The Implements Used in Preparing Hair—The Preparation of Hair
Described—Washing the Hair—Drying the Hair—Drawing the Hair—Nitting
the Hair—Carding the Hair—Curling the Hair—Boiling and Baking the
Hair.
I will assume that the larger portion of my readers are well acquainted
with the various implements and tools used in the trade, but as this
book will, no doubt, be brought prominently under the notice of
apprentices and improvers, a brief description of such things is not
altogether unnecessary.
A “card” is made with a thick wooden base, into which a large number of
steel prongs or spikes, about two or three inches deep, have been firmly
set, and it is used for carding or smoothing hair. The possession of a
pair of good drawing-brushes is also most important. They should be
large and heavy, and well filled with the best bristles. These brushes
are made of various sizes, but as they are so necessary and useful, I
would recommend the purchase of a good article, and of fair
proportions.[2] A “nitting machine” reminds one of a small-tooth comb,
for its purpose is similar. It is made of brass, fitted with screws to
be turned with the thumb and finger, and these hold together or open at
will a closely-set number of steel teeth. This compact little instrument
is intended to be fixed, when in use, to the front of the “card,” so
that the whole length of hair may be passed through it several times. A
“jigger” is wanted when piping or curling hair. It is a piece of hard
wood, about seven or eight inches long, three inches wide, and
half-an-inch in thickness. There are to be three holes, in the form of a
triangle, towards the upper end, through which ordinary screws are
passed to fix it securely to the work-table or bench. About three inches
of this piece of wood or “jigger” must be allowed to project, and
through the projecting part two holes are to be made in a line with each
other. A piece of strong string is to be passed through these two holes,
tied in a knot, and extend to within a couple of inches of the floor.
The “pipes,” for curling hair, are about three-and-a-half inches in
length, and the thickness of a lead pencil. Formerly they were made of
earthenware clay, but common tobacco-pipe, pieces of cane, or, better
still, willow, with the bark stripped off, answer every purpose. In
addition to the foregoing, a dozen or more pieces of wood, about twelve
or fifteen inches long and one inch square, will be required, together
with vessels for boiling hair, tins or dishes for baking hair, plenty of
string, a dressing comb or two, scissors, etc., and an old razor-blade,
well-set in a handle, allowing two inches of the blade to appear, will
all be useful. Soft soap, and some of the best Scotch soda, together
with hot and cold water, must also be provided.
Let me suppose that the reader has a small stock of hair by him, which
he is desirous of bringing into use. It may have been accumulating for
some time, and is, probably, of divers lengths and colours. It should be
collected together, and the first thing to do is to get the hair
thoroughly clean, so as to prepare it for after manipulation. Separate
the different qualities first, should there be any variation in that
respect, and put all the coarse hair into one lot, and all the fine into
another. In the event of a piece of hair being rather more bulky than
the rest, divide it, so as to have each piece about the same size and
not any thicker than can be washed and dried in an easy, as well as
effectual manner. Tie every piece with string moderately tight and
securely fastened, but loose enough for the tie to slide up and down a
little when the hair is being washed, otherwise, some portion of the
hair will be clean, and where tied, dirty. Before washing, it is better
to give each piece a rough “carding,” so as to prevent its matting
together, and probably breaking the longer hair in its disentanglement.
The foregoing instructions having been attended to, provide two pails or
basins of hot water—as hot as the hand can bear—and into each one put a
tolerable quantity of soft-soap and soda—the best Scotch soda if it can
be obtained. Place a few pieces of the hair into one vessel to soak, so
that the dirt and grease upon it may be more easily removed. Take up one
of the pieces, and holding it as a boy would a stick, between the thumb
and fingers, commence rubbing it in washerwoman style, and, at the same
time, working it gradually from one end to the other. Do not forget to
slip the tie occasionally, and if this process be carefully performed, a
great deal of the grease and dirt will have been removed. This
imperfectly cleaned piece can then be passed into the second vessel.
Proceed in the same way throughout, changing the water frequently, or as
soon as it becomes foul and unfit for use. When all the hair has been
washed twice in the manner described, clean the pails or basins, and
fill them with fresh water—hot in one, and tepid in the other. This is
for rinsing purposes, and the last water must not be soapy, for so long
as that is the case other water must be procured. It is of the utmost
importance to remove all grease, soap, or dirt from the hair, and the
greatest particularity should be exercised in this preliminary
operation.
