The Barbers' Manual - Forgotten Books
123
Transcript of The Barbers' Manual - Forgotten Books
THE
‘BARBERS ’ MANUAL.
A T reatise on the Art'
of Barbering ,
—BY
L. Howard J ones .
Co p yrigh t , 1898 , by L . Howfin d J ones, F ind lay , Ohio .
Gosp el W ay and Food P rin t , McComb , O hio .
L “
PREFACE .
TH E au thor of this work bel ieves that the Tenso
“T6 ”
art“
of Dentistry and S u rgery ,
shou ld not be wi thou t an elementa ry though system
tic t reatiseon the p rincip les of goorl workmanship .
H e bel ieves tha t the true u sefu lness of su ch a
t reatise i s amarent . That those who engage in the
profession w i l l readi ly recogni ze its val ue, and that
those who are serv ing an apprenticeship,or who
contemp la te preparing themselves for the practice
of the tonsoria l profession,sho u ld not be w i thou t
th is,the only t reatise of its kind in ex istence.
H e bel ieves a systematic treatise on the tonsorial
a 't to be qu i te as u sefu l and desirable as su ch“ a
PREFACE
work cou ld be in any other departmen t of sc ience.
He bel ieves that many who”engage in
,as wel l as
those who contemplate preparation for the practice
of the tonsorial art , wi l l profi t by train ing the m ind
in the fundamental principles which wil l not only
simplify the work of the barber , bu t at the same
time secure greater proficiency in the art, and thereby
elevate and dign ify the profession .
He bel ieves that the mind as wel l as the hands
of the appren tice shou ld be trained in the science of
barbering.
He bel ieves that the train ing which the appren
tice receives while serving his apprenticeship,only
appl ies in a general way to the u se and preparation
of tools, and the mechan i ca l rud imen ts of the art,
bu t rarely involves instru ctions in those fu ndamen tal
principles which cal l forth and devel op his artisti c
instinct . Hence, many barbers, who, although they
have served an apprenticeship , engage in the ten
sorial profession all their l ives w i thou t evincing any
PREFACE
cre- litable degree of sk i l l or mechan i cal abi l i ty.
This is because only their hands have been trained
to do a certain th ing in a certain way, thei r m ind s
having never been d isciplined in those fu ndamental
principles which develop the pecu l iar faci l i ties of
taste so essen tial in all true artists,and which are in
a great measu re the crown ing gl ory of all aecom
p lished barbers.
I t is not to present any new idea or innovation in
the art of barber ing,that the au thor has prepared
this Manual, _
biit to give a concise condensation of
certain ru les and suggestions which , when perma
nently fixed in the m ind,w i l l insu re greater sk i ll
and artisti c ab i l ity in workman ship .
If, therefore, th is work shal l meet wi th the ao
ceptance which the importance . of the subject d e
mands, the au thor w i l l feel that hehas not wri tten
in vain.
CONTENTS .
CHAPTER I . I ntrod u ction .
Hon ing and Stropping.
Preparing the Beard .
.Hai 1’"- cu tting .
CHAPTER I .
IN TRODUCTION .
A Barber i s one engaged in the art or bu siness of
shav ing and trimm ing the beard , and cu tting and
trimm ing the hair.
A Tonsori al Art ist i s one sk i l led in the art of
shaving and trini ih ing the beard , and cu tt ing and
trimm ing the hair .
I t w i l l be seen from the above defin i tions that the
dist inction between a barber and a ton sori al artist
is one of sk i l l , rather than profession ; i t being one
thing to be engaged in the bu siness of barbering , and
qu i te another th ing to be sk i l led in the art of bar
ber ing.
,
Many,men cal l themselves fi rst- class barbers,bu t
r BARBER ’S
few of them can boast of their skil l in workm an ship .
The se - cal led fi rst- class barber, depends ch iefly
u pon appearance and cou rtesy to p lease his cu stom
ers,whi le the accompl ished workman comb ines hoth
appearance and courtesy wi th sk i l l and abi l i ty .
Thu s disti ngu ished,let u s inqu ire into the meri ts
of workmansh ip . Let u s inqu ire in to what consti
tu tes sk i l led workmanship,or how one may become
ski l led in the art of barbering .
In contemplating preparation for the practi ce of
this profession,or even engaging in bu siness as a
w orkman,the fi rst th ing to be taken into considera
tion i s the natu ra l adaptab i l ity of the ind ividu al to
this pecu l i ar art.
Some men have greater natu ra l endowments in
certain l ines than in o thers .
As'
some men are natu ral orators , some are natu ral
leaders , and some h ave natu ral gifts which excite the
wonder of all mankind,i t wou ld be reasonab le to
s uppose that some wou ld have a natu ral gift in the art
MANUAL . 8
of barbering . Bu t to make a su ccess of his talents,
every man mu s t fi nd h is natu ral sphere,since i t
wou ld be id le to th ink of mak ing a gracefu l dancer
ou t of a rou gh and cl umsy p lou ghman,or an expert
penman ou t of a man better adapted by natu re to
carry ing the hod .
I t fo l lows,therefore
,that in choosing a trade or
profession,regard shou ld be had for natu ra l adap ta
bility.
I t is not enough to admire the art,or take a fancy
to the profess ion,or to en g a g e in the bu siness as aD C)
means of easy l ivel ihood .
If a man simp ly foll ows a morbid incl ination‘
to
s trike someth ing easy,i t i s not at al l l ikely that he
w i l l ever become famou s as an accompli shed work
man . H is highest ambition w il l be to get the price
of the shave or hai r cu t. H e w il l think l i ttle of the
satis faction he gi ves,or fai l s to give, his customer, or
the q u al ity or appearance of the work he hasattempt
ed to execu te.
9 BARBER’S
Su ch men never m ake good workmen . In fact,
they never seem to grasp any more than the forma l
rud iments of the art . They never try to improve
their ski l l,bu t p lod a long as if there were noth ing
more to learn.
On the contrary,to become an accompl i shed work
m an , the one great thou ght shou ld cen ter arou nd the
idea of ideal workmanship .
J u st as the edifi ce i s formed in the m ind of the
arch itect before he draws h is plans,or the image i
formed in the m ind of the painter before he portrays
i t u pon the canvas,so the resu l t of his tonsori al sk il l
shou ld be fixed in the mind of the barber before he
beg ins to operate u pon his su bject . I t is the ab ili ty
to form th is ideal of the resu l t of h is ski l l,that d is
tingu ishes the accomplished workman from the ordi
narv barber.
How often we see barbers,when they begin to cu t
a head of hair,whack and whack , and cl ip and clip;
u nti l they run ou t of hair, and are forced to qu i t the
MANUAL. 1 0
j ob , w i thou t leaving the cu stomer appearing to any
better advantage,bu t
,if anything
,looking worse on
account of their unsk il lfu l workman ship"
Su ch barbers , when they begin a j ob of hair cu t
t ing , have no i dea how i t shou ld appear when fini shed .
Abou t al l they th ink of is how qu ick they can “ shoot
h im ou t,
receive the pri ce and catch another vi ctim .
I t i s evident that su ch barbers have had only their
hands trained in the rather au tomatic u se of the
comb and shears,thei r artisti c facu l ties
,i f any they
have, having never been developed or trained in the
art of barbering .
S u ch mechanics rarely ever become artisti c in th i s
l ine, even though they work at the trade al l thei r
l ives .
On the other hand, the accompl ished workman ,
the moment he seats a cu stomer and ascertains h is
desire,forms in h is own m ind an idea of the artist i c
shape in which his work shou ld appear when fin ished ,
and proceeds to carry that idea into execu tion . He
1 1 BARBERs
thu s demonstrates th at his m ind as wel l ‘his hands as
has been trained in the art of barbering .
The ab il i ty to form th is i dea is the highest evidence
of natu ral adaptabi l i ty .
Bu t there are other ev idences of natu ral ad apta
bility that shou ld be taken into consideration . I t is
h igh ly essential that a man’ s physi cal makeup be
su i ted to the practice of the tonsoria l profession.
Men of coarse physique, do not,as a general ru le
,
make sk i l led workmen ; true to their phys i ca l m ake
u p ,they hand le a razor very much as the woodman
hand les h is axe,or the bu tcher hand les hi s knife
from the mu scle.
Su ch men are not l i kely to acqu ire that deftness
of tou ch so essential to sk i l l in barbermg.
The profession of the barber is a most del icate one.
No lancet shou ld be keener, no stroke more u nerring .
To deftly remove the beard , one m u st possess a l ight
and del i cate hand .
‘ So, if pos sessed of a great hand,
i t is reasonab ly certain that you r physical makeu p i s
MANUAL . 1 2
best su i ted to some other Sphere.
Steady and sensitiveg
nerves are an indispensab le
p ie- requ isite to good workmanship . This is especi al ly
true in the art of shav ing . Nei ther a trembl ing hand
nor a hand du l l to the l ightest perceptib le tou ch,can
be tru sted to w ield the gl istening razor w i th errorless
dexteri ty.
The nerves shou ld be so keenly sensi tive to the
l ightest tou ch,that the barber can always tel l j u st
how his razor is working, w i thou t mak ing u se of su ch
inqu iries as Does the razor pu l l or Is the razor
cu tting al l ri ght ?”and the l ike.
O f cou rse,th is pecu l iar qu a l i ty of nerves mu st be
acqu ired through practice and training,bu t i t may be
wel l to u nderstand from the beginning,that they are
an indispensab le prerequi si te to sk i l lfu l workman
sh ip . In some respects, a steady nerve i s natu ral,
th ou gh it mu st be trained 1 11 order to bring its u t ili ty
into activ i ty as an elemen t of ski l l .
The stead and sen s itive nerve is . ossessed thou hi g
1 3 BARBER’
S
not a lways u nderstood,by a great many barbers .
Many of them have a qu iet nerve and steady hand,
acqu ired,they know not how ,
bu t ex is ting,never
theless.
e In some u nconsciou s way they fal l in to the habit
of shav ing w i th what is cal led a “ l ight hand,
u su al ly
accompanied wi th a qu iet,steady nerve. Eviden tly
they have acqu ired to some degree the art of shav ing.
Bu t that i t is acqu ired in an u nconsciou s way,i s
man ifest ly certain in every case where its acqu i si
tion cannot be explained from a scientific po in t of
For instance, some barbers , althou gh they are far
above the average in tonsoria l ski l l,cannot give a
single idea of the elements of science which enter into
the art of barbering. In o ther words,they are not
at al l conversant on the art of barbering,or the con
stituent capab il i ties of an accompl ished workman.
This demonstrates two things . F irst , that some
men are endowed w i th more or less tonsori al gen iu s,
1 5 BARBER’S
bu t sk i l l does n ot always imp ly Speed . Some of the
fastest workmen may be c lassed among the most ih
competent artists, whi le some of the slowest barbers
may be classed among the most sk i l lfu l workmen.
O ne of the greatest m istakes a young barber can
make i s the early attempt to acqu ire ex traordinary
speed .
Unfortunatelv,a great many barbers think that
good workmanship means the abi l i ty to shave a man
in the space of two or three m inu tes. This i s not
true. Shav ing and trimm ing the heard i s a luxu ry,
rather than a necess ity , or if i t cou ld be cal led a
necessity at al l,i t i s such only in so far as i t i s meces
sary to satisfy the desire for this pecu l i ar sort of
l uxu ry . It foll ows , therefore, that men have their
beard shaved , and their hair and whiskers trimmed,
to improve their appearance, rather than from any
absolu te necessity
Good workmanship , therefore, consists in the abi l i ty
to execu te a shave, or hai r or whisker trim ,in su ch
MANUAL . 16
a manner as w i l l leave the subject appear ing to the
best advan tage.
I t is to the attainmen t of this abi l ity that the
efforts of the workman shou ld be directed . Al l
necessary speed w i l l develop as the workman be
comes more and more accompl ished .
I n shav ing,the fines t w orkmen rarely attain an
average speed of ten m inu tes to the shave, though as
a test of speed , they cou ld shave a man in a mu ch
shorter time
In hair cu tting,twenty to twenty - fi ve m inu tes is
abou t the average time for sk i l lfu l workmen,though
,
as in the case of shaving, an ord inary hai r cu t cou ld
be execu ted in a mu ch shorter time.
In bo th hair cutting and shav ing , i t i s the qu a l i ty
of the work done, and not the speed w i th which i t is
done,that is the true cri terion of good workman ship .
CHAPTER II .
H ON ING AND S TRO PP ING
W e w i l l now take u p the several parts of the ten
sorial art and treat them more m inu tely .
