The Art of Perfumery, and Methods of Obtaining the Odors of Plants Part 28

It is a practice universal among the women of the higher and middle cla.s.ses in Egypt, and very common among those of the lower orders, to blacken the edge of the eyelids, both above and below the eye, with a black powder, which they term _kohhl_. The kohhl is applied with a small probe of wood, ivory, or silver, tapering towards the end, but blunt.

This is moistened sometimes with rose-water, then dipped in the powder, and drawn along the edges of the eyelids. It is thought to give a very soft expression to the eye, the size of which, in appearance, it enlarges; to which circ.u.mstances probably Jeremiah refers when he writes, "Though thou rentest thy face (or thine eyes) with painting, in vain shalt thou make thyself fair."--_Jer._ 4:30. See also LANE'S _Modern Egyptians_, vol. i, p. 41, et seq.

A singular custom is observable both among Moorish and Arab females--that of ornamenting the face between the eyes with cl.u.s.ters of bluish spots or other small devices, and which, being stained, become permanent. The chin is also spotted in a similar manner, and a narrow blue line extends from the point of it, and is continued down the throat. The eyelashes, eyebrows, and also the tips and extremities of the eyelids, are colored black. The soles, and sometimes other parts of the feet, as high as the ankles, the palms of the hands, and the nails, are dyed with a yellowish-red, with the leaves of a plant called Henna (_Lawsonia inermis_), the leaf of which somewhat resembles the myrtle, and is dried for the purposes above mentioned. The back of the hand is also often colored and ornamented in this way with different devices. On holidays they paint their cheeks of a red brick color, a narrow red line being also drawn down the temples.

In Greece, "for coloring the lashes and sockets of the eye they throw incense or gum labdanum on some coals of fire, intercept the smoke which ascends with a plate, and collect the soot. This I saw applied. A girl, sitting cross-legged as usual on a sofa, and closing one of her eyes, took the two lashes between the forefinger and thumb of her left hand, pulled them forward, and then, thrusting in at the external corner a sort of bodkin or probe which had been immersed in the soot, and withdrawing it, the particles previously adhering to the probe remained within the eyelashes."--CHANDLER'S _Travels in Greece._

Dr. Shaw states that among other curiosities that were taken out of the tombs at Sahara relating to Egyptian women, he saw a joint of the common reeds, which contained one of these bodkins and an ounce or more of this powder.

In England the same practice is adopted by many persons that have gray hair; but instead of using the black material in the form of a powder, it is employed as a crayon, the color being mixed with a greasy body, such as the brown and black stick pomatums, described in the previous article.

TURKISH HAIR DYE.

In Constantinople there are some persons, particularly Armenians, who devote themselves to the preparation of cosmetics, and obtain large sums of money from those desirous of learning this art. Amongst these cosmetics is a black dye for the hair, which, according to Landerer, is prepared in the following manner:--

Finely pulverized galls are kneaded with a little oil to a paste, which is roasted in an iron pan until the oil vapors cease to evolve, upon which the residue is triturated with water into a paste, and heated again to dryness. At the same time a metallic mixture, which is brought from Egypt to the commercial marts of the East, and which is termed in Turkish _Rastiko-petra_, or _Rastik-Yuzi_, is employed for this purpose.

This metal, which looks like dross, is by some Armenians intentionally fused, and consists of iron and copper. It obtains its name from its use for the coloration of the hair, and particularly the eyebrows--for _rastik_ means eyebrows, and _yuzi_ stone. The fine powder of this metal is as intimately mixed as possible with the moistened gall-ma.s.s into a paste, which is preserved in a damp place, by which it acquires the blackening property. In some cases this ma.s.s is mixed with, the powder of odorous substances which are used in the seraglio as perfumes, and called _harsi_, that is, pleasant odor; and of these the princ.i.p.al ingredient is ambergris. To blacken the hair a little of this dye is triturated in the hand or between the fingers, with which the hair or beard is well rubbed. After a few days the hair becomes very beautifully black, and it is a real pleasure to see such fine black beards as are met with in the East among the Turks who use this black dye. Another and important advantage in the use of this dye consists therein, that the hair remains soft, pliant, and for a long time black, when it has been once dyed with this substance. That the coloring properties of this dye are to be chiefly ascribed to the pyrogallic acid, which can be found by treating the ma.s.s with water, may be with certainty a.s.sumed.

LITHARGE HAIR DYE.

Powdered litharge, 2 lbs.

Quicklime, 1/2 lb.

Calcined magnesia, 1/2 lb.

Slake the lime, using as little water as possible to make it disintegrate, then mix the whole by a sieve.

ANOTHER WAY.

Slaked lime, 3 lbs.

White lead in powder, 2 lbs.

Litharge, 1 lb.

Mix by sifting, bottle, and well cork.

