The Beauty of Hair

Q — Do you believe that the health of the body in general has a bearing on the beauty of the hair?

A — Of course. Before setting out to look into the outward causes of hair beauty, we must first make sure that the lady enjoys good health, for many internal ailments have a bad effect on the hair.

Q — That is a first step, to make sure of our general health. And what comes after that?

A — After health comes cleanliness — cleanliness of the body first, then cleanliness of the head in particular...

Q — How many times may we wash the head in a single week, for instance?

A — The hair should be washed on the average of once a week, for washing it too often causes dryness and gives it a tired look.

Q — And with what do you advise a lady to wash her hair? I mean, with what kind of soap?

A — There are the kinds of "shampoo" that are imported from the West; still, I see no harm in using baladi soap, provided one makes sure of the purity of the olive oil used in cooking it... But if the soap is of the poor sort, it harms the hair and gives it dryness and a rough feel... and that is contrary to beauty...

Q — Certainly... And now, have you a simple recipe — I mean of the homely, baladi kind — that helps to nourish the hair and preserve its allure?

A — Yes. There are two kinds of hair foods. The first is oil — pure olive oil — and this is used twice a week to treat dry hair.

Q — And what is the way to use it?

A — The roots of the hair are rubbed vigorously with the fingertips, and it is left on the head for an hour before the bath; this operation helps to get rid of dandruff and gives the hair health and vitality.

Q — And what is the second kind of hair food?

A — The second kind is eggs. An egg, or several eggs, are used in the same way the oil was used; it stays on the hair half an hour before it is washed out well, and it helps its sheen and its beauty...

Q — You said this operation helps to get rid of dandruff in the hair. Is there a second way of getting rid of this dandruff? For I notice that dandruff is hair's enemy number one! And how a woman's beauty is troubled and lowered in worth when her hair is marred by flakes of white scurf scattering over her clothes, robbing her of much of the value of that beauty, however great and splendid it may be. What, Mrs. Rustum, do you think of treating dandruff of the head?

A — The best and simplest treatment is to wash the head after the bath — or, as we say, to give the hair a final rinse — with half a glass of vinegar mixed with a glass and a half of water, that is, in the proportion of one to three; the hair is rinsed with this mixture after the bath...

Q — And is this mixture used for all colors of hair?

A — No. Vinegar is used for black and dark hair; in the case of blonde hair, the juice of the sour lemon, which has the same effect, is used in place of the vinegar...

Q — And what is your opinion of the perfumes a lady uses to scent her hair? Do they harm the beauty of the hair?

A — All kinds of alcohol, if used in quantity, harm the hair and cause it to dry, and thus help it toward early graying... So let the lady perfume herself behind her ears and around her neck and wherever she pleases, only let her keep perfumed scents away from her hair...

Q — How do we use rubbing, or "massage"? And what is its importance for the beauty of the hair?

A — Massage is necessary for the hair, to stir the circulation of the blood and to rouse the hair follicles to work and to secrete. Massage likewise distributes the hair's secretion evenly and gives it a natural sheen... Therefore a lady should rub the skin of her head with her fingertips in a vigorous motion for ten minutes before sleep and five minutes in the morning.

Q — And what is the importance of the brush for the hair?

A — The brush is the complement of massage, and the more a lady uses it, the more general and the greater is the benefit in smoothing the hair and giving it luster — provided the brush is a stiff one.

Q — And before we close our talk, is there any particular remark you would like to make?

A — Yes. Since we are speaking of hair, I should like to draw the attention of the gracious lady readers to the eyebrows. I have noticed that some ladies incline to plucking them out and replacing them with a thin line — and this turns a lady's beauty into ugliness!! Broad eyebrows complete the beauty of the hair, the eyes, and the brow — and the beauty of the elegant lady is not complete without them...