Take one ounce of bitter almonds,
one ounce of barley flour,
a sufficient quantity of honey.

Beat the whole into a smooth paste, spread it thinly on the skin at night, and wash it off in the morning.

The skin being thus prepared for the chemical remedies, you may select any of the following, or try them in succession.

Take one drachm of muriatic acid,
half a pint of rain water,
half a tea spoonful of spirit of lavender.

Mix, and apply it two or three times a day to the freckles, with a bit of linen, or a camel-hair pencil.

Take one tea-spoonful of liquor of potass,
two ounces and a half of pure water,
a few drops of eau de Cologne.

Mix, and apply as before.

Take a tea-cupful of soured milk, cold,
scrape into it a quantity of horse-radish.

Let this stand from six to twelve hours, and strain, when it may be used to wash the parts affected, twice or thrice a day.

Take two drachms of borax,
one drachm of Roman alum,
one drachm of camphor,
half an ounce of sugar candy,
a pound of ox-gall.

Mix, and stir well for ten minutes, or so, and repeat this stirring three or four times a day for a fortnight, till it appears clear and transparent. Strain through blotting paper, and bottle up for use. Wash the face with it every time you go into the sunshine.

Dip a bunch of green grapes in
a basin of water, and then sprinkle it with
alum and salt, powdered and mixed.

Wrap it in paper, and bake it under hot ashes. Then express the juice, and wash the face with it, and it will remove sunburn, tan, and freckles.

Put two spoonsful of sweet cream into
half a pint of new milk, squeeze into it
the juice of a lemon, add
half a glass of good brandy, and
a little alum, and loaf sugar.

Boil the whole, skim it well, and when cool, put it aside for use.

This sort is very common and very annoying to females, from the age of fourteen and upwards, as they give the skin a dirty greasy appearance, which no washing will remove. The vulgar opinion that such pimples are caused by worms or grubs, is quite erroneous. The best means of removing the worm pimple, is by squeezing out all the thickened matter of each; for, unless you do this, it is impossible to get rid of them, as no wash nor other application will remove them, nor will they ever disappear of their own accord. Several things may be useful in preventing their return. Of these, the Roman balsam, is a safe and excellent application, and daily rubbing the parts very gently with a soft glove, or with the warm hand.

In this species, the pimples appear singly, and are not very numerous, and the intermediate skin is unaffected. They are most liable to appear upon the cheeks, nose, and forehead, though they sometimes spread over the shoulders and upper part of the breast. Gowland’s Lotion, Kalydor, Cold Cream, and all such nostrums, ought to be used with great caution, but prefer the three following.

Break one ounce of sulphur, and pour over it
one quart of boiling water.

Allow it to infuse for twelve or fourteen hours, and apply it to the face twice or thrice a day, for a few weeks. It is excellent for removing the roughness of the skin which usually succeeds pimples.

Take half a drachm of liquor of potass,
three ounces of spirit of wine.

Apply to the pimples with a camel’s-hair pencil. If this be too strong, add one half pure water to it.

Take six drachms of mercury,
six grains of flour of sulphur,
two ounces of hog’s lard.

Mix them carefully in a mortar.

The pimples, even when they do not suppurate, but especially while they continue highly red, are always sore and tender to the touch; so that washing, the friction of the clothes, &c. are somewhat painful. In its most severe form, this eruption nearly covers the face, breast, shoulders, and top of the back, but does not extend lower than an ordinary tippet in dress.

Mr. Plumbe recommends the pimples to be pricked with a needle or a lancet, in order to irritate them, and spur them on to suppuration. When this has been accomplished, the matter is to be squeezed out, and if any blueness or hardness remain, sponge the part slightly, three or four times a day, with the following lotion.

Dissolve two grains and a half of oxymuriate of mercury in
four ounces of spirit of wine.

Keep it in a close-stopped phial for use.

A careful examination of the parts, in the earlier stages of the disease, will, in most cases, lead to the detection of small and deep-seated collections of matter, which, upon being let out with a needle, or the point of a lancet, will cause the swelling and redness of the skin to disappear; and, if the fomentations of warm water, and frictions with mild soap and a soft brush be persevered in, along with plain diet, and abstinence from high-seasoned dishes, pickles, cayenne, mustard, and strong liquors, a cure may, in time, be effected.

