Bath & Body Preparations

The Toilet.

To appear at all times neat, clean and tidy, is demanded of every well-bred person. The dress may be plain, rich or extravagant, but there must be a neatness and cleanliness of the person. Whether a lady is possessed of few or many personal attractions, it is her duty at all times to appear tidy and clean, and to make herself as comely and attractive as circumstances and surroundings will permit. The same may be said of a gentleman. If a gentleman calls upon a lady, his duty and his respect for her demand that he shall appear not only in good clothes, but with well combed hair, exquisitely clean hands, well trimmed beard or cleanly shaven face, while the lady will not show herself in an untidy dress, or disheveled hair. They should appear at their best.


Upon the minor details of the toilet depend, in a great degree, the health, not to say the beauty, of the individual. In fact the highest state of health is equivalent to the highest degree of beauty of which the individual is capable.

THE SKIN.

Beauty and health of the skin can only be obtained by perfect cleanliness of the entire person, an avoidance of all cosmetics, added to proper diet, correct habits and early habits of rising and exercise. The skin must be thoroughly washed, occasionally with warm water and soap, to remove the oily exudations on its surface. If any unpleasant sensations are experienced after the use of soap, they may be immediately removed by rinsing the surface with water to which a little lemon juice or vinegar has been added.

PRESERVING A YOUTHFUL COMPLEXION.

The following rules may be given for the preservation of a youthful complexion: Rise early and go to bed early. Take plenty of exercise. Use plenty of cold water and good soap frequently. Be moderate in eating and drinking. Do not lace. Avoid as much as possible the vitiated atmosphere of crowded assemblies. Shun cosmetics and washes for the skin. The latter dry the skin, and only defeat the end they are supposed to have in view.

MOLES.

Moles are frequently a great disfigurement to the face, but they should not be tampered with in any way. The only safe and certain mode of getting rid of moles is by a surgical operation.

FRECKLES.

Freckles are of two kinds. Those occasioned by exposure to the sunshine, and consequently evanescent, are denominated "summer freckles;" those which are constitutional 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 so difficult to deal with, and with a little care the skin may be kept free from this cause of disfigurement. Some skins are so delicate that they become freckled on the slightest exposure to open air in summer. The cause assigned for this is that the iron in the blood, forming a junction with the oxygen, leaves a rusty mark where the junction takes place. We give in their appropriate places some recipes for removing these latter freckles from the face.

OTHER DISCOLORATIONS.

There are various other discolorations of the skin, proceeding frequently from derangement of the system. The cause should always be discovered before attempting a remedy; otherwise you may aggravate the complaint rather than cure it.

THE EYES.

Beautiful eyes are the gift of Nature, and can owe little to the toilet. As in the eye consists much of the expression of the face, therefore it should be borne in mind that those who would have their eyes bear a pleasing expression must cultivate pleasing traits of character and beautify the soul, and then this beautiful soul will look through its natural windows.

Never tamper with the eyes. There is danger of destroying them. All daubing or dyeing of the lids is foolish and vulgar.

SHORT-SIGHTEDNESS.

Short-sightedness is not always a natural defect. It may be acquired by bad habits in youth. A short-sighted person should supply himself with glasses exactly adapted to his wants; but it is well not to use these glasses too constantly, as, even when they perfectly fit the eye, they really tend to shorten the sight. Unless one is very short-sighted, it is best to keep the glasses for occasional use, and trust ordinarily to the unaided eye. Parents and teachers should watch their children and see that they do not acquire the habit of holding their books too close to their eyes, and thus injure their sight.

SQUINT-EYES AND CROSS-EYES.

Parents should also be careful that their children do not become squint or cross-eyed through any carelessness. A child's hair hanging down loosely over its eyes, or a bonnet projecting too far over them, or a loose ribbon or tape fluttering over the forehead, is sometimes sufficient to direct the sight irregularly until it becomes permanently crossed.

THE EYELASHES AND EYEBROWS.