In preparing for the practi ce of the barber’ s p ro
fession,one of the firs t th ings the apprenti ce i s re
qu ired to learn is how to hone a razor. This is the
most important branch of the tonsori al art. No bar
ber can become an accompl i shed workman w i thou t
having mastered the art of honing ._
Every barber
u nderstands how to operate on the hone, yet a few
suggestions w il l enable the average barber to u nder
stand that honing a razor i s a matter of science rather
than a matter of form. To u nderstand how to hone
a razor, therefore, i s to master the greates t prob lem
pertaining to the tonsorial profession .
MANUAL. 1 8
In learning this art,the first and most essen ti al
th ing to begin w i th is a good hone. t at con sti
tu tee a good hone is no t an easy qu estion to answer .
A fi ne,smooth
,sharp - grained , fast cu t t ing hone, has
come to be the au thor’s favori te.
H ow mu ch and how often a razor shou ld be honed,
depends u pon the natu re of the hone,whether i t is
fast or s low— and the temper in the razor, whether
hard or soft.
W hile some razors requ ire more honing than
o thers,great care shou ld be taken not to hone too
m u ch . Too ”
muclf‘
honing prod u ces what i s cal led a
w iry edge.
A w iry edge may be avo ided by carefu l ly testing
the edge of the razor wh i le honing it, and by learning
to cease honing the momen t the desired edge is oh
tained .
The u su al method of testing the edge of a razor
whi le honing it may be resorted to , and mu st be re
sorted to at frequ ent interval s,for the pu rpose of
1 9 BARBER ’S
ascertaining when the razor i s su fficiently honed .
In honing razors,the most important thing to be
thoroughly u nderstood , is how to tel l when a razor i s
honed enough ; and the nex t most important thing to
learn is to cease hon ing when the razor i s honed
enou gh . W i th these two things wel l u nderstood and
p u t into practi ce, the you ngest barber shou ld have
l ittle trou b le in preparing his razors .
In the selection of bones,however
,i t m ight be wel l
to observe that the best resu lts may be obtained from
those classed as med ium fast . The ex tra coarse
grained hone gives too rough an edge to the razor ;
the extra fi ne- grained hone gives too smoo th an edge.
For the pu rpose of th is selection ,bones may be
classed as ex tra fast,fast
,med ium fast
,medium fi ne
,
fi ne and extra fine.
Numerical ly this classifi cation wou ld run as fol
lows
Class 1 .— Ex tra fast (or coarse grain.)
C lass 2 .—Fast (or coarse grain.)
MANUAL . 20
Class 3 .— Medium fast (or coarse gram .)
Class 4 .—Med ium fi ne grained .
Class 5 . F ine grained .
Class 6.
— Ex tra fi ne grained .
Classes three and fou r general ly gi ve the best
su lts. They g ive the keenest and most last ing edge.
Class two gives most too rou gh an edge for fi ne,
smooth shaving, wh ile class one is only fi t for grinding
thi ck,heavy razors
,or for grinding ni ck s ou t of
razors and the l ike.
Class fi ve w i l l give an excel lent edge, bu t i t w i l l
not hold u p long in heavy beard .
Class six gives too smoo th an edge for any p racti
cal pu rpose.
Razors wi l l requ ire more or less honing,according
to the class of hone u sed— whether fast or fi ne. A
fas t hone w i l l not requ ire as m u ch honing to sharpen
a razor as a fi ne grained hone. H ence,the barber
mu st note carefu l ly the natu re of h i s bone as a cu t
ter,in order that he may avo i d them istake of hon ing
21 BARB’
ER’
S
too mu ch or too l ong. The hab i t of honing toomu ch
or long is easi ly acqu ired,bu t hard to overcome.
A barber w il l take a notion to give his razors a
good honing ; he th inks he w il l take plenty of time
and get them in good shape ; so he proceeds to carry
that notion into execu tion. H e g ives his razor a few
strokes across the hone,and then tests the edge. H e
finds i t su fficiently sharp,bu t i s not satisfied
,becau se
he has resolved to give them a thorough honing. He
th inks that a few more strokes across the hone w i l l
make i t a l i ttle sharper,so he proceeds to hone a l i ttle
more. Again he test s the edge,and al thou gh sati s
fi ed that the razor is su ffi ciently honed,i t seems that
he cannot resist the temptation to give i t a few more
finishing tou ches . This is h is first great mi stake.
W hen he strops his razor and pu ts i t into heavy
beard,he find s that i t does not cu t easy ; h is razor
seems to hang and pu l l . Then he imagines that
there is someth ing wrong w i th the hone,or the strop
,
or that the cu stomer i s hard to shave. H e i s annoy
ed,vexed
,and frequ ently resorts to the strep ; spends
23 BARBER’
S
which l i ttle success can be had in high - class Work
manship . I t is as important, therefore, that a barber
shou ld u se good streps , as i t is that he shou ld u se
good razors or a good hone.
A barber may possess an excel len t set of good
razors,also a good hone, and su perior sk i l l in the art
of hon ing, yet if he has not got a good set of strops ,
he wi l l not be able to pu t that keen and del icate edge
on a razor which good workmanship requ ires.
W hat consti tu tes a good strop IS a question easi ly
settled . Every barbers ’ supply hou se in the coun try
carries a l ine of good,
first class strops,for the u se of
the tonsoria l profession . The au thor’s favor i te set of
strops is the Ru ssian leather and the heavy l inen
hose. There are o ther strops wh ich are ju st as good ,
bu t do not waste you r t ime w i th cheap or home
made strops . Buy the best prepared and ready for
u se, and you w i ll save both time and labor, as wel l
as money .
Having bought the strops, the next thing to learn
MANUAL. 24
i s how to u se them . The method of stropp ing most
common among barbers i s indeed,most fau l ty . Some
barbers p lay u pon the strop w i th their razors as they
wou ld u pon a banj o . They seem to forget the
mechanical effect which the u se of the strop is d e
signed to give — a keen edge. They seemed to be
charmed w i th the no i se they make on the strop,
rather than by the resu lts they obtain. The more
p leasing their stropping sou nds to the car,the better
they are satisfied wi th the stropping Operation . The
effect of th is method of strepp ing is two- fold . F irst,
n inety p er cen t . of the acciden ts attendan t u pon the
stropping of razors resu l t from th i s method of strop
ping. Second,Those who pers i st in th is method of
stropping,
find their streps al l hacked and nick-cd,so
that they find i t necessary to procu re new strops at
frequen t intervals . Besides th is,i t is nex t to impos
sible to p u t a keen and lasting edge u pon the razor
by th is method of stropping.
Another most grievou s error among barbers is the
25 BARBER’S
habit of rid ing the strep . This i s the case w i th
these barbers who u se cheap or heme- made streps.
They find i t d ifficu l t to obtain the des ired edge u pon
their razors . They spend a great deal of time and
energy , and u se more strength and mu scle than sk i l l ,
in stropp ing their razors . They forget— if they ever
knew— that the edge of the razor i s ex tremely del i
cate,and that the hammer and tong method of
stropping is not the most l i kely to ei ther improve i t
or preserve i ts keen cu tting qu al i ties. No one who
stops to th ink for a moment, can fai l to see that the
slam - bang method of stropping i s u nnecrssary,if
the barber has a comp lete set of fi rst- class tools. No
need to whip a razor to death on a good s trep , in order
to get i t sharp . Bu t there i s another error in strep
p ing very common among barbers . This is what I
wou ld cal l wh ittl ing the strep , er pu l l ing the
razor off at the side of the strep , so as to make the
blade ring w i th every stroke. This method of strop
ping resu lts in more cu tt ing and haggl ing the strops
than any other method employed by barbers . I t i s
MANUAL. 26
al so very u nsatisfactory in its resu l ts,becau se i t tends
to pu l l the edge off,rather than p u t i t on the razor .
I t is not necessary to pou nd the strep w i th the
razor, bu t simp ly hol d the strep firmly in one hand,
and the razor firmly in the other,lay the fu l l length
of the razor b lade across the strep , draw i t br isk ly u p
and down the strep . This w i l l give to the razor as
fu l l and perfect an ed ge as i t is possible to obtain .
In u sing th i s method of stropping,press the razor
firmly u pon the s trep , bu t do not raise i t off the
strep until you a re throu gh stropping. Do not pu l l
you r razor off at the side of the strep , nor draw i t
d iagonallv across thestrep ,bu t straight u p and down
the strep . Let the razor move over a space of abou t
twel ve or sixteen inches,draw it squ arely backward
and forward over this/
space draw the strep t ightly
and press the razor firmly u pon the strep wh i le strop
ping. This i s very simp le, bu t i t i s the on ly correct
way to strep a razor.
Experienced barbers w i l l find th is a great improve
men t over any other method of stropp ing.
CHAPTER III .
PREPARING TH E BEARD .
W e wi l l now take some noti ce of the preparation of
the beard .
Unless a barber is incl ined to experiment , he is not
l ikely to discover any essenti al featu re in the prepa
tion of the beard . Thi s is proven by the careless
manner in which m any barbers ap ply lather to the
beard , preparatory to shav ing it . They,or many of
them,lather the beard very neatly and profu sely
,
and to al l appearance, very properly , whi le others
merely d aub or smear a l i ttle lather ever the beard ,
and then u ndertake to shave the beard off w i thou t
tortu ring their cu stomer —an almost impossible th ing
to d o. I t makes l i ttle d ifferen ce how good or sharp
MANUAL. 28
the razor or how sk i l lfu l the barber, u nless the beard
is properlyprepared , the shave wi l l leave the cu stom
er’
s face irritated , w i th a smarting and bu rn ing sen
sation that is anything bu t pleasant .
Lathering the beard i s among other things design
ed te make the beard soft, bu t the mere appl ication
of lather w i l l not of itself soften the beard .
To soften the beard , a coat of lather and a thorough
rubbing is necessary . This ru bbing w i l l cau se the
soap and lather to work into the pores of the beard
and make i t pl i ab le, soft and easy to cu t
The au thor has seen and experimen ted wi th all sorts
of lotions and receipts for mak ing the beard soft , and
i s,therefore
,prepared to say that the most non
inj u riou s and conven ien t method of soften ing the
beard i s the appl i cation of soap and lather, fol lowed
by a thorough ru bbing,a l ight sponging
,and then
another thorough appl ication of lather.
I t m ight be wel l to remark here that a thorough
ru bbing”does not mean a scrubbing or heavy
29 BARBER’S
handed ru bb ing,bu t
,on the contrary
,the rubbirg
shou ld be did l ightly, briskly and thorou gh ly . Don’
t
be afraid to spend from three to fi ve m inu tes in
rubbing the lather into the beard . If the lather be
comes stiff and d ry, mo i sten i t w i th a l i ttle fresh , then
lather and con tinue to give a l ight, brisk rubbing, of
from three to fi ve m inu tes du ration . Be carefu l and
do not rub too hard , or too heav i ly , to the annoyance
and discomfort of you r cu stomer.
The stiffer the beard the more thorough ly shou ld
be the ru bbing p rocess.
If the preceding in stru ctions as to hones and
hon ing,streps and stropping
,together w i th . the in
stru ctions and suggestions here given on the prepa
ration of the beard are str i ctly fol lowed,the heaviest
beards cannot fai l to yield , and cu t as so mu ch fu r.
Men w i th heavy beards w i l l no longer appear to be
hard to shave ; the prob lem of easy shav ing w i l l be
solved , and the th ird victory in the great battle for
the mastery of the art ‘of barbering w i l l bewon.
3 1 BARBER’
S
Bu t i t mu st be remembered that this resu lt cannot
be obtained w i thou t the u se of pu re soap . Few bar
bers real ize how mu ch the edge of the razor, as well
as the soften ing of the beard depends u pon the
shaving soap u sed .
The maj ority of shaving soaps contain m inu te par
ticles of gri tty , impu re su bstances. The lather dries
qu i ck ly , and natu rallv leaves a tough , leathery , gri tty
scum . F l int wou ld not du l l and tu rn the edge of the
razor qu i cker than th is gri tty substan ce. Du l l razors
tear and irri tate the del icate lace- work of the face,
and open the way for the poi son contained in cheap
soaps to enter the system .
Recently, a w ri ter in one of the j ou rnals pu b l i shed
in the interest of barbers,said most tru ly " “ Cheap
soaps are an abom ination in disgu ise. Instead of a
ni ce, creamy , thick lather, you r bru sh brings up from
the cu p a th in,foam ing substan ce. You m ight as
wel l try to fly as to soften a m an’s beard w ith that
k ind of stuff. A soap that doesn’t thorough ly soften
MANUAL. 32
the beard w il l cau se the sharpest razor to pu l l . You
can ’t explain these matters to you r cu stomer very
wel l , and the consequ en ce i s he th inks you are a
bum barber, and don ’ t know how to sharpen a
razor. W hat does he do ? H e leaves you r shep ,
and , the first thing you knew ,reports reach you that
you can’ t shave “ j u st a little bit.