Take two ounces of the juice of onions, the same quantity of the white lily, the same of Narbonne honey, and an ounce of white wax; put the whole into a new earthen pipkin till the wax is melted; take the pipkin off the fire, and, in order to mix the whole well together, keep stirring it with a wooden spatula till it grows quite cold. You will then have an excellent ointment for removing wrinkles. It must be applied at night, on going to bed, and not wiped off till the morning.

Take the second water of barley, and strain it through a piece of fine linen; add a few drops of balm of Mecca; shake the bottle for a considerable time, till the balm is entirely incorporated with the water, when it will assume a somewhat turbid and whitish appearance.

This is an excellent wash for beautifying the face, and preserving the freshness of youth. If used only once a day, it takes away wrinkles, and gives surprising brilliancy to the skin. Before it is applied, the face ought to be washed with rain-water.

The temporary removal of disagreeable perspiration in the hands or the feet, may sometimes be useful. The hands may be dipped in cold water, and if rose-water is at hand, it will be still better. Washing the hands with the infusion, or the tincture of galls, or oak bark, into which a little eau de Cologne, or any other perfume, may be put, is an excellent application of the same kind in bad cases. With respect to the feet, dusting them with very fine powder of galls, or of alum, or, what is, perhaps, still better, soaking the stockings with any perfumed soap till they are quite saturated, and then allowing them to dry thoroughly before putting them on, may be safely and effectually tried.

Females of fair complexion ought to wear the purest white; they should choose light and brilliant colours, such as rose, azure, light yellow, &c. These colours heighten the lustre of their complexion, which if accompanied with darker colours, would frequently have the appearance of alabaster, without life and without expression.

On the contrary, women of a dark complexion, who dress in such colours as we too frequently see them do, cause their skin to appear black, dull, and tanned. They ought, therefore, to avoid wearing linen or laces of too brilliant a white; they ought to avoid white robes, and rose-colour, or light-blue ribbons, which form too disagreeable a contrast with their complexions.

Fair women cannot be too careful to correct, by light colours, the paleness of their complexions; and dark women, by stronger colours, the somewhat yellow tint of their complexion.

Crimson is extremely handsome at night, when it may be substituted for rose-colour, which loses its charms by candle-light; but this crimson, seen by day, spoils the most beautiful complexion; no colour whatever strips it so completely of all its attractions. Pale yellow, on the contrary, is often very handsome by day, and is perfectly suited to people who have a fine complexion; but at night it appears dirty, and tarnishes the lustre of the complexion, to which it is designed to add brilliancy.

Green is the only colour which should be worn as a summer veil.

The vegetable substances which furnish rouge, are red sandal-wood, root of orchanet, cochineal, Brazil wood, and especially the bastard saffron, which yields a very beautiful colour, when it is mixed with a sufficient quantity of talc. Some perfumers compose vegetable rouge, for which they take vinegar as the excipient. These reds are liable to injure the beauty of the skin; it is more advisable to mix them with oily or unctuous matter, and to form salves. For this purpose, you may employ balm of Mecca, butter of cacao, spermaceti, oil of bhen, &c.

The red powders, above described, are best put on by a fine camel-hair pencil. The colours in the dishes, wools, and green papers, are commonly laid on by the tip of the little finger, previously wetted.

The Spanish wool, the papers, and the English-made Portuguese dishes, are all made from a moss-like drug, from Turkey, called safflower, well known to scarlet dyers, &c.

White paints are extracted from minerals, more or less pernicious, but always corrosive. They affect the eyes, which swell and inflame, and are rendered painful and watery. They change the texture of the skin, on which they produce pimples, and cause rheums; attack the teeth, make them ache, destroy the enamel, and loosen them.

