Louisa Edwards, of Florence, Colorado, registered a Patent for her Hair Tonic in 1898 (Patent #604,111). She claimed the preparation would "cleanse and stimulate the scalp, without irritating it, and that it would strengthen the hair, and give it a desirable gloss." The preparation was made approximately according to the following recipe:
(1) make a decoction of mountain sage, by steeping it in a sufficient amount of water; (2) combine 49 parts alcohol, with 35 parts of decoction of mountain sage, 8 parts of prickly pear fruit juice, 3 parts of tincture of lobelia, 2 parts of glycerin, 2 parts of sweet oil, and 1 part of tincture of capiscum; (3) agitate the concoction thoroughly. The juice of the prickly pear was obtained by process of distillation.