Perfumes and their preparation

II. (In White Bottle.)

Tannin Hair Dye.

I. (In White Bottle.)

Boil the nut-galls in the water, strain the boiling liquid through a thick cloth into the rose water, and fill the still hot mixture into bottles which must be immediately closed. (It is essential that the liquid be hot during the filling, to guard against the development of mould.)

II. (In Dark Bottle.)

Add ammonia water to the silver solution until the precipitate first formed is again dissolved.

Eau d’Afrique.

I. (In Dark Bottle.)

II. (In White Bottle.)

Crinochrom.

I. (In White Bottle.)

II. (In Dark Bottle.)

Copper Hair Dye.

I. (In White Bottle.)

II. (In Dark Bottle.)

Add ammonia water to the copper solution until the light blue precipitate first formed again dissolves to a rich, dark blue liquid. This hair dye gives a dark brown color.

Eau de Fontaine de Jouvence,

also called Auricome and Golden Hair Water, is no dye, but a bleaching agent which changes dark hair to a light blond or golden-yellow color. The preparation consists of peroxide of hydrogen, a substance possessing marked bleaching properties.

Peroxide of hydrogen, or hydrogen dioxide, is at the present time made on a large scale by many manufacturers, and readily obtainable in the market. It would therefore scarcely pay any one to prepare it himself unless he were out of reach of the usual channels of trade, so that he could not obtain the preparation in a fresh state. Nevertheless it may be useful to state how it is made. Barium dioxide (or peroxide), which is a regular article of commerce, and is a stable compound which will keep for any length of time if kept in tightly closed bottles, is treated with water until the dioxide forms with it a thin, smooth milk. This is gradually added to dilute sulphuric acid, cooled with ice or kept otherwise as cold as possible, until the sulphuric acid is almost entirely neutralized. The solution is then allowed to settle and the clear liquid drawn off. For bleaching purposes, this is pure enough. Only it must be ascertained that the amount of free acid present, without which the hydrogen dioxide does not keep well, is only small. Other acids can be used besides sulphuric, but the latter is the most convenient. If an alkali is added to hydrogen dioxide so that the reaction becomes alkaline, it will decompose very rapidly. Even under the most favorable circumstances (when acid, and kept in a cool place) it will gradually deteriorate, and finally be entirely converted into oxygen gas, which escapes, and plain water.

Peroxide or dioxide of hydrogen, when applied to the hair as a bleaching agent, must be used in a dilute condition at first. Those who use it for the first time should always make preliminary trials with the liquid upon odd bunches of hair (such as may at any time be procured at hair-dressers’ shops) resembling that which is to be bleached, before actually applying it to the latter.

The hair to be bleached is deprived of fat by washing with soap solution, the soap is washed out with water, and the peroxide of hydrogen applied.

Whisker Dye.

Dissolve the acetate of lead (“sugar of lead”) in the warm water, filter the solution, and add ammonia water until a precipitate ceases to form. Collect the precipitate on a filter, wash it by pouring distilled water over it eight or ten times, and while still moist introduce it into solution II. Stir repeatedly, and after twelve hours leave the vessel at rest until the solution has become clear. Then decant it from the sediment, which may be treated a second time with solution II. For use, the beard is washed with soap, and combed with a fine rubber comb dipped in the solution.

C. Depilatories.

Combinations of sulphur with the alkaline metals calcium, barium, and strontium rapidly destroy the hair; for this reason tanners use the “gas lime” from gas works, which contains calcium sulphide, for removing the hair from hides. All the depilatories used cosmetically, even rhusma employed in the Orient for removing the beard, owe their activity to the presence of calcium sulphide.

Calcium Sulphide

has usually been lauded as a perfectly harmless depilatory. This is a great mistake, however, since it has often done serious harm, through careless application by persons unfamiliar with its caustic and corrosive effects. It is absolutely necessary to protect the skin against its action; otherwise superficial irritation, or even destruction of the skin may result.

Calcium sulphide cannot be made by the action of sulphuretted hydrogen upon lime. It is usually made by heating at a low red heat, in a securely closed crucible, an intimate mixture of 100 parts of finely powdered quicklime with 90 parts of precipitated sulphur. Mix together:

The resulting mass must be filled at once into an air-tight jar, as the calcium sulphide is decomposed in the atmosphere. For use, some of the mass is moistened with water, painted on the skin, and washed off with water after thirty to forty-five minutes. This and all other depilatories act only temporarily, that is, they destroy only the hair projecting above the surface without killing the hair bulbs; after some time the hair grows again and the preparation must be reapplied.

Barium Sulphide,

which is likewise used as a depilatory, is made by heating barium sulphate with charcoal, extracting the residue with water, and mixing the resulting product with starch paste. In its effects barium sulphide equals the preceding preparation, but it decomposes more readily.

Depilatory Paste.

Sodium sulphide is made by saturating strong caustic soda solution with sulphuretted hydrogen. The other ingredients are added to the solution of sodium sulphide.

