Macassar oil

[dr greg]

Is the real thing still available, I've just about finished a pint bottle I got in an old barber's shop a few years back, although that may have been just a modern version, even if it was 40's/50's.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Don't make me pull out my grandma's anti-macassars!

.

 

[dr greg]

of course

My good lady wife has made her own to protect our club lounge from my brilliantined depredations

 

[scotrace]

What's all this then?

Now then, what the devil are you two talking about?

 

[BellyTank]

Macassar/Makassar- make your own hair dressing...

An interesting topic for me...

Funny you should bring up this topic.

But maybe too much information here-

I don't think the real mccoy is available but I haven't looked very hard...

If you read this post, you might like to try making your own hair dresssing!

BUT!

I know that Macassar/Makassar Oil WAS-

A hair oil- originally ylang-ylang seed oil but the commercial product was more likely perfumed coconut(fractionated) or castor oil. A hair dressing unguent, popular with Victorian Gentlemen. Originally from Makassar in Indonesia.
Ylang-ylang essential oil is widely available but it's from the flowers- very heady perfume(give you a headache).

A more 'useful' preparation than 'Macassar' could be Coconut(fractionated- waxes removed, as a 'carrier oil') and perhaps combined with some Jojoba oil, with (combinations of) essential oils such as- Rosemary, Clary Sage, Lemon, Rose, Tea Tree, Benzoin(resinoid- as a preservative ad fragrance harminiser)Ylan-Ylang and Chamomile essential oil added. These essential oils have uses for dry or oily hair and scalp dryness or dandruff.

Here is some gumph about hair oils-

Cocunut oil and Amla oils are used in India, as hair dressings. (mineral oil too as a cheap alternative to vegetable oils)

About Mineral Oil/Coconut oil:

Some people use mineral oil in their hair- because it's in many hair products anyway, is odourless and is very cheap to manufacture(crude oil!).

Coconut Oil is a far better alternative and actually HAS beneficial properties(although it can go rancid and give a faint odour but you can add natural anti-oxidants and preservatives...Benzoin resinoid is a useful addition).

Cocunut oil and Amla oils are used in India. (mineral oil too, as a cheap alternative to vegetable oils)

People who sell mineral oil defend it against 'natural hair care people', who say that mineral oil, like petrolatum(vaseline), or other hydrocarbon-based products is either useless ir harmful to the hair.

Here is a useful synopsis from a scientific paper on these oils and their potential benefits:


(Accepted for publication April 29, 2002.)

"Previously published results showed that both in vitro and in vivo coconut oil (CNO) treatments prevented combing damage of various hair types. Using the same methodology, an attempt was made to study the properties of mineral oil and sunflower oil on hair. Mineral oil (MO) was selected because it is extensively used in hair oil formulations in India, because it is non-greasy in nature, and because it is cheaper than vegetable oils like coconut and sunflower oils. The study was extended to sunflower oil (SFO) because it is the second most utilized base oil in the hair oil industry on account of its non-freezing property and its odorlessness at ambient temperature. As the aim was to cover different treatments, and the effect of these treatments on various hair types using the above oils, the number of experiments to be conducted was a very high number and a technique termed as the Taguchi Design of Experimentation was used. The findings clearly indicate the strong impact that coconut oil application has to hair as compared to application of both sunflower and mineral oils. Among three oils, coconut oil was the only oil found to reduce the protein loss remarkably for both undamaged and damaged hair when used as a pre-wash and post-wash grooming product. Both sunflower and mineral oils do not help at all in reducing the protein loss from hair. This difference in results could arise from the composition of each of these oils. Coconut oil, being a triglyceride of lauric acid (principal fatty acid), has a high affinity for hair proteins and, because of its low molecular weight and straight linear chain, is able to penetrate inside the hair shaft. Mineral oil, being a hydrocarbon, has no affinity for proteins and therefore is not able to penetrate and yield better results. In the case of sunflower oil, although it is a triglyceride of linoleic acid, because of its bulky structure due to the presence of double bonds, it does not penetrate the fiber, consequently resulting in no favorable impact on protein loss."

J. Cosmet. Sci., 54, 193-205 (March/April 2003)



Here is a recipe form 'The Household Cyclopedia':

Macassar Oil:

Take oil of benzoin, 8 qts.; oil of noisette, 4 qts.; alcohol, 1 qt.; essence bergamot, 3 oz.; spirit of musk, 3 oz.; spirit of Portugal, 2 oz.; essence of roses, 2 drs. Mix, and keep the whole over a water-bath for 1 hour. Then digest for a week, stirring several times daily. Color with alkanet.

-and this extract (words, not juice)from "Rise and Fall of Cesar Birotteau"-

http://www.worldwideschool.org/library/books/lit/romance/RiseandFallofCesarBirotteau/chap13.html

I hope someone reads this post...


B
T

 

[dr greg]

homemades

Well I might try a coconut oil preparation once I have worked my way through several more bottles of Spruso and Bardsley's and other vintage hair care products from my collection, but I do make my own aftershave/bracer:
50% each of rainwater and methylated spirit and one tablespoon of either bay or sandalwood oil to about the half pint, works remarkably well, and is also an excellent face cleanser. It's a damn sight cheaper than authentic bay rum, as opposed to the supermarket model.
You can still find California Poppy if you look hard enough though.

 

[BellyTank]

Rosewater, Distilled Witchhazel and Orange Flower Water are excellent skin toners and can be used neat, or as bases for mens facial products. They are both excellent, the Witchhazel and OFW are especially good on oily skin. The Rose and Orange are fragrant too- the OFW smells of Neroli and Petitgrain.

Nice to see people making Potions!

B
T

 

[scotrace]

Porter's Lotion

I've just ordered some Porter's Lotion from J. Peterman. Seems to have some of the ingredients you describe BT. I'll write a sentence when it comes next week.