the preparation of hair (continued)—crop hair—a remarkable trial—craping and crimping the hair—inserted stems—boiling and baking crêped hair—combings and turned hair alluded to again.
he shortest and finest hair is employed for gentlemen’s wigs, fringes, “sevigny” curls, and similar purposes. there is frequently a natural inclination to curl in hair of this description, but when coarse and strong, it is best not to attempt to force it. to make the curl take one of the pieces of fine hair, and thoroughly wet it. rub the roots with the palm of the hand as before, so as to cause it to “felt” together. have ready a smooth brass tool, five or six inches long, and in shape resembling the end of a steel used for sharpening knives. with this (and the thumb) press the hair between, giving the hair, at the same time, two or three turns round the tool; draw away the instrument; hold the curl between the thumb and finger, and place it on an iron tray made for the purpose. each curl is to be held in position by means of a small weight placed upon it, and there must be a “stop” in the centre of the tray to prevent the curl unwinding. the succeeding curl acts as a “stop” to its predecessor, and 30when the tray is full, it looks not unlike a dish of snails that has been prepared for some uncommon and remarkable feast. it is not possible to boil this hair, like that which is rolled upon “pipes” and securely fastened by means of pieces of string, therefore it must be steamed before it is baked. the steaming process can be done effectually in a small way with ordinary domestic utensils. hair manufacturers would proceed somewhat differently, and necessarily so, because their work is extensive; but i am addressing myself to hairdressers whose requirements are on a greatly reduced scale. take a sufficiently large saucepan, and put therein one of those three-legged iron rings upon which meat is placed when sent to the oven. every good housewife will know what i mean. on this stand put the tray containing the crop hair, and surround the whole with water, taking care, however, that none enters the tray. put the lid on the saucepan; boil for at least a quarter of an hour, and by this simple arrangement the hair will be sufficiently well prepared for the baking process. take the tray containing the hair carefully out, and after allowing the steam to blow off, a certain amount of dryness will follow, when it can be baked in a cool oven, or in front of a good fire—the oven of course being preferable. when quite cold the weights are to be removed, each curled lock of hair put into a box or drawer till wanted, and, above all, it must be kept in a warm, dry apartment.
1. seven strand plait, with fancy comb attached. 2. pin curl. these curls are generally made upon hair-pins, for which a small quantity of short frizzed, or curled hair, suffices. 3, 4, & 5. human hair frizzetts, for plaited chignons, plicaturas, &c. 6. long plait, for a coiled chignon when made upon the head.
31when frizzets were used in the elaboration of a lady’s coiffure, as was the practice a few years ago, several pieces of craped hair were all-important. the trade done in both large and small frizzets, pads, stems for plicaturas, twists, and plaits was something enormous, and quantities of a dyed material resembling hair were brought into requisition. and this was absolutely necessary, for the stock of human hair suitable for the purpose became exhausted. a brief allusion to the important case of donisthorpe v. jowett will not be out of place here, as it is largely connected with the subject. this action was tried in the court of exchequer, and lasted six or seven days, a full report of which appeared at the time.[3] it was an action brought for the infringement of a patent process which related to crimping hair, but more particularly applied to a dyed material largely used as a substitute. “i am afraid to mention to you,” said mr. matthews, q.c., in his opening address, “the figures that have been laid before me as to the extent of the trade. it is not pounds; it is not hundredweights; it is not tons nor hundreds of tons, but it is hundreds of thousands of tons in which this crimped hair is sold in the english market.” but i need not stay to enter into the details of this remarkable suit; it is sufficient for my purpose to show the enormous business that was done in these goods at one time. i will turn, therefore, to the appliances which every 32hairdresser possesses, or can easily obtain, and deal with the crimping of human hair on a small scale. the method generally adopted for craping or crimping hair is as follows: take the screws and pegs used in weaving (a description of which it is unnecessary to give, for the weaving-frame must be known to nearly every hairdresser or barber in the kingdom), and instead of silk, wind string around the peg made for the purpose. the string need not be thick, but it ought to be strong, and if a little stouter than ordinary shop-string, so much the better. when the frame is set up, two strings instead of three (the number usually employed in weaving), are required. put the hair to be used in the brushes in the usual way, with sufficient weight thereon, and commence by drawing out a moderately thick piece of hair technically called “a weft.” i will take it for granted that the reader knows what coarse weft is, in connection with weaving generally, and the “wefts” used in crimping hair are to be decidedly coarse. in this operation, then, the roots of the hair will be near the hand of the workman, while the length of the hair (whatever length it may be) lies smoothly between the two brushes. from the hair so placed draw out a weft, push the root-end close up to the knot (previously tied in the strings by way of a starting-point), and hold it firmly with the thumb and finger of the left hand. commence then to intertwine the free ends of the hair, no matter how long 33it may be, in and out in a regular, firm, and secure manner. let me suppose that you are going to crape some six or eight-inch hair, and that the root-end is being held between the strings as before described. i will assume that the free hair inclines towards the right hand, and is hanging down. pass the root-end under the bottom string, draw it through between; turn it over the top one; draw the roots towards you again, and, by a kind of twist, change the position of the hair, holding the root-end (with the beginning of the crêpé) in the left hand, while the full length of the hair is free. this is to be intertwined in a regular manner with the string till the ends are reached. push up close towards the commencement or root, and use a “jockey” to keep it, as well as the end, in place. what is a “jockey”? it is generally a piece of wood, cardboard, or any other rather hard substance, used in weaving, and found necessary when the hair is coarse and strong. it is dexterously slipped between or upon the “silks,” to keep the roots from springing up when each “weft” is placed in position. in this instance, i would suggest two pieces of firewood, about an inch and a half or two inches long, a quarter of an inch wide, and flat, tied securely together at the top, somewhat expanding at the bottom, and when made, to look like a miniature clothes-peg. with this little contrivance the end of the hair intertwined around the strings can be held in its place until the next “weft” is put in position, 34when it is to be removed, and proceed with the work as before described. this process should go on until all the hair is used, and there may be a yard, or any quantity of craped hair made ready for the next operation.