A beautiful eyelash is an important adjunct to the eye. The lashes may be lengthened by trimming them occasionally in childhood. Care should be taken that this trimming is done neatly and evenly, and especially that the points of the scissors do not penetrate the eye. The eyebrows may be brushed carefully in the direction in which they should lie. In general, it is in exceeding bad taste to dye either lashes or brows, for it usually brings them into disharmony with the hair and features. There are cases, however, when the beauty of an otherwise fine countenance is utterly ruined by white lashes and brows. In such cases one can hardly be blamed if India ink is resorted to to give them the desired color. Never shave the brows. It adds to their beauty in no way, and may result in an irregular growth of new hair.

TAKE CARE OF THE EYES.

The utmost care should be taken of the eyes. They should never be strained in an imperfect light, whether that of shrouded daylight, twilight or flickering lamp or candle-light. Many persons have an idea that an habitually dark room is best for the eyes. On the contrary, it weakens them and renders them permanently unable to bear the light of the sun. Our eyes were naturally designed to endure the broad light of day, and the nearer we approach to this in our houses, the stronger will be our eyes and the longer will we retain our sight.

EYEBROWS MEETING.

Some persons have the eyebrows meeting over the nose. This is usually considered a disfigurement, but there is no remedy for it. It may be a consolation for such people to know that the ancients admired this style of eyebrows, and that Michael Angelo possessed it. It is useless to pluck out the uniting hairs; and if a depilatory is applied, a mark like that of a scar left from a burn remains, and is more disfiguring than the hair.

INFLAMED EYES.

If the lids of the eyes become inflamed and scaly, do not seek to remove the scales roughly, for they will bring the lashes with them. Apply at night a little cold cream to the edges of the closed eyelids, and wash them in the morning with lukewarm milk and water. It is well to have on the toilet-table a remedy for inflamed eyes. Spermaceti ointment is simple and well adapted to this purpose. Apply at night, and wash off with rose-water in the morning. There is a simple lotion made by dissolving a very small piece of alum and a piece of lump-sugar of the same size in a quart of water; put the ingredients into the water cold and let them simmer. Bathe the eyes frequently with it.

THE STY.

A sty in the eye is irritating and disfiguring. Bathe with warm water; at night apply a bread-and-milk poultice. When a white head forms, prick it with a fine needle. Should the inflammation be obstinate, a little citrine ointment may be applied, care being taken that it does not get into the eye.

THE HANDS.

The beautiful hand is long and slender, with tapering fingers and pink, filbert-shaped nails. The hand to be in proper proportion to the rest of the body, should be as long as from the point of the chin to the edge of the hair on the forehead.

The hands should be kept scrupulously clean, and therefore should be very frequently washed—not merely rinsed in soap and water, but thoroughly lathered, and scrubbed with a soft nail-brush. In cold weather the use of lukewarm water is unobjectionable, after which the hands should be dipped into cold water and very carefully dried on a fine towel.

Be careful always to dry the hands thoroughly, and rub them briskly for some time afterward. When this is not sufficiently attended to in cold weather, the hands chap and crack. When this occurs, rub a few drops of honey over them when dry, or anoint them with cold cream or glycerine before going to bed.

The Care of the Hands

The human hand, regarded either with reference to its ingenious construction and usefulness, or to its beauty, stands alone, in its superlative excellence, in the whole animal world. In no species of animal is the hand so wonderfully formed and so perfectly developed as in man.

To preserve the delicacy and beauty of the hands, some little care, and more than that which is ordinarily bestowed on them, is required. Foremost in consideration must be the subject of cleanliness. Dirty and coarse hands are no less marks of slothfulness and lowbreeding than clean and delicate hands are of refinement and gentility. To promote softness and whiteness of the skin, mild emollient soaps, or those abounding in oil or fat, should alone be adopted for common use; by which means the tendency to contract chaps and chilblains, and roughness from drying winds, will also be lessened. 

