John H. Austin was a "Celebrated Bacteriologist" who sold several hair preparations. He moved around quite a bit as well. In a 1903 ad (view) Austin claimed to have been in business for 25 years, so he started out around 1878. Since the Col-Lo Hair Restorer claimes he had been in business for 38 years, I'd assume it dates from 1916. I'm not positive that he was the proprietor of the Dandruff Destroyer, but it's very likely. I found him listed as a "Dermatologist" in Minneapolis from 1897 until 1900. So the following are some of the dates/locations I know of:
Grand Forks, ND. (1889)
Minneapolis, Minn. (1897-1900)
McVicker's Theatre Bldg., Chicago (1903-1904)
4954 Melrose Hill, Los Angeles, CA. (1916)
In the 1903 and 1904 ads (view 1904 ad) it sounds like he is customizing his preparation for each customer. He would request a lock of their hair and send a specially made restorer for each buyer. Most likely, he had a few different colors and he tried to match the natural color of the customer.
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