hair of ten or twelve inches long is most suitable for making “inserted stems.” tie up two strings as before described, and knot them together at the commencement, which is the starting-point in intertwining the hair. the hair itself should be placed within the drawing brushes as before; pull out thick “wefts,” and work them upon the strings as previously described, but with this difference, they are only to be crimped or crêped half way. here is the mode of procedure—draw out a weft, and hold one half of the length in your left hand, while with the right you turn it over, and under, and between the strings in a methodical way, as i have previously mentioned. push up each piece as it is worked, close and tight. thus one half of the hair will be left hanging loose, while the other half when the operation is completed will be crêpé or crimped.
assuming that the work is properly performed, the next important part is the boiling and baking of it. having craped all that is to be done, cut down the strings, and tie the free ends securely together. have ready a clean saucepan (it is best to keep one for the purpose) fill it with either hot or cold water, put the hair and string into it and boil for about a quarter of an hour. then take it out, let the steam evaporate, and put it in a rather warm oven or before a good fire. it should be well baked, for the crimp is wanted to be durable; therefore, if kept in the oven for a day and night so much the better. it can then be allowed to remain on the strings till wanted.
1. a coronet plait. 2. “catogan” chignon; being a twist and four-strand plait, with ribbon bow. 3. the “dolly varden” headdress. 4. marguerite plaits; which can be made in any length of hair, and are easily formed into coils, &c. 5. semi-covered stems, otherwise “inserted stems,” for plaited coils, coronets, &c.
35when the crimped hair is required for use—and i allude to the making of ordinary frizzets first—cut the strings at convenient places and pull them out. have a “card” and “drawing brushes” handy, and as each piece is carded, spread it upon one of the brushes by means of a dressing comb, and when conveniently filled put the other brush on the top, with a sufficiently heavy weight to keep it in its place. i need hardly say that the points are to be within the brushes, while the root-ends must be left projecting out a little way, as that will be found necessary and convenient. with reference to the longer hair which has been prepared for making the inserted stems, a similar course is to be pursued. the plain or straight ends are to be within the brushes, while the roots as in the previous case, are to be left free, say, to the extent of half an inch. having arrived at this point, the next step is to weave the hair, and the method of doing so will be described in due course. i will remark here, however, that in weaving hair for frizzettes inserted stems, &c., all the wefts must not be set one way, as in the case when hair is woven for wigs, fronts, and curls, but each weft must be set in a contrary direction, i.e., one up and 36the other down. i shall be better able to describe this under the head of “weaving,” of which it will be necessary to give an illustration.[4]
there was a time, and not many years ago either, when such an announcement as “combings made up, and the hair turned” would have greatly astonished the trade and the public as well; but now that kind of work is done in nearly every hairdresser’s establishment, be it large or small. i have before alluded to the use of “waste” hair or “combings” in the manufacture of postiche, as it is termed by parisian coiffeurs, and “false hair” by the generality of people here, and expressed my aversion to its employment. hair that is cast off by a law of nature, after illness, accouchements, and a variety of other causes, cannot by any possibility be made equal in appearance and quality to the hair which is cut off from healthy heads. then there is the customary loss of hair about the autumn season, which may be regarded in a similar light to quadrupeds changing their coats, and to birds moulting. hair of this description is generally withered and dry, through a want of sufficient nutrition, which is the primary cause of its decay. there is an old saying that “the value of a thing is just as much as it will bring”; and to ascertain the value of “combings” from a commercial point of view, let any one go to different shops and try 37to sell a paper-bagful. the experiment is not likely to be repeated. like a true artist, i object to the use of inferior materials, for however good the workmanship may be, bad stuff will spoil the lot. i have another objection to make, for i consider that through the introduction of “combings” the sale of hair—good, clean, glossy hair—has fallen off, and the hairdresser’s profits diminished in like proportion. nevertheless, this inferior quality of hair is used, and how to treat it in the most satisfactory way, is what i have here to deal with.