The coarse, strong kinds of soap, those abounding in alkali, should be rejected, as they tend to render the skin rough, dry and brittle. Rain, or soft, water is the best natural water for washing the hands, as it cleanses them more rapidly and completely than ordinary hard water, and with the use of less soap. It may be advantageously used tepid, or even warm; but hot water should be avoided. 

Distilled water, when obtainable, is preferable to even rain water. In the absence of these, water that has been boiled and allowed to settle and cool may be employed. With hard water the hands are cleansed with difficulty, and though it may be readily softened by the addition of a little soda, such an addition tends to make the skin of a delicate hand somewhat hard and rough. 

If hard water must be used to wash with, the only harmless substance that can be conveniently added to it is a little good powdered borax. This will also cause it to exert a genial action on the skin. Oatmeal and warm water used every night and morning as a wash will whiten and soften the roughest and darkest hands.

In doing housework or gardening, old gloves which have lost their freshness and grown large by use may be worn. They will protect the hands from the effects of the air, and keep them clean. Too frequent washing is open to objection, but there are many labors which cannot be performed with covered hands, and in that case they must be washed as often as necessary. A perfectly pure soap should be used. A little almond meal may be put into the warm water in which the hands are washed, and if they are much soiled a little borax or ammonia may be added.

The roughest hands will be softened if care is given them before retiring at night. It scarcely requires five minutes to efface the traces which the rudest labor may have left on the hands. And the necessary articles are not expensive. A nail brush, a box of rose paste, a box of nail powder, a vial of ammonia, almond meal, and French amandine and a lemon are useful.

If a callous spot forms on the inside of the hand it must be rubbed, as patiently and for as long a time as may be necessary, with pumice stone. The operation preserves the softness of the hand and the delicacy of touch.

Stains may be removed by lemon, borax, or ammonia, according to their nature. When the hands have been perfectly cleansed, rub them with French amandine. Wear gloves while sweeping.

If glycerine were not injurious to many skins it would be excellent. The following mixture will be acceptable to those who can use glycerine: The yolk of an egg, six grammes of glycerine, seven grammes of borax. Mix well. Rub the hands with this salve, and cover them with gloves. Almond meal will do as well.

If the hands are very rough, and have been much used, cold-cream may be employed with great advantage at the beginning of the daily treatment which has been suggested. After using for one month the hands will be sufficiently improved to need only almond meal.

Women who do no domestic work may keep their hands white by simply washing them night and morning in bran-water.

There are very few beautiful hands, but to make the hands beautiful rests, with scarcely an exception, with the possessor. Now that chiromancy has become so fashionable as to be a part of a great many entertainments, it is very desirable that the hands should present an attractive appearance. A soft, white, delicate hand, with neatly-kept nails, forms an important factor in a pleasing personal appearance, and is something any man or woman may possess themselves of with a little care. 

Of course it goes without saying, that requisite is perfect cleanliness of both the hands and nails. The best and purest soap should be used, and when soft water cannot be obtained, a few drops of ammonia, or a little borax, should be added to the water in which the hands are washed, and they should always be thoroughly dried. A lotion of one ounce glycerine, one ounce rose-water, ten drops of carbolic acid, and forty drops of hamamelis, is excellent to use on the hands before they are dried each time they are washed.

Persons who do housework should wear the India rubber gloves which are made for the purpose and can be purchased in any size for from $1.00 to $1.25 as they are with or without wrists.

Rubbing the hands once or twice a day in oatmeal tends to whiten them and make them soft and flexible.

Washing of the Hands During the day:

Never have soiled hands, but do not wash oftener than necessary. Lemon juice will remove many stains. If a little salt is added to this juice it is still more efficacious.

A bit of orange or lemon skin removes tar stains. Care must be taken to wipe the hands dry immediately. Fresh tomatoes and strawberries, a leaf of sorrel, a little milk, are excellent for removing ink stains.

