Page:Personal beauty how to cultivate and preserve it in accordance with the laws of health (1870).djvu/306

 *tion present, the treatment must be commenced by a gentle wash in tepid water with Castile or sulphur soap. No harsh soap must be used, and secret or rancid applications must be avoided. The head once cleaned, it should for a fortnight be oiled night and morning with a small quantity of the following mixture, which should be brushed into the skin with a soft tooth-brush:—

Take— Of pure glycerine     three drachms; Lime-water            four ounces.

This will bring the skin into a more healthy condition, and prepare it for the advantageous use of a stimulating wash, which it is not well to employ at the outset. There are hundreds of these washes or hair tonics advertised, very few of which deserve any praise. The prices charged for them are high, the materials are often dangerous, and of inferior quality. In place of them, we shall give several receipts for approved tonics which we have used in our own practice with satisfaction, and which can be obtained from any apothecary.

After two weeks the above mentioned formula can be used with the addition of half an ounce of tincture of cantharides, and later with one ounce of the tincture. The brushing should be more persistent, enough to bring a slight redness to the surface. Or the following lotion may be employed:—