Cassolettes and Printaniers

Cassolettes and Printaniers are little ivory boxes, of various designs, perforated in order to allow the escape of the odors contained therein. The paste used for filling these "ivory palaces whereby we are made glad," is composed of equal parts of grain musk, ambergris, seeds of the vanilla-pod, otto of roses, and orris powder, with enough gum acacia, or gum tragacantha, to work the whole together into a paste. These things are now principally used for perfuming the pocket or reticule, much in the same way that ornamental silver and gold vinagrettes are used.Cassolette: a box, or vase, with a perforated cover to emit perfumes.

Perfumed Book Markers

We have seen that leather can be impregnated with odoriferous substances, in the manufacture of peau d'Espagne; just so is card-board treated prior to being made up into book-marks. In finishing them for sale, taste alone dictates their design; some are ornamented with beads, others with embroidery.

Various Peau d'Espagne Formulas

Peau d'Espagne, or Spanish Skin, is merely highly-perfumed leather.
Take:

• 1/2 oz oil of rose
• 1/2 oz neroli
• 1/2 oz oil of santal
• 1/4 oz oil of lavender
• 1/4 oz oil of verbena
• 1/4 oz oil of bergamot
• 2 drachms oil of cloves
• 2 drachms oil of cinnamon

In this mixture, dissolve 2 ounces gum benzoin. In this steep good pieces of waste leather for a day or two, and dry it over a line.

Prepare a paste by rubbing in a mortar, 1 drachm of civet with 1 drachm of grain musk, and enough gum-tragacanth mucilage to give a proper consistence.

The leather is cut up into pieces about 4 inches square; two of these are pasted together with the above paste, placed between 2 pieces of paper, weighted or pressed until dry. It may then be enclosed in silk or satin.

It gives off its odor for years; is much used for perfuming paper, envelopes, etc.; for which purpose 1 or 2 pieces of the perfumed leather, kept in the drawer or desk containing the paper, will impart to it a fine and durable perfume.


Peau d Espagne #2:

• Birch Tar Oil 1/32 dr 
• Rose Oil 3/8 dr 
• Linalyl Acetate 3/8 dr 
• Ylang Ylang Oil 3/8 dr 
• Vanillin 3/8 dr 
• Lavender Oil 1 dr
• Zibethin Tincture 2 1/2 dr
• Tolu Tincture 7 dr
• Orange Flower 2 oz 
• Rose 4 oz
• Jasmine 9 1/4 oz

Perfumed Chaplets (Prayer Beads) and Medallions

To make Chaplets with scented beads and medallions, Take Marechal Powder, and make it into a paste with Mucilage of Gum Tragacanth and Arabic, prepared with wallflower-water. The mould into which it is put mud be rubbed with a little Essence of Jasmine, or of any other sweet-scented herb, to prevent the Paste from sticking. This Paste to colour resembles Coffee.

Sachet a la Frangipanne

Sachet a la Frangipanne:

• 3 lbs orris root powder
• 1/4 lb vetiver powder 
• 1/4 lb santal wood powder
• 1 drachm otto of neroli
• 1 drachm otto of rose
• 1 drachm otto of santal
• 1 oz ground Musk pods

The name of this sachet has been handed down to us as being derived from a Roman of the noble family of Frangipani. Mutio Frangipani was an alchemist, evidently of some repute, as we have another article called rosolis, or ros-solis, "sun-dew", an aromatic spirituous liquor, used as a stomachic, of which he is said to be the inventor, composed of wine, in which is steeped coriander, fennel, anise, and musk.


Frangipani Sachet #2:

• 3 pounds Powdered Orris 
• 1/4 pound Ground Vetiver
• 1/4 pound Ground Sandalwood
• 1/4 pound Ground Vanilla Beans
• 2 ounces Ground Tonka Beans  
• 60 minims Oil Neroli 
• 40 minims Oil Sandalwood 
• 60 minims Oil Bergamot  
• 60 minims Oil French Geranium 
• 30 minims Otto Rose 
• 1 ounce Extract Musk 
• 1/2 ounce Extract Civet 

Mix well.


Frangipani Sachet #3:

• 1 lb orris-root 
• 1 lb rose-leaves
•  1/4 lb sandalwood
• 1/4 lb Tonka beans
• 1 dram musk
• 1/4 dram civet
• 1/2 dram essence of roses

Triturate the musk, civet, and essence of roses, and mix with the other substances reduced to a powder.

Cleansing of Combs & Brushes

Nothing is better for cleansing brushes than ammonia; it does not soften the bristles, as soap and soda do. Put a teaspoonful of ammonia into a quart of water, and soak the bristles in the solution (keeping the ivory, bone, or varnished back out of the water). The brush must then be rinsed in fresh water and dried in the air, but not in the sun.

Combs should never be washed. They may be cleansed by passing a coarse thread or card between the teeth. There is also a small brush which is used for cleaning combs.

The greatest cleanliness is necessary for all articles used for dressing the hair.

If you use ammonia in your bath, avoid wetting the hair except when necessary, because ammonia fades the hair.

