HOME HEALTH GUIDE

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 79, Issue 7103, 5 September 1949, Page 5

HOME HEALTH GUIDE

THE HAIR AND SCALP Nourishment for the hair comes from the blood alone and not from the various concotions of the barber or hair-dresser. On the average, short hair may be safely washed once in two weeks and long hair once in three weeks. It is best done with soap and water—any good toilet soap that lathers freely is good for shampooing the hair. Daily brushing keeps the hair clean and glossy and massages the scalp. An infant’s brush should have long, soft bristles. But a brush for adults should have stiff bristles preferably arranged in clumps set well apart. A brush should be disinfected once a week by soaking in a 2 per cent, solution of formalin. A good comb has long, wide, thick, smooth and blunt teeth. Whether the hair is worn short or long is a matter of individual choice. The close cutting of hair after a serious illness is of little value. Singeing tlje ends of hair is an absurdity. The theory for singeing is that the hairs are hollow tubes from which some mysterious vital force may flow and escape. As a matter of fact, hairs are solid and contain no body fluid. Ordinary dandruff is not a natural condition, but is due to infection acquired from barber shops, hairdressing parlours and hat stores. The conventional sulphur ointment rubbed into the scalp some hours before washing and removed with a green soap shampoo, combined with a semiweekly anti-septic rinse, will help a lot. Your own treatment of the hair along sensible lines is best in the long run.