in preparing this hair, which generally comes to hand in a matted and tangled state, the first thing to do is to “card” it, and this should be done with small pieces at a time. after which, these pieces must be laid together until the whole is finished. tie it in bunches of a convenient thickness, and wash thoroughly as previously instructed. it is then to be dried and drawn off in the usual way. mostly it is made up into the required article without “turning,” but it is not suitable for curls unless it is “turned.”
the process of turning hair is attended with some little trouble, and various tradesmen have different ways of doing it. of course the hair can be worked better when it is turned, but, as cheapness is the order of the day, i suppose that where one piece of hair is “turned,” nineteen other pieces do not undergo such careful manipulation. 38in order to deal with this part of the business properly, let me briefly recapitulate.
in describing the formation of hair, and speaking of the cuticle, or outer sheath, i have said that it is of a horny description; that hairs are somewhat cylindrical in shape (excepting curly or wavy hair, which is rather flat); that the cortical structure of human hair is jagged like the teeth of a saw, and that this serrated appearance is produced through the outer layer, or sheath, being composed of flattened cells or scales, which overlap each other like the scales of fishes. this can be seen by means of a good microscope, and felt in passing hair quickly from point to root through the fingers. by reversing the hair and drawing it through the fingers from root to point, the difference can more readily be detected in consequence of its smoothness. the knowledge of this structural arrangement is important as it bears largely upon the “turning” operation.
the combings are to be picked out and “carded,” being at the same time held rather loosely in the hand. by so doing, the matted hair becomes disentangled, and is deposited in or upon the “card.” it is then to be drawn out, piece by piece, and laid aside. when the whole has been “carded” in this way, it can be loosely tied in the middle, washed, and dried. i will now assume that the cleaned hair is before you, and that it is to be “turned.” place it in the brushes; draw off a convenient portion, taking 39care that the part held in the hand is clubbed, and proceed in either of the following ways:—hold the piece of hair in the left hand, have a cup of warm water near, into which the fingers of the right hand are to be dipped as occasion requires. the hair is to be worked between the thumb and finger, and the peculiar formation of the hair gradually forces the roots upwards. these roots may be seen plainly with an ordinary magnifying glass; they can be easily discerned by those whose eyesight is good, and are to be discovered by the touch. they generally present a whitish appearance, and are bulbous in form. it should be borne in mind that i am speaking here of the roots in a business sense only, without any regard to the more minute scientific considerations. as the roots present themselves, the hairs to which they are attached are to be pulled out and “turned,” i.e., they are to be put at the bottom of the piece of hair in hand. as each portion is done, it is to be laid aside, until the whole is completed, the roots being at one end, the points at the other. to finish the turning process, the hair should then be drawn off and tied as previously described.
several other ways of turning hair are adopted, but the principle is the same. some use the “card” with the “nitting machine” attached. the teeth of the machine are allowed to be open or close, depending upon the coarse or fine quality of the hair, proceeding upon the principle that 40these “knobs,” or roots, will offer a slight resistance and be intercepted in their course. others, again, employ a row of needles, closely set together, with the same object in view, and producing a like result.
i observe that in a recent american work on the hair, by c. henri leonard, m.d., the subject of hair “turning” has not escaped his notice. he says, speaking of the epidermal coat or cellular layer, that “the flat, quadrilateraloid cells forming it overlap each other, just as the tiles or shingles do each other on our houses,” and that “this peculiarity of arrangement of the scales can be detected by the touch; thus, drawing the hair briskly through the fingers, from the tip to the root, it will then seem to be rough and uneven. often, when quite firm pressure is used, a humming sound may be produced by this man?uvre. you can by this means always tell which is the root-end and which the tip end of the hair, as the overlapping layers lie from the roots. now if you turn the hair, end for end, and draw it from the root to the tip, it will be felt to be smooth and even. advantage has been taken of this fact by hair dealers and dressers, in arranging their stock. where the hair has become disarranged, that is, a part with the roots one way and the remainder with the tips in the same direction, the whole is thrown upon a smooth, hard surface, and rolled briskly back and forth with the palm of the hand, or pulp of the fingers, when those with the roots 41in the same direction will begin to ‘back out’ from the mass, and then can be easily sorted out and arranged in a proper manner. were this precaution not taken (to have the points all one way) the hair would never lie evenly and smoothly upon the head. this same ‘rolling’ process, in a minor degree, takes place at each twist of the head on the pillow, and hence explains why our ladies’ hairs are less snarled and tangled than they would otherwise be after a night’s repose.”
