Page:Personal beauty how to cultivate and preserve it in accordance with the laws of health (1870).djvu/203

 the following preparation, which any one can make in a few minutes, answers the purpose quite well:—

Take— Fresh lemon-juice     a wineglassful; Rain water            a pint; Otto of roses         a few drops.

Mix, and keep in a well-corked bottle.

The face and hands may be washed with this several times a day, allowing it to remain on three or four minutes before wiping. Whenever there are any superficial and transient stains on the skin not readily removed by soap and water, rubbing the spot with a little piece of lemon should be resorted to next, as in the majority of cases it will quickly remove them.

In France they attribute sovereign cosmetic virtue to the juice of the cucumber. All the shops keep a lait de concombre, or a pommade de concombre. A German physician of considerable experience also recommends it as an excellent application for preserving the clearness of the complexion. The juice should be pressed from the fruit, brought to the boiling point over a quick fire, cooled rapidly, and securely bottled. A tablespoonful of it diluted with twice the quantity of water may be applied morning and evening.

Another contribution of the kitchen garden to the boudoir is the horse-radish. This is a more useful plant than is generally supposed. The famous botanist Linnæus goes so far as to call it a "divine remedy."