Quireda Bath Bags Recipe For A Fresh Skin Complexion And A
Refreshing, Restorative Bathing Experience | Time Honored Tips
“Even from the body’s purity, the mindReceives a secret
sympathetic aid.”—Thomson.
Quireda Bath Bags Recipe:
- One pound of fine oatmeal.
- One-half quart of new clean bran.
- Two-fifths pound powdered orris root.
- Two-fifths pound almond meal.
- One-fourth pound white castile soap, dried and powdered.
- One ounce primrose sachet powder.
The road to beauty has never been better known than it was
to the Greek and Roman women of centuries ago, yet they did not begin to have
the resources in cosmetic arts that we have now. But they bathed incessantly,
believing that cleanliness and health were the vital points in their endeavors
to be lovely.
They went in for athletic games to a large degree, and
thereby hangs the secret of well-developed figures and fine, stately carriage.
Creamy lotions for the face, made mostly of almond oil and the oil of cocoanut,
were their complexion solaces.
No doubt these beauties of the past centuries had more time
than we for their baths and games, but nevertheless let us make a strong, stern
effort to follow in the wake of their excellent teachings. Surely they proved
the wisdom of them in their own incomparable beauty.
Speaking of baths reminds me of Mme. Tallien, the beautiful
French woman, who lived in the time of the first Napoleon. She went in for
baths galore. Let me tell you what she did.
She gathered together all the strawberries or raspberries
that the corner grocery could supply. These were mashed to a pulp and the
bathtub filled. In this Mme.
Tallien bathed until the idea of milk and perfumed baths
appeared to her fancy. There were many absurd and useless fads those days as
well as wise beautifying practices—just the same state of affairs as now
confronts us.
How much more rational than Mme. Tallien’s notions were the
methods of Diana of Poitiers, who, history tells us, was fresh and lovely at
sixty-five! She left the berries and things to their rightful place, the
breakfast table, and each morning took a refreshing bath in a big tub of clear
rain-water.
There has nothing yet been found, even in this progressive
age of electric elixirs and beautifying compounds, that can equal this old-time
aid to loveliness.
With the delightfully convenient bath-rooms, that even the
most ordinary apartment or flat has now, bathing is not a matter of trouble and
bother, but is, instead, an invigorating pleasure. I believe firmly in the need
of the daily bath.
Not the thorough scrubbing, mind you, but the quick sponging
and the plunge. Let the thorough scrubbing be at least twice during the week,
and the five-minute plunges on other days. Certain it is that one is much
refreshed by the dipping luxury, and still more certain is the fact that in no
other way can the flesh be kept healthy and firm.
To those who are robust enough to stand it, the cold bath is
very good, but I would not advise it as a general thing for women. For actual
cleansing warm water and pure soap are necessary.
The shock of cold water immediately closes the pores, and
they then retain all the impurities that they should cast out. The temperature
of the water for the daily tepid bath should be about seventy-five or eighty
degrees, never more than that.
Whether or not the bath should be taken at night or in the
morning is a question which each must decide for herself. While it has often
been claimed that a bath at night will quiet the nerves and make one sleep
sweetly, I have known many persons who found it an utter impossibility, as it
caused them to be restless and wide-awake.
One reason why the bath before going to bed is desirable is
that a soothing emollient can be applied to the face, neck and hands, and thus
will the skin be whitened and beautified. After a warm plunge the pores of the
skin are opened and in excellent condition to absorb a good skin food or a
pleasant cream.
Bath bags are simply luxuries. They are pleasant ones, to be
sure, but they should never take the place of the flesh brush. It is best to
follow the scrubbing with a gentle washing with a bath bag, for the almond meal
and the orris root will give a charming, velvety appearance to the skin.
They should never be used a second time, as the bran
frequently becomes sour after a drying. So, if you are of an economical turn of
mind, you will make your bath bags very small, just large enough to serve for
one beauty bath.
A little starch thrown into the bath will sometimes whiten
the skin. Salt is not cleansing at all, but is very invigorating and a pleasant
tonic if one is worn out and languid. Turkish baths are splendid
complexion-makers, but must not be indulged in too frequently.
If the skin is dry and feverish, a dry bath—or massage—with
oil of sweet almonds will promote a healthy skin and bring about good
circulation.
Constant bathing is the best remedy for excessive
perspiration. But this is not really effective unless a little benzoin is added
to the water, and the armpits well dried, and dusted with powder afterward.
A good bathing powder for this purpose is made of two and
one-half drams of camphor, four ounces of orris root and sixteen ounces of
starch. Reduce to a fine powder and tie in coarse muslin bags.
Remember that a coarse complexion, with black, disfiguring,
open pores, can be almost entirely cured by keeping the pores of the body free
from sebaceous matter. Have the bathtub carefully scoured each day, as the oils
and dust washed from the body invariably collect on the sides just where the
water reached.
For the thorough cleansing have the tub half filled with
warm water. Use a coarse rag, a bath brush and large, coarse towels. Before
stepping into the water wash the face and neck well with castile soap and a
camel’s-hair brush, this being particularly necessary when the pores are
clogged and acne has formed.
Rinse thoroughly and dry with gentle pats. When using the
brush, do not forget to let the scrubbing go well down onto the chest, lest
your neck will be bleached white and nice only part of the way.
Once in the tub, go over the body briskly with the flesh
brush, using plenty of good soap and not being at all sparing of elbow grease.
This scrubbing is very invigorating, for it exercises the muscles and stirs up
one’s blood as well.
After the scrubbing use the bath spray, letting the water
get gradually chilled. The drying should be brisk and quick, and a warm robe of
some sort must be donned while the hair is being combed for the night, the
teeth brushed and the face anointed with a pure home-made cosmetic.
Then go to bed. If you don’t find a prettier, fresher
complexion with you next morning, then I’ll miss my guess, and will take up
another occupation than that of doling out beauty advice.
Quireda Bath Bags Recipe:
- One pound of fine oatmeal.
- One-half quart of new clean bran.
- Two-fifths pound powdered orris root.
- Two-fifths pound almond meal.
- One-fourth pound white castile soap, dried and powdered.
- One ounce primrose sachet powder.
Dipped in tepid water and used as a sponge these bath bags make
a velvety lather that softens and whitens the skin in a way that warms the
cockles of one’s heart.
Excerpt From – Woman Beautiful By Helen Follett Stevans.