Rhusma

is a depilatory made by mixing powdered quicklime (unslaked) with orpiment (yellow sulphide of arsenic). Take of:

Mix intimately and preserve the powder in tightly closed vessels. For use, take some of the powder, reduce it to a thin paste with water, and apply it to the place upon which the hairs are to be destroyed. Owing to its poisonousness and the destructive effects of the caustic lime on the skin, this preparation should never be employed in cosmetic perfumery.

CHAPTER XXIX.
WAX POMADES, BANDOLINES, AND BRILLIANTINES.

The so-called wax pomades, stick pomatum, and bandolines serve to stiffen the hair and are frequently employed by hair dressers. The former two articles possess some adhesive power by which they fasten the hair together; bandolines are mucilaginous fluids which generally contain bassorin (or vegetable mucilage present in tragacanth), quince seeds, etc.

A. Wax Pomades.

Stick Pomatum.

This is usually formed into oval or round sticks which are wrapped in tin foil. They are colored and perfumed as desired. The ordinary varieties are: white, for light blond hair, which is left uncolored; pink, colored with carmine; brown, colored with umber; and black, colored with bone black. The coloring matters are always rubbed up with oil. Red pomatum may be colored with alkanet root, which is macerated for some time with the melted fat. The base of these preparations consists of:

The mass may be made harder or softer by increasing or diminishing the wax. The perfumes generally used are oils of bergamot, lemon, clove, and thyme, with an addition of some Peru balsam.

B. Beard Wax.

Beard Wax (Cire à Moustaches).

Hungarian Beard Wax (Cire à Moustache Hongroise.)

Rub the powdered soap with the mucilage, previously diluted with nine ounces of water, then add the wax and glycerin, and heat the mass on a water-bath, stirring constantly, until it becomes homogeneous. Lastly add the oils, and pour the mass into suitable moulds.

For brown or black wax the corresponding color is added. The mass is formed into sticks the thickness of a lead pencil.

C. Bandolines.

Bandoline aux Amandes.

Crush the tragacanth, place it in the rose water, and leave it at rest in a warm spot, stirring occasionally, until the tragacanth has swollen to a slimy mass. Press it first through a coarse and then through a finer cloth, add a little carmine and the oil of bitter almond.

Bandoline à la Rose.

This is made like the preceding, only substituting 1½ oz. of oil of rose for the oil of bitter almond. Other varieties may be produced by the use of different odors.

D. Brillantines.

Under various names preparations are placed on the market which render the hair both soft and glossy. The chief constituent of all these articles is glycerin which is perfumed according to taste and stained reddish or violet. As many aniline colors easily dissolve in glycerin, they are generally used for this purpose. Formerly, before glycerin was obtainable in sufficient purity, brillantines were chiefly made of castor oil dissolved in alcohol, but aside from the fact that glycerin is cheaper than castor oil with alcohol, the former is preferable, as alcohol injures the hair.

Brillantine.

Oléolisse.

CHAPTER XXX.
THE COLORS USED IN PERFUMERY.

In perfumes in which next to the odor, the appearance is of importance, the colors play a prominent part.

In handkerchief perfumes, any accidental color present is an obstacle, as it would cause stains on the material. Hence the aim is to obtain the perfumes colorless or—a highly prized quality in fine articles—they receive a pale green color which disappears on drying. Extract of cassie possesses this color, and in many cases this extract is added to perfumes for the purpose of giving them this favorite color.

Regarding the colors employed for other articles—emulsions, pomades, soaps, etc.—it may be stated as a general rule that a preparation named after a certain flower must possess the color of the latter. Hence all perfumes named after the rose should be rose red; violet perfumes, violet; those bearing the name of the lily or white rose must be colorless, etc.

The best for articles containing alcohol or glycerin are the aniline colors, both on account of their beautiful appearance and their extraordinary staining power. But an insurmountable obstacle is met with in their use for articles containing animal or vegetable fats which rapidly destroy many aniline colors. When a rose pomade is colored with aniline red, the fine delicate tint hardly lasts three or four weeks and changes into dirty gray. The same is true of aniline violet in violet pomade, etc.

Therefore, articles containing fat must receive other dye-stuffs, and in the following pages we briefly enumerate those we have found most appropriate; but it must be observed that all poisonous dyes must be absolutely excluded. Commercial aniline colors formerly often contained arsenic; at the present time other processes are usually employed for their preparation, not involving the employment of arsenious acid.

Yellow Colors.

Saffron.

The stigmata of Crocus sativus contain a bright yellow or orange yellow coloring matter which is easily extracted by alcohol, petroleum ether, or fat. We prefer petroleum ether in which the finely powdered saffron is macerated, the greater portion of the solvent being distilled off, and the rest of the solution is allowed to evaporate, when the pure coloring matter is left and can be easily mixed with fat. The coloring matter may also be obtained by macerating the saffron in melted lard or in olive oil.

Jonquille Pomade.

