HAIR DYES Dyeing as a means of changing the normal color of the hair is now very little resorted to, except by a small number of thoughtless girls and wom en who are misled by ignorant or in terested persons. This practice is regarded by all intelligent persons as an unmistakable mark of vulgarity. Even the young men themselves, who are supposed, if any are, to be de ceived and attracted by this process, have coined the expression " chemical blonde " and " peroxide blonde " to define a woman who has been deluded into following this silly fad, and boast themselves able to recognize such an individual at sight.
There is more justification for the use of hair dyes in case of premature grayness and especially in those pe culiar cases where irregular patches of gray hair make their appearance. The causes of these conditions are not fully understood. It is well known that the hair may turn gray suddenly as a consequence of extreme emotion, fright, pain, and the like. Patches of gray hair are sometimes attributed to fungous growths at the roots. Even in these cases, however, it is usually better to avoid taking a plunge into the unknown. The diffi culties connected with dyeing the hair are many, and the injurious consequences are inevitable. Such a substance as a harmless hair dye is not known, all claims to the contrary notwithstanding. Neither is it possi ble to deceive anyone. The natural color of the hair is subtly blended by nature with the tints and shades of the complexion, and any change in the color of the hair will produce an unnatural disparity which the prac ticed eye readily detects. Men might perhaps be deceived, but women never. And the man or woman who adopts the use of hair dyes speedily becomes the subject of more or less invidious gossip and ridicule. The practice is usually begun with the idea that u single application will be sufficient. This is not the case. The hair grows at the rate of about one twentieth of an inch each day; hence in a few days a new growth appears and a fresh application of the dye becomes necessary. Meantime the dye has injured the hair and in many cases the scalp, brain, and nervous system. All preparations of lead, silver, and other mineral substances are distinctly and often fatally inju rious. We have excluded from this book all preparations of this char acter, but in deference to the wishes of those who have a legitimate reason for wishing to darken the color of the hair, we give a number of recipes which are as efficacious as any that can be recommended with safety.
Hair Dyes.—A careful examination of more than 100 counted recipes for hair dyes recommended in otherwise reputable books of household recipes discloses none which do not contain injurious mineral substances, except those we give below.
Recent chemical analysis of widely advertised hair dyes and washes for bleaching, darkening, or otherwise changing the color of the hair dis closes the presence of these mineral agents in practically every instance, notwithstanding the fact that in all cases the proprietors announce that the preparations are " harmless." Among the injurious substances rec ommended are the following: Nitric, muriatic, and sulphuric acids; bismuth; lead, as litharge and the acetate or sugar of lead, etc.; antimony, silver (usually the ni trate), potassium, baryta, iron, tin, copper, etc. These metals are rec ommended in the form of various salts, as sulphates, acetates, chlorides, and the like. They are each and all vicious in principle and injurious in practice, and those who knowingly or unknowingly recommend them should be regarded with suspicion.
To Prevent Gray Hair. — A pre ventive against grayness of the hair has already been mentioned, i. e., the yolk of egg. Preparations containing neat's-foot oil are also beneficial for darkening the hair. The action of hair dyes in pomades is necessarily slow, and they must be used daily or frequently until the proper results have been secured. Compounds con taining vegetable ingredients are bet ter than those containing mineral ones. Among materials which are relatively harmless are stains from walnut shells and green walnuts, which gradually dye light hair to dark-brown shades. These have to be used constantly, as the color is not durable. These stains cannot be used in the form of pomades. Henna and indigo powders produce various shades from yellow to dark brown, and other compounds and substances are mentioned below. " Chemical blondes " wash the hair with greatly diluted hydrogen peroxide. When dyes are applied to the hair it should first be thoroughly cleansed of its natural oils and other foreign sub stances. This may be done by wash ing the hair with a mixture contain ing one fourth part of chloroform and three fourths of alcohol. Gloves should be worn, and the dye worked into the hair with a comb and a clean toothbrush.