The Ladies Book of Useful Information Part 3

The small, soft discolorations and excrescences of the skin, popularly called moles, may be removed by touching them every second or third day with strong acetic or nitric acid, or with lunar caustic. If covered with hair they should be shaved first.

=Extreme paleness= of the skin, when not symptomatic of any primary disease, generally arises from debility, or from the languid circulation of the blood at the surface of the body; often, also, from insufficient or improper food, want of outdoor exercise, and the like.

The main treatment is evident. Warm baths, friction, and stimulating lotions and cosmetics may be here employed, together with a course of some mild chalbeate (as the lactate, protophosphate, or ammonia-citrate of iron) and hypophosphate of soda.

=Roughness and Coa.r.s.eness= of the skin, when not depending on any particular disease, may be removed or greatly lessened by daily friction with mild unguents or oil, or by moistening the parts, night and morning, with a weak solution of b.i.+.c.hloride of mercury containing a little glycerine.

=Rashes and redness= of the skin, of a common character, often arise from very trifling causes, among which indigestion, suppressed perspiration, irritation, and the like, are the most frequent. Nettle rash or urticaria, so called from the appearance and tingling sensations resembling those caused by the sting of nettles, in some people, is very apt to follow the use of indigestible and unwholesome food. It is usually of short duration and recurrent. The treatment consists in the administration of mild saline aperients, and, in severe cases, of an emetic, particularly when the stomach is still loaded with indigestible matter. These should be followed by copious use of lemonade made from the fresh expressed juice. The patient should be lightly but warmly clothed during the attack, and exposure to the cold, or to draughts of cold air, should be carefully avoided.

The further treatment may be similar to that noticed under "eruptions." To prevent the recurrence of the attack, the objectionable articles of food, and any other known exciting causes, must be avoided. Red rash, red blotch, or fiery spot, a common consequence of disordered health, a sudden fit of dyspepsia, and, in females, of tight lacing, and rose rash, false measles, or roseola, having commonly a similar origin to the preceding, for the most part require the same treatment.

=Scurf=-"furfur or furfura"-is a formation depending on the natural and healthy exfoliation of the skin on every part of the body on which hair or down grows, but most extensive and observable on the scalp, on account of the abundance and darker color of the hair there.

Scurfiness, or excessive scurfiness, is the result of morbid action, and may be treated by the frequent use of the fleshbrush or hairbrush, ablution with soap and water, and the use of mild stimulating, astringent, or detergent lotions.

=Scurvy=-"s...o...b..tus" of medical writers-is a disease which, even in its incipient and early stages, when its presence is often unsuspected, is most injurious to the skin and complexion. It usually commences with unnatural sallowness, debility, and low spirits. As it proceeds, the gums become sore, spongy, and apt to bleed on the slightest pressure or friction; the teeth loosen, and the breath acquires a ftid odor; the legs swell, eruptions appear on different parts of the body, and at length the patient sinks under general emaciation, diarrha, and hemorrhages. Its chief cause is improper food, or, rather, the absence or insufficient supply of fresh meat and vegetables in the diet; to which cold, humidity, want of exercise and fresh air may be added as secondary ones. Hence its frequent, fatal visitations formerly on s.h.i.+pboard, and its still occasional occurrence in ill-victualled s.h.i.+ps during long voyages. The treatment mainly consists in adopting a liberal diet of fresh animal food and green vegetables, with ripe food and an ample allowance of mild ale or beer, or lemonade made from the fresh expressed juice, as beverages. In serious cases, tonics, as quinine and steel, should also be administered.

=Wrinkles= and looseness of the skin depend chiefly on the attenuation of the cutis or true skin and the reduction in the bulk of the underlying surfacial portions of the body. They cannot be regarded as a disease of the skin; but are the result of long continued bad health, anxiety and study, and of general emaciation and old age.