Take a piece of the talc white, known by the name of Briançon chalk; choose it of a pearl grey colour, and rasp it gently with a piece of dog’s skin; after this, sift it through a sieve of very fine silk, and put this powder into a pint of good distilled vinegar, in which leave it for a fortnight, taking care to shake the bottle or pot several times each day, except the last, on which it must not be disturbed; pour off the vinegar, so as to leave the chalk behind in the bottle, into which pour very clean water that has been filtered; throw the whole into a clean pan, and stir the water well with a wooden spatula; let the powder settle again to the bottom; pour the water gently off, and wash the powder six or seven times, taking care always to make use of filtered water. When the powder is as soft and as white as you would wish, dry it in a place where it is not exposed to the dust; sift it through a silken sieve, which will make it still finer. It may be either left in powder, or wetted and formed into cakes, like those sold by the perfumers. One pint of vinegar is sufficient to dissolve a pound of talc.

This white may be used in the same manner as carmine, dipping your finger, or a piece of paper, or what is preferable to either, a hare’s foot, prepared for the purpose in ointment, and putting upon it about a grain of this white, which will not be removed, even by perspiration. If the ointment with which it is applied is properly made, this white does no injury to the face. The same ingredients may be used for making rouge.

Make a hole in a lemon, fill it up with sugar candy, and close it nicely with gold leaf, applied over the rind that was cut out; then roast the lemon in hot ashes. When desirous of using the juice, squeeze out a little through the hole already made, and wash the face with a napkin wetted therewith. This juice is said to cleanse the skin, and brighten the complexion marvellously.

Take two tea-spoonsful of clarified honey,
and a few drops of lavender-water, or any other
agreeable perfume.

Mix, and anoint the parts frequently. If the hands are affected, anoint them all over on going to bed, wearing your gloves all night, and wash with tepid milk and water in the morning. A night or two will effect a cure.

Another excellent preparation is,

Take two ounces of fine honey,
one ounce of purified wax,
half an ounce of silver litharge,
the same quantity of myrrh.

Mix over a slow fire, and add milk of roses, Eau de Cologne, or any other perfume you may prefer, and keep for use.

Procure two or three dozen of the fresh roots of marsh-mallows, and dry them carefully in the shade, so that they may not shrivel. They must be chosen about as thick as a cane, and cut to five or six inches long, then with a mallet bruise the ends of them very gently, for about half an inch down, in order to form a brush. Then take two ounces of dragon’s blood, four ounces of highly rectified spirit, and half an ounce of fresh conserve of roses, and put them in a glazed pipkin or pan, to dissolve over a gentle fire. When dissolved, put in your prepared mallow-roots, stirring them to make them take the dye equally. Continue this till no moisture remains in the vessel, when the roots will be hard, dry, and fit for use. If you take care of them, they will last you a considerable time. When you use this toothbrush, it may be dipped in the following:

Take the juice of half a lemon,
a spoonful of very rough claret or port wine,
ten grains of sulphate of quinine,
a few drops of Eau de Cologne, or oil of bergamot.

Mix, and keep in a well-stopped phial for use.

Put two drams of camphor
into an ounce of the oil of turpentine,
and let it dissolve; when it will be fit for use.

Cajeput oil is another valuable remedy for allaying the pain, when put into the hollow of the tooth. The most effectual, however, of all the remedies for destroying the sensibility of the nerve, is the putting of a red hot wire into the hollow, which will destroy the nerve, and prevent the return of the pain.

Take one dram of the powdered leaves of pyrethrum,
and a sufficient quantity of gum arabic mucilage.

Make a mass, divide it into twelve portions, and take one into the mouth, and let it lie till dissolved, as occasion requires.

If an external application is preferred, the following may be rubbed on the outside of the jaw.

Take an ounce of spirit of camphor,
three drams of liquid ammonia,
ten drops of essential oil of bergamot.

Mix them in a phial for use.

A blister placed behind the ear, or burning the lap of the ear with a cloth dipped in boiling water, will often remove the pain entirely.

Rub well the teeth and gums with a hard tooth-brush, using the flowers of sulphur as a tooth powder, every night on going to bed; and if it is done after dinner it will be best: this is an excellent preservative to the teeth, and void of any unpleasant smell.

Use as a tooth powder the Spanish snuff called Sabella, and it will clean the teeth as well as any other powder, and totally prevent the tooth-ache; and make a regular practice of washing behind the ears with cold water every morning; the remedy is infallible.