Genuine jonquille pomade, from Narcissus Jonquilla, has a handsome yellow color which is derived from the dark yellow flowers; for this reason small quantities of jonquille pomade are sometimes used for coloring pomades for the hair.

Curcuma or Turmeric.

Curcuma or turmeric root contains a very beautiful yellow coloring matter which is easily extracted by alcohol or petroleum ether. We prepare it in the same manner as stated under the head of saffron. Curcuma color cannot be used for articles containing free alkali, which changes it to brown.

Palm Oil.

has naturally a fine yellow color, which it imparts also to soaps prepared from it; but the color fades completely when the wet soap is exposed to the air.

Red Colors.

Carmine.

This magnificent, though very expensive color is obtained from the cochineal insect, Coccus cacti. If good carmine is not available, a substitute may be made, for the purpose of coloring perfumery articles, by powdering cochineal, treating it with dilute caustic ammonia, and, after adding some alum solution, exposing it to the air and direct sunlight, when the coloring matter separates in handsome red flakes, which are collected and dried.

Carthamin Red.

Safflower, the blossoms of Carthamus tinctorius, contains two coloring matters, yellow and red. The former is extracted with water from the dried flowers, and the residue is treated with a weak soda solution which dissolves the red coloring matter. When this solution is gradually diluted with acetic acid, the dye is precipitated, and after drying forms a mass with a greenish metallic lustre. This, when reduced to powder, is used for rouge en feuilles or rouge en tasses.

This coloring matter can also be prepared by introducing into the soda solution some clean white cotton on which the color is precipitated and can then be extracted with alcohol.

Alkanet.

This root, which is readily obtained in the market, contains a beautiful red coloring matter which can be extracted with petroleum ether, but is also easily soluble in fats (melted lard or warm oil). Even small amounts of it produce a handsome rose red and larger quantities a dark purple. For pomades, hair oils, and emulsions alkanet root is the best coloring matter, as it stains them rapidly, is lasting, and cheap.

Rhatany.

Rhatany root furnishes a reddish-brown coloring matter which is soluble in alcohol and is extracted with it from the comminuted root, especially for tooth tinctures and mouth washes. For the same purpose use may also be made of red santal wood and Pernambuco wood which likewise yield to alcohol, besides astringents, beautiful colors which are very suitable for such preparations.

Green Colors.

Chlorophyll.

The green coloring matter of leaves is easily extracted from them, when bruised, with alcohol, and is left behind after the evaporation of the solvent. Some powders which are to have a green color are mixed directly with dried and finely divided bright green leaves such as spinach, celery, parsley leaves, etc.

For soap it is customary to use a mixture of yellow and blue which together produce a green color. Take a yellow soap, melt it, and add to it the finest powder of smalt or ultramarine until the desired tint is obtained. Indigo-carmine cannot be used, as it would impart a blue color to the skin.

Blue Colors.

For many preparations smalt or ultramarine is employed, but these colors are insoluble. The only soluble blue colors are aniline blue and indigo-carmine; the latter has a beautiful and intense color, but is suitable only for pomades and not for soaps because, as stated above, it would stain the skin.

Violet

is produced by a mixture of red and blue in due proportions.

Brown

is produced by caramel, which is made by heating sugar in an iron pot until it changes into a deep black mass which is brown only in thin threads. This color dissolves easily in water (not in alcohol) and is very suitable for soaps.

Black

is produced by finely divided vegetable or bone black. Liquids are colored with India ink which remains suspended for a long time owing to the fine division of the carbon.

CHAPTER XXXI.
THE UTENSILS USED IN THE TOILET.

In the toilet, besides combs and hair brushes, use is made of powder puffs, tooth brushes, and bath sponges. Powder puffs are made from swan skins, but should be used rather for the even division of the powder or paint than for its application. For the latter purpose a piece of soft glove or chamois leather is best.

The commercial tooth brushes are almost without exception objectionable owing to the stiffness of the bristles. A suitable tooth brush should be made of very soft, flexible bristles, lest it wear away the enamel.

Particular attention should be devoted to bath sponges. Their value is proportionate to the fineness of the pores, their softness and elasticity, and their spherical shape. Crude sponges are best cleansed by being placed in dilute hydrochloric acid which dissolves the calcareous particles adhering to them.

They are bleached as follows.

Free them as far as possible from sand and other foreign matters. Then wash them thoroughly with water, and press them. Next introduce them into a solution of permanganate of potassium containing one ounce of the salt in a gallon; leave them in this liquid two or three minutes; then take them out, express the liquid (which can be several times used over again), wash them with water until no more violet-tinted liquid runs from them, and then immerse them in a solution of one part of hyposulphite of sodium in twenty parts of water, to which immediately before dipping the sponges one part of hydrochloric acid has been added. When the sponge’s are white, remove them and wash them thoroughly with water.

After prolonged use, bath sponges lose their elasticity and softness. These properties can be restored by dipping the sponges into a mixture of one part by measure of glycerin and eight parts of water, pressing out the excess of the liquid and allowing them to dry. The small quantity of glycerin which they contain prevents their hardening.