Take a bath for beauty

It had been a while since I conveyed some of the beauty tips from Vivan Huber's Skönhet, so I dived into i again and feeling a bit chilly due to the winter weather I lost myself in the chapter about baths. We only have a shower and I miss my baths terribly, especially in the wintertime.

A bath should, the book says, if possible not be taken in the mornings- a shower is so much better to revive the spirits. If you really must, then make sure the bath is quick and the water lukewarm. A hot bath in the mornings before you go out may give you a cold. However, taking a bath in the evenings is very good for you as it helps not only against tiredness, but also nervosity, insomnia and headache. To promote the healthy effects even more, consider to add one the following suggestions;




3-4 kg coarse salt, if you are feeling fragile.
1 tbl ammonia which is stimulating and can help if you feel a cold coming.
Perfumed sodium carbonate sooths the nerves.
Pine needles stimulates the heart and help against rheumatic pains..
1/2- 1 kg oath- or almond bran in a tulle bag is very good for the skin.
Perfumed bath salts of good quality stimulates our sense and promotes our spirits. They may be pricey though, but you can make them yourself:

Bath salt
1 kg sea salt is poured into an enamelled basin to which you add
25 gr Pinewood oil, or
25 gr Rose oil, or
25 gr Lavender oil
also add
25 gr Eau de Cologne
Stir well and then add a some food colouring, green, pink or purple, that you first has stirred into some hot water. Stir again and pour it on a blotting paper with a newspaper underneath to dry. Make sure that it is completely dry before you pour it into bottles. 3- 4 tbl a bath is enough.

Vinaigre virginal
Revives you and makes the muscles firm.
Equal part of
White vinegar
Pulverised benzoin gum
Mix together and let it be for eight days, then filter it.

Bath essence
Mix together:
900 gr spirit
100 gr water
Choose one of the following to scent;
20 drops of Clove oil
20 drops of Wintergreen oil
2 gr Lemon oil
3 gr Lavender oil
3 gr Thyme oil
3 gr Rosemary oil
3 gr Bergamot oil
10 gr Ethyl acetate

If you also want to colour the bath, add some Phenolphthalein to the mixture. It will remain colourless until you use soap in the bath, then the water will turn pink.



Soap
Choose a soap that is hard as it will last longer. A good soap may be a little more expensive to buy, but that will pay off in lasting time. The best is too choose a soap that contains lanolin as that is the best for the skin. It's very luxurious to have soap, bath salt, perfume and talcum powder with the same scent, but that may be a bit difficult to achieve.

Before the bath
Rub face, throat, and if you are going to wash your hair, the scalp with oil. The best is to use a good olive oil for that. If not, then your hair needs to be protected. Make sure your hairstyle is fixed with with combs and pins. A shower cap may not be enough, so before you don that wind a piece of elastic bandage one or two times around your head. The elasticity makes it much better for the purpose than a net or a bandana. To make the bandage looks prettier, dye it pale red, green or blue with cold water dye. This bandage is also useful when you take care of your face in the mornings and nights, or when you go for a swim.

At the beginning the water should be 28-36 C warm (82-87 F), but during the first 10 minutes, gradually add warm water until it's 38-42 C (100-107 F). A bath should take between 15-20 minutes, but if you are weak or tired, you may of course take a quicker bath.



After the bath
The whole body should be rubbed with some kind of fat, either vegetable oil or lanolin, but do not use mineral oils like Vaseline. The very best is to use lanolin, olive or almond oil. Pour some oil in the palm of your hand, a few drops at the time, and begin with your feet, moving your hands in circular motions. Then the legs, hands, arms, throat and chest, moving towards the heart. All of the oil should be absorbed by the skin, but if not, remove the excess with a terry towel. If the skin is oily by nature, then you can, after the oil treatment, also rub the skin with diluted Eau de Cologne, or use some talcum powder.

The bathing beauties are Merle Oberon and Jeanne Crain and they both took their bath in 1946.

(Picture sources: http://s3.amazonaws.com/data.tumblr.com/tumblr_lqd9vo7UCu1qhspbko1_1280.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAJ6IHWSU3BX3X7X3Q&Expires=1328822181&Signature=6n5M1v2%2BUlFBcPOFVfDAMpv0q7o%3D
http://goodskinday.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/bubblebath1.jpg
http://flapperdays.blogspot.com/2011/09/its-cold-baths-only-for-madame-sylvia.html
http://glamourdaze.blogspot.com/2011/02/1940s-fashion-housewifes-daily-routine.html)