Lacquer for Toilet Silver

• 1 pint Methylated spirits
• 1 ounce Shellac

Put the shellac in a bottle and dissolve with the methylated spirits, cork the bottle tightly, and let it stand for 24 hours, then pour off the clear liquid.

Heat the metal slightly, and paint the solution over it with a camel's-hair brush. Any metal ornament may be lacquered in the same way.

A little of this solution may be added with good results to the powder ordinarily used to clean silverware.

How to Clean Ivory Handled Toilet Articles

Toilet articles and manicure implements which have ivory handles that may have become darkened, may be cleaned by rubbing the handles with half a lemon, which has been dipped in salt. After treating them thus, then wash in warm water, and wipe dry.

To Clean a Swansdown Powder Puff

White swansdown may be washed in soap and water, after washing, shake it out, and when the down is somewhat raised, shake it before a clear fire to dry.

Balm of a Thousand Flowers

• 1 pint Deodorized Alcohol
• bar of fine, white soap

Shave the soap when putting it in, let stand in a warm place until dissolved, and then add the following.

• 1 drachm Oil of Citronella
• 1/2 drachm Oil of Neroli
• 1/2 drachm Oil of rosemary 

Erasmus Wilson's Hair Wash

Take:

• 1/2 oz Rectified spirit
• 1 oz Honey water
• 1 oz Spirit of rosemary
• 1 oz Strong solution of ammonia
• 1 oz Nut oil
• 8 oz Distilled water

 Mix. This wash differs from most others of the same nature, in that it does not separate for some time.

Pomade Victoria

This highly-praised and excellent pomade is made in the following way and if so  made, will be found to give a beautiful gloss and softness to the hair:

Quarter of a-pound of honey and half-an- ounce of bees' wax simmered together for a few minutes and then strain.

Add of oil of almonds, lavender, and  thyme, half-a-drachm each.

Be sure to continue stirring  till quite cold, or the honey and wax will separate.

12th Century Hair Bleach

For whitening the hair. Catch as many bees as possible in a new pot and set it to burn, and grind with oil, and then anoint the head.

12th Century Black Hair Dye

If the woman wishes to have long and black hair, take a green lizard and, having removed its head and tail, cook it in common oil. Anoint the head with this oil. It makes the hair long and black.

12th Century Scented Hair Powder

But when she combs her hair, let her have this powder. Take some dried roses, clove, nutmeg, watercress and galangal. Let all these, powdered, be mixed with rose water. With this water let her sprinkle her hair and comb it with a comb dipped in this same water so that her hair will smell better. And let her make furrows in her hair and sprinkle on the above mentioned powder, and it will smell marvelously.

Camphor Soap

• 28 lbs. Curd soap 
• 1-1/4 lb. Otto of rosemary 
• 1-1/4 lb.Otto of Camphor 

Reduce the camphor to powder by rubbing it in a mortar with the addition of an ounce or more of almond oil, then sift it. When the soap is melted and ready to turn out, add the camphor and rosemary, using the crutch for mixing.

Almond Soap

This soap, by some persons "supposed" to be made of "sweet almond oil,"
and by others to be a mystic combination of sweet and bitter almonds, is
in reality constituted thus:--

• 100 lbs.Finest curd soap
• 14 lbs. Finest oil soap
• 14 lbs Finest marine soap
• 1-1/2 lb. Otto of almonds
• 1/4 lb. Otto of cloves
• 1/2 lb. Otto of caraway

By the time that half the curd soap is melted, the marine soap is to be added; when this is well crutched, then add the oil soap, and finish with the remaining curd. When the whole is well melted, and just before turning it into the frame, crutch in the mixed perfume.

Some of the soap "houses" endeavored to use Mirabane or artificial essence of almonds (see ALMOND) for perfuming soap, it being far cheaper than the true otto of almonds; but the application has proved so unsatisfactory in practice, that it has been abandoned by Messrs. Gibbs, Pineau (of Paris), Gosnell, and others who used it.

Palm Soap

Cut thin two pounds of yellow soap into a double sauce-  pan, occasionally stirring it till it is melted, which will  be in a few minutes if the water is kept boiling around  it.
Then add:

• quarter of a pound of palm oil
• quarter of a pound of honey
• three pennyworth of true oil of cinnamon

Let all boil together another six or eight  minutes ; pour out and stand it by till next day; it is  then fit for immediate use. If made as these directions  it will be found to be a very superior soap.

Cherry Tooth Paste

Take:

• Otto of roses………………………10 drops
• Oil of cassia………………………..1/2 drm
• Oil of cloves………………………..1 drm
• Orris root, in powder……………….4 oz
• Cuttle fish…………………………..4 oz
• Precipitated chalk…………………..4 oz
• Prepared chalk, in powder…………1 pound
• Glycerine of borax………………….A sufficiency
• Liquid cochineal…………………….A sufficiency

 Mix well.

Areca Nut Tooth Paste

Take:

• 8 oz Precipitated chalk
• 4 oz Powdered areca nut
• 2 oz White castile soap
• 4 oz Powdered orris root
• 1/2 oz Bole Armenian (finely levigated)
• 2 ½ fl oz Glycerine
• 2 ½ fl oz Rose water
• 4 minims Otto of roses
• 5 minims Oil of cloves
• 5 minims Oil of pimento