The family oracle; or, the art of improving beauty. : Containing instructions to adorn and beautify the ladies, and advice how to make washes, perfumes, essences, liniments, powders, and medicines: together with important and useful receipts, with which every housekeeper ought to be acquainted, and which, from their cheapness, it is in the power of the humblest individual to purchase.

Date:
1829
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The family oracle; or, the art of improving beauty. : Containing instructions to adorn and beautify the ladies, and advice how to make washes, perfumes, essences, liniments, powders, and medicines: together with important and useful receipts, with which every housekeeper ought to be acquainted, and which, from their cheapness, it is in the power of the humblest individual to purchase. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Of Pimples This deformity consists in a redness of the face, attend¬ ed with inflammatory pustules, the cause of which is com¬ monly attributed to an acrid thick blood, that swells and corrodes the small vessels, to clear whichD the mass of blood must be sweetened and diluted with proper medicines For this purpose infuse 4oz. of mustard seed in a quart of white wine, and after three or four days, drink about a wine glass full of it every morning, filling Up the bottle every time, as long as the seed gives any strength. Or boil three spoonfuls of mustard seed in a quart of milk, take off* the curd, and keep the whey for use. This rem¬ edy is an excellent diuretic, and a cordial to the nerves; but it differs from the first in quantity—a half pint must be taken every morning. Among all the lotions and the best to use with the above diuretic, is simple pimpernel water, which is so sovereign a beautifier of the complex* ion as to deserve a place on every lady’s toilet. It is pre¬ pared by only infusing half a handful of this herb in a quart of water, letting it stand all night. It may be used a little warmish, but not hot: if not sufficently powerful to remove the pimples, take camphire rubbed fine in & mortar, put upon it a little and a little at a -yuie, loz. of the juice of lemons, when dissolved add 1 pint of whites wine. This is a very good lotion for spots and flushings, and may be used with the greatest safety. To cleai* a Brown and Tawny Skin» When it is naturally so, there is no possibility of chang mg it thoroughly, yet where a healthful habit of body is the natural ground work, those select compositions mav prove useful. Take lib. of levigated hartshorn, 2lbs. of rice powder dissolve them in a sufficient quantity of rose-water, anc; frequently wash the face with the fluid. Or, take barley water strained through a fine cloth drop into it a few drops of balm of gilead, and shake tlio