THE WOMAN'S WORLD.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 11149, 23 August 1899, Page 3

THE WOMAN'S WORLD.

CARE OP THE HAIR. Ghetxess of the hair results from contraction of the vessels, which keeps out the colouring matter, and allows the colourless tube to show itself. The causes are varied, a severe cold, grief, anxiety, or excessive deposits of lime in the tubes, which is the cause of the greyness of old age. There is a very excellent preparation for counteracting the lime deposit, made principally of lime or lemon juice and glycerine. To half a pint of the acid add a quarter of a pint of lose water and six tablespoonfuls of rectified spirits shaken in it. After 24 hours strain through muslin, add two and onehalf ounces of glycerine and half a drachm of lemon or eedrat and shake well. It will be fragrant and milky. Blonde hair can be saved from greyness by treating it each night with the yolk of an egg, beaten up with glycerine. The head must be covered afterward, to prevent soiling the pillows, and must be washed in the morning to take away the stickiness. Dark hair should be treated with walnut juice combed into the hair. A frequent use of sage tea. made by steeping for half an hour a small package of pressed sage leaves in a quart of water, and when strained adding two tablespoonfuls of alcohol, will keep the hair dark and strengthen it. Falling hair can be stopped by washing the scalp with warm water and the yolk of an egg, thoroughly rinsing it, and applying night and morning a spoonful of this mixture:— glycerine, 3 drachms, and limewater, 4oz; rubbing it into the roots of the hair with a brush. About ten days later put a half-ounce of tincture of cantkarides into the bottle and use it as before. I have known beautiful results from this treatment in three weeks' time.

When the hair is thin, soft, and fine, and comes out easily, it should be brushed very lightly; in fact, it is better to lav aside the brush entirely, and loosen and lift the hair with the fingers each night before retiring, and gently massage the scalp with the tips of the fingers. Dry, thin hair can be successfully treated with vaseline applied to the roots and rubbed into the scalp. Such hair should not be washed with soap oftener than once a month— in two months is better. Coarse, strong hair is the only kind that can stand a frequent shampoo. There is one point I desire to impress firmly upon every woman's mind—the great necessity of clean combs and brushes. " But expensive articles will not stand such treatment," is the objection I hear. Of course not; therefore supply yourself with well-made articles that will stand cleansing in soda or ammonia water— in soapsuds, which will soften the bristles of brushes, and dull the lustre of combs. This cleansing process ought to be undergone each week, for the dirt which is carried away in the water came from the hair, and will be put back there if not removed by other means. How women can expect to have bright, shining hair, with such filthy toilet articles as I sometimes see passes my comprehension.

A GOOD EXPRESSION. It is a notable fact that many a face whose features are anything but perfect lias been called beautiful because the owner wears an expression of brightness, hope, or comfort. Indeed, no face, however regular the features may be, can claim to be really beautiful unless it has a good expression. The best way to acquire a kind expression is to forget oneself, for no selfish person can really look genuinely pleased at another's pleasure, or really be interested in another's life. A stubborn will causes deep lines from the nose to the corner of the mouth; a morbid disposition causes the mouth to droop at the corners, and an impatient temper draws deep lines across the forehead. I* It is quite possible to acquire a good expression after an amount of time and trouble, and, as a natural consequence, the mind and disposition undergo a complete change. The lines round the eyes will be the pleasant lines of laughter, the lips will unconsciously curve upwards, and the forehead will keep smooth. Expression of face depends entirely upon inward disposition, but there are also lines which spoil a face, and which are merely the result of habit. Take a hand-glass and put yourself in a strong light, then scrutinise your mouth, forehead, and eyes. (Jet to know how any lines that may be there are caused. A hopeful disposition will smile over things that to a despondent mind seem all black and wretched.