Before peeling Irish potatoes, the hands should be well dried, and should not be washed immediately after. By this slight precaution they will not be stained with the juice of the tuber. After paring certain fruits and vegetables a little lemon juice removes all stain. The hands must first be moistened in water.

To cleanse the hands after very rough work use a good emollient or cream. Rub the hands with a small quantity of the emollient, which will penetrate well into the pores of the skin and become incorporated with the greasy substances. Wash the hands in hot water and soap. This treat' ment make them very soft.

Hands which are "sanctified by labor' may thus retain an agreeable appearance, which is not to be disdained, especially when it is so easily obtained.

Moist hands are unfit for certain kinds of work, and are unpleasant to the touch.

To keep the hands agreeably dry, rub the palms several times each day with a cloth soaked in the following preparation: Cologne water, seventy grammes; tincture of belladonna, fifteen grammes.

Hands which have a tendency to perspire too freely when exposed to the slightest heat may be washed in water in which a little powdered alum has been dissolved.

Sunburned Hands:

At the close of summer, hands which have been kissed too often by the sun are a source of annoyance. The present rage for out-of-door sports, such as croquet, lawn tennis, sailing and rowing, has played havoc with many fair hands. The sunburned hand is in harmony with the life led in summer. On returning to town and resuming laces and silks the contrast is not pleasing. One is tempted too late to regret not having worn gloves.


Time is a certain cure for sunburn. When it is impossible to wait, there are other remedies which it may be well to try; lemon juice and glycerine mixed, or a paste made of corn starch and glycerine, or simply buttermilk. The acidity of the latter is said to remove freckles and sunburn, and the oil contained in it is beneficial and softening to the skin.

Chapped Hands:

For children, and even for many grown persons, winter is the time for chapped hands. It requires but little care to avoid the suffering which results from chapped skin. It is essential that the hands should be thoroughly dried each time they are washed, and never exposed, when moist, either to cold or to the heat of the fire.

Women who are occupied with household cares, who paint, or are engaged in similar occupations, are obliged to wash their hands frequently, and in order to save time they are often careless about drying them; the result is a rough, red skin. Never neglect to dry your hands as thoroughly as possible. They may also be manipulated before the fire until soft and flexible.

Rubbing the hands with amandine before retiring preserves them from the disastrous effects of cold or heat to which they may have been subjected. They must not be washed in cold water, as this predisposes them to chapping, but very hot water is not good for them either. People who have not moist skins should be especially careful to dry the hands thoroughly after washing. They may afterward be covered with cold-cream or amandine, which should be wiped off with a soft towel.

Where these precautions are not taken and the hands are neglected, a cure may be effected by the following treatment: Wash the hands in hot water and anoint them well with amandine, honey paste, or cold-cream. Rub the hands together, interlacing the fingers, until they become soft and are no longer easily hurt when struck against any hard substance. Afterward it will be necessary to remove the grease by washing them in warm water with a few drops of ammonia and a pure soap. Change the water several times. Then apply to the hands the following mixture: Glycerine, cologne, soft water, equal parts. After this process the hands will be soft and not at all greasy or sticky, as might be supposed.

Care of the Nails:

The nails should be cut in a curve which follows the shape of the end of the finger. Their surface should also be polished. One hour a week spent in caring for them is sufficient to keep them in good order, if they are rubbed and cleaned carefully each day.

Never use a steel instrument in cleaning the nails, as it hardens them and causes the dust to accumulate beneath. Nothing is better than the juice of a lemon, which keeps the skin at the base from encroaching on the nail, and also prevents white spots, often caused by lack of care. Cold-cream at night, or French amandine, is excellent for softening the nails, and also prevents them from breaking off and becoming dull.

A manicure set is indispensable for the proper care of the nails. It should consist of an ordinary nail-brush, a still smaller one to go under the nail, a file, a polishing brush, curved scissors a pair for each hand; the nails of the right hand cannot be easily cut with scissors made for cutting the nails of the left hand.

CHAPPED HANDS.

