SHOULD THE HAIR BE PERIODICALLY CUT?

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3835, 31 October 1883, Page 4

SHOULD THE HAIR BE PERIODICALLY CUT?

It may be that cutting and shaving may for the time increase the action of the growth, but (remarks Dr Schumacher) it lias no permanent effect either upon tho hair-bulb or hair-sac, and will not in any way add to the life of the hair. On the contrary, cutting and shaving will cause the hair to grow longer for the time being, but in the end will inevitably shorten its term of life by exau-sting tho nutritive action of the hair-forming apparatus. When the hairs aro frequently cut they will usually become coarser, often losing the beautiful gloss of the fine and delicate hairs. The pigments will likewise change—brown, for instant, being chestnut, and black changing to a dark brown. In addition, the ends of very many will be split and ragged, _ presenting a brush-like appearance. If the hairs appear stunted in their growth upon portion of the scalf or beard, or grey hairs crop up hero and there, tho method of clipping off the ends of the short-hairs will allow them to grow longer, stronger, aud thicker. Mothers in rearing their children should not cut their hair at certain periods of tho year (during tho superstitious period- of full moon), in order to increase its length and luxuriance as they bloom into womanhood and manhood. This habit of cutting tho hair of children brings evil iv place of good, and is also condemned by the distinguished worker in this department—Professor Kaposi, of Vienna— who states that it is well known that the hair of women who possess luxuriant _ locks from the time of girlhood never again attains its original length after having once been cut. Pincus has made the same observation by frequent experiment; and he adds that there is a general opinion that frequent cutting of tho hair increases its length; but the effect is different from that generally supposed. Thus upon one occasion ho states that ho cut of! circles of hair an inch in diameter on the heads of healthy men, and from week to week compared tho intensity of growth of tho shorn placo with the rest of the hair. The_ result was surprising to this close and careful observer, as he found in some cases Ihe numbers were equal; but generally the growth became slower after cutting, and lie has never observed an increase iv rapidity. I might also had that I believe many beardless faces and bald heads in middle and advancing age are often duo to constant cutting and shaving iv early life. The young girls ami boys seen daily upon our Streets with their closely cropped heads and the young men with their clean-shaven faces are year by year by this fashion having their hair-forming apparatus overstrained.