_Directions_ to be sold with the above.--"Mix the powder with enough water to form a thick creamy fluid; with the aid of a small brush; completely cover the hair to be dyed with this mixture; to dye a light brown, allow it to remain on the hair four hours; dark brown, eight hours; black, twelve hours. As the dye does not act unless it is moist, it is necessary to keep it so by wearing an oiled silk, india-rubber, or other waterproof cap.

"After the hair is dyed, the refuse must be thoroughly washed from the head with plain water; when dry, the hair must be oiled."

SIMPLE SILVER DYE. (_Otherwise "Vegetable Dye._")

Nitrate of silver, 1 oz.

Rose-water, 1 pint.

Before using this dye it is necessary to free the hair from grease by was.h.i.+ng it with soda or pearlash and water. The hair must be quite dry prior to applying the dye, which is best laid on with an old tooth-brush. This dye does not "strike" for several hours. It needs scarcely be observed that its effects are more rapidly produced by exposing the hair to suns.h.i.+ne and air.

HAIR DYE, WITH MORDANT. (_Brown._)

Nitrate of silver, 1 oz., blue bottles.

Rose-water, 9 oz. "

_The mordant_.--Sulphuret of pota.s.sium, 1 oz., white bottles.

" Water, 8 oz. "

HAIR DYE, WITH MORDANT. (_Black._)

Nitrate of silver, 1 oz., blue bottles.

Water, 6 oz. "

_The mordant_.--Sulphuret of pota.s.sium, 1 oz., white bottles.

" Water, 6 oz. "

The mordant is to be applied to the hair first; when dry, the silver solution.

Great care must be taken that the sulphuret is fresh made, or at least, well preserved in closed bottles, otherwise, instead of the mordant acting to make to make the hair black, it will tend to impart a _yellow_ hue. When the mordant is good, it has a very disagreeable odor, and although this is the quickest and best dye, its unpleasant smell has given rise to the

INODOROUS DYE.

_Blue bottles._--Dissolve the nitrate of silver in the water as in the above, then add liquid ammonia by degrees until the mixture becomes cloudy from the precipitate of the oxide of silver, continue to add ammonia in small portions until the fluid again becomes bright from the oxide of silver being redissolved.

_White bottles_.--Pour half a pint of boiling rose-water upon three ounces of powdered gall-nuts; when cold, strain and bottle. This forms the mordant, and is used in the same way as the first-named dye, like the sulphuret mordant. It is not so good a dye as the previous one.

FRENCH BROWN DYE.

_Blue Bottles_.--Saturated solution of sulphate of copper; to this add ammonia enough to precipitate the oxide of copper and redissolve it (as with the silver in the above), producing the azure liquid.

_White Bottles_.--_Mordant_.--Saturated solution of prussiate of pota.s.s.

Artificial hair, for the manufacture of perukes, is dyed in the same manner as wool.

There are in the market several other hair dyes, but all of them are but modifications of the above, possessing no marked advantage.

LEAD DYE.

Liquid hair dye, not to blacken the skin, may be thus prepared:--Dissolve in one ounce of liquor pota.s.sae as much freshly-precipitated oxide of lead as it will take up, and dilute the resulting clear solution with three ounces of distilled water. Care must be taken not to wet the skin unnecessarily with it.

QUICK DEPILATORY OR RUSMA. (_For removing hair._)

As the ladies of this country consider the growth of hair upon the upper lip, upon the arms, and on the back of the neck, to be detrimental to beauty, those who are troubled with such physical indications of good health and vital stamina have long had recourse to rusma or depilatory for removing it.

This or a.n.a.logous preparations were introduced into this country from the East, rusma having been in use in the harems of Asia for many ages.

Best lime slaked, 3 lb.

Orpiment, in powder, 1/2 lbs.

Mix the material by means of a drum sieve; preserve the same for sale in well-corked or stoppered bottles.

_Directions_ to be sold with the above. Mix the depilatory powder with enough water to render it of a creamy consistency; lay it upon the hair for about five minutes, or until its caustic action upon the skin renders it necessary to be removed; a similar process to shaving is then to be gone through, but instead of using a razor, operate with an ivory or bone paper-knife; then wash the part with plenty of water, and apply a little cold cream.

The precise time to leave depilatory upon the part to be depilated cannot be given, because there is a physical difference in the nature of hair. "Raven tresses" require more time than "flaxen locks;" the sensitiveness of the skin has also to be considered. A small feather is a very good test for its action.

A few readers will, perhaps, be disappointed in finding that I have only given one formula for depilatory. The receipts might easily have been increased in number, but not in quality. The use of a.r.s.enical compounds is objectionable, but it undoubtedly increases the depilating action of the compounds. A few compilers of "Receipt Books," "Supplements to Pharmacopoeias," and others, add to the lime "charcoal powder,"

"carbonate of pota.s.s," "starch," &c.; but what action have these materials--chemically--upon hair? The simplest depilatory is moistened quicklime, but it is less energetic than the mixture recommended above; it answers very well for tanners and fellmongers, with whom time is no object.