. Many heads of hair require nothing more in the way of wash than soap and water. Beware of letting the hair grow too long, as the points are apt to weaken and split. It is well to have the ends clipped off once a month.
Young girls should wear their hair cut short until they are grown up, if they would have it then in its best condition. ”

“ The alkali in soap combines with the oily matter, forming an emulsion which carries away with it a quantity of the dirt which previously blocked the orifices of the sebaceous and sweat ducts. When the skin is rubbed by the towel after washing, the softened epithelium, and with it any remaining dirt, are rubbed off, leaving the skin clean, and able to perform its normal functions.
The Use of Baths.—The primary object of bathing is cleanliness. A secondary consideration is the pleasure derived from bathing. Baths are especially necessary for those persons who lead sedentary lives. ”

“ To properly preserve the hair it requires to be occasionally oiled, and the scalp to be frequently cleansed. Pomades and oils serve for the former purpose, and hair tonics for the latter. For the preparation of pomades, fats, such as lard, beef-tallow, and beef-marrow, are principally used, though cocoa butter, cocoanut oil, castor oil, almond oil, spermaceti, and wax, and, more recently, vaseline are also employed. For the preparation of hair oils, fat oils, especially olive oil and almond oil are used, but also poppy oil, peanut oil, sesame oil, etc. ”

“ Moreover, in the absence of soap, there is no liability to chapped skin, glandular sores, sore eyes, ears, and crusty scalp. Especially should the scalp be well cleaned, and kept so; as it not only adds to the tidy appearance of the child, but favors an even, healthy growth of the hair bulbs. The foundation for a love of cleanliness can best be laid in infancy. There are many adults who desire good hair, yet do not or will not know that combing the hair daily, and keeping the scalp clean and cool, promotes a healthy growth of the hair. ”