Take from five to ten drops of muriatic acid, in
an ale glassful of barley-water, and add
a little lemon juice and lemon peel to flavour.

Mix for a draught, to be taken three times a day, for a month or six weeks at least, and, if effectual, it may be continued occasionally.

Another medicine of this kind, which has often proved beneficial when the stomach has been wrong, and the bowels costive, is, the

Take one dram of sulphate of magnesia,
two drams of tincture of calumba,
an ounce and a half of infusion of roses.

Make a draught, to be taken every morning or every other morning, an hour before breakfast, for at least a month.

Take an ounce of Palma Christi oil,
a sufficient quantity of oil of bergamot or lavender to scent it.

Apply it morning and evening for three months, or as long as it may be necessary, to the parts where you want the hair to grow thick and luxuriant.

Take three quarts of common oil,
half a pint of spirit of wine,
three ounces of cinnamon powder,
two ounces of bergamot.

Put it in a large pipkin, and give it a good heat. When it is off the fire, add three or four pieces of alkanet root, and keep it closely covered for several hours. Filter it through a funnel lined with blotting paper. The commonest oil is used; and, when rancid, it is remedied by putting in two or three slices of an onion.

Boil half a pound of green southern wood, in
a pint and a half of sweet oil, and
half a pint of port wine.

When sufficiently boiled, remove it from the fire, and strain the liquor through a linen bag. Repeat this operation three times, with fresh southern wood; and the last time add to the strained materials, two ounces of bear’s grease. It is excellent for promoting the growth of the hair, and preventing baldness.

Take two handsful of the root of hemp,
same quantity of the roots of a maiden vine,
same quantity of the cores of soft cabbages.

Dry and burn them, and make a lye of the ashes. Before you wash the hair with this lye, it should be well rubbed with honey, and this method persisted in for three days at least.

Take two ounces of gum ammoniac,
two ounces of yellow wax,
six drams of verdigris.

Melt them together, and spread the composition on a bit of soft leather, or a piece of linen. Cut away as much of the corn as you can with a knife, before you apply the plaster, which must be renewed in a fortnight, if the corn is not by that time gone.

Grate raw potatoes to a fine pulp in clean water, and pass the liquid matter through a coarse sieve, into another vessel of water; let the mixture stand till the fine white particles of the potatoes are precipitated, then pour the mucilaginous liquor from the fecula, and preserve the liquor for use. The article to be cleaned should then be laid on a linen cloth, on a table, and having provided a clean sponge, dip it into the potatoe liquor, and apply it to the article to be cleaned, till the dirt is perfectly separated; then wash it in clean water several times. Two middle-sized potatoes will be enough for a pint of water. The coarse pulp, which does not pass through the sieve, is of great use in cleaning worsted curtains, tapestry, carpets, and other coarse goods. The mucilaginous liquor will clean all sorts of silk, cotton, or woollen goods, without hurting or spoiling the colour; it may be also used in cleaning oil paintings, or furniture that is soiled. Dirtied painted wainscots may be cleaned by wetting a sponge in the liquor, then dipping it in a little clean sand, and afterwards rubbing the wainscot with it.

When laying by muffs and tippets for the summer, if a tallow candle be placed on or near them, all danger of moths, &c. will be obviated.

Put cedar shavings, or clippings of Russia leather, among the drawers and shelves where the clothes are kept. Pieces of camphor, or tallow candle, wrapt up in paper, will preserve furs and woollens from moths; and lavender, roses, and flowers and perfumes of every kind, are useful as well as agreeable in keeping away moths and worms.

Take half an ounce of the best black sealing-wax, bruise it, and put it to two ounces of spirit of turpentine; melt them very gently, by placing the bottle that holds them in boiling water, or near a fire. When all the wax is melted, lay it on warm with a fine hair brush near the fire or in the sun. It will not only give a beautiful gloss and stiffness to the hats, but make them resist wet.

Dip a clean piece of flannel into spirits of turpentine, and rub the spots until they disappear, which will soon be the case. Do not be sparing of the turpentine, as it will all evaporate, and leave no mark or stain behind.

