TOILET PREPARATIONS POE MEN Shaving Creams. — The base of creams, pastes, or soap for shaving is usually a good, hard white castile or other soap mixed with white wax or spermaceti, and with the addition of almond, olive, etc., or palm oil, honey, and various cosmetics, as benzoin, glycerin, etc. Substances having cleansing properties, as car bonate potassa and borax, are some times included. Alcohol or other spirits are employed to cut the oils, and various perfumes are added later.
To Compound Shaving Creams.— These compounds are all prepared by dissolving the solids with gentle heat in a double boiler, adding the soap in shavings, stirring in the almond oil and various remedial agents while hot, and when nearly cold adding volatile substances, such as spirits of turpentine, and any of the essential oils to perfume according to taste. Solid soaps used as a base of these compounds should be exposed to the air until dry, then reduced to fine shavings or powder. Or, if alcohol is used, the soap may first be cut in the alcohol. The whole mixture, after being removed from the fire, shOuld be thoroughly beaten with an egg beater or otherwise until it has a perfectly smooth and uniform consist ency. A small quantity of any of these shaving creams may be rubbed on the face and worked up to a lather with a wet shaving brush. If properly prepared they will give a good lather with either hot or cold water, that will not dry during the time required for shaving.
Bay Rum.—This fragrant liquid is obtained by distilling with rum the leaves of a number of large trees of the myrtle family, growing in Ja maica and the West Indian islands. It is not only very refreshing but it acts as a tonic and tends to prevent taking cold. Bay rum may be pre pared from the oil of bay diluted with rum or other spirit, and with the addition of various cosmetics and perfumes as desired.
For a cheap bay rum, take I pound of carbonated magnesia in lumps, and pour the spirit on it drop by drop until it is all saturated. Now crush the lumps on a marble slab or a piece of clean zinc with a rolling pin or otherwise. Put this in a filter
and pour over equal parts of water and alcohol until the desired quan tity and strength of bay rum is ob tained.
Or dissolve 5 cents' worth of pow dered magnesia in 1 quart of 50 per cent alcohol, and add 1 ounce of oil of bay. Put in a filter, bottle, and cork tightly until needed. Dilute with soft water as desired.
Or add 6 ounces of extract of bay to 1 gallon of 50 per cent alcohol.
Or mix fluid drams of oil of bay, 4 fluid dram of oil of pimento, I ounce of acetic ether, and 1 dram of castile soap in shavings with 3 pints of alcohol. Add 2 pints of soft or distilled water. This is a standard preparation for barbers' use.
Or, dissolve in pint of 95 per cent alcohol dram of oil of bay, 3 drops of oil of nutmeg, and dram of oil of orange. Add 9 ounces of Jamaica rum and sufficient water to make of the whole 1 quart.
To Compound Bay Rum.—These are for the most part simple mix tures. Magnesia should be first dis solved in soft water and the other in gredients added. The solution may afterwards be filtered by means of filter paper or fine linen. It is desir able, when convenient, to allow these mixtures to stand for two or three weeks before filtering. If they can.
be shaken occasionally during the period, so much the better.
Bandoline.—These preparations are employed to adjust the hair and keep it in place. Hence they are based upon substances which have a slight ly adhesive character, including gum tragacanth, paste of quince seed, isinglass, Irish moss, and the like.
Bring to a boil in a double boiler pint of soft or distilled water; stir in 1 tablespoonful of cold-drawn lin seed oil, and boil for 5 minutes. Let cool, add any desired perfume, and put in a glass fruit jar until required for use.
Or place in a quart fruit jar 11 ounces of gum tragacanth, and add 1 quart of rose water. Let stand 2 or 3 days, shaking frequently, and squeeze through a coarse white linen cloth. Let stand 2 or 3 days more and repeat. Finally add 10 or 12 drops of attar of rose, and tint with an infusion of alkanet wood, cochi neal, or other red coloring matter.