Or mix in a mortar 1 ounce of sweet almonds and 3 ounces of bitter almonds, adding slowly 1 quart of pure soft or distilled water. Stir in 11 pounds of sugar, and perfume with orange-flower water or other wise, as desired. Strain and bottle for use.
Or rub up in a mortar 11 ounces of sweet blanched almonds, adding slowly pint of rose water. Stir in 1 dram of finely powdered castile soap and 1 dram of oil of almonds, beating up with an egg beater or oth erwise to form a complete emulsion; stir in a mixture of 2i ounces of 95 per cent alcohol and fluid dram of essence of roses. Add enough rose water to make 1 pint of the whole. Add, if desired, a few drops of the essential oil of bergamot or of lav ender, or the attar of roses dissolved in the alcohol.
Or rub up gradually in a mortar 2 ounces of sweet blanched almonds and 12 ounces of rose water. Mix separately with gentle heat 2 drams each of white castile soap, white wax, and oil of almonds, to which add 1 dram of oil of bergamot, 15 drops of oil of lavender, and 8 drops of attar of roses. Add this mixture to the "milk of almonds," rub up thorough ly in a mortar, beat with an egg beater or otherwise to form a perfect emulsion, and strain through silk or linen.
Enough has been said to indicate the method of compounding these recipes. The following may be pre pared in the same manner: Blanched bitter almonds, 2 ounces; distilled water, 2 ounces; salt of tar tar, I dram; tincture benzoin, dram. Rub up together in a mortar, beat to an emulsion, and strain.
Or blanched sweet almonds, 1 ounce; grated castile soap, 1 ounce; oil of almonds, 1 ounce; white wax, 6 drams; spermaceti, 3 drams; oil of bergamot, dram; oil of lavender, dram; rose water, 3 quarts; alcohol, I pint.
Complexion Paste.—The principal ingredients in standard pastes for the complexion consist of solid and liquid unguents, as spermaceti, wax, paste, suet, various soaps, and the like; soothing substances, as almond oil and honey; mild astringents, as lem on juice and alum; rose water and alcohol for mixing purposes, and va rious perfumes.
As in other toilet preparations, the solid unguents give substance to the compound and hold the various reme dial agents in suspension. Yolk of
egg, almonds, honey, and the like, feed the skin, and other ingredients are used for convenience in com pounding, perfuming, etc.
Any of these pastes may be colored by adding coloring matter in the process of preparation while the mix ture is in a liquid state. Rich rose, pink, or red may be obtained by dis solving dram of alkanet root or dragon's blood in about 8 ounces of melted fat. For orange or yellow' use palm oil or annotto. For blue, use finely powdered indigo. For green, steep spinach leaves in oil, and strain before using.
If coloring matter is not used, these pastes will be of a pure white or a slightly tinted yellow from the yolk of egg.
In compounding the above mix tures, a small marble mortar and pestle will be found convenient.
White of egg may be boiled in rose water or plain soft or distilled wa ter. Where pulverized almonds are required, it is better to obtain the fresh nuts and pulverize them shortly before using. The nuts may be first crushed by a rolling-pin, and after wards pulverized in a mortar. A few drops of rose water or almond oil added in the mortar will assist by softening them. An egg beater will be found convenient in thoroughly blending all the ingredients in these mixtures. Perfumes must be added while the material is in a liquid state. When oil is used, perfume may be first mingled with the oil, Sperma ceti, white and other soaps, may be first reduced to liquid form by melt ing. Where alkanet root or other solid substances are used, the paste may be improved by straining while in a liquid condition through a linen cloth. The milk of pistachio nuts may be obtained by distilling fresh peeled nuts in an equal quantity of rose water. Simmer over a slow fire, and when melted form an emulsion with the egg beater.
With a little attention to the above instructions anyone may compound a paste for himself, and have the sat isfaction of knowing that the mate rials are fresh and that no harmful ingredients have been used.