As cold weather is the usual cause of chapped hands, so the winter season brings with it a cure for them. A thorough washing in snow and soap will cure the worst case of chapped hands, and leave them beautifully soft.

TO MAKE THE HANDS WHITE AND DELICATE.

Should you wish to make your hands white and delicate, you might wash them in milk and water for a day or two. On retiring to rest, rub them well over with some palm oil and put on a pair of woolen gloves. The hands should be thoroughly washed with hot water and soap the next morning, and a pair of soft leather gloves worn during the day. They should be frequently rubbed together to promote circulation. Sunburnt hands may be washed in lime-water or lemon-juice.

TREATMENT OF WARTS.

Warts, which are more common with young people than with adults, are very unsightly, and are sometimes very difficult to get rid of. The best plan is to buy a stick of lunar caustic, which is sold in a holder and case at the druggist's for the purpose, dip it in water, and touch the wart every morning and evening, care being taken to cut away the withered skin before repeating the operation. A still better plan is to apply acetic acid gently once a day with a camel's hair pencil to the summit of the wart. Care should be taken not to allow this acid to touch any of the surrounding skin; to prevent this the finger or hand at the base of the wart may be covered with wax during the operation.

THE NAILS.

Nothing is so repulsive as to see a lady or gentleman, however well dressed they may otherwise be, with unclean nails. It always results from carelessness and inattention to the minor details of the toilet, which is most reprehensible. The nails should be cut about once a week—certainly not oftener. This should be accomplished just after washing, the nail being softer at such a time. Care should be taken not to cut them too short, though, if they are left too long, they will frequently get torn and broken. They should be nicely rounded at the corners. Recollect the filbert-shaped nail is considered the most beautiful. Never bite the nails; it not only is a most disagreeable habit, but tends to make the nails jagged, deformed and difficult to clean, besides gives a red and stumpy appearance to the finger-tips.

Some persons are troubled by the cuticle adhering to the nail as it grows. This may be pressed down by the towel after washing; or should that not prove efficacious, it must be loosened round the edge with some blunt instrument. On no account scrape the nails with a view to polishing their surface. Such an operation only tends to make them wrinkled.

Absolute smallness of hand is not essential to beauty, which requires that the proper proportions should be observed in the human figure. With proper care the hand may be retained beautiful, soft and shapely, and yet perform its fair share of labor. The hands should always be protected by gloves when engaged in work calculated to injure them. Gloves are imperatively required for garden-work. The hands should always be washed carefully and dried thoroughly after such labor. If they are roughened by soap, rinse them in a little vinegar or lemon-juice, and they will become soft and smooth at once.

REMEDY FOR MOIST HANDS.

People afflicted with moist hands should revolutionize their habits, take more out-door exercise and more frequent baths. They should adopt a nutritious but not over-stimulating diet, and perhaps take a tonic of some sort. Local applications of starch-powder and the juice of lemon may be used to advantage.

THE FEET.

A well formed foot is broad at the sole, the toes well spread, each separate toe perfect and rounded in form. The nails are regular and perfect in shape as those of the fingers. The second toe projects a little beyond the others, and the first, or big toe, stands slightly apart from the rest and is slightly lifted. The feet, from the circumstance of their being so much confined by boots and shoes, require more care in washing than the rest of the body. Yet they do not always get this care. The hands receive frequent washings every day. Once a week is quite as often as many people can bestow the same attention upon their feet. A tepid bath at about 80 or 90 degrees, should be used. The feet may remain in the water about five minutes, and the instant they are taken out they should be rapidly and thoroughly dried by being well rubbed with a coarse towel. Sometimes bran is used in the water. Few things are more invigorating and refreshing after a long walk, or getting wet in the feet, than a tepid foot-bath, clean stockings and a pair of easy shoes. After the bath is the time for paring the toe-nails, as they are so much softer and more pliant after having been immersed in warm water.

TREATMENT FOR MOIST OR DAMP FEET.