Cleanliness, nutritious food, vigorous outdoor exercise, agreeable occupation of the mind, and an equable and happy temper, r.e.t.a.r.d their formation. Whatever tends to promote the general health and to increase the bulk of the body, and particularly the disposition of fat in the cellular tissues, also tends to remove them and to increase the smoothness and beauty of the skin. The free and frequent use of warm water and soap, followed by the daily use of mild, stimulating, cosmetic lotions or fomentations, or friction with warm oil of a like character, and cod-liver oil internally, is all that art can do for the purpose.

=Excoriations=, in popular language, are those cases of soreness produced by chafing under the arms, behind the ears, and in the wrinkles and folds of the skin generally. They occur chiefly in infancy, and in stout persons with a delicate skin, who perspire excessively. Extreme cleanliness, and carefully wiping the parts dry after was.h.i.+ng, with the subsequent use of a little violet powder, or finely powdered starch, or French chalk sc.r.a.ped or grated very fine, dusted over the parts once or twice a day, will generally remove them and prevent their recurrence.

WASHES FOR THE FACE.

We do not approve of face washes, but as some ladies will use them, we recommend the following as harmless: Dampen with glycerine tempered with rose-water, then powder with the finest magnesia. It imparts a charming whiteness.

Less harmless, but more frequently used, is to procure five cents'

worth of bis.m.u.th, of flake white, and of powdered chalk; mix with five cents' worth of rose-water. Great care must be taken to wash off this preparation before retiring to rest, as the bis.m.u.th is of a hurtful nature.

=To Remove Freckles.=-Freckles are of two kinds: Those occasioned by exposure to the suns.h.i.+ne, and consequently evanescent, are denominated "summer freckles"; those which are const.i.tutional and permanent are called "cold freckles." With regard to the latter, it is impossible to give any advice which will be of value. They result from causes not to be affected by mere external applications. Summer freckles are not difficult to deal with, and with a little care the skin may be kept free from this cause of disfigurement by using either of the following lotions:-

First: Sc.r.a.pe horse-radish into a cup of sour milk, let it stand twelve hours, strain, and apply two or three times a day.

Second: Into half a pint of milk squeeze the juice of a lemon, with a spoonful of brandy, and boil, skimming well; add a dram of rock alum.

Apply freely.

=Magic Lotion for Removing Freckles.=-Dissolve three grains of borax in five drams each of rose-water and orange-flower water. A splendid and harmless remedy is equal parts of pure glycerine and rose-water, applied every night and allowed to dry on the skin.

=To Remove Freckles and Tan.=-Tincture of benzoin, one pint; tincture of tolu, one-half pint; oil rosemary, one-half ounce. Put one teaspoonful of the above mixture in one-quarter pint of water, and then with a towel thoroughly bathe the face. Do this every night and morning.

=To Expel Freckles.=-Finely powdered nitre is excellent. Apply it to the face with the finger moistened with water and dipped in the powder.

=Cleopatra's Freckle Balm.=-A splendid article. Venice soap, one ounce; lemon juice, half ounce; oil of bitter almonds, quarter ounce; deliquidated oil of tartar, quarter ounce; oil of rhodium, three drops. Dissolve the soap in the lemon juice, then add the two oils, and put the whole in the sun till it acquires the consistency of ointment, and then add the oil rhodium. Anoint the freckly face at night with this balm, and wash in the morning with pure water.

=Lemon Cream for Sunburn and Freckles.=-Put two spoonfuls of sweet cream into half a pint of new milk, squeeze into it the juice of a lemon, add half a gla.s.s of genuine French brandy, a little alum and loaf sugar; boil the whole, skim it well, and when cool it is fit for use.

=Wash to Prevent Sunburn.=-Take two drams of borax, one dram of Roman alum, one dram of camphor, half an ounce of sugar candy, one pound of ox-gall. Mix and stir well together, and repeat the stirring three or four times a day until it becomes transparent; then strain it through filtering or blotting paper, and it will be fit for use. Wash the face with the mixture before you go into the sun.

=Grape Lotion for Sunburn.=-Dip a bunch of green grapes in a basin of water; sprinkle it with powdered alum and salt mixed; wrap the grapes in paper, and bake them under hot ashes; then express the juice, and wash the face with the liquid, which will remove either freckles, tan or sunburn.