Pound French chalk fine, mix with lavender-water to the thickness of mustard. Put it on the stain; rub it soft with the finger or palm of the hand. Put a sheet of blotting and brown paper on the top, and smooth it with an iron milk-warm.

Scrape French chalk, put it on the grease spot, and hold it near the fire, or over a warm iron, or water-plate, filled with boiling water. The grease will melt, and the French chalk absorb it; brush or rub it off. Repeat if necessary.

Mix together in a phial, 2 oz. of essence of lemon, 1 oz. of oil of turpentine.

Grease and other spots in silks, are to be rubbed gently with a linen rag dipped in the above composition.

Dip a pen in spirit of turpentine, and transfer it to the paint spot, in sufficient quantity to discharge the oil and gluten. Let it stand some hours, then rub it.

For large or numerous spots, apply the spirit of turpentine with a sponge, if possible, before it is become dry.

Take two pounds of rice, boil it in two gallons of water till soft; then pour the whole into a tub; let it stand till about the warmth in general used for coloured linens; then put the chintz in, and use the rice instead of soap, wash it in this, till the dirt appears to be out, then boil the same quantity as above, but strain the rice from the water, and wash it in warm clear water. Wash in this till quite clean; afterwards rinse it in the water which the rice has been boiled in, and this will answer the end of starch, and no dew will affect it. If a gown, it must be taken to pieces, and when dried, be careful to hang it as smooth as possible;—after it is dry, rub it with a smooth stone, but use no iron.

Take a gallon of furze blossoms and burn them to ashes, then boil them in six quarts of soft water; this, when fine, use in washing with the suds, as occasion requires, and the linen, &c. will not only be exceedingly white, but it is done with half the soap, and little trouble.

Lay these smooth and even upon a board, spread a little soap over the dirty places; then make a lather with Castille soap, and with a common brush, dip it in, pass it over the long way, and repeat it in this manner, till one side is sufficiently scoured; use the other in the same manner; then put it into hot water, and there let it lie, till you have prepared some cold water, wherein a small quantity of gum arabic has been dissolved. Now rinse them well, take them out and fold them, pressing out the water with the hands on the board, and keeping them under the hands till they are dry; at which time, have brimstone ready to dry them over, till they are ready for smoothing, which must be done on the right side, with a moderate hot iron.

Let the hems of the tiffanies be at first only a little soaped, then having a lather of soap, put them into it hot, and wash them very gently for fear they should be crumpled; and when they are clean, rinse them in warm water, in which a little gum arabic has been dissolved, keeping them from the air as much as possible; then add a lump of starch, wet the tiffanies with a soft linen rag, and fold them up in a clean cloth, pressing them till they are near dry; after which put them near the fire, and finish the drying over brimstone; then shape them properly by gently ironing them.

Lawns may be done in the same manner as the former, only observe to iron them on the wrong side, and use gum arabic water instead of starch, and, according to what has been directed for sarcenets, any coloured silks may be starched, abating or augmenting the gum water, as may be thought fit, according to the stiffness intended.

Fix the lace in a prepared tent, draw it straight, make a warm lather of Castille soap, and, with a fine brush dipped in, rub over the point gently; and when it is clean on one side, do the same to the other; then throw some clean water on it, in which a little alum has been dissolved, to take off the suds, and having some thin starch, go over with the same on the wrong side, and iron it on the same side when dry, then open it with a bodkin, and set it in order.

To clean point lace, if not very dirty, without washing; fix it in a tent as the former, and go over with fine bread, the crust being pared off, and when it is done, dust out the crumbs, &c.

Put the veil in a solution of white soap, and let it simmer a quarter of an hour. Squeeze it in some warm water and soap, till quite clean. Rinse it from soap, and then in clean cold water, in which is a drop of liquid blue. Then pour boiling water upon a tea-spoonful of starch, run the veil through this, and clear it well, by clapping it. Afterwards pin it out, keeping the edges straight and even.

Pass them through a warm liquor of bullock’s gall and water; rinse in cold water; then take a small piece of glue, pour boiling water on it, and pass the veil through it; clap it, and frame it to dry.

