Milk as a cosmetic may be im proved by infusing in it freshly grated horse-radish, or infusing in new milk or buttermilk a quantity of flowers of sulphur. These are useful remedies for freckles and other dis colorations and slight eruptions of the skin.
Or mix flowers of sulphur with a little new milk and let stand an hour or two to settle. Pour off the milk from the sediment, and rub well into the skin before washing. This mix ture is for immediate use only, and must be prepared daily. It may be prepared at night with evening milk and used the next morning, but not afterwards. Two or three table spoonfuls are all that need be pre pared at a time.
Or boil 1 cupful of fine Scotch oat meal—not breakfast food—in 1 pint of boiling water until it forms clear liquid. Use a double boiler, or place the saucepan containing the oatmeal in an open kettle or pan of boiling water to prevent sticking or burning. Strain the clear liquid through a cloth, boil again, and strain a second time. Add rose wa ter, elder-flower water, or orange flower water until the liquor has the consistency of milk. Add a few drops of your favorite perfume, and bottle for use.
Lemon Juice.—Dilute fresh lemon juice with five or six times its volume of pure soft water. This, however, should not be used too frequently on account of its acid quality and tend ency to impair the work of the pores of the skin. It may, however, be used on occasion to relieve itching or local irritation.
Or mix equal parts of lemon juice, toilet water, and alcohol. Let stand over night, pour off the clear liquid, and strain through silk or linen.
Kalydor. — Dissolve 2 drams of tincture of benzoin in 1 pint of rose water, and use as a face wash for the complexion.
Magnesia Cream.—Mix fine pow dered magnesia with rose water to a thin cream, dip the face in warm wa ter to open the pores, apply a glyc erin lotion, and afterwards apply the magnesia cream. Let dry and re move with a soft towel.
Or dissolve fuller's earth in water, stir well, then let it settle, and use once or twice daily.
Honey.—Honey is a favorite in gredient in various lotions under the name of " honey water," " balsam of honey," and the like. The term
" honey water " is also applied to certain combinations of perfumes that do not, in fact, contain honey.
To prepare honey water from honey, put in a 2-quart fruit jar 4 ounces of pure white honey with A ounce of fresh grated lemon peel, A ounce each of calamayta, benzoin, and storax, ounce of cloves, and A ounce of nutmeg. Add 2 ounces each of rose water and elder-flower water and 12 fluid ounces of 95 per cent alcohol. Let stand 3 or 4 days, shaking fre quently, run through a filter, and bot tle for use.
Or, for balsam of honey, mix with gentle heat 8 ounces of pure white honey and 2 ounces of best quality glycerin. Let stand until cool, stir in 2 fluid ounces of 95 per cent alcohol, and add 10 drops of the essence of ambergris.
Glycerin.—When pure, glycerin is a colorless viscid liquid, having a sweet taste and without odor. All the ordinary fats contain glycerin, which is produced by treating animal fats with alkalies, such as caustic soda or potash, as is done in the manufacture of soap. Glycerin is a by-product of soap factories. It may also be produced by treating fats with superheated steam, as is done in the manufacture of candles. Hence glycerin is also a by-product of can dle factories.
Glycerin mixes freely with water, and pure glycerin absorbs about one half its own weight from the atmos phere. It is an excellent solvent, and is an important ingredient of po mades, toilet soaps, and cosmetics. Glycerin is recommended as a lotion for irritation of the skin and for itching; also as a preventive against sunburn, chaps, and redness from exposure to the weather. A prepa ration of 1 ounce of glycerin to 19 ounces of pure soft water is about right for regular use as a face wash, and is an excellent vehicle in which to dissolve various remedies.
Or 1 ounce of glycerin to 9 ounces of water may be used for chapped hands and lips, or whenever a strong solution is desired.
Borax.—Dissolve 5 drams of borax in 1 pint of pure soft or distilled wa ter, and use as a wash for sore gums or nipples, boils, or any other irrita tion of the skin or mucous mem brane.