An absolu tely pu re shav ing soap l ike lVilliams’
,
actu al ly preserves the edge of the razor,by its pecu
l i ar soften ing effect u pon even the mes t w iry beard ,
whi le i ts"
r i ch,creamy lather soothes and refreshes
the sen si tive face, and acts l ike a heal ing, cool ing
balm .
A prom inent St . Lou i s barber,who has the repu ta
tion of being one of the best workmen in the W est,
if not in the Un i ted States , attri bu tes mu ch of his
su ccess in the art of shaving to the u se of W i l l i ams ’
shav ing soap . He savs I have tried pretty mu ch
every shaving soap du ring my career, bu t have never
fou nd anything except \V illiams’ shaving soap that
gave good satisfaction , ei ther to myself or to my cu s
33 BARBER’S
tomers. Almost always , when try ing somenew soap ,
my cu stomers wou ld immed iately discover the differ
ence,and complain of sore faces
,i tch ing , sn
‘
narting,
etc ,and as soon as I began u s ing lV illiams’
soap
again,al l these complaints seemed to step at once.
I have gotten throu gh trying cheap soap s , and new
no thing can ind u ce me to u se anything bu t the O ld
Rel i ab le — \V illiams’ shav ing soap . I heartily
recommend it as the pu rest , and most soothing and
heal ing , and only shaving soap that w i l l gi ve satis
faction to barbers themselves and their cu stomers .”
\Vhat i s tru e of this sk il led artist, i s tru e of every
barber in the Uni ted States . ‘V illiams’ Barber’s Bar
Soap i s , w i thou t exception,the best soap made for
barbers ’ u se. I ts remarkable du rab ili ty renders i t
really the most econom i ca l soap made, for a p ound
bar of th is soap w i l l ou twear a pou nd of any other
soap made. I t w i l l not waste in the cup . The lather
i s ri ch,m i ld and very lasting.
I recommend barbers to u se “ Tilliams’ Barber’s
Bar Soap , and to avo id the cheap , impu re, green and
u nseasoned soaps, wh ich inj u re their b u siness , and
in the end cost mu ch more than the best.
CHAPTER IV .
SH AV ING.
lVe have considered the preparation of the razor
and the beard , and we now come to the su bj ect. of
shav ing .
By far themost del i cate part of the tonsori a l art
is that featu re which invol ves the practica l u se of the
razor. I t is the part wh ich most d irectly impresses
i tself u pon the shav ing pu bl ic,and i s
,to a large ex
tent,the measu re of good workmanship .
Every man enj oys a good , easy shave.
Every barber shou ld be ambitiou s to acqu ire the
abi l i ty to execu te a good , easy , smooth shave. W hat
consti tu tes a good shave i s not qu i te always fu l ly u n
BARBER’
S
d erstood . I t is not enough to be ab le to scrape the
beard off w i th the razor. A barber mu st u nderstand
the character of the beard and the natu re of every
face. In this h is natu ral adaptabi l i ty w i l l manifest
itself. If the workman possesses any of these natu ral
traits of u nderstanding pecu l iar to the tonsori al art,
i t w i l l not take him long to master that facu lty of
d iscernment which w il l enab le him to tel l or u nder
stand,the moment he seats a cu stomer and arranges
the l inens , whether his face be extremely sensitive or
not,and which one of two or more razors w i l l shave
him the easiest.
It is a genera l ru le, wel l u nderstood among bar
bers , that no two men have beards exactly al ike in
every sense. Nei ther do we find any two razors
which w i l l work the same in all beards,nor any one
razor that w i l l shave any and all beards w i th equ al
ease. Observe,therefore, that to learn to be a good ,
easy shaver,one mu st study the beard and learn to
u nderstand it, so that whenever he lays his hand u pon
i t hewil l know which one of his razors wi l l shave i t
MANUAL. 36
w i th the greatest"ease. Bear in m ind that th is is a
knowledge which mu st be gained by carefu l stu dy and
observation . I t is one of the ind ispensab le pre
requ isites whi ch every barber mu st master before he
can become tru ly accomp l ished in the art of shaving .
A barber mu st also u nderstand how to hand le a razor.
Hand l ing a razor appears tobe very simple, yet, since
every art su ggests some degree of ski l l , the art of
shaving natu ral ly suggests some degree of sk i l l in the
u se or hand l ing of the razor.
Bu t sk i l l in hand l ing a razor does not mean any
u nnecessary parade of fancy or “ monkey motions .
Su ch acts,intended as a d isplay of sk i l l , merely ex
hibits one’s ignorance of the tonsorial art. Sk il l,
therefore,means su ch dex ter ity in handling the razor
as wi l l lend grace and ease of movement. This grace
and ease of movemen t can be attained only th rou gh
continued practi ce. To aid the reader to i ts attain
ment , he shou ld observe c losely the following instru c
tions and suggest ions Never held the razor on its
edge and scrape as if you were raking a lawn ; this
BARBER’S
w ill spoi l the edge of the sharpest razor, smart and
bu rn'
you r cu stomer’s face
,and make the u se of hot
cl oths and l otions necessary to al lay the irri tation .
A lways hold you r razor firmly,bu t as flatly as pos
sib le, w i thou t a l low ing the back of the b lade to tou ch
the sk in . This may appear a l ittle awkward at first,
bu t the awkwardness w i l l be overcome by di l igen t
practice. Ru n the razor stead ily and l ightly through
the beard and over the face. Do not try to make
ex tra long strokes,simply becau se the razor seem s to
ou t wel l . If you do , you w i l l be l ikely to loose con
trol of ei ther the razor or that port ion of the face over
which the razor is intended to gl ide, and thu s pre
cip itate some inj u ry to either you rself or you r cu s
tomer. Accidents wi l l happen to the most carefu l
artist, bu t careless attempts to overdo the th ing w il l
faci l itate and mu ltiply them .
Always keep you r razor str i ctly u nder you r con
trol , so that at a l l times vou w i l l be ab le to u nder
stand j u st how i t is working. The short m in cing
stroke cannot be especial ly recommended , al though
BARBER’S
a razor i s l ight- handedness . A barber shou ld never
press heav i ly u pon the face w i th the razor. I t wil l
make the face smart and bu rn,no matter how sharp
the razor may be.
V ery l i ttle force sh ou l d be u sed in u rging the
razor throu gh the beard . If the razor i s sharp, it
w i l l not requ ire mu ch more than the force of i ts own
weight to send i t throu gh the beard w i th ease and
dexteri ty . If the razor— being sharp and the beard
properly prepared— w i l l not ou t free and easy, i t i s
dol lars to dou ghnu ts that i t isno good and shou ld be
thrown aside.
A lways hand le you r razor as l igh t ly and as deftly
as po ssible,and never shave the face c lose u nless you r
cu stomer expressly requ ests you to do so.
Never d ig the skin w i th the razor, and never
shave against the grain— especial ly on the neck
excep t by the express requ est of you r cu stomer, as
this sort of shav ing is the primary cau se of n inety
per cent . of the sore necks and faces for which the
barber is general ly held respon s ible.
CHAPTER V
HAIR CUTTING.
Hair cu tting is an art pec u l i ar to i tself. “No fea
tu re of the art of barber ing is more difficu l t tomaster.
Unl ike shaving, tr imm ing the hair requ ires artisti c
taste,as wel l as sk i l l in execu tion . To become an
art istic hair cu t ter, one mu st possess some of these
natu ral gift-s pecu l i ar to the art .
h is a general sav ing that good sh avers do no t
make good hair cu tters , and that good hair cu tters
do not make good shavers . Yet there are many bar
bers who are both good hair cu tters and good shavers .
The tW O elemen ts are easi ly b lended . I t only re
qu ires a determination to learn , c loseobservation and
BARBER ’S
d il igent practice, to make a good hair cu tter ou t of a
good shaver,or a good shaver ou t of a good hair
cu tter. Good hair cu tt ing ord inari ly signifies the
abi l i ty to execu te an artistic hair cut in any of the
variou s sty les . Bu t sty les in hair cu tting are as
varied as the human fancy,and pass by d ifferen t
names in d ifferent parts of the countrv . Li ttle noti ce
i s taken,however
,of the name of the styles, the
sty le pass ing general ly by description, rather than
by name. In th is connection the barber shou ld
fami l iarize himself w i th the s tandard styles of hair
cu tt ing , so as to be ab le to know them qu ite as wel l
by description as by name. Having thu s fam i l iar
ized himself with the d ifi erent styles of hair cu tting
the nex t thing to learn is how to adapt these different
s tyles to the shape of the d ifferent heads, w i th su ch
mod ifi cations as w i l l su it the capri co of the trade,for
as was before observed,sty les of hair cu tting are as
varied as the human fancy . The same sty le of hair
ou t, when pu t on different heads
,mu st— since every
man ’s head d iffers from every others,in ei ther size or
MANUAL . 42
shape— be modified to some ex ten t,in order to set it
off to the bes t advantage. That is to say,if you p u t
a Metropol i tan hair cu t on A .,and i t appears to
good advantage,the same s ty le of hair ou t
, when p u t
on B - who has a d ifferently shaped head and a d iffer
ent qu al i ty of hair— mu st be mod ified,in ei ther
length or ou tl ine,in order to m ake i t appear equ al ly
as wel l on B . as on A. The degree of modifi cati on
mu st be determ ined by the barber himself,who mu st
cal l in to u t il i ty his own artisti c taste and j u dgment .
V ery frequ ently barbers are cal led u pon to cu t hair
in no parti cu lar or known sty le, bu t according to the
d irections of the cu s tomer. These d irections often
test the artistic taste and sk i l l of the workman. H e
has not only to grasp and carry his cu stomer’s id ea
into execu tion,bu t mu s t rely u pon h is own taste
‘
as to
su chartist ic finish as wi l l leave thej ob appearing to
the best advantage. It w i l l be wel l , therefore, to
study the p rincip les of fini shing off a hair cu t in an
artisti c manner, wh ich consi sts mainly in regu lari ty
BARBER’
S
of length and ou tl ine.
The ou tl ine of a hair ou t shou ld be regu lar and per
feet, becau se i t i s the first best evidence of good
workmanship. The ou tl in ing of a hai r cu t in su ch a
manner as to give to i t the best appearan ce consisten t
w ith the shape of the head and neck , and the sty leof
hair cu t you are try ing to execu te, shou ld be sought
w i th great care and precision .
Every man l ikes to have his hair cu t in su ch man
ner as w il l add to his appearance.
The first thing o thers w i l l cri t i ci se or cbmmend is
the manner in which a hai r cu t is fin ished . The
prom inence of the ou tl ines is the th ing that br ings to
one’s notice the fact of the hair cut,and is su re to call
forth ei ther an expression of commendation or word s
of harsh cr i tici sm . The repu tation of a barber as a
hair cu tter, therefore, depends largely u pon the regu
larity and perfectness of the ou t l ines of his work .
The sk i l l of a barber as a hair cu tter consists in his
abi l i ty to adapt any given sty le of hair cu t to the
MANUAL . 44
shape of any head ; to carry the instru ctions of a
customer i nto execu t ion to give uniform i ty of length
and accu racy of tapering, and to" -give regu lari ty to
the angles and ou tl ines of the hair .
To master these several featu res of sk i ll, the barber
mu st make the art of hair cu tting a stu dy,as wel l as
a profess ion . H emu st be ab le to not only u nder
stand what is wan ted,bu t,
”
having u nd erstood what
is wanted , he mu st be ab le to understand j u st how
his work shou ld l ook when finished , and how to work
u p to that u nderstand ing .
W e often hear gen tlemen complain that the barber
d id not cu t their hair to su i t them . In su ch cases i t
i s obviou s that ei ther the barber d id no t u nderstand
his bu siness, or that he fai led to observe the
instru ctions given him . That he was deficient
in sk i l l,or negligent as to 1nstru ctions, i s the only
p lau sib le conclu si on .
There are other incidents pertain ing to the art of
hair - cu tting which sh ou ld not be pas sed w i thou t
4- 5 BARBER ’S
mention.
Someth ing. has alreadybeen said abou t the eu t
lining of a hai r cu t. I t m ight be wel l to further ob
serve that the ou tl ine or circle shou ld not ru n high
above the ear,thu s leav ing a bare space between the
edge of the hai r and the intersecti on of the head and
ear. Nei ther sho u ld the temp le line run to a point
in fron t of the ear,nor straigh t across from the top
of the ear. E i ther shows a want of artist i c taste.