The hair can be dried either in the sun, in a warm room, or before a
fire. If in the sun, and, of course, in the open air, each piece should
be fastened separately to a line, and left to blow about in the wind for
a few hours, or, in other words, till it is quite dry. If the drying
process be carried on in a warm room, let the hair hang near to the
ceiling, and avoid making a dust: but should an oven, or drying before
the fire, be more convenient, turn the hair frequently, and mind it does
not get scorched or burnt. Both these operations having been duly
attended to, see that the “card” and “drawing-brushes” are perfectly
clean, for the next process is that of drawing the hair.
I must now imagine that the various shades have been selected and placed
in different lots, such as natural blacks here, dark browns there, light
browns, reds, greys, and other shades or particular colours in separate
and convenient places. Commence with the natural black hair. Take a
piece and cut the string which binds it together, hold the hair by the
roots firmly in the right hand, and make smooth by passing it gently
through the “card” several times. It may be necessary to reverse it, but
in that case hold it as near to the roots as possible, so as to avoid
wasting the short and finer hair, which is to be found in every tress.
Having done the carding, remove the top “drawing brush,” and place the
piece of hair upon the underneath one, the roots upon the brush, the
points being free and inclined towards you. Repeat this with a second,
third, or fourth piece of hair, until you have collected all of that
particular shade together, or until the brush is conveniently full. Then
place the other brush on the top, press down moderately tight, and put a
rather heavy weight upon it. The brushes being before you, the length of
them extending from left to right, the hair which is free being of
varying lengths (say) from twenty inches up to the very short within the
brushes, it is now ready to be “drawn.” The workbench or table should be
bound with hoop-iron, rising a quarter of an inch above the level, to
form a “stop,” so that the brushes, hair, and weights may not be pulled
off. But if the table is not so made it will be necessary to provide a
“stop” by means of nails or screws. I have previously alluded to a dozen
or more pieces of wood (the length of the brushes), twelve or fifteen
inches long, and one inch square, and now I will describe their use.
Assuming the longest hair in the brushes to be twenty inches, four
inches or more of which being securely held between them, it follows
that fifteen or sixteen inches must be free. It is requisite to have the
points of the hair projecting a little, and only a little, over the edge
of the table. The “stop” being at or near the edge cannot act as a
check, but by placing a sufficient number of these pieces of wood
between the “stop” and the brushes, they, _i.e._, the brushes, can be
made secure at any distance required. Take the old razor blade already
spoken of (which for convenience I will call a knife), and commence
“drawing” the hair in small portions of, say, one or two hundred hairs.
Continue this, holding the hair firmly in the left hand, while the knife
is in the right, until a large quantity has been drawn off. As the
length of the hair diminishes, so it will be necessary to remove one or
more pieces of wood in order to keep the ends projecting, as I have said
before, a little over the table’s edge. Assuming that the brushes were
tolerably well supplied with hair at the outset, the hand is likely to
get filled three or four times, but each of these pieces of hair can be
loosely tied for the present and put aside. It is to be noted that the
fastening will in this case be at the points instead of at the roots,
but that, I need hardly say, is simply for temporary convenience. The
drawing-brushes being again clear, the same pieces are to have the tie
cut and placed in regular order on the underneath brush—the longest hair
being on the right, the shortest on the left, and the different lengths
graduating between. Now put the other brush over all, with weights upon
the top to hold the hair secure. Let a sufficient number of slips of
wood fill up the vacancy between the “stop” and the brushes, while the
ends of the longest hair project a little over the edge of the table.
Remember that the _roots_ of the hair are now before you, and commence.
Keep the roots even and clubbed, but drawing until there is about a
quarter of an ounce in the hand, when it should be neatly and securely
tied. This is to be repeated until the whole of the hair placed in the
brushes is finished. Of course, as the hair diminishes, one piece of
wood after the other must be taken away, and tresses of certain definite
lengths will be the result. These tresses can all be classified by
putting the various lengths together, thus—seven and eight-inch hair
(calling it eight), nine and ten-inch hair (calling it ten), eleven and
twelve-inch hair (calling it twelve), and so on. The shortest and, in
all probability, the finest hair in the brushes must also be drawn and
firmly tied, but I purpose dealing with that, under the designation of
“crop” hair, in due course. This process of drawing must be pursued,
until the entire quantity is disposed of.