Mix sifted stale bread crumbs with powder-blue, and rub it thoroughly all over, then shake it well, and dust it with clean soft cloths. Afterwards, where there are any gold or silver flowers, take a piece of crimson in grain velvet, rub the flowers with it, which will restore them to their original lustre.

Pass them through a solution of fine hard soap, at a hand heat, drawing them through the hand. Rinse in lukewarm water, dry and finish by pinning out. Brush the flossy or bright side with a clean clothes brush, the way of the nap. Finish them by dipping a sponge into a size, made by boiling isinglass in water, and rub the wrong side. Rinse out a second time, and brush and dry near a fire, or in a warm room.

Silks may be treated in the same way, but not brushed. If the silks are for dyeing, instead of passing them through a solution of soap and water, they must be boiled off; but if the silks are very stout, the water must only be of heat sufficient to extract the dirt, and when rinsed in warm water they are in a state for the dye.

Strew French chalk over them, and brush it off with a hard brush once or twice.

Put some soft soap into boiling water, and beat it till dissolved in a strong lather. At a hand heat put in the article. If strong, it may be rubbed as in washing; rinse it quickly in warm water, and add oil of vitriol, sufficient to give another water a sourish taste, if for bright yellows, crimsons, maroons, and scarlets; but for oranges, fawns, browns, or their shades, use no acid. For bright scarlet use a solution of tin. Gently squeeze, and then roll it in a coarse sheet, and wring it. Hang it in a warm room to dry, and finish it by calendering or mangling.

For pinks, rose colours, and thin shades, &c., instead of oil of vitriol, or solution of tin, prefer lemon juice, or white tartar, or vinegar.

For blues, purples, and their shades, add a small quantity of American pearl-ash; it will restore the colours. Wash the articles like a linen garment, but instead of wringing, gently squeeze and sheet them, and when dry, finish them with fine gum water, or dissolved isinglass, to which add some pearl-ash, rubbed on the wrong side, then pin them out.

Blues of all shades are dyed with archil, and afterwards dipped in a vat; twice cleaning with pearl-ash, restores the colour. For olive greens, a small quantity of verdigris dissolved in water, or a solution of copper, mixed with the water, will revive the colour again.

To bullock’s gall, add boiling water sufficient to make it warm, and with a clean sponge, rub the silk well on both sides, squeeze it well out, and proceed again in like manner. Rinse it in spring water, and change the water till perfectly clean, dry it in the air, and pin it out on a table; but first dip the sponge in glue water, and rub it on the wrong side; then dry it before a fire.

If it requires to be red dyed, boil logwood; and in half an hour, put in the silk, and let it simmer half an hour. Take it out, and dissolve a little blue vitriol and green copperas, cool the copper, let it simmer half an hour, then dry it over a stick in the air. If not red dyed, pin it out, and rinse it in spring water, in which half a tea-spoonful of oil of vitriol has been put. Work it about five minutes, rinse it in cold for ten minutes, rinsing in cold water. For a blue cast, put water, and finish it by pinning and rubbing it with gum water.

Wash with soap and water; and simmer them in the same; put one drop of liquid blue, into a pan of cold spring water, run the stockings through this a minute or two, and dry them. For a pink cast, put one or two drops of saturated pink dye into cold water, and rinse them through this. For a flesh-colour, add a little rose-pink in a thin soap liquor, rub them with clean flannel, and calender or mangle them.

Mix well with a gallon of clean water, a pound of quick lime; and, when the lime is precipitated in fine powder, pour off the clear lime-water for use, at the time it is wanted. Put the feathers to be cleaned in a tub, and add to them a sufficient quantity of the clear lime-water, so as to cover them about three inches. The feathers, when thoroughly moistened, will sink down, and should remain in the lime-water for three or four days; after which, the foul liquor should be separated from them by laying them on a sieve. Afterwards, well wash them in clean water, and dry them on nets, about the same fineness as cabbage-nets. Shake them from time to time, on the nets; as they dry, they will fall through the mashes, when collect them for use. The admission of air will be serviceable in the drying, and the whole process may be completed in about three weeks. The feathers, thus prepared, want nothing further than beating, to be used either for beds, bolsters, pillows, &c.