The temple ou tline shou ld be made to ru n as cl ose to
the car as possible,at the intersection of the ear and
head ; then it shou ld be al l owed to drop in front of
the ear,abou t a q u arter or three- eights of an inch
,
and run straigh t or squ are across the temple —unless
otherwise ordered by the cu stomer. The above ru le
w ill apply as well to the semi - circle and the English
round,as to the squ are temple ou tl ine. In ei ther
case, the drop or angle in front of the ear w i l l vary in
degree, according to the shap e of the head and temple.
The squ are,the semi - circle and the Engl i sh rou nd
,
may be considered standard temple ou tl ines . They
47 BARBER’S
F irst. The hair shou ld be left fu l l on the back of
the neck,bu t whcre the neck i s large or broad , the
straight ou tl ine shou ld run su ffi cien tly toward the
cen ter of the back of the neck ,to give the hair cut
the neatest possible appearance.
Second . W hrre the neck is thin,or the hair does
not grow fu l l on the sides,the straight ou tl ine shou ld
be cu t into the hair only deep enough to make i t per
feet, thu s leaving the hair on the back of the neck as
fu l l as possible. In ei ther case the l ines shou ld be
perfectly plain and regu lar.
Do not run the straight ou tl ine straight down one
side of the neck,and al low the l ine on the o ther side
to run at righ t angle toward the center of the back of
the neck . This wi l l spo i l the good effect of the best
hair cu t.
In mak ing the round,squ are or angu lar ou tl ines on
the back of the neck, the arti stic taste of the work
man mu st be calhd into requ i si tion . Su ch ou tl ines
mu st vary according to the shape of the neck . Bu t
as a mark of good workmanship , they shou ld show a
MANUAL.
perfectly even edge. Care shou ld be taken to get a
perfect circle extend ing from the center of the neck
in the back,arou nd the sides and u p to the back of
the ear ; and where the neck i s shaved squ are,the
po in ts or corners shou ld be regu lar and even. Noth
ing w i l l detract from the appearance of a good hair
ou t so mu ch as irregu lar or lopsided l ines and po ints
in the back and sides of the neck .
Aside fromwhat has been said of the ou tl ines of a
hair ou t,onlyafew pract ical suggest ion s can be given.
The lengths to which the hair may be cu t varies
according to sty le and the instru ctions from. the
cu stomer.
In cu tting the hai r to the var ions lengths , evenness
shou ld be sou ght. The barber shou ld never leave the
hai r fu l l of nicks’
and lumps on the contrary the
hair shou ld be evenly and neatly shingled . Use the
cl ippers as l i ttle as possible, and when u sed at all ,
always taper the hair su ffi cient ly to ob l i teratethe cl ip
per marks . Do not leave an abru pt bu lge in the hair
49 BARBER’S
at the po in t where the cl ippers stop .
Do not run the cl ippers h igh enough u p the sides
and back of the head to m ake i t necessarv to cu t the
hair on the crown of the head , close to the scalp .
One of the most disgu sting features of hair cu t ting
is what may be cal led crown swiping .
Never cu t the hair on the crown of the head ,close
t ) the head , unless expressly directed to d o so by you r
cu stomer,or u nless
“
i t i s absolu tely necessary to give
the best effect to the hair cu t.
A lways leave the hair proportionately long,from
the crown to the front of the head .
I t is best to learn to trim the hair,on the top
of the head,throu gh the fingers . This method of
hair cu tting gives the best satisfaction,especial ly in
trimm ing the hair on the top and crown of the head,
and in trimm ing cu rly hair, where the hair i s to be.
left fu l l and flowing.
Do not trim the hair short,u nless expressly d irect
ed to do so .
MANUAL . 50
A lways ascertain j u st how you r cu stomer wants his
hair trimmed . Learn to form in you r own m ind j u st
how the job shou ld l ook when finished,and avo i d
whacking away u nt il of hair, before you
Do yo u r best on every hair cu t sl ight no one and
take ad vantage of every opportun ity to improve you r
skil l in w orkman ship .
CHAPT ER V I .
TOOLS .
No mechan i c can do good work w i thou t good tools.
An accompl ished workm an mu st not only know
how to prepare and hand le tools , bu tmu st also possess
a set of tools fi t for preparation— fi t for hand l ing.
H e mu st be possessed of a complete set of tools of the
very best qu al i ty. I t i s not enou gh to possess a good
razor, or a good hone, or a good set of streps . A
good barber shou ld have at least a half dozen good
razors,a good bone and a good pair of streps .
I want to impress u pon the m ind of the workman
the absolu te necessi ty of good tool s , for, I repeat, no
mechani c can do good w ork w i thou t good tools .
MANUAL. 52
The Razor,Hone and Strops
,are the most impor
tant imp lements in the barber ’s kit . His su ccess as
an accompl ished workman w il l depend upon these
implemen ts,and he w i l l fi nd shav ing qu i te laboriou s ,
if any one of them are infer ior in qu al ity .
I have al ready given Su fficient instru ctions as to
the selection of hones and streps . Now,as to the
selection of razors,I wou ld suggest the use of the fou r
and fi ve- eighth size. They are the handiest,and
they give the best general satis faction . Do not d e
ceive you rself into the bel ief that i t requ ires a large
razor to shave a heavy beard . That is not tru e. If
a fou r - eighth razor contains good metal , i t wi l l shave
a heavy beard as deftly as a razor of any other size ;
and the same is true of a fi ve- eighth razor. The
preference to the. fou r and fi ve- eigh th size, is on ao
coun t of their conven ience in shaving in the bel lows
and wrink les of the face and neck . They are also
the handiest size to u se in shaving arou nd the neck ,
in many cases where the cu stomer fails to remove his
col lar . They are preferab le, becau se they do not
53 BARBER’
S
carry a lot of dead weight,and becau se thev are
l ight,and enable a barber to handle them w ith a
l ightness and deftness which the heav 1er or broader
razor do not afford . A large ma1or1ty of the finest
workmen in the tonsorial profession u se the fou r and
fi ve- eighth size of razors,which is
, of i tsel f, a high
compl iment to these respective sizes .
The Barbers ’ Su pplyHou ses are the proper places
for barbers to pu rchase their razors . They carry
the best and most appropriate q ual ity of razors for
the u se of the p rofession. Local hardware and other
dealers in cu tlerv and shav ing implements knew very
l ittle abou t the merits of a razor,and are
,therefore
,
the least qu alified to select razors adapted to the u se
of the harbor. Bu t the barbers ’ supply men not only
u nd erstand the meri ts of razors,bu t m ake a p rofes
sion of the selection and manu factu re of tools and
implements for u se in the tonsori al art. They spend
considerable time and money in improv ing barber
tools,and are continu ally coming forward w i th tools
made especial ly for the u se of barbers . They are,
BARBER ’S
immaterial . n verv barber shou ld carry in h is k i t of
tools,two pairs of shears , of d ifferent s izes , for he w i l l
fi nd it convenient to u se them al ternately , occasion
al ly,and many times he w i l l fi nd i t convenient to
have the u se of one pai r,wh ile the other goes to the
grinder.
Now ,a word abou t Combs .
I t is not necessary to carry separate coml s
for hair c u tting and hai r d ressing purposes . The
same comb u sed for hair cu tt ing may he u sed for
hair d ressing “ also . Bu t in select ing a hair dressing
or hair cu t t ing comb,regard shou ld be had fo r i ts
appropriateness to both u ses . If the barber intend
to use one comb for both hair cu tting and hair dress
ing ,he shou ld select one embracing both coarse and
fi ne parts . The fi ne part of the comb shou ld have
u flicient space between the teeth t o al l ow the hair to
pass throu gh it freely . The fi ne part of the comb is
often u sed to edge and smooth up the hair cu t,and if
there be not su ffi cient space between the teethhit w il l
MANUAL . 56
not pick u p the hair freely, and thereby cau se con
sid erable annevance to the barber.
I t wou ld be the better practice to carry w ith the ki t
of tools a fi ne neck comb , for u se in trimm ing the neck
and ed ges of the hair" A l th ough the neck comb is
not an indispensable implement , i t i s , nevertheless ,
an u sefu l one,and shou ld be a comp lement to every
barbers ’ working ou tfi t . I t i s al so adv i sab le to carry
in this ou tfi t at least two hair cu tt ing combs, for a
barber has no means of knowing j u st when he i s l iab le
to break a comb,or when
,by some m i shap , he w i l l
knock a few teeth '
ou t of his comb , which always
happens at the most u sefu l part of that tool. If he
has two or more combs,i t w i l l cost bu t a trifle more,
and save a great dea l of inconvenience and annoyance.
The clipper i s an instrument which occu pies a con
sp icuous p lace in the barbers’ ou tfi t . Everv barber
shou ld carry in his k i t two pair of clippers — one No .
1 ,and one No . 0 . As to the proper u se of the c l ip
per, it is su ffi cient to say that i t shou ld be u sed as
5 7 BARBER ’S
sparingly as possib le.
The au thor bel ieves this infernal ly convenient d e
v i ce te be the greatest cu rse that ever came u pon the
barbers ’
trade. Before the cl ipper was invented,the
barber s tood some chance of making a d ecent l iv ing
in the profession . Bu t the introd u ction of thi s ing
niou s instrument has been the means of increasing the
number engaged in the profession to an alarming ex
tent , wh i le its pri vate u se has decreased the number
of hai r cu ts,which the barber migh t obtain, per an
num, at least 30 p er cent . “
I
li en we add to th i s
specu lative loss the probable l o ss resu l ting from the
u se of the cl ipper in barber shops,we w i l l find the net
loss to be a lmost incalcu lable. The profession,there
fore, wo u ld be bet ter off withou t the cl ipper than w i th
it . Bu t since it is here - and here to stay— the ba
ber may as wel l avai l himself of its practi cal u se. I
wou ld suggest,however, that its u se be so far restri ct
ed as can be made practi cal,and a higher standard
of workmanship be inau gurated .
There is one other thing I wish to ment ion before I
MANUAL . 58
conclu de,and that is w ith reference to the u se of the
neck du s ter. The barber shou ld use the neck d u s ter
freely . I t is disgu st ingly u npleasant to have a bar
ber blow the hai r from abou t the neck and shou lders
w i th an exhalation of breath and air,instead of re
mov ing it by the u se of the neck d u ster. Everv 3 8 1"
ber sho u ld carry a neck d u ster of h is own in his work
ing ou tfi t , and u se i t freely whenever occasion re
qu ires it. The neck d u ster i s especi al ly designed for
u se wh i le cu tt ing the hair,to remove the loose cl ip
pings from abou t the neck,face and shou lders
,so d o
not u se you r breath or the whisk broom,bu t instead
u se the neck du ster . I t is the only proper instrument
to use for th is parti cu lar pu rpose.
GO O D
T O OLSare essential to the su ccessfu l larber..No matter how well the trad e mayhare been learned ,
no matter how
erp ert the workman, good resu lts can
u ot be obtained u nless he has good
tools to work w ith. lVemake only the
soon
S U P P L IE S
are also j u st as essen'
ial. The soap ,
bay rum,hair tonic
,toilet p rep arations,
etc, that you u se up on you r customers
must be of the very best. You are al
ways su re of the best if the name
ICO CH S'is up on it.
(59 0 1)
Rwi ll tell you that all the above is rery
tru e and,if you w ill ask them,
they wi ll
tcll you that we are GO OD too.
THEO. A. KooHsGOMPANY'
,
158-
170 W ELLS sax, GHIGAGO.
W e w ill m a il you ou r Illu st ra t e dCa ta log u e if you w ill a sk
,for it
ar ers ia irs
A R E—T H E ; V E R Y E3
These chairs are now being u sed
feet satisfaction in lead ing barber shop s all
over the cou ntry. They were award ed ther
‘
1
i
med al at the Aashmlle ( entennm l
tion,and are generally recognized as
lead ing chairs on the market.
ALSO MAKE
irror as ; s ,
AND 9 GENERAL LINE O F
4 4 1
0‘8 .
al l 9 1 5 Il l/"
Il l "El i a
Theo. A. K ochs Com p any ,
1 5 8 - 1 7 0 W e l l s S treet , Chicago ;
W when you are rea l ly to.open yo u r
shop , we shal l he p leased to su b
mit an es timate of the Cost.
A C L Q S E S H A V E
P R IC E-Z
IS W HAT EYERYBODYW ANTS
H O W " IS“
r eu s e
An artic l e for $93 w h ich d oes the same
w ork as other Machines costing $ 100 .
Fi end u s you r name and add ress , and let u s tell you
al l abou t ou r $20'l‘
yp ew riter. I t. is qu ick ly'
learned ,
is easv to operate, w i l l not. get ou t of order, and d oes
evervthing any $31 00 typewri ter wi l l do .