=To Soften and Whiten the Skin-Pate Axerasive of Bozin.=-This celebrated perfume has the distinction of being highly commended by the French Royal Academy of Medicine. It is better for toilet use than soaps, which contain alkali.

Take powder of bitter almonds, eight ounces; oil of the same, twelve ounces; savon vert of the perfumes, eight ounces; spermaceti, four ounces; soap powder, four ounces; cinnabar, two drams; essence of rose, one dram. Melt the soap and spermaceti with the oil in a bath water; add the powder, and mix the whole in a marble mortar. It forms a paste which softens and whitens the skin better than any soap.

=To Remove Red Pimples.=-Sulphur water, one ounce; acetated liquor of ammonia, quarter ounce; liquor of pota.s.sa, one grain; white wine vinegar, two ounces; distilled water, two ounces.

=To Remove Black Specks or Flesh-worms.=-Squeeze them by pressing the skin, and then wash with warm water and rub well with a towel. Then apply the following lotion: Liquor of pota.s.sa, one ounce; cologne, two ounces.

=Preparation for Whitening the Face and Neck.=-For bleaching and purifying the skin of the face and neck, making them beautifully smooth and white: Terebinth of Mecca, three grains; oil of sweet almonds, four ounces; spermaceti, two drams; flour of zinc, one dram; white wax, two drams; rose-water, six drams. Mix in a bath water, and melt together. After was.h.i.+ng, before retiring (use water as hot as can be borne), anoint the face and neck freely with this preparation.

=To Cure Profuse Perspiration.=-Bathe the hands, feet, and parts of the body where the perspiration is greatest, with a cold infusion of rosemary and sage, and afterwards dust the stockings and under-garments with a mixture of two drams of camphor, four ounces of orris root, and sixteen ounces of starch, the whole reduced to a fine powder. Put the mixture in a coa.r.s.e muslin bag, and shake it over the clothes.

=Cleopatra's Enamel for Whitening the Hands and Arms.=-One ounce of myrrh, four ounces of honey, two ounces of yellow wax, six ounces of rose-water. Mix well together the wax, honey and rose-water in a dish held over boiling water, and add the myrrh while hot. Rub this thickly over the skin before going to bed.

=To Cure Freckles and Parched or Rough Skin.=-Take one ounce of sweet almonds, or of pistachia nuts, half a pint of elder or rose-water, and one ounce of pure glycerine; grate the nuts and put the powder in a little linen or cotton bag, and squeeze it for several minutes in the rose-water; then add the glycerine and a little perfume. Use it by wetting the face two or three times a day. This is a grateful application for a parched, rough skin, and is good for the removal of freckles. It should be allowed to dry thoroughly. When it feels pasty or sticky it may be washed off with a little warm water without soap.

TO PURIFY THE BREATH.

There is nothing more disagreeable to people with whom we a.s.sociate than for them to be able to detect a bad odor from our breath when in their company. Yet a great many are afflicted in this way. The following will purify and sweeten the breath: Chlorate of lime, seven drams; vanilla sugar, three drams; gumeratic, five drams. Mix well with warm water to a stiff paste, and cut into lozenges. Take a lozenge occasionally.

TO BLEACH AND PURIFY THE SKIN OF THE FACE AND NECK.

A celebrated physician gives the following as a good skin bleacher and purifier: Half a pint of skim milk; slice into it as much cuc.u.mber as it will cover, and let it stand an hour; then bathe the face, neck, and hands. Wash them off with clean soft water when the cuc.u.mber extract is dry. If the skin is rough from exposure to the wind, an application of b.u.t.termilk at night, washed off with fine carbolic soap in the morning, will make the skin smooth and natural.

=To Permanently Remove Black Specks or "Flesh-worms."=-Sometimes little black specks appear about the base of the nose, or on the forehead, or in the hollow of the chin, which are called flesh-worms, and are occasioned by coagulated lymph that obstructs the pores of the skin.

They may be squeezed out by pressing the skin, and ignorant people suppose them to be little worms. They are permanently removed by was.h.i.+ng with very warm water, and severe friction with a towel and then applying a little of the following preparation: Liquor of pota.s.sa, one ounce; cologne, two ounces; white brandy, four ounces.

