BEAUTY.

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXVII, Issue 4403, 10 June 1933, Page 7

BEAUTY.

One day recently I went with si friend to > the hairdresser’s, meaning to sit only a few minutes chatting to her while she had her hair washed; but I was so interested in the very ordinary process of a shampoo seen from the fresh point of view of an onlooker that I stopped and watched the whole thing through from start to finish.

Why is it, I asked m|yself. that most people who shampoo their own hair at home make such a poor job of it, though, if they visit the hairdresser, they come out transformed into a fairy-tale princess ? So I watched the clever little hairdresser as she worked away with her nimble fingers. First of all, the hair was shampooed. How many of you, I wonder, wet your hair before you rub on the shampoo liquid, and soften the water with a teaspoonful of borax? These points make all the difference between clean, soft, glossy hair and clean but harsh, wiry hair. Then the hair was lathered twice, and given a good rinsing between each lathering. This is the only way to remove every particle of dust, fluff, and dandruff, and to wash away all the dirty grease. The final rinsing was very thorough, and, when the water ran perfectly clean, a burnishing rinse, consisting of the juice of half a lemon and an ounce of hydrogen peroxide, added to a pint of hot water, was poured over the hair.

This rinse is suitable for all shades of hair between ash-blonde and light brown. It prevents the hair from darkening, and, if used regularly, will gradually restore fair hair which has darkened to its original colour. If your locks are chestnut, auburn, or dark brown, the burnishing rinse is made of an infusion of henna leaves and a tablespoonful of vinegar. Sage tea and vinegar are correct for black hair.

After the shampoo the hair was dried and sprayed with a setting lotion. When you water-wave your hair you must use a hair-waving lotion containing an alkali to get the best results.

Here is a recipe you can make up for yourself:— Potassium carbonate, £ teaspoonful; rose-water*, 4 ounces. Add the potassium carbonate to the rose-water and shake the bottle until it is dissolved. Wlet the hair thoroughly with the lotion before slipping in your waterwaving combs. If the lotion is used before waving the hair with hot irons the wave will last for several weeks with reasonable care. My friend had her hair set into the waves and curls of the “ cringle.” No longer must we wear our hair long in the nape of the neck. The “ cringle ” is a shingle cut long enough fojr the hair at the back to be curled upwards. It’s a kind fashion to those of us with heads which are too flat at the back. The curls can be pulled out to give a rounder silhouette. Henna is still the favourite vegetable dye for grey hair. You can buy it in blonde, brown, and black shades, as well as the usual auburn colour. For touching up a few grej hairs you have a choice between a concentrated liquid henna or a solid cosmetique which is moistened with water and applied with a brush. v ery grey hair needs more elaborate treatment with henna paste prepared from powdered henna. The yellowish tinge, which so often spoils the appearance of plati-num-grey and silvery-white hair, can be removed with a special shampoo containing a wonderful blue rinse.