The century cook book

Alcohol Sweat Bath. Procure a small alcohol lamp and after filling it with alcohol, light and place under an ordinary cane-seated chair on which several thicknesses of paper have been placed. Divest the person of all clothing and after being seated in the chair, wrap one or two large blankets around the person, chair and all. Be very careful to have the blankets reach well to the floor and to have no openings for the heat to escape. To facilitate perspiration wring a thick towel out of hot water and place on the head, and over that put a light woolen covering. After perspiring freely take a plunge bath in a tub of clear warm water. No 238 The Care of the Person soap should be used. After bathing, rub the surface of the body thoroughly dry with a crash towel and retire for at least an hour or two. The best time to take this bath is at night, when one can remain undisturbed until morning. This bath will be found most beneficial when suffering from colds, or exhaustion caused by excessive mental or physical labor. Baths for Children should be given according to age and constitution. Some require warm baths, and cannot stand the effect of cold water, while with other children it agrees perfectly. A tepid bath is the one most generally suitable. Young children should have their bath in the morning, and if they are under two years may take it after their first meal. A child should never be given a hot bath in a very cold room, and thorough drying after bathing is of great importance. The Face. So much that is ill-advised has been written about the means of acquiring a beautiful complexion that it seems charitable to warn women against the numerous so-called skin beautifiers advertised by perfumers and druggists. In most cases these preparations are downright dangerous and bring on pimples, wrinkles and even serious troubles of the dermal tissues. The bleaching fluids destroy the epiderm and absorb the oily matter necessary for a healthy function of the skin, which soon becomes as dry and hard as parchment. The pomades fill up the pores and produce blackheads. Of a truth, many of the cosmetics, especially those prepared by conscientious chemists, are absolutely harmless; that is all that can be said of them, however, for in no way do they improve a complexion which is bad or indifferent by nature. Circassian women, who are noted for their velvety skins and hedge-rose bloom, never use ointments of any kind. They apply to their faces half an hour before their daily The Care of the Person 239 bath, a thorough coating of white of %gg. When this has completely dried they wash it off with tepid water, and then proceed to bathe as usual in soap and water. A spoonful of tincture of benzoin is added to the bath, pervading it with sweet and invigorating perfume. The white of egg cleanses the skin perfectly, freeing it from all impurities and obstructions, and leaves it smooth and soft like that of a baby.