THE HUMAN HAIR, 77 



The hair-dyes in use at the present time are, for 

 the most part, objectionable in some one of the fea- 

 tures, or they are untidy or inconvenient to apply. 

 The dye which has been so fashionable during the 

 past ten years is a poisonous compound, being com- 

 posed largely of one of the salts of lead, the ace- 

 tate. This mixture was brought into notice soon 

 after the close of the Mexican War, and was known 

 as " General Twiggs's Hair-dye," from the name 

 of the person who first successfully used it. Nearly 

 all the " Restoratives," " Washes," " Embroca- 

 tions,'' " Dressings," " Dyes," etc., found in the 

 shops are identical in composition, being made from 

 this formula. The number of popular mixtures of 

 this kind, having different names, and which were 

 made and sold by different parties, at one time ex- 

 ceeded forty in the United States. The formula 

 and method of preparing it are exceedingly simple. 

 Take of 



Finely powdered acetate of lead, 120 grains. 

 Lac sulphur, 1 60 grains. 

 Rose-water, one pint. 

 Glycerine, one ounce. 



Mix the glycerine with the water, and add the 

 acetate of lead and sulphur. The mixture must be 

 well shaken before using. The lead and sulphur 

 do not all dissolve in the rose-water, but fall to the 

 bottom of the vessel as a precipitate. This prepa- 



