Page:Personal beauty how to cultivate and preserve it in accordance with the laws of health (1870).djvu/295

 will injure the hair. As the stains on the skin can be removed, and the other objections can be avoided by judicious use, they are not serious.

The strength of the solution used for a full black, is a drachm and a half of the nitrate to two ounces of distilled water. To give a rich brown, dilute some of this with an equal amount of distilled water, and for a light brown with double the quantity of water.

This simple solution will, in a few hours after application, yield the desired hue, but it is customary to use a mordant, to "strike the color" at once. The following is one of the best:—

Take— Of sulphuret of potassium     three drachms; Distilled water               two ounces; Liquor of potassa             a drachm and a half; Oil of anise seed             a few drops.

The hair is first thoroughly cleansed from dust and grease by washing in soap and water, or in water containing a little solution of ammonia. The hair is then allowed to dry, and is next moistened with the mordant, diluted with four or five times its bulk of water. After a few minutes, the nitrate of silver solution is rapidly and thoroughly applied by a fine tooth comb or small brush, the hairs being touched close to their roots, but the skin avoided. This part of the process is delicate, and to do it well requires a skilful hand.

Such an operation, if submitted to once a month,