Care for Your Shingled Head

Ladies' Mirror, Volume 4, Issue 11, 1 May 1926, Page 57

Care for Your Shingled Head

<&y MARGARET HALLAM, in ilc &he Ladies' Field"

IF the truth and nothing but the truth were told, it would be discovered that nine women out of ten have their hair cropped or shingled, not so much _ that they want to be in the prevailing fashion, but because they are under a delusion that if they pass a pigmy comb through their shorn locks at intervals during the day, and wear a shingle-net at night, they have performed the sole duty to their heads, and a hairdresser will do the rest towards keeping the said heads smart and their hair in a healthy condition, In fact, they part with their crowning glory, not as the lovely ladies of old did, as a supreme form of sacrifice to mourn a dead husband, or weave a lover's swordbelt, but simply and solely to save themselves trouble.

' I *RUE they are saved the neccsA sity of " doing their hair " once or twice a day, but this is the only trouble they ought to be legitimately saved, for short hair needs as much, if not more, care than long hair does. The sins of the shingled are general sins of omission, the chief of which being omission to brush. TF the hair is to keep both its quan- -*■ tity and quality it must be brushed both frequently and well. First of all with a brush which has boar's bristles set in a rubber pad, to cleanse it thoroughly, and to obviate the need for too frequent washing. Then it should be brushed up on end, with a couple of brushes, if possible, before an open window to let the air get to the roots of the hair, which the tight-fitting pudding basins in which we envelop our heads nowadays make doubly necessary. "XTEXT plunge the bristles well "** into the roots of the hairpecially on the temples—and rub the brush round vigorously in order to stimulate the scalp and promote circulation.

Finally, brush the hair with sweeping strokes from roots to tips, in order to distribute evenly - the natural secretion of oil—which gives the hair its elasticity and gloss, and which prevents it goin prematurely grey, '"pHE woman who affects an Eton A crop should brush her hair vigorously with two brushes just like a man does (she will find a man's brushes easier to handle than those usually patronised by womankind) to enable her to achieve the necessary smart sleekness, In fact, to be smart, all heads must be sleek nowadays; they may ripple with discreet waves, but frizzy effects of a furze bush nature must be avoided at all costs.

T QUITE agree that a smart -*- shingled head. immaculately trimmed, exquisitely waved, burnished and glossy, is a lovesome sight. But for one sleek and perfect head I see—especially in the country—at least " five-and-thirty frights," touzled and unlovely, with short ends escaping from a weird collection of odd little clips and clasps. TTERY often the most assiduous v care of the hair seems to have small resultsthe reason is not far to seek. Its health and beauty depends almost entirely on whether the general state of the health is good or not. Unless the blood is in good condition the hair cannot be nourished properly. Overwork, fatigue, worry, late hours, over-heated rooms, all play havoc with the hair, and make it dull, lustreless and lifeless, and fall to excess. When this happens, a visit to a doctor is often a good investment, for no woman can afford to let herself get run down.

AT ANY women complain that IVI their hair comes out in handfuls, when really they are only losing a normal, i.e., fifteen to twenty hairs every day. If the fall is greatly in excess of this quantity, then it is time to sit up and take notice, especially if little bald spots appear, and expert advice must be obtained. Often dandruff, in either its dry or greasy form, is responsible for the trouble, and must be got rid of as expeditiously as possible. greyness, it is impossible to lay down any hard and fast rule as to when the hair will go grey; it depends on so many things. Normally the first white hairs may be expected in the early forties, and the whole head may become grey in two years or take a very long time over the process; indeed, some people's heads

are patchy until the day of their death; a beautifully uniformly grey head, which is so becoming and attractive, is very rare, which is one of the reasons I think why so many women tint their hair when it begins to change colour, " 'TENTING " is a vexed question which every woman must answe.r for herself. The woman, who decides to do it, should go to a thoroughly reliable conscientious hairdresser, who understands this difficult and dangerous art. It is almost impossible to tint the hair properly oneself. The habit of tinting, once begun, i s very difficult to leave off, and the only satisfactory way, to my mind, is to.cut the hair quite short, and to wear a transformation with'a little grey in it until the hair has grown, shingle length, and all the dyed bits have grown out and been snipped off.