Pomades & Depilatories

Pomades for the Hair, Lips, Chapped Hands, etc. – Oil of sweet almonds, 4 ozs.; spermaceti, 1 oz.; oil of lemon-grass, or oil of neroli (which is oil of orange flowers), dr. Directions—Use sufficient heat to melt the spermaceti in the oil of almonds, and when cool stir in the perfuming oil, and put into a large mouthed bottle, to reach it with the finger. Of course, all flavored, perfumed, or alcoholic mixtures, should be kept corked.

2. Very Fine Pomade – White wax, 1 1/2 ozs. ; pure glycerine 2 fl ozs. ; castor oil, 12 fl. ozs.; oil of lemon (I would say lemon-grass), 5 drops; oil of bergamot, 2 drops; oil of lavender, 1 drop; oil of cloves, 10 drops; annatto, 10 grs.; alcohol and water as below. Directions—Dissolve the wax in the castor oil, with as little heat as possible, then titurate, or rub in the balance of the castor oil and glycerine, and stir till cool, and add the perfuming oils. Rub the annatto in 1 dr. (tea-spoonful) of water until smoothly mixed, then add the same amount of alcohol to it, and stir it into the pomade; Do not use too much heat, and use the bandest (nicest) castor oil.—American Journal of Pharmacy.

Remarks.—This makes a very fine pomade. The annatto is only to give it color. The same amount of cochineal would give it a reddish shade, instead of a yellowish, with the annatto. Tumeric would give a yellowing shade, and carmine a carnation, all fine in themselves, to choose from. But it is just as good without either.

1. DEPILATORY—To Remove Superfluous Hair: Crystallized sulphide of sodium, 3 drs, quick (un-slacked) lime, 10 drs. ; starch, 11 drs. Directions—Reduce each, separately, to a fine powder. Mix and keep in well stoppered bottles. When to be used, moisten to a paste, with a little water, spread on the part to be denuded (from the Latin de, and nudare, to make naked), and leave on only 2 to 4 minutes. Lift it off with a dull knife, which fetches the hair with it.- Druggists’ Circular.

2. Depilatory, Our Own Druggist’s.—Powdered unslacked lime, 8 drs.; carbonate of potash (which is salts of tartar), and, sulphuret of potassium, each 1 dr. Mix and keep dry, as the first above. Direction;-Mix only to cover a small space at a time, leaving on only 5 to 10 minutes; then scrape off, which fetches the hair.

Remarks.—I have had this prepared and sent to various persons, on their application to me for such a preparation. I tell all, however; better let the hair grow, than to try to destroy the follicles, as this would require to keep on the mixture till it would make a sore, equal to a bad burn. If in any case this is done by accident, or to destroy the hair follicles, treat the sore the burn.

3. Superfluous Hair, To Destroy.—Under this head some writer gives the following, which is so near like what I have proposed for others, I will copy it, as he has a plan of washing off with vinegar, which would be good if either of the above depilatories (this is a depilatory) are used: ‘Take fresh stone lime, 1 oz. ; pure potash, 1 dr. ; sulphuret of arsenic, 1 dr. Directions—Reduce them to a fine powder in an earthen or glass mortar, and add -enough soft water to make a thin paste. Then wash the hair in warm water, and apply the paste, by rubbing gently a little on the spot where you wish to remove the hair. As soon as the skin is much reddened, wash it off with strong vinegar. Do not let it remain on more than 3 to 5 minutes. Wash the place with a flannel cloth, and the hair will be removed. The skin will be softened and improved in appearance.

Remarks.—The, of course, can be kept in the dry powder in closely stoppered bottles, as well as the others, but wet up only as much as you need to put on at a time, It should be put on as thick as a case-knife blade, either of them.

Camphor Ice, for Rough Face, Lips, Chapped Hands, etc.—Benzoated suet, 1/2 lb.; white wax, 2 ozs.; powdered camphor, 1 oz. English oil lavender, 1 dr. DIRECTIONS—To make the benzoated suet, it is rendered and strained and 2 drs. of powdered benzoin, or benzoic acid, stirred in; the wax is melted in it by gentle heat; the camphor gum has to be powdered by putting a few drops of alcohol upon it (best let the druggist do this), then stirred into the wax and suet mixture, and when quite cool, the lavender added, and poured into boxes or large mouthed bottles. Apply as often as needed to keep soft.

Remarks.—I think vaseline, as now kept by druggists, equal, if not better, than the suet (lamb suet is used).

1. Bay Rum, Barbers’.—Magnesia and powdered borax, each, 30 grs. ; oil of bay, 1/2 to 1 dr. ; alcohol, 2 ozs. ; dilute alcohol, 1 qt. Directions-First, rub the magnesia, borax, and oil of bay in the 20 ozs. of strong alcohol, in a mortar; then put into a filter and gradually pour on the dilute alcohol to percolate through the magnesia.—Mt. Vernon (0.) Barber.

Remarks.—The more oil of bay the more it is like bay rum, It will prove very satisfactory for the hair or to use about the person when sick, by washing with a sponge and putting on the handkerchief, the same as cologne may be used, then passing over the face, smelling, etc. It is a grateful relief to the sick, thus used as freely as they desire.

Wash for Ladies’ Hands.—This very appropriately comes in here, as it is really a toilet wash. Put powdered borax, 5 ozs., into a bottle with water, 1 pt. If this all dissolves, put in enough to always keep some borax, undissolved, at the bottom. When the garden work is done for the day, put enough Into the water in which the hands are to be washed to make it soft or slippery as suds. “It is very cleansing,” says Prof. Beal, of the Michigan Agricultural College, Lansing, “and by this use of it the hands will be kept In excellent condition, smooth and soft and white.” Of course, a little of this in water to wash the head will cleanse the scalp as nicely as the hands.

Wash for the Hands When Roughened by Cold or Labor.—Wash the hands in vinegar in which a handful of Indian meal is put, rubbing thoroughly, then wash off and apply some of the hair dressing, made of equal parts of glycerine and rose water, which will soften and heal them, and be found very grateful to their irritated, or even chapped condition, in the cold wintry winds.

2. Wheat bran, in the water, is also considered excellent, so is oatmeal also good for the same purpose, but the following, perhaps, is a better way to use the last.

3. Oatmeal Soap to Keep the Hands Soft in Winter.—Take the white castile soap (the white is the mildest), 3 lb., and melt it with very gentle heat, in sweet almond oil, 1 oz.; then remove from the fire and stir in oatmeal 1 1/2 ozs.

Remarks.— “Rosemary” says this is the only soap ladies should use in the winter; I will add if 1 dr. of Rosemary’s oil were put in, it would make them think of her peculiar flavor, every time they used the soap.