=French Face Wash Purifies and Brightens the Complexion.=-Take equal parts of the seeds of the melon, pumpkin, gourd, and cuc.u.mber, pounded till they are reduced to powder; add to it sufficient fresh cream to dilute the flour, and then add milk enough to reduce the whole to a thick paste. Add a grain of musk and a few drops of the oil of lemon.

Anoint the face with this, leave it on twenty or thirty minutes, or over night if convenient, and wash off with warm water. It gives a remarkable purity and brightness to the complexion.

Or, try this; splendid.-Infuse a handful of well-sifted wheat bran for four hours in white wine vinegar; add to it five yolks of eggs and two grains of musk, and distill the whole. Bottle it, keep carefully corked for fifteen days, when it will be fit for use. Apply over night, and wash in the morning with tepid water.

=To Remove Pimples.=-There are many kinds of pimples, some of which partake almost of the nature of ulcers, which require medical treatment; but the small red pimple, which is most common, may be removed by applying the following twice a day: Sulphur water, one ounce; acetated liquid of ammonia, one-quarter ounce; liquor of pota.s.sa, one grain; white wine vinegar, two ounces; distilled water, two ounces. These pimples are sometimes cured by frequent was.h.i.+ng in warm water and prolonged friction with a coa.r.s.e towel. The cause of these pimples is obstruction of the skin and imperfect circulation.

=To Remove Tan.=-_Creme de'l Enclos._-New milk, half a pint; lemon juice, one-quarter ounce; white brandy, half ounce. Boil the whole and skim it clear from all sc.u.m. Use night and morning.

=A Cosmetic Bath.=-Take two pounds of barley or bean flour, eight pounds of bran, and a few handfuls of Borage leaves. Boil these ingredients in a sufficient quant.i.ty of spring water. This both cleanses and softens the skin in a superior manner.

=Kalydor for the Complexion.=-For pimples, freckle-tanned skin, or scurf on the skin. Take emulsion of bitter almonds, one pint; oxymuriate of quicksilver, two and one-half pints; sal ammoniac, one dram. To be used moderately by means of a sponge, after was.h.i.+ng the face and hands with pure soap and warm water.

=To Improve the Skin.=-Take two ounces of Venice soap and dissolve it in two ounces of lemon juice. Add one ounce of the oil of bitter almonds and a like quant.i.ty of the oil of tartar. Mix the whole and stir it well till it has acquired the consistence of soap, and use it as such for the hands. The paste of sweet almonds, which contains an oil fit for keeping the skin soft and elastic and removing indurations, may be beneficially applied to the hands and arms.

=Wash a la Marie Antoinette.=-Gives a beautiful brilliancy to the complexion. Take half a dozen lemons and cut them in small pieces, a small handful of the leaves of white lilies and southernwood, and infuse them in two quarts of cows milk, with an ounce and a half of white sugar and an ounce of rock alum. These are to be distilled in palneum mariae. The face at bedtime is to be rubbed with this liquid, and it will give a beautiful l.u.s.ter to the complexion. It is a safe application, and its effects are certain.

=Liquid Rouge.=-Harmless-a perfect imitation of nature. For ladies who wish to use a little artificial bloom the following is recommended. A liquid rouge to produce a perfect imitation of the colors of nature is prepared as follows: Add to a pint of French brandy, half an ounce of benzoin, an ounce of red sandalwood, half an ounce of Brazil wood and the same quant.i.ty of rock alum. Cork the bottle carefully, shake it well once a day, and at the end of twelve days it will be fit for use.

The cheeks are to be lightly touched with it.

=Milk of Roses.=-This is a cosmetic. Pound an ounce of almonds in a mortar very finely; then put in shavings of honey soap in a small quant.i.ty. Add enough rose-water to enable you to work the composition with the pestle into a fine cream; and in order that it may keep, add to the whole an ounce of spirits of wine, by slow degrees. Scent with otto of roses. Strain through muslin. Apply to the face with a sponge or a piece of lint.