“Te have thou sands of testimoni als to prove all we
claim for the
see one”. TYPEW RITER.
I N u se . ALL T H E D ES I RABL E F FATUR ES or
A tunsr - cnass W RIT ING MACH IN E.
Od e ll Typ e W riter Con ,
Dearbom S t” Ch icago , Ill .
SAll GRADEAS AGENTS SELL i’ fii'
?5.60.
W e Have no Agents but Set"El iteat
to the Rider at Manu facturer’
s
Prices , Saving", You all
Agent’
s Profits.
Best materials,Su p erb fi n ish . E igh t
eleg ant mod els . W e ship anywhere w ith
p riv i leg e of exam ination , p ay ex p ress
charr
es both w av e and rc tm a you r
mon ey if not as rep resen ted E v ery‘Acme is fu lly gmo rcm tewt (ma ins ;
a ft Accid ents as w ell as Def ect ive W ork
manship . Sen d for catalog u e .
W Main S t.
A . B . MOLER .
PREFACE .
In the pages fol lowing it has been my in ten t ion
to i l lu strate and present a set of ru les t hat wi l l at all
t im es be a gu ide bo'
th wh i le learn ing and after com
p let ing the barber trade . I have tr ied to presen t a
system thorough and s imp le ,i l lustrat ing in de ta i l the
requ iremen ts for the rea l ton sori a l art i st and the
train ing necessary to f am i l iar ize him wi th the
techn i cal deta i ls of th i s profess ion .
By reason of my s ix years of con stan t teach ing and
my fi f teen years of serv ice at the ch air,I fee l that no
one has had a be t ter op portun i ty to pract i ce and
study the work that I now lay before you .
I hope to m ake th is book of more th an ordin ary
serv ice to you ,an d by fol lowing i ts in s truct ion s
c l osely , comb ined wi th the advan t ages ou r col legesoffer , there i s n o chance for fa i lure .
T HE BARBERS’
MANUAL.
PAR T I .
PHYSICAL AN D MEN T AL REQU IREMENTST HE BAR BER .
In con s idering the idea of becom ing a barber , thefi rst quest ion th at presen t s i tself i s " What are the
requ iremen ts nece ssary in order to insure success afterlabor ing at th is work Wi l l my n ervous system p er
m it of hand l ing the ra zor Wi l l the n ature of work Ihave done in the past barme from th i s profession ? Are
my men tal propen s i t ies such th at they wi l l a l low me
to wai t upon o thers w i th patien ce and with sol i c i tudefor the ir vw el fare 7 T he quest i on 1 8 often asked bythose prepar ing to take up the work ,
“ Wi l l I m akea barber 7 There i s bu t one an swer to th i s
,
and that is,have you the pat ience and energy to
pract ice di l igen t ly a t the work un t i l you have thorough ly mastered it , prov id ing “ you have at your d is~po sa l the opportun i ty for con stan t pract ice and the
ass is tance of sk i l l fu l in structors
6 T H E BAR BERS ’ MAN UA L .
There i s no part of the barber trade that i s im p oss ib le for anyone with ordin ary ab i l i ty . No man istoo nervou s to take up th is ”
trade as“ i t i s part of youreduca tion wh i le a studen t to overcome your n ervou stem peramen t . Proper pract ice , (of wh ich w e sh a l lgive you a descri p t ion in the fol lo w ing pages ) i s sureto O vercome a l l disadvan tages in th is l i ne ,
bu t w e
wou ld adv ise th a t no person take up th i s work whohas no t fi rst made up h is m ind to become a pub l i cservan t
,to be pat ien t and pa instak ing wi th custom
ers , and to be a lways pleasan t an d agreeab le .
Thi s i s not a work that requ ires any Specia l adaptat ion , but l ike every o ther trade tha t i s m echan i cal , i ti s one that req u ires pract ice . S om e wi l l te l l you th atyou can never become a barber i f you are not giftedwith part i cu l ar ta len ts , bu t i t has been demonstratedtha t the most awkward beginners often m ake themostgracefu l graduates . Grace and ease of m ot ion are
acqu ired by the con t inued us ing of certa in musc les .
Good taste has m uch to do wi th proper hair cutt ingand the differen t sty les of t h i s work must necessar i lybe a study . No man i s n atura l ly gifted with ab i l i tyto tr im ha ir gracefu l ly , and each one must pract iceand stu d y th i s work a l ike . Whi le some are more aptand pa instaking th an o thers , every one can foll owexamples and direct ion s la id down by in structors .
Thus you see , no person of sound m ind and ordinaryab i l ity need exc lude them se lves from th i s trade i fthey are wi l l ing to ap ply them selv es to the work .
T H E BAR BERS ’ MANUAL .
Care les sne ss has no p lace in barber bus iness , an d
no one wi l l succeed e i ther in business for h im se lf o r
as a journeym an ,who i s n o t both carefu l in h is ow n
appearan ce as wel l as that of h is shO p .
8 T H E BAR BERS'MANUAL .
PART II .
SELECTIO N A N D CARE O F TO O LS .
Good tools in every mechan i cal trade have muchto do with the tradesman ’ s success . This is p art icularly true of the Barber Trade . No one can be afi rs t - c lass workman withou t fi rs t - c lass tool s kept inproper order. W e too often fi nd tradesmen try ing toapp ly the ir ski l l with tool s whol ly u n fi t for the irwork .
RA Z ORS .
In the se lect ion of a Barber ’ s O u tfi t one of themost essen t ia l th ings is the R azor. Many t im e s aperfe ct ra zor i s condem ned by the workman who hasno t gi ven i t a sa t i sfactory tr ia l or honed i t down to aperfect edge . N ew ra zors are never honed in perfectcondi t ion , and every ra zor when fi rst purcha sed shou ldbe given , at least , a weeks ’ tri a l before be ing con
d emned . No one can te l l perfect s tee l from the looksof i t un less i t has been burn ed in grinding
, w h ichwou ld cau se i t to show b lack spot s , such spo ts as w e
som et im e s fi nd in a ch ise l or p low shear . In se lecting a razor , as far as the stee l i s concerned ,
th i s isthe on ly th ing to look for. You wi l l never be ab le tod isco ver whet her your ra zor is too soft or too hardfrom shav ing or hon ing i t , as there areztoo m any con
d it ions w h ich affect a razor whi le in process of sharpen ing . T he fact tha t a razor sharpen s s l ow ly or tha t
1 0 T H E BARBER S ’ MANUAL .
A ha lf and three - quarter concave have less ofa hol low grind as descr ibed . T he fu l l concaveis the most expens ive s ty le of grinding w e have ,
and i s on ly used in a h igh grade razor . I t i sthe most des irab le as i t l igh ten s the we igh t ofthe b lade accord ing to the width of i t , and
requ ires less hon ing an d s tropping to sharpenthe same .
In se lect ing tools never st ick to certa in brandss imp ly because they have been recommended , fornearly every we l l known razor has cheap im i
tation s . T he fi v e - e igh th s i ze is ord inar i ly the
most conven ien t an d , a l t hough , i t i s a l i t t lelarger than most barbers prefer , the razor al
ways grows sm a l ler in s tead of larger , and i t i sbest to guard aga inst ge t t ing them too sma l l to beginwith .
SHEA RS .
T he qua l i ty of shears can be tested by a c l ose ex
am inat ion of the b lades . I n the cheaper qua l i t ies , orwhat is known as the stee l laid
,on ly a sm a l l port ion
of the b lade i s sol id s tee l . Th is qua l i ty of shears i susua l ly h eavier in proport ion to the length than thoseof the grade known as fu l l stee l . In nearly ev erv
cheap grade of shears , by exam in ing the i ns ide ofthe b lades , yo u wi l l see a d ifferen t color in the metalat the po in t where the iron and s teel are welded to
T H E BAR BENS ’ MAN UAL . 1 1
gether . A steel laid shear ,as a ru le
,gives good ser
vice as l ong as i t lasts , bu t i t i s not as durab le as onemadeen
'
t'
irelv of stee l . T he fu l l “
stee l shear usua l lyhas th in ,
n arrow b lades that are sprung in such ashape th at when the shears are c losed the two b ladeson ly touch each o ther at the po in t . A non - exp er
ienced man is often l i ab le to m istake th is as a flaw,
but a shear , in order to cu t properly at the po in t ,m ust have th i s spring or set . T he paten t burr fasteners as a ru le are of l i t t le advan tage ,
as a shearm u st be ground and set at in terva ls during i ts service . Never try to sharpen your ow n shears or t igh tent he screws , as in th is way you are apt to spr ing theb lades and make them en t ire ly use less . I t costs bu ta sma l l am oun t to have your shears we l l ground , andwe l l ground shears are a s e ssen t i a l to good work as aproperly ground razor. Never give your shears tothe stree t grinders , nor try them on any shear sharpen ing dev ice . When a shear becomes too smooth ,
i tcan som e t imes be wired a trifle by rubbing i t over arough hone or pie ce of stee l , bu t th i s shou ld not be
pract iced o ften . T he b l ades m ust be roughed to acerta in exten t in order to keep the hair from s l ippingou t when the b lades come toge ther .
T he cheaper grade of shears , as a ru le , have the
b la ck j apanned hand les , wh i le the h igher grades are
n i ck le hand led and h igh ly pol i shed . A seven sevenand one - h a l f
, and e igh t in ch shear are the m ost conv en ien t si zes for barbers use .
T H E BAR BERS”M AN UAL .
H O N ES U
There are m any d iff eren t grades and'
q u a l it ies ofhones , and no doubt the opin ion of barbers var iesin regard to t h i s art ic le more than in regard to any
o ther tool in the barbers k i t . T he German WaterHone i s the oldest sty le ,
or the fi rs t razor hone u sed .
T hey st i l l are con s idered by rr any to be the best honein the m arke t . There i s certa in ly no th ing that wi l lcom pare wi th them for the appren t ice ,
as they cut s lowand never ov erhone , as does the coarser an d fasterc utt ing stone s . I t usua l ly requires a l i t t le more t ime
t o cu t a ra zor to an edge on th i s stone , but once to anedge i t keeps i t in the sam e cond it ion without d amaging the b lade .
In using the o i l or la ther hone , more care shou ldbe taken to preven t ov erhon ing ,
”for when the
razor i s honed to an edge , i t wi l l , with more hon ing ,
c rumb le or break away to what is known as the wireedge . T he lather hon es are of m any diff eren t qua l it ie s , and i t i s som et h ing of a gam b le to g e t a perfe c thone. They vary great ly in pr i ces accord ing to qua l i ty .
T he S w at ty , the“same as the
“
lather stone , i sf ast cu tt ing
,and i s p robablv the hardes t hone to
work wi th , a l though i t br ings a razor to an edge
q u ick ly . An appren t ice wou ld se ldom be successfu l ,w ith th i s sty le of honek ”I‘
héy are"h ig hly recom
mended by t he expert or old barber , but shou ld neverbe recommended to ab eginner .
T H E BA R BER S ’. MANUAL . 1 3
STROPS .
S trops sh ou ld a lways be used in pa irs , canvas an dleather. T he canvas is the one you fi rst app ly to thera zor , and fi n i sh i t wi t h the sm oo th leather strop .
R a zors in con stan t stropping , on a lea ther strop , becom e too smoo th , and requ ire a cert ain amoun t o fu s e on the canvas . Th is i s in order to roughen or
draw ou t the edge ,and when proper ly stropped they
requ ire less hon ing . T he h igher grade of canvasstrop i s made of seam less hose , an d can be used on
e i ther s ide . You shou ld be carefu l to keep can vass trops d ry as dampness swe l l s the gra in and roughen sthe strop . T he be t ter qua l i ty are u sua l ly made of
l inen , the sm oo th an d t igh t ly woven qua l i ty . T he
cheaper grades are some t im es of canvas , and are
kno w n as the flat w eb . They are of a sing le th i ckn ess , less durab le , an d can be u sed 'on ly on one side .
Some cheaper grades are a l so m ade of co t ton . Can
vas strops in constan t u se gather dust an d gri t wh i chshou ld nbe c leaned off by app ly ing a l i t t le lather an d
immedi ate ly scraping it off with the b lade of the
shear . or a sim i lar b lun t in strum en t . Gri t on a can
v as strop w i l l do m uch dam age to a razor ,an d shou ld
be watched for c l ose ly . In break ing in a new strop ,
thegra in shou ld fi rst be fi l led with beeswax or soap ,
an d th i s shou ld be rubbed in t horou gh ly with a bo t t leor a s im i lar in strum en t . There i s con siderab le laborattached to preparing a pa ir of s trops .
