Ravishing Rats

[dawna]

Ravishing Rats

Create your own Civil War era hairstyle sensation with the assistance of a useful hairdressing tool, the Rat. Almost every Victorian lady had a hair receiver on the dresser, and would place the hair gleaned in daily brushings into it. A lady could use this resource to construct rats for her hair, or the hair could be woven into watch chains and jewelry.

Rats were used to add volume to the hair at the sides of the head. Hairstyles that accented the width of the face were in style, so hairstyles were low on the crown and wide at the sides.

Although a lady would never admit to using false hair, she may make denials with impunity. After all, the hair in the rat she uses is her very own hair, not "false" at all! Since the color of the rats match the color of the hair perfectly, the padding is virtually invisible.

Collecting the hair for this project takes some time, make one in the winter during the off season. Clean the hair from your brush each day, and place it in a hair receiver until you have accumulated enough for a rat. Then take a wad of hair and roll it up in a fine hairnet and sew the net closed. You should have a rat about the size and shape of a potato.

Miss Vera has an efficient method of creating rats. She uses a round bristled brush on her hair daily for several days, then cuts the hair off the brush. This pad of hair is then rolled up and sewn into a fine hairnet. It keeps the rats consistent in size and they hold their shape well.

This is how to use rats when dressing the hair: The hair is parted in the middle, then one side is brushed up and a rat is pinned under the hair & above the ear. The hair is allowed down to cover the rat, then the ends pulled back and pinned into a bun or roll. Repeat on other side.

[jenna]

And now to wash the hair, Godey's recommends this:

Take a fresh laid egg; beat it throughly; then rub it upon the head into the hair with the hands until it begans to feel dry; then rinse with clear water; either warm or cold, as you please, till the water runs clear. As this leaves the hair dry, with a decided tendency to curl, some oil is necessary, and the best is bear's oil, if you can get it. I do not mean the stuff that is sold under that name so often. Genuine bear's oil gives the hair a smooth, glossy look that no other oil will, while it is perfectly healthy both for the head and the hair. Godey's Ladys Book Vol LIII July to December, 1856 p 183