1285. New French Remedy for Baldness

1285.      New French Remedy for Baldness. Croton oil, one of the last French remedies for baldness, is employed by simply adding it to oil or pomade, and stirring or agitating the two together until admixture or solution be complete. The formula adoptTOOTH POWDERS.

ed by the eminent French physician who introduced this remedy, and who speaks, in the most confident and enthusiastic way, of the success attending its use, is - take of croton oil, 12 drops (minims); oil of almonds, 4 Troy drachms; mix. A little is to be well rubbed on the scalp twice a day. Soft down, we are assured, appears in three weeks. Mr. Cooley says: "I have tried a number of experiments with croton oil, thus used, in partial loss of hair and baldness, and am compelled to bear testimony to its efficacy in several apparently hopeless cases, in which even can-tharidine had failed. Soft hair, resembling down, did begin to appear in from 3 to 4 weeks, and continued to grow and increase in strength for some time. It was, however, only in about one-third of these cases that this down subsequently increased in stiffness and quantity so as to well cover the part, and to deserve the name of hair, in the popular sense of the word." (See No. 1286 (Caution about Strong Hair Cosmetics).)

1286. Caution about Strong Hair Cosmetics

1286.     Caution about Strong Hair Cosmetics. Although the stronger hair cosmetics are, as a rule, perfectly safe when applied according to the directions given, and the chief inconvenience that may arise, even from their too free or injudicious use, will be only temporary irritation, perhaps accompanied or followed by slight desquamation of the cuticle, or by a few unimportant pustules which will pass off in two or three days, yet there are cases in which their application would be unwise, and liable to produce more serious consequences. Thus, persons of a nervous temperament, with a highly irritable skin, and bad habit of body, persons liable to attacks of erysipelas, or to swollen glands behind the ears, or to swellings or tumors in the upper part of the neck behind, or to eruptive or other attacks of the scalp, and the like, should not have recourse to them. In other cases, and, indeed, in all cases, it is wise to use them very sparingly, or in a diluted state at first, and thus, as it were, feel our way, and be able to judge from experience the strength that can be employed, without inconvenience, to produce the desired effect. (See Nos. 1177, etc., 1279, etc., and 1285.)

1287. Hungarian Pomade for the Moustache

1287.      Hungarian Pomade for the Moustache. Melt by a gentle heat £ pound gum-arabic, and 1/2 pound of oil soap, in 1 pint rose water, then add 1 pound white wax, constantly stirring; when of a uniform consistency, add 1 ounce attar of bergamot, and 1/2 drachm attar of thyme, for perfume. If required to be brown, color it with tube-burnt amber; or for black, use tube ivory-black.