216 THE WONDERFUL HOUSE THAT JACK HAS 



excessive dandruff, which is one of the chief causes 

 of baldness. Brushing the hair vigorously once or 

 twice a day with a brush that may be readily cleaned, 

 and washing the head thoroughly about once in two 

 weeks with good soap and water, are also excellent 

 aids in keeping the scalp healthy. 



Cold water every morning will not harm the hair, 

 if a vigorous rubbing follows, but the habit of fre- 

 quently plastering it down with a wet brush may be 

 injurious. Oiling one's hair daily is also likely to do 

 more harm than good. Vigorous brushing or rubbing 

 will bring out the natural oil, and if the supply of the 

 latter is not sufficient, a little vaseline rubbed in once 

 or twice a week is the least expensive and best sub- 

 stitute. 



Boys with hair so thick and luxuriant that they 

 comb it with difficulty, give no thought to the possi- 

 bility of future baldness. The idea that they may 

 ever be bald like some of their elders, seems too im- 

 probable to think about seriously. Yet no doubt 

 the very men whose heads appear so unnaturally 

 shiny had just as thick hair in boyhood. 



Year by year, as the circulation in the scalp grew 

 weaker, and the air and sunshine came less in contact 

 with the roots of the hair, its growth became less 

 vigorous. The dandruff increased in quantity, and 

 gradually hairs began to drop out. Finally a period 

 arrived when the hair began to fall out in larger and 

 larger quantities, and in a few years baldness was the 