Having got the hair well washed, and in regular order, you must now make
a careful examination to see whether there are any nits. This is
important, for the most clever piece of work is spoiled in the
estimation of people in general, should they discover anything of the
kind upon even one of the hairs. To imagine that a mixed quantity of raw
hair can be perfectly free from parasitic indications is a mistake which
no respectable hairdresser would allow to occur. True, some hair goods
are to be found in a condition the reverse of what they ought to be, but
these are generally offered for sale, by not over-scrupulous tradesmen,
and purchased by customers of strong economical tendencies. Be that as
it may, it is requisite to examine the hair, and any unsatisfactory or
suspected pieces should be picked out. Now, I will suppose that nits are
observed upon half-a-dozen of these pieces, and with them I purpose
dealing. Fix the “nitting machine” to the front of the “card” in a
secure manner, and, to prevent accidents, it is most important this
should be strictly attended to. Cut the tie: firmly grasp the tress of
hair, and “card” it, taking good care that each time it is made to pass
through the machine also. This is to be repeated until the nits are
removed; the hair being reversed occasionally to “nit” the other end.
It is worthy of remark that the eggs or nits of the common louse are
observable to the naked eye; they are of sugar-loaf form, and generally
deposited upon the hair with the narrow end pointing to the scalp. Hence
it follows that by “carding” the hair the reverse way the nits are much
more easily removed by this useful little machine, which no
hair-preparer should be without. The teeth of the machine can be
rendered fine or coarse (as may be required) by means of thumb-screws
attached, and this process being effectually performed, the hair is now
ready for further manipulation.
Curled hair of ten, twelve, fourteen, and sixteen inches long, is most
in request, but longer or shorter can be curled, if required. I have
already described a piece of hard wood called a “jigger” projecting from
the work-table, and some of the other requirements for “piping” or
curling hair. These I will suppose have been provided, and sundry locks
of hair selected. Take one of the pieces, say, for the sake of
illustration, weighing about a quarter of an ounce, and see that it is
well and securely tied. Moisten the right hand, and rub the roots
together to cause the hair to “felt,” and prevent the tie slipping.
Place the tied part on the “jigger,” hold it by means of the string
which passes through, and press tight with the foot. By this means the
hair is, as it were, held in a vice. Comb it out and divide in two
portions. Take one of the pieces of willow, cane, or whatever may be
employed for the purpose, technically called a “pipe,” and a piece of
rather stiff paper about 3 inches by 2. Put the “pipe” upon the hair,
and the paper underneath, holding both in their places by means of the
thumb and fingers and pressing gently the while. Draw the two downwards
till you get to the points, and then commence to curl. By a movement of
the hands, spread the hair a little, holding it firm and tight until it
is all rolled up. Take about a yard of string and tie the hair and
“pipe” together, by passing the string round one and then the other in
such a way as to hold it firmly in its place without slipping, and
fasten off securely. There is some art in doing this adroitly, which is
difficult to explain in writing, but the reader should bear in mind that
I am addressing those in the trade, and probably an opportunity will now
and then offer for a practical illustration by some experienced hand. I
have generally found it convenient to use all the straight hair in
plaits, twists, etc., in the course of my business, and to purchase the
curled hair ready prepared for use. This cannot always be done,
especially by those who reside in distant parts, but a little practice
will soon enable an intelligent workman to overcome any difficulty that
presents itself.
After the hair is rolled or curled up on “pipes,” it has to be boiled
and baked, so as to “fix the curl.” The hair should be boiled for an
hour or more, and afterwards allowed a brief period to drain. While
still warm it is to be put into trays or dishes and baked for several
hours; there are suitable ovens constructed for the purpose now-a-days,
but formerly the hair used to be embedded in dried sand and baked in a
moderately cool baker’s oven. The whole lot of hair is to be strung
together like ropes of onions afterwards, and hung in a warm dry place
for days or months till wanted. In unrolling (there being two curls to
each tress) one curl should be turned to the right and the other to the
left, and if this work be properly performed, the hair will present a
bright, glossy appearance, with a natural-looking and durable ringlet
curl.