1 4 T H E BAR BERS ’ MANUAL .
In se lect ing a leather str0 p , R uss ia leather is
u sua l ly most des irab le , a l though the most expens ive ,
and is a tough , th ick , serv icable leather. I t i susua l ly told by the smel l , and by the gra inon the back of the str0 p . I t requ ires some
t ime to prepare a R uss i a leather str0 p for service ,but when once broken in ,
i t w i l l last a l ifet ime , an d
i s not easy to cut . T he str0 p shou ld be prepared by
put t ing th ick lather on the surface , and rubbing i t inwel l , in the same m anner as the can vas str0 p . F romfi v e to ten m inutes shou ld be spen t on a R ussialeather s tr0 p every day for two or three weeks . T he
labor requ ired in prepar ing th is s trop i s worth moreth an the str0 p i tse lf . Many old barbers possesss trops worth from to A R uss ia leatherimproves w i th ag e . A pig sk in str0 p i s of the sam e
na ture , and shou ld be broken in in the same way ,i t i s m ost favored by some barbers , and al though notqu ite as durab le , i t is more eas i ly prepared . Theses trops are never made in cheap qua l i t ies , there be ingbut two grades , m edium and heavy.
T he horseh ide s tr0 p is made of m any d iff eren tqua l i t ies , and se l l s a t d iff eren t pri ces . T he she l l , or
horseta i l i s probab ly the best of th is c lass . I t isa lways smoo t h , never requ ires fi n i sh ing or break ingin , and i s of a th inner or l igh ter grade . Th is is them os t durab le of h orseh ide strops . T he o ther qua l it ies are cheaper grades or of a softer m ateri a l , and
usua l ly draw or hang to the razor in stropp ing .
T H E BA RBERS ’ MAN UAL .
This qua li ty of s-trop s usua l ly requ ires more work to
pu t a razor in condit ion , and they are les s serv iceab le . They are eas i ly cu t and short l ived . Whenthey once begin to work rough , there i s no remedyfor them .
CLIPPERS .
O f the s tri ct ly h igh grade c l ippers there are butfew brands to select from . Cl i ppers are con stan t lychanging and be ing improved upon ,
and l ike a l lc lasses of m ach inery , they soon become old sty le .
Among the latest improvements there i s one cal ledthe
“ pu l l spring I t i s prompt in act ion ,strong
and serv iceab le . and can be adj u sted to mos t any
hand . Th i s spring is found in but two brands.
ofc l ippers . T he adj ust ing b lade m ade to cu t d iff eren tlength s i s of l i t t le or no u se , for i t s work i s ragged
,
and give s the hair the appearan ce of t hree or fourweeks growth . T he on ly care that i s necessary for
th i s grade o f c l ippers i s that they shou ld be kept we l lo i led , and when on ce properly adj us ted , shou ld be
left in tha t state . I t i s bad pol i cy to readj u st the
m ach ine , except when i t must be taken apart and
cleaned . T he plates shou ld be wiped off about once amon th
, or shou ld be washed out wi thout readj ust ingby work ing kerosene through them . Sewing mach ineor bicyc le o i l is the best to u se . Thi s grade ofmach ine can be made to cu t two length s by s im ‘
p ly turn ing i t over in the hand and using i t for the
16 T H E BA R BERS ’ MANUAL
neck or.
‘ fQO”c lipper. This saves the necess ity oftw o pairs of c l ippers .
Among the cheaper grades the brands are n um er
ous,and a l l of abou t the same qua l i ty . S ome have
the spr i ng i n the hand les , o thers h ave the con cea ledspr ing in the b lades . They are so con s tructed thatthey wi l l ou t but one length ,
and in do ing the n i cerpart of the work i t wou ld be necessary to have ashort or an O c l ipper bes ides the regu lat ion lengthof an e igh th inch . These c l ippers , l ike the h ighergrade ,
shou ld be thorough ly c leaned and o i led abou ton ce a mon th , or accord ing to the amoun t of workbe ing done .
COM BS .
In the se lect ion of com bs , the hand m ade bon ecom b is preferab le . I t shou ld be a tapering comb ofm edium size , and one that can be we l l hand led in
l ong or short ha ir. A n eck comb i s usua l ly con s id
ered unnecessary where the comb is tapered from acoarser to fi ner tee th .
A lum inum com bs are cons idered by som e the mostconven ien t , bu t there i s an obj ect ion to th is s ty le ofcom b ,
as the tee th often com e in con tact w i th the
b lade of your shears .
Among the cheaper grades are the m ach inem ade ”horn combs , which are usua l ly m ore b lun tand less conven ien t . T he heavy rubber combs are ofno service to the barber on accoun t of their th ickness .
1 8 T H E BARBERS ’ MANUAL .
wi thou t the conven ien t pocke ts of the barber’ s coat .A lways select a j acke t wi th a co llar an d wi th de tach ~
ab le but ton s .
T he above named art ic les are a l l that are n eces
sary for a j ourn eym a n ‘s out fi t , bu t in conduct ing ashop for yourse l f m ore tool s are necessary an d greatcare shou ld be taken in select ing good br i s t le brushe sfor the ha ir . Barbers are too often neg l i gen t as tothe care of the ir bru shes , a l l owing them to becom e
dirty and g rea sv and un fi t for u se . A ba ir brushshou ld be c leaned thorough ly , a t least , on ce a mon th .
T he best way of c lean ing the brush is by us ingstrong amm on i a water or sea foam , rubb ing the p re
p arat ion thorough ly through the br i s t le s , an d wi th acoarse com b c lean ou t a l l the dandruff etc . ,
fromamong the br is t les . A fter the brush has been t horough ly cleaned and rin sed , tap i t l igh t ly on the
bri st les un t i l d ry .
T he most serv icab le and probab ly the best latherbrushes are those whose br i st les
'
are set in vu l cani z ed rubber . T he sof t came l ha ir brush is of no ser
v ice to the barber as i t becomes too soft when in
con stan t u se .
Lather bru sh es as we l l as cups shou ld be thorough ly r in sed before or after each shave.
STER ILI Z ING AN D ANTISEPTIC SOLUTIONS .
S teri l iz ing your razors i s a very important featurein the barber bus in ess , a l so the u se of an t i sept ics for
T H E BAR BERS ’ MANUAL . 19
your b rushes , cups and s trops . In th i s care of too ls ,much neg lect has been shown am ong past mem bersof the fratern i ty
,often t imes w i th d isas trous resu l ts .
Your patron age can be increased by stric t a t ten t ionto th i s on e importan t feature . Th is proce ss shou ldbe resorted to as often as seems necessary . A fterworking over a sore face ,
or what w e m ay term a.
syph i l i t i c subject , wash your hands in a m i ld so lut ion o f B ich loride of Mercury . If you h ave no steams teri l izer , your razors can be dipped or bo i led withou t in j ury to them in the same solut ion .
S team steri l i zers are much . preferab le and can be
secured as cheap as 75 cen ts . P l ace your mugs , latherbrushe s , and ha ir brushes in water a t a tempera tureof abou t 150 degrees . S trops a l so may be treated thesame way an d afterw ards o i led wi th carbon i zed vasel ine . S trop s ,
w ill need th i s process very se ldom .
T H E BA R BER S ’ MANUA I
PART III .
HO NING AN D STR O PPING .
T he seque l to a barber ’ s success as far as shav ingi s concerned l ies in hon ing an d stropping the ra zor.
Th is is not a great task when proper in struct ion s aregiven or when care i s taken to hone at the propert ime or str0 p su ffic ien t ly wh i le the razor i s in u se .
No deep art or mystery l ies in th i s part of the p rofess ion as many barbers who have never been p rop erlvtaugh t , are inc l ined to be l ieve . Many fi rst - c lassworkmen
, good in ev erv o ther part of the work , se l
d om have a sharp razor , an d aga in, no barber has
become so profi cien t th at a t a l l times he has h is razorsharp . There are so m any differen t cond i t ion s ofatm osphere , heat and cold , etc . , which effect the edgeof the ra zor tha t i t is pract ica l ly an impos sib i l i ty tokeep one razor a lways in cond i t ion
,but there can be
n o pl ausib le excuse for a man w ith two or t hreera zors n ot hav ing one of them always w i th a keened ge .
H O N IN L
No m a tter what hone i s used , hon ing is a lway sdone in the same way and the sam e me t hod of test ingthe edge i s appl ied , but w ith each sty le of hone theedge has an en t ire ly differen t fee l ing an d i t i s a lwaysbest to becbme accustom ed to on e s ton e and learn the
T H E BAR BERS ’ MANUA L . 21
pec u l iari t ies of i ts work . N ev e r'
try to hone a razor
with a n i ck in i t,nor wi th an ex treme ly b lun t edge
as i t is imposs ib le to keep a sm oo t h s tra ight edgewhen i t is necessary to cu t the razor down to any
ex ten t . R azors in th is cond i t ion shou ld a lways besent to the gr inder with ins truct ion s as to what sty leof gr ind or concave is requ ired .
In beginn ing your work , fi rs t prepare your hone .
In using the water hone see that i t i s perfect ly c lean
and free from d irt or grease , then w e t the ru bberwith moderate ly warm water , a lso see tha t the honeis not ex treme ly cold nor ho t , as the temperature wi l lhave m uch to do in drawing ou t or extend ing the
edge of the b lade . Prepare your hone with a th ickgr i t or lather by rubb ing the hone proper , w i th the
rubber an d a lways keeping i t m o i s t . Lay the razorperfect ly flat on the hone an d draw toward the edge
T H E BA RBERS ’ MANUA I
diagona l ly from the hee l to the po in t a s sh own in cu t .
Turn the ra zor on the back w i thou t l if t ing i t fromthe hone and s l ide in to posi t ion for the o ther s ideHold the razor with the fi rst fi nger on the shank ofthe b lade in such a way as to turn i t freely in the
hand,
an d so t h at the en t ire length of the b lade wi l lbe honed a l ike . I t w i l l requ ire some pract ice tobecom e h andy in turn ing the ra zor . Work s l ow lyan d with some old use less ra zor un t i l you have mastered the stroke . A s l igh t m i st ake on the hone cou ldeas i ly ru in a h igh grade ra zor .
Test ing the edge of a ra zor i s done by we t t ing thethumb or finger na i l and drawing the edge of therazor over the thum b or n ai l wi th j u st enough heftto a l low i t to cu t in or s l ide over the na i l . If therazor has a b lun t th ick edge , i t w i l l s l ide over the nai lwithou t cu t t ing . Th is wi l l sign i fy that i t n eedsm ore hon ing to br ing i t to the proper cond i t ion . I fthe ra zor cu ts in to the nai l irregu larly with a roughgrat ing fee l ing th is s ign i fi es that the ra zor has arough . wiry edge and requ ires more hon ing . T he
ra zor when in perfect cond i t ion wi l l draw in to thena i l wi th a keen sm oo th edge . You cannot be
dece i ved in th i s tes t when v ou becom e suffi c ien tlyacquain ted with the edge to detect the differen t fee lings . Th i s test shou ld be used on lv in hon ing an d
no t in s tropping , as after the ra zor i s s tropped ,i t ha s
an en t ire ly differen t fee l ing and wou ld sl ide over then ai l as though greased .
T H E BA R BERS ’ MANUAL . [0 C;
J
In using the sw at ty or leather hone , m ix a th icklather and apply to the hone , a lway s keeping i t we l lmo i s ten ed wi th the s u bs tance .
I t i s not to be supposed that you wi l l becom e ask il l fu l honer wi thout the n ecessary pract ice and
in s truct ion , and m uch depends on the s troppingafter leav ing the hone . A razor wi l l not a lways takethe same s ty le of an edge . A s s tated , i t somet im esdepends on the atm osphere or heat and cold . If d ifficu l ty i s m et with in ge t t ing the requ ired edge ,
i toften t im es i s a benefi t to lay the ra zor by for a shorttime and a l low the tem perature to m ake the change .
A t t imes fi v e m in utes work wi l l do more for you in
sharpen ing a ra zor th an an hour a t o ther t imes .
Thus you w i l l see nom an i s a lways m aster of th i s art .
STROPPING .
A fter a ra zor is properly honed it shou ld be
stropped very l i t t le i f any , on the canvass str0 p . Ifa razor seem s to have taken too smooth an edge ,
i t
can be roughed a l i t t le with the can vas s tr0 p and
then sm oo thed to the proper condi t ion on t h e leather ,
or if a ra zor seem s to b e left a l i t t le too rough by the
hone i t som et im es can be stropped to a bet ter cond it ion on the canvas . T he ma in obj ect be ing to bringi t to the keen , yet sm oo th edge . . A ra zor can be
smooth ,and not keen and sharp or can be too sm ooth "
but never too sharp .
2 4 T H E BARBERS ’ MAN UAL .
E very barber has h is p e t ra zor , for with th is p art icu lar one he has learned the requ iremen ts in hon inga nd stropping . Con s iderab le pract ice i s necessary tobecom e easy and gracefu l ln stropping . T he razors hou ld be he ld in such a w ay a s to a l l ow it to turn in
t he hand ea s il v an d a lw ays be wiped over the strop
p erfec t ly fla t wi t h back of b lade as we l l as edgep laced t igh t on the leather . Turn i t on the backwithout l ift ing it from the strop
,and as in hon ing ,
do th i s work s low l y and carefu l ly unt i l vou havebecom e profi c ien t in the mo t ion . T he best c lass ofbarbers never trv to p lay tun es w i th
‘
the ir razor and
s trops , as i s often seen am ong those who care m orefor m ak ing a show th an for the edge of the razor.
More stropping is n eces sarv wi th a fresh ly honedrazor t han on e that has shaved a ha l f dozen beard s .A razor j u s t o ff from the hone i s u su a l ly a l i t t le roughand irri ta t ing to the face and shou ld be fi rst used on
a l igh t beard . I t i s poor p o licv for a barber to hon eup al l of h i s ra zors a t on ce , or even more th an one ata t ime , for i t i s necessarv to have , a t least , one ra zora lway s ready for any sort of bea rd tha t com es in .
I t i s some t imes good p o l ic v for a barber to have astrop fi l led wit h emery flour or ra 7.o r paste . Whenthe edges becom e too smoo t h an d vou have no t ime
for hon ing , a few strokes on the coarse str0 p wi l ldraw out the b lun t edge . This shou ld no t be praot i ced often , however , an d on lv with a r azor th at hass hav ed fort v or fi f tv m en withou t hon ing .
T HE BARBERS MANUA L .
PAR T I V .
SHAV ING .
Shav ing is an art. Profi c ien cy in th is work can
not be obta ined withou t m uch pract ice , and wh i le youwi l l be benefi t ted much by fol lowing the se ru les
,
pract i ca l demons tra t ion i s the mos t essen t i a l gu ide .
I n prepar ing a cu stomer for a shave , fi rst thorough ly r in se the brush an d cup wi th warm water topreven t the spread ing of d i sease . A th ick
,cream y
l ather shou ld b e m ixed , j u st s tiff enough to be
hand led n i ce ly on the face . If left too th in,i t i s apt
to ru n down the neck or on to the col lar . Man y bar
bers sav i t i s im poss ib le to learn even how to latherin the length of t ime ou r Col lege proposes to teacht he trade ,
and i t i s very tru e t h at som e m en d o n o t
learn th is work wel l . Whi le there i s n o ski l l to be
d isplayed in lathering ,a barber must a lways be care
fu l and pain stak ing in th i s work . T he barber tha tw i l l no t be thou gh tfu l enough to do th is work shou ldneed n ever to expect to c laim cu stom , as th i s i s thefi rst impress ion m ade upon the custom er. T he faceshou ld be l athered by apply ing the brush in a circu
lar m o t ion ,wh ich a l lows the brush to brew lather of
i t se l f . T he beginner i s apt to hand le the latherbrush as the the pain ter does the pa in t brush . Care
T H E BAR BERS ’ MAN UAL . 27
must be taken no t to a l low the lather to work in to them ou th
,nose or ears .
A fter app ly ing the lather ,ru b i t l igh t ly in to the
beard,and remem ber that whether the beard be hard
or soft , l igh t rubb ing answers the same purpo se . I tw i l l be your fi rst impress ion , th at i f the beard isth i ck and heavy , i t w i l l require hard rubbing . Bearin m ind tha t every m an ’ s face i s tender , and shouldbe hand led care fu l ly .
T he beard shou ld be rubbed from two to ten m in
utes , accord ing to the growth of ha ir. Where the
beard i s d irty and fu l l of gri t , after thorough ly ru b
bing i t , the l ather shou ld be wiped off with a w et
towel , an d a new coat of la ther app l ied . This w i l lon ly be necessary in ex trem e cases .
A lways see th at you r cus tom er i s in an easy, com
f ortable pos i t ion in the cha ir , an d do n ot l ower the
head rest eon u gh to cram p the p erson s neck . T he
sk in mu st be a lways left loose so t hat i t can be drawnin any posi t ion requ ired wh i le un der the razor .
Do not m ake the m i s take of s tropping your razorwhen you have no th ing el se to do , th inking i t w il l beready for u se when you have prepared the beard . A
razor m ust a lways be stropped j us t before using i t .T he ph i l osophy of th i s is , the fri c t ion in stroppingheats the stee l an d expand s it , leav ing a smoo theredge than the b lade natura l ly has when cool . Whilethe heat g iven the razor is no t the on ly benefi t , it
2 8 T H E BARBERS ’ M ANUAL .
expla ins the the theory of stropping j ust be foreshav ing .
A lways begin the shave on the right hand s ide ,
d raw the razor down with a s l an t ing s troke ,as
shown in cu t . T he razor m ust be hand led in such a
m an ner as to a l low it to saw across the beard in stead
o f pu l l ing straight . This mo t ion is wha t m ake ssh av ing an art . T he stroke wi l l be found very d ifli
cu l t for a beginn er , bu t by study ing th is mot ionw h ile . p ract icing ,
much time wi l l be saved . A fterthe side of the face has been shaved as far as the cor
n er of the mouth , i t i s necessary to u se what w e ca l l
T H E BA 'R BERS ’ MANUA L . 29
the back handed stroke . This i s don e by t u rn ing thehand as shown in cu t
,and i s con sidered m ore d iffi
cu l t than the free arm m o t ion . I n order to m aster
th is , the fi rst exercise i s to throw e lbo w up nearlyeven with t heshou lder and turn the back of the handd irect ly from you . T he m i stake i s u sua l ly made ofcrowding the e lbow down c l ose to the side , or a l low
3 0 T H E BA R BERS ’ MANUAL .
ing the arm to rest on the customers chest . t hus p erm i t t ing the razor to drag in stead of be ing carriedwi th a g l id ing s troke from po in t to hee l . Th isstroke is used on the s ide of the ch in , and with the
sam e m ot ion ru n down to the po in t of the ch in , taking off the ba lan ce of the beard as low as the j awbone . F rom th i s po in t the free arm m o t ion i s usedaga in on the side of the neck as far down as the
gra in run s . Care must be taken not to al low the
razor to go aga ins t the gra in . In shav ing the lowerpart of the neck ,
i t w i l l be necessary for you to steparound beh ind your cha ir and draw the skin up withthe
-
thumb and dow n with the fi ngers as shown in
the cu t , so th at i t wi l l be perfect ly t igh t on the partof the neck wh ich is be ing shaved . You are apt tom ake a m istak e , by a l lowing your fi ngers to become
T H E BA RBERS ’ MANU AL . 3 1
d amp and s l i ppery ,and have d ifi i cu lty in
‘drawing thesk in t igh t under your hand . Be sure th at your fi n
gers are a lways d ry , and the face sh aved c lean as faras you go , not a l lowing bi ts of lather to rema in s ca ttered over the shaved port ion o f the face .
When the side of the face nearest you has beenshaved , turn the head on the head rest by l i f t ing i tfrom undern eath ,
and not push ing i t over as thoughhand l ing a b l ock of wood . In shav ing the upperpart of the face on the oppos i te s ide , i t i s necessaryto u se the back handed mo t ion and change to the freehanded stroke in shav ing the ch in . When th is i scom ple ted ,
turn the face stra igh t up , shav ing d irect lyacross the ch in wi th the d iagon a l stroke , then shaveu nderneath as far down as the gra in of the hair run s .
Nex t , turn the face toward you and shave the O ppos i te s ide of the n eck down with the back handeds troke keeping wi th the gra in . S have the l ower partof the neck a s was done on the oppos i te S ide . Th ispart of the shave i s the most part icu lar , an d shou ldbe hand led w i th the most care .
A fter shav ing one s ide of the face , the ra zorshou ld be restrop p ed , or even oftener i f i t i s no t giving sat i sfact ion . I t is we l l to ask your cus tomer i fthe razor hurts the face , as a barber i s never surej ust what sa
/t i sfact ion h i s work is giv ing . A razor
m ight be cu t t ing the beard n i ce ly , bu t st i l l roughenough to irri ta te the face , an d th i s m igh t not be
detected by the workman .
T H E BARBERS ’ MANUAL .
A ft er comple t ing the shave the fi rst t ime over .
s trop again . In shav ing the second t im e over ,w ith
a tender face , i t best to take the towe l wa s h
the face ,ge t t ing a l l the soap off the s kin in order to
preven t irri t at ion . This wi l l be necessary on ly witht‘ender faces . W et the hand by using water bo t t le asshown in cut . W et on e side of the face a t a t ime
34 T H E BAR BERS ’ MANUAL .
w iped over the face aga in st the gra in . Be caut iou sin dry ing around the ears and corner of the moutha nd be sure to d ry the en t ire face thorough ly beforef ann ing , i t to preven t chapping . App ly magnes i a orpowder e i t her by rubb ing the tow e l over the lump ofmagnes ia and app ly ing to the face or by using the
p owder puff. Lump magnes ia is u sua l ly preferab le ,
t hen wipe the powder a l l off from the face as it i son ly app l ied to give i t a sm oo th fee l ing and to p rev en t a g lossy appearance of the sk in .
Th is con cludes the shave proper , bu t after set t ing"
the cu stomer up in the cha ir comp lete your work bycombing the ha ir , cur l ing the mu stache , i f requ ired ,and such deta i ls as the cu stomer may request .Many old barbers m ake the m i s take of not using
g ood j udgmen t in comb ing . O bserve the s ty le yourcustomer has been combed before , and try and com bt he ha ir as nearly l ike i t a s poss ib le . By s tudy ingthese ru le s carefu l ly much t ime can be saved in aterm of school ing ,
but some study w i l l be necessaryd o g e t the fu l l bene fi t of t hem .
T H E B ARBERS ’ MANUAL . 3 5
PART V .
HAIR - CUTTING .
S k i l l in ha ir- cu tt ing is a t ta ined by a study of s ty lesand by an Opportun i ty for con stan t pract ice . No onecan become a ski l lfu l ha ir - cu t ter wi thout constan tatten t ion to the work and there must be an opportuni ty for constan t pract ice . Here i s where the greates td i sadvan tage i s found in the old sty le barber sh0 pappren t icesh ip . Men who pay for a good hair- cu t ora sh ave , natura l ly obj ect to be ing made subj ects fora novi ce to pract i ce upon
,consequen t ly the studen t
who has no one to pract ice upon has no ch ance fora dvancemen t .I t usua l ly requ ires from two to three years to
become profi cien t in th i s work . However , the same
t h ing can be learned in two or three mon t hs wi th the
p roper opportu n i ties before you . No one can learnth is work or any p art of i t by see ing i t done . I t i snecessary to app ly yourse l f to t h is work con stan tlyun t i l you have thorough ly m astered
‘
the d iff eren ts ty les , and the art of hand l ing the shears an d com bhave become a second nature to you . There can be
as m uch gen iu s d isp layed in th i s work as in the workof the scu lptor or the pain ter. Express ion can be
d isp layed on the back of the head as w ell‘
as in the
face . A s the scu lptor mou lds here and there for
T H E BARBERS ’ MANUAL .
FULL CROW N CUT .
3 8 T H E BAR BER S ’ MANUAL .
the short h air at the crown an d on the s ides of thehead .
In m ak ing the ou t l ines of the ha ir- cu t , wh ich
the last and most no t iceab le part of your work , care
m u st be t aken to m ake the l ines gracefu l . Youshou ld begin a t the side of the head and in fron t of
T H E BA RBERS ’ MAN UA L . 3 9
the ear and ou t e i ther stra igh t down the back of theneck , on each s ide , or cu t round as the customer
desires . A lways ask your customer which sty le he
prefers . T he out l ine m ade by the po in ts of the
shears s ign i fi es the l ine to which you shou ld shaveand t h i s ou t l in e shou ld be m ade true an d even .
HALF CROW NF or the sty le known as the ha lf crown cut
,cl ip
pers shou ld be u sed on ly ha lf way to the crown of thehead or a l i t t le above the ears . T he l ine l eft by the
c l ippers shou ld be s tra igh t around and shou ld not be
a l l owed to ru n down at the back of the head , as m anybarbers do wi th th is sty le of cu t . A fter complet ingthe c l ipper work , tr im the rema in ing edges in the
sam e m anner a s in the fu l l crown cu t , giv ing a gradua l taper to the ha ir , an d so cut t ing ou t the c l i pperm ark that i t canno t be no t iced how high the c l i pperswere u sed . T he top of the ha ir shou ld be cu t in the
same m ann er as in t h ef
crow n cu t , but the proper p roport ion m ust be m a in ta ined . I t wi l l be n ecessary toleave the h a ir a l i t t le l onger th an in the fu l l crowncut . T he usua l m i s take in th is sty le is in leav ingthe ha ir too bunchy a t the crown m ak ing i t appear asth ough a w ig had been p laced on top of the head .
S tudy the fash ion p late for th i s sty le .
HA IR TR IM .
T he st y le that i s known as the trim m ay be div idedin to t hree length s , the short , the medium and the
T H E B'
A R BERS ’ MAN UA L .
HALF CROW N
42 T H E BARBERS ’ MANUAL .
th i smi st ake , for i f bo th s ides are not tr immed exactl ya l ike
,the n ext t ime the ha ir i s parted
,if i t i s not.
parted in exact ly the same p lace , ragged ends wi llappear on one side or the other. In mak ing the outl ine , you wi l l fi n d the work for t h is s ty le of a ha ircu t more d iffi cu l t than with the crown or ha l f crowncu t .
COLLEGE CUT .
Comb the ha ir from the crown even ly in a l l d irect ion s m ak ing a fa l se crown a t the cen ter of the head .
Tr im the l ower part of the ha ir the same as ou t l in ingfor the ord in ary or m edi um tr im . K eep comb ing and
tr imm ing the edge u n t i l i t i s perfect ly even ,and
shows no ragged edge . This wi l l a l low the ha ir , as i tcon t inues to grow
,to have a mass ive or bu lky appear
an ce an d wi l l leave i t round an d smoo th wi th no
m arks of the shears to show . By tr imm ing the l oweredges you shorten the ha ir undern eath ,
giving theeffects as shown in the cu ts on pages 43 an d 44 .
I t m ay be trimmed with the Eng l i sh bang asshown in the s ide v iew or as the ord in ary trim . T h e
hair , when com bed s tra igh t down from the forehead ,
m ust be trimmed even wi th the lower edge .
POM PADOU R HA IR - CUT .
This sty le i s l i t t le worn now ,but no barber can
ca l l h im sel f profi c ien t wi thout h av ing m astered th i spart i cu l ar s ty le . There w as a t im e when i t was con
BAR BE R s’ MAN UA L .
COLLEGE CUT —S IDE
43
44 . .T H E rBAR BERs’ MANUAL .
COLLEGE CUT— BA CK V IEW .
46 T H E BARBERS ’ MANUAL .
PART V I .
BEARD TR IMM ING .
V AN DY K E BEAR D .
In mos t cases , the beard is trimmed short , usingthe c l i ppers to the corner of the m ou th , leav ing on lythe ch in unc l ipped . Nex t trim with the shears , thencomb the edge of the beard wh ich rema ins after the
u se of the '
cl ip p er and gradua l ly work to a po in t , fu nnel shaped at the po in t of the ch in . Great care mustbe t aken to have the work smoo th underneath the
ch in ,so that the beard ,
when the head i s in an u p
r igh t pos it ion wi l l s how no ragged edges a t the bo ttom . You shou ld a lways be caut ious abou t trimm ingn ear the edge of the underl ip , as the ha ir u sua l lyg rows th in on th at part of the face ,
an d a very l i t t letrimm ing w i l l show the bare spots .
In order to have the po in t exact ly in the cen ter i ti s necessary to trim on bo t h s ides , fi rst on the one
and then on the o t her , an d you must not fi n i sh on e
s ide before beginn ing on the o ther . In case the customer does not wan t the s ide of the face and neckc l ipped , trim c lo se ly w i th the shears , leaving the
same length of beard and giv ing no proport ion un t i lyou reach the corner of the mouth , then trim i t to apo in t the same as when c l ippers are used . Th is is a
T H E BAR BER S' MANUA L .
TH E V AN DYK E BEARD .
47
48 T H E BARBERS ’ MANUAL .
business or p rofess iona l m an ’ s beard tr im,often
ca l led the “ Napoleon ,
”an d you shou ld be caut iou s in
adopt ing it for the m in is ter or e lderly gen t lem en .
T H E PA RTED BEA RD . .
Th is sty le of beard i s l i t t le worn nowadays , butthose who possess a p arted ‘ beard l ike those who wearthe pompadour hair- cu t
, are part i cu l ar abou t its
appearan ce . I t i s one of the m ost d iffi cu l t trim s inthe barber busin ess .
T he beard shou ld fi rs t be parted in the cen ter and
combed ou t toward each s ide . T he ha ir shou ld thenbe trimmed c l osely on the neck e i ther with the shearsor with the c l ippers , and gradua l ly taper to the longerhair on the s ides of the face . Thi s beard i s d irect lyoppos i te ’ to the V an Dyke an d is m ean t to broadenthe express ion of the face and
’
not to lengthen i t .T he beard on the s ide of the face shou ld usua l ly
be tr immed d ow n u n til i t i s about h a lf an in ch longun t i l near the ch in , where i t shou ld grow l onger as inthe cut . In any sty le of beard trim ,
care must betaken to have the ha ir trimmed c l osely on the neck .
More work is necessary on th is s ty le of trim th an the
ord inary ha ir - cu t,an d th i s i s a part of the work th at
you rece ive the least pract i ce on . F ew barbers are
expert beard trimm ers . T he Col lege offers a splend id opportun i ty for pract i ce in th is work as wel l asa l l others .
T H E BA RBERS ’ MANU AL .
OTHER TR IM S .
There are man y o ther sty les of wear ing the beards uch as the “ Mutton Chops ,”ch in wh iskers , etc . Nosk i l l is requ ired in trimm ing these , and the on ly caren ecessary m us t be di splayed in b l ock ing out a new
beard , get t ing bo th s ide s even and a lways fol lowingthe direc t ion s of y our cu stomer as there are as manysty les in b l ock ing out wh iskers as you have custome rs to wai t u pon
T H E BAR BERS ’ MANUAL .
PART V I I .
S HAMPO O .
There are var ious methods of shampoo ing , ai
though , a l l are pract ica l ly the same in the end . T he
on ly differen ce be ing in the substance or m ateri a lu sed
'
in giv ing the shampoo . T he m ateri a l most fav ~
ored now i s shampoo j e l ly . I t is a substan ce wh ich
foams read i ly ,is m i ld , c lean s ing , and hea l thfu l to
the sca lp .
In prepar ing for the shampoo , p l ace a towe l abovethe ha ir - c loth , bo th in fron t an d back , to preven twet t ing the customer
’ s col lar an d c lo thes . About a
52 T H E BAR BERS ’ MANU AL .
th imb lefu l of the shampoo j e l ly is suffi c ien t for an
ordinary shampoo . Take the shampoo j e l ly in the
left hand and the water bo t t le in the r igh t hand , applywater and ru b the shampoo in to the hair . This p roduces a l igh t lather and when suffi c ien t water has beenused to change the j e l ly to a lather, set the bot t le downand ru b with bo th hands as in cu t . Avo id rubbing withboth hands in the same direct ion at the sam e t im e asth is wou ld be un comfortab le for the customer . Let
each hand operate O ppos i te to the o ther . R u b wi ththe ba l ls of the fi ngers and do not scratch the sca lpwith the fi nger na i ls . R u b hard or l igh t as su it s thecustomer ,
usua l ly rubbing the sca lp abou t fi v e or ten
m inutes , then prepare the shampoo stand and bow l .R egu late the temperature of the w ater before g et
t ing your customer over the sh ampoo bow l . Whereyou have no water connect ions procure a suffi cien tam oun t of water at the proper temperature , (lukewarm ) in some conven ien t d i sh in order to pour overthe head . When everyth ing is in read iness , haveyour cu stomer step from the cha ir to the sham poostand , and force him to lean over far en ough so thatthe water wi l l not run 'down h is neck , whi le wash ingthe lather from the head . S ee that the soap is thorough ly r in sed from the hair an d th at the sca lp is we l lc lean sed . Avo id let t ing your custom er raise h is headup as soon as you hav e comp leted pouring"on wateror using the spray .CJ S hak e the w ateri ou tZO f the hair
W h i p—Qmw —f ’ ra p —m ~ _
as“
mu ch as possib le before us ing the towe l s , then dry
56 T H E BAR BE Rs’ MANUAL .
hair , s inge over the comb as in cu t . Where the ha iri s long ,
s inge over the fi ngers the same as in cu tt inglong ha ir . This work is very s imple after you h ave
learned to trim ,st i l l i t i s a very importan t and neces
sary qua l ifi ca t ion for the barber . T he most painsshou ld be taken around the crown and forehead asthese are the part s where the hair is apt to fa l l ou t
T H E BAR BERS ’ MAN UAL . 57
and needs the most strengthen ing . In s inge ing the
back of the neck , u se the comb above the b la ze topreven t the fi re from runn ing up and catching the
hair above the singer . Thi s is the on ly d iffi cu l t partof s inge ing .
DYE ING HA I R .
T he differen t formu las and preparations for d yeing ha ir are numerous , al though , there i s bu t one
kind used to any ex ten t by the'
barber . Th is i sca l led Dye No . 1 and No . 2 , ca l led so from the factthat i t i s in two part s or two bo t t les label led No . 1
and 2 . Th is is the on ly in stan taneous d ye w e haveand for th i s reason i s the one preferred by the barber . I t i s se ldom used in dye ing the en t ire ha ir or
wh iskers , bu t is the un i versa l appl ica t ion for the
mustach e . Dye ing the mustache i s bu t l i tt le praet i ced nowadays , but i t i s very importan t that the
barber shou ld know how , for serving customers withth i s part of the work leads to o ther trade .
In dye ing ,no m atter what kind of d ye is used ,
fi rst thorough ly c lean the ha ir or m ustache . S ea
foam i s the bes t to u se for th i s purpose as i t driesqu ickest . After the hair is thorough ly cleaned applyNo . 1 , e i t her with the fi ngers or tooth brush . No . 1 s im
ply prepares the hair for the d ye and does not color oraffect the sk in . A fter drying No . 1
_by fann ing (no t
1 H E fi A RBE RS'
Nl AN U R I
PR ICES .
Too often the m is t ake is m ade by beginners int h is work , who th ink they wi l l obta in m ore pract iceand as good profi ts , by cut t ing pr ices . No greatererror cou ld be m ade and the wri ter wou ld adv ise any
m an con temp lat ing th i s profes s ion as a l i fe work toabandon the idea en t ire ly i f the regu lat ion pri cescanno t be had . Near ly any l ine of day labor wi l l befound as lucrat ive as cheap barber w ork , i f not qu i teas easy . Your t ime and m oney spen t in masterihg
th is profess ion is pu t t ing you in possess ion of a ser
v iceable trade an d your place canno t be fi l led by theord inary laborer . I t is one that commands and
rece ives good pr ices for good serv ices , and no one
wi l l be benefi tted by in ferior work at cu t rates .
T he average pr i ces for barbering are as fol lowsHair- cu t t ing , 25 0 ; Beard Trimm ing . 250 ;Hon ing R azors . 25 0 ; Shampoo 250 ;S inge 25 0 Mustache Dye 250 ;Shave 1 0 0 ; S ea - foam 1 0 0 .
Dye ing the en t ire head of ha ir’ shou ld be chargedfor accord ing to the length of the hair and materi a lreq u ired for do ing i t , usua l ly from to is
the regu lat ion pri ce for ha ir or whiskers .
In giv ing a shave where i t i s requested tha t theback of the n eck be shaved i t i s usua l ly customary tocharge fi v e cen t s ex tra . F or these pr i ces the bes tbrands of cosme t ics shou ld be used .
LIBRARY OF CONGRES S
T H E BAR BERS ’ l
0 0 14 084
F ORMULA‘
S .
HA IR TON IC (BALD N Ess. )T in ct . cap s ium .
Water ammon i a (I O p erP i l ocarp ine hydroch lorate
U se on sca lp tw ice a day .
HA IR TON IC .
T r . Can tharidesLiq . Ammon ia
Glycer ine .
Bay R um
REMEDY FO R DANDRUFF .
R esorc in . 5 to 1 0 partCastor o i l . 45 partA lcoho l 1 50 partBa l sam o f Peru part .
R u b in dai ly w i th a p iece of flannel .
HA IR DYE .
No . I .
N o . 2 .
S i lver n i trate I d iAmmon ia 3 d r
Gum arab ic 30 g r
6 d r
D is so lve the s i lver n i trate in the ammon i ag um arab ic in the water. Then m i x .