Some persons are troubled with moist or damp feet. This complaint arises more particularly during the hot weather in summer-time, and the greatest care and cleanliness should be exercised in respect to it. Persons so afflicted should wash their feet twice a day in soap and warm water, after which they should put on clean socks. Should this fail to cure, they may, after being washed as above, be rinsed, and then thoroughly rubbed with a mixture consisting of half a pint of warm water and three tablespoonfuls of concentrated solution of chloride of soda.

BLISTERS ON THE FEET.

People who walk much are frequently afflicted with blisters. The best preventative of these is to have easy, well-fitting boots and woolen socks. Should blisters occur, a very good plan is to pass a large darning-needle threaded with worsted through the blister lengthwise, leaving an inch or so of the thread outside at each end. This keeps the scurf-skin close to the true skin, and prevents any grit or dirt entering. The thread absorbs the matter, and the old skin remains until the new one grows. A blister should not be punctured save in this manner, as it may degenerate into a sore and become very troublesome.

CHILBLAINS.

To avoid chilblains on the feet it is necessary to observe three rules: 1. Avoid getting the feet wet; if they become so, change the shoes and stockings at once. 2. Wear lamb's wool socks or stockings. 3. Never under any circumstances "toast your toes" before the fire, especially if you are very cold. Frequent bathing of the feet in a strong solution of alum is useful in preventing the coming of chilblains. On the first indication of any redness of the toes and sensation of itching it would be well to rub them carefully with warm spirits of rosemary, to which a little turpentine has been added. Then a piece of lint soaked in camphorated spirits, opodeldoc or camphor liniment may be applied and retained on the part. Should the chilblain break, dress it twice daily with a plaster of equal parts of lard and beeswax, with half the quantity in weight of oil of turpentine.

THE TOE NAILS.

The toe-nails do not grow so fast as the finger-nails, but they should be looked after and trimmed at least once a fortnight. They are much more subject to irregularity of growth than the finger-nails, owing to their confined position. If the nails show a tendency to grow in at the sides, the feet should be bathed in hot water, pieces of lint introduced beneath the parts with an inward tendency, and the nail itself scraped longitudinally.

Pare the toe-nails squarer than those of the fingers. Keep them a moderate length—long enough to protect the toe, but not so long as to cut holes in the stockings. Always cut the nails; never tear them, as is too frequently the practice. Be careful not to destroy the spongy substance below the nails, as that is the great guard to prevent them going into the quick.

CORNS.

It is tolerably safe to say that those who wear loose, easy-fitting shoes and boots will never be troubled with corns. Some people are more liable to corns than others, and some will persist in the use of tightly-fitting shoes in spite of corns.

HOW TO HAVE SHOES MADE.

The great fault with modern shoes is that their soles are made too narrow. If one would secure perfect healthfulness of the feet, he should go to the shoemaker and step with his stockinged feet on a sheet of paper. Let the shoemaker mark with a pencil upon the paper the exact size of his foot, and then make him a shoe whose sole shall be as broad as this outlined foot.

Still more destructive of the beauty and symmetry of our women's feet have been the high, narrow heels so much worn lately. They make it difficult to walk, and even in some cases permanently cripple the feet. A shoe, to be comfortable, should have a broad sole and a heel of moderate height, say one-half an inch, as broad at the bottom as at the top.

Depilatories

Preparations for removing superfluous hair from the skin. The constituents of most of these are lime, and the tersulphuret of arsenic (orpiment), but the use of orpiment is dangerous, especially in case of any abrasion of the skin. The safest depilatory is a strong solution of sulphuret of barium made into a paste with powdered starch. It should be applied immediately after it is mixed, and allowed to remain there for 5 or 10 minutes.

They should be applied to only a small surface at a time, and great care should be taken to prevent them extending to the adjacent parts. They lose their properties unless kept entirely excluded from the air; and no liquid must be added to the dry ones until just before their application, and then no more should be mixed than is required for immediate use.

Do not attempt to create any recipe that lists arsenic or any other poisons as an ingredient.