Probably the greatest contribution to beauty culture of the past decade is the increase of cleanliness. You may believe that everyone has always had the habit of fre­quent shampoos, but that isn't so. Actually many of the free and casual styles popular today could not have succeeded ten years ago because the average woman did not, or would not, keep her hair clean enough ?o enable her to wear them.

Of course, for a real lack of cleanhness we have to search the records of the Eighteenth Century when towering powdered hairdresses were in vogue These high elaborate structures had to be arranged by a professional barber who called on his client every few weeks. He first greased the hair, next arranged it around a frame of cloth and wire, then stiffened, powdered and finally decorated it with ornaments, ribbons, jewels or feathers. Between the barber's visits the hair was let alone except for an occasional repowdering and natu­rally became a hotbed of animal life. The medieval Irish, too, had a blithe disregard of the rules of hygiene. Because Irishmen were forbidden by the English to own or wear any form of armored headdress, they de­veloped a built-in type of protection by letting their front hair grow very long and thick. They then plastered it with fat or other gummy substances to form a hard mass that would withstand enemy blows.

Nowadays, of course, we all realize the beauty of cleanliness. My personal idea of Utopia will arrive when every woman washes her hair every day. Actually daily shampoos are only advisable for loose, free hair­dos. Any static or tied-down style should not be washed more than once a week or so, for it will become too soft to be manageable.

When you wash your hair, use a liquid or cream shampoo. If only cake soap is available, melt it down. This can be done in a saucepan over a low fire. Shave a portion of the cake of soap and drop it in a small amount of water in the pan. When the soap has melted, use it like any other liquid shampoo. In a hard-water area, be doubly sure to use a detergent shampoo.

Important points in shampooing are sometimes over­looked. One is that the washing should be done as quickly as possible, since leaving soapy lather on the hair for long periods tends to dry it. In applying the liquid and manipulating it through your hair, use your fingertips or a shampoo brush. Don't use the palms of your hands; they will create tangles.

A second point is that the hair should be rinsed thoroughly; and I do mean thoroughly. Rinse—and if in doubt rinse again.

The hair should be dried quickly. Begin the drying at the roots, not the ends, and towel vigorously. Allow­ing the hair to remain wet or damp over a long period makes it dry and lusterless.

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