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Erasmus Wilson's Hair Wash

Take 8 Imperial fluid ounces strongest eau de Cologne; tincture of cantharides, 1 fluid ounce; English oil of lavender, and oil of rosemary, each, & fluid drachm; mix. It is improved by the addition of fluid drachm oil of origanum, or by its substitution for the oil of lavender; but the omission of the latter renders it less odorous. 1183. Parisian Wash to Gradually Darken the Hair. Take of green sulphate of iron, 15 to 20 grains; distilled verdigris, 5 or 6 grains; good white wine, 1 Imperial pint; perfume with eau de Cologne to suit; mix. A favorite among the fashionable Parisians.

The above will iron-mould linen if permitted to come in contact with it. 1184. Wash to Gradually Darken the Hair. Take of sulphate of iron (green, with long hair, this plan is objectionable; and a better one is to brush the scalp until redness and a warm glow are produced, then dab among the roots of the hair one or other of the hair lotions. If the lotion produce smarting or tenderness, the brush may be laid aside, crushed), 2 drachms avoirdupois; rectified but if no sensation is occasioned, the brushing spirit, 1 Imperial fluid ounce; oil of rosemary, 10 or 12 drops pure soft water, 1/2 pint; agishould be resumed, and a second application tate them together until solution and mixture practiced once or twice a day, or at intervals are complete. Many persons substitute the of a few days, according to the state of the strongest old ale for the water ordered above. of the lotion made. This treatment be scalp; namely, if tender, less; if insensible, more frequently. When the baldness happens in patches, the skin should be well brushed with a soft tooth brush, dipped in distilled vinegar morning and evening, or dipped in one of the washes given below. If either of these lotions should be found too irritating to the skin, use them in smaller quantity, or diluted, less frequently. If they have the effect of making the hair harsh and dry, this inconvenience may be removed by the use of oil or pomatum after each application of the lotion.

Pomatums for the growth of the hair are very inferior to the lotions in efficacy. The basis of most hair invigorators and restorers is either the tincture or the vinegar of cantharides; the method of preparing the latter ingredient is given in the next receipt. 1178. To Prepare Vinegar of Cantharides. This preparation is not always obtainable in the drug stores, and is made by macerating, with agitation for 8 days, 2 ounces powdered cantharides in 1 pint acetic acid; then press and strain. (See No. 1183.)