Hardcore haircare.

[Greg Barnett]

Re: Hardcore haircare.

Jeff,
We get that from the muskee and the sawgeye from the Tenn River and the Holston.
Just joking!!!

I am sure that bee's wax and mild fragrance would have to smell better than the spermaceti.

Jeff being out there on the Northwest coast, you should have some access to whale>>>

Cheers,

[Jeff Prechtel]

Re: Hardcore haircare.

Greg-
OK, Gotcha :)

I'd have to agree on the wax & fragrance, over the spermaceti.

Yeah, if not whale, I'm sure I could find some tuna or
some salmon oil, but I doubt it's be very popular with the ladies...
or anybody else for that matter.....well cats maybe.

[nick19thind]

Re: Hardcore haircare.

Try coconut milk.
It will smell a lot better than fish oil and was widely used in the 19th century.

[Jeff Prechtel]

Re: Hardcore haircare.

Hey- does anyone else remember reading that Custer
used oil of cinnamon on his hair?

I'm guess that this was fairly common...
the use scented oils, in place of a palmade.

[Old Cremona]

Re: Hardcore haircare.

Something I've noticed about hair now that I've quit shampooing for about 3 weeks- I don't get "hat hair." When your hair is all dry and poofy it gets mashed down by the hat and looks a fright- but when your hair is its normal oily self it looks fine when you take your hat off.

[Amtmann]

Re: Hardcore haircare.

http://www.geocities.com/rowdy_pards/articles/hair.html

Seems to be about the only link I can find to the old article by Jon Isaacson.

[Virginia Mescher]

Re: Hardcore haircare.

Ladies & Gents-

Is there a historically correct, authentic men's palmade or hair oil
that's currently on the market? I've seen period recipes, but I seem to
be fresh out of spermeceti oil. Is there a decent substitute for that...
virgin olive oil perhaps?

It is very easy to make your own hair care products with easy to find ingredients and you don't have to go "awhaling" to find them. :)

In my book, Powdered, Painted, Perfumed there are a number of modern adaptations of hair care products that are safe to use and the ingredients are readily available. There are modern recipes for Macassar oil, hair pomade, and shampoos all of which were adapted from period recipes.

The book includes information on cosmetics (history and various types) for both men and women, 19th century recipes, modern recipes, a chapter on information measurements and essential oils and a glossary of 19th century personal care ingredients.

I will also be giving a workshop period cosmetics at the Ladies and Gentlemen Conference in March 6-9, 2008. For further information about the conference, go to www.genteelarts.com.

[Emmanuel Dabney]

Re: Hardcore haircare.

Part of our mission here on the Authentic-Campaigner is to bring to the fore mid-19th century documentation of specific events, daily life, clothing, and material culture.

Liz and I have conferred and agreed to do some cleaning up and reopen this thread. We strongly encourage people to check out Virginia Mescher's research on these issues of beautifcation in her previously mentioned book. Further contributions to the thread are welcome if again we are seeing mid-nineteenth century advice.

[xamier]

Re: Hardcore haircare.

I wash my hair every 7 to 10 days with shampoo.If I get hot or dusty, I rinse my hair with warm water.

I believe that I have seen an article in Goodies or perhaps another magazine urging ladies to wash their hair once a week and not encouraging a lot of oil use. (I honestly don't recall where I read this, except that I am sure it was advice from an original source)

I wonder if the idea that period hair is oily is a renactorism or perhaps was true for some people and not others. Once my hair/head got used to not being washed often, the oily look disappeared. In period pictures a lot of the ladies hair is smooth and shinny. One can get this look without excess oil placed in the hair.

I always put Herbal oil on the ends after I wash (a little on the rest) My hair is heavy and shinny, but not noticeably oily. (without the oil it is fluffy and not as shinny) I wear it braided and sometimes pinned up. I can smooth the hair on my head and it is smooth and shinny, like in a period photo. I have had many compliments on my unusual hair style. (LOL, I say it was the height of fashion 140 years ago)


Betty Morgan
xamier@bellsouth.net
Winston Free State
Citronelle, Alabama USA

[Material Culture]

Re: Hardcore haircare.

If you folks keep putting pomade in your hair we will have to start using Antimacassars on our furniture, Not putting them under centerpieces on the table.

Sam Hayle
Antimacassar Mess

[Memphis_Belle]

Re: Hardcore haircare.

I have read several accounts of people using 'sweet oil,' which is Extra Virgin Olive oil. You can buy a small bottle in the pharmacy dept at your local walmart or just go to the grocery store and purchase the olive oil. If you visit the ethnic haircare isle, you can even get it in a spray can. It's very easy to use and will wash out. I tried not washing my hair with shampoo method for awhile, but as my hair is extremely thick and greasy anyway, just made my sensitive skin break out.

[j harold 587]

Re: Hardcore haircare.

My mother reports that my great grand father a veteran of the 145th OVI always carried a small bottle of olive oil to keep his hair looking well maintained. She told me he started the habit during his war service.


Sir,
Please remember to sign your posts with your first and last names.

(Elizabeth Clark, moderating team)

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: Hardcore haircare.

Hallo!

There are other factors to "oily hair" beyond frequency of washing with soap or the addition of oil or grease.

The finer one's hair, the more hairs are on one's head, and the more sebaceous glands there are to produce sebum or the "fatty oil" of hair oil.
Redheads have less hair than blonds, and tend to suffer less from excess hair oil. Men to have less hairs than women. Men have androgen, a hormone that can stimulate oil gland production. Stress can also stimulate oil gland production in men and women.
Heat and humidity can stimulate excess oil production, and the wearing of black hats on a summer's day can add excess sweat as well as oil. (Ah, the dreaded "Hat Hair" look. I can get sweated and oiled hair in about 15 minutes wearing a hat in the sun.)

Plus, coarse or wiry hair tends to "get oiled" faster than fine straight hair. I had a pard with wiry "red hair" that I swore was immume to getting wet let alone oily hair.

It is an interesting discussion, combining the physiology or biology of hair, with the social and personal customs of how often one washed, or should wash, one's hair. OR oil or grease it for men and women.
I think the modern rise of "Madison Avenue" advertising on style and practice, has had a profound influence. I am reminded of the old (I believe) Brylcreme commercials from the mid/late 1960's speaking to the "Wethead is dead!" but then marketing hair grease.

Curt
Who thinks his father has never washed his hair Mess

[Cottoncarder]

Re: Hardcore haircare.

I use a mixture of Sweet Almond and Castor Oil with a bit of Rosmary essential oil to treat dry scalp. Gives a nice period look using a period recipe with correct materials and when I wash it out after the event my hair is moisturized and well behaved for weeks.

[BrettKIllinois]

Re: Hardcore haircare.

I use shampoo maybe once per month, it is certainly feasible to go without. I also had a recipe for a hair tonic/pomatums that I used to keep the hair in a wet look when appropriate. Let me look and see if I can find the recipe somewhere.