Social Life Part 83

Many women dread the shampooing because of their liability to take cold in the process. Let such a person choose a room where the air is warm and dry. After wiping the hair thoroughly dry with towels, and pinning a fresh one around the neck and shoulders, let her get some one to come and make a breeze with a large palm-leaf fan upon her hair while she is engaged in carefully disentangling it with a brush and comb, occasionally giving the scalp a little vigorous rubbing if it begins to feel chilly. The fanning greatly hastens the drying process.

Another plan is to lie down with the hair spread out on cushions in the sunshine. Be sure to get it thoroughly dry before putting it up.

An Excellent Head Covering.

A very pleasant step, though not a necessary one, next to take is to have a little thin silk mob-cap (of some pretty shade of silk, so that it is becoming rather than disfiguring, if needful, to wear about the home), lined, and thickly wadded with cotton-batting, well powdered with heliotrope or some other delicate sachet powder (these come in ten or fifteen-cent packages), and wear this from one to three hours.

Here, again, those thousands of minute tentacles come into play; they catch and retain (one would almost think they close over them) the atoms of the perfume when they are thus freed from dust, and when the hair is soft and light in its new cleanness--and it is astonishing for how long a time the hair will retain that faint, delicate aroma which is so truly lovely in a woman's hair; and all to be obtained in so simple and innocent a way as with this little mob-cap, put on at the right time.

A good rule for ensuring the regular brushing of the hair, which may be taught to children (and perhaps good for busy women also), is to brush the hair with fifty long strokes both at morning and at night.

Much also depends upon the brush. Let it not be stiff enough to hurt the scalp. Choose a brush of medium stiffness, with bristles long and close together, and nowhere will it pay better, "in the long run," to give a good price for a good article than in a woman's hairbrush which she proposes to use as described above.

Do not use a fine-tooth comb. Frequent washing will remove the dandruff in all cases, and without the injury caused to the scalp by the fine comb.

It is also well to clip the ends of the hair regularly once a month, keeping it smooth and even, besides, as is thought by some stimulating the growth and keeping it in a more healthy condition.

Perseverance in this treatment will give the hair a fine natural gloss, and a healthy tone. It will tend to prevent its falling out, and will also help to preserve its natural color much longer than if it were neglected.

"Show me a woman," said a wise matron the other day, "though she be in the busiest farmer's kitchen in America, who may always be found with her hair neatly and carefully arranged and with a fresh linen collar, and I will show you a lady in mind and manners. Those two points always settle the rest in my opinion!"

Recipe for the Complexion.

A mixture for preserving the complexion, easily made at home, is as follows: take a winegla.s.sful of the best French orange flower water.

Add a tiny pinch of carbonate of soda and two teaspoonfuls of glycerine. Melt a piece of camphor the size of a pea and three teaspoonfuls of cologne water and add to the orange flower water.

Shake the whole for five minutes. Apply to the face every night.

Care of the Lips.

The Cupid's bow in dainty curves has always been symbolical of a perfect mouth, and lips most kissable have never been represented as other than pink and perfect.

No other portion of the face, however, so quickly responds to symptoms of ill-health in the body as do the lips. Fever blisters are the disfiguring reminders of a cold; dry, broken or bloodless lips show that one is out of sorts, even more certainly than heavy eye or dejected mien, and it is a woman's duty to endeavor to restore them to their soft, rich redness, which is the outward and visible sign of good health.

To do this the general system must be toned up, diet regulated, and a regular house-cleaning gone into; but there are certain defects of the lips that can be overcome without all this trouble, because they arise from a woman's own fault. Many of us, from nervousness, or habit, have a way of biting our lips which will surely result in swelling, bruise or dryness that is both uncomfortable and unpleasant to look at.

Therefore, the first step is to break off so pernicious a practice by watching one's self very carefully. Next, anoint the poor, bruised members with some healing salve of a pure make.

Do not, however, think to cure chapped lips by anointing them after being out in the air. The time for treatment is before the mischief is done, putting on a little cold cream every time you start out for a walk, which you will find highly beneficial and will keep your lips in winter just as sweet and rosy as when the milder zephyrs of summer rule the air.

Remedies for the Lips.

A writer whose knowledge of such subjects is beyond question says that glycerine and rose water should never be used to soften the lips, as this remedy has one great drawback, namely, that it induces the growth of superfluous hair, a warning which all women will gladly heed, for no one desires to pose as a bearded lady. When cold sores appear rub them with cold cream, being careful not to break them, and they will soon disappear.

The reason that they usually cling so long is, that they are tampered with by rubbing or biting, and therefore cannot have a chance to heal properly, as they would if left alone. The same writer who warns us against glycerine and rose water is a strong advocate of hot water, and affirms that there is scarcely any ailment that will not succ.u.mb to its healing virtues. Therefore, with cold cream and hot water one should be able to present to the world a pair of rosy lips free from any unsightly blemishes.

Smoothing Out the Wrinkles.

Wrinkles are, of course, the special detestation of every woman, and when they begin to make their appearance, one of the most perplexing questions is as to how they can be removed, or at least the evil hour of their coming be put off for a time. There has recently been a good deal of nonsense printed in various channels as to this subject, and one of the most cherished fads is that the steaming of the face will remove them. This is one of those half-truths which are simply deceit and disappointment.

Wrinkles appear because the fine muscles of the face lose their tone, the tissue shrinks, and the skin fits itself to the depressions which are thus left. It is a mistake to suppose that wrinkles can be wholly eradicated, especially those which are due to advancing years. Let us "grow old gracefully" and accept the inevitable with the best grace possible. A cheerful disposition will do wonders toward lighting up the face and making one's friends forget or overlook entirely the signs of advancing years. But wrinkles frequently come on prematurely, and prove extremely vexatious. It is unquestionably true that a proper, thorough and careful course of face ma.s.sage will do a good deal to help things, where the skin has become dull and lifeless, as will especially happen in cases of general decline or ill health.

From two to four times during each twenty-four hours the face should be gently but systematically rubbed, the best method being to employ a fine towel or a bit of red flannel. The finger ends answer very well, but it is quite difficult to use them without weariness. It will be noticed after a few days that the skin is gaining in tone and vigor, when the degree of vigor employed may properly be increased.

Bad air is one of the most potent causes of wrinkles and the remedy, of course, is the getting of good air. Excellence of the highest degree may not be attainable; if not, let us get the best we can. With good air should come good living and plenty of nutritious food, especially that which has fat-producing qualities.

Ma.s.sage of the face is well recommended, using a light, gentle, circular motion of the fingers, while much may be done by cultivating flexibility and voluntary motions of the muscles of the face, especially those affecting the wrinkled portions. And it may not be amiss, though it be a delicate matter, to suggest that an overworked, thankless, hopeless life will inevitably wrinkle the fairest face with furrows that no agency this side of the grave can remove, till the cause shall have been lifted.

The Feminine Waist.

We have already had occasion to discuss the question of small waists and the abuse of proportions that tight-lacing frequently entails. We have only to consider now the caprices of fashion with regard to length. Sometimes this fickle G.o.ddess sends our waists up under our arms, and then a reaction sets in, and they lengthen gradually till the points and basques of our bodices reach very nearly to our knees.

Of the two extremes, the more sanitary, as well as the more artistic, is the former, but these considerations have little effect on the arrangements of fashion.

The weight of clothing should hang as little as possible from the waist. Many women believe that it is better that it should come from the hips than from the shoulders, but the testimony of all medical men is clear and indisputable on this subject. Nor is it upon hygienic grounds alone that this is objectionable. This weight from the hips destroys all freedom of movement, just as the tight corset deprives the body of all the suppleness and flexibility given it by nature.

The belt is, on a perfect figure, an interruption to harmonious lines that could well be dispensed with. On an imperfect figure it is excusable, when a.s.sociated with a form of bodice that seems to require to be confined, such as the loosely plaited or gathered bodice sometimes worn. Over a tight bodice the belt has no reason for being, and is absurdly out of place. For this and also sanitary reasons we feel inclined to condemn it.

Beautiful Arms.

Beautiful arms are a powerful weapon in the armory of beauty; but though most women appreciate to the full the charm of this possession, the fact remains that in America undeveloped arms are the rule, and rounded, dimpled symmetry the exception. Lately, however, the gymnasium is producing charming arms.

Exercise is essential to the development of the arms: exercise, that is, of the arms themselves. Gymnastic exercises that bring the muscles of these into play should be, as far as possible, encouraged in girls, as tending not only to their improvement in this particular, but as being beneficial to the general health.

Arms disproportionately large as compared to the rest of the frame are, on the other hand, at least equally disagreeable with those we have been discussing. Very large arms carry with them a suggestion of coa.r.s.eness that is unpleasant as a.s.sociated with a woman. It is, as we have said before, impossible to give the exact proportions which one portion of the human frame should bear to the rest. The ideal arm, however, should gradually decrease in size from the shoulder to the wrist, the outlines being marked by those inward curves which are also noticeable in well-formed shoulders. The wrist should be slender without being thin, the bone at the outer side being well covered and indicated rather by dimples than otherwise.

There is an old rule for measurement that approaches accuracy in some degree. We give it for what it may be worth, advising our readers not to pin their faith to it too implