TOILET POWDERS The bases of most toilet powders are compounds of magnesia, includ ing talc or talcum—which chemically is magnesium silicate, and which is mined in large quantities in various parts of the world — and French chalk, which is not chalk but ground soapstone; fuller's earth, a greenish clay found in many parts of England and on the continent of Europe; and starch, especially rice and wheat starch, which is sometimes adulter ated with cornstarch, potato starch, etc. These preparations usually con tain pulverized perfumed woods, as orris root, sandalwood, and other perfumes. In addition, it is quite customary to use in face powder me tallic bismuth, preparations of mer cury, and other mineral drugs—all of which are distinctly harmful, and the use of which is therefore never ad visable. No recipes of this sort are included in the present volume.
The following are standard prepa rations which contain no injurious ingredients: For plain face powder without perfume, pure white starch can hard ly be improved upon.
Or mix together equal quantities of rice flour, fuller's earth, and white starch, and perfume with any essen tial oil—rose, violet, or any other preferred.
Or, for violet powder, mix 3 ounces of white starch with 1 ounce of pow dered orris root, rub up together in water, and perfume with the essen tial oils of lemon, bergamot, and cloves, using about double the amount of lemon as of the two others.
Or, for a rose face powder, mix S ounces of pulverized rose leaves with 4 ounces of pulverized sandalwood, and add 1 dram of the attar of roses.
Or to 3i pounds of powdered rose or white starch, add dram of rose pink and 1 dram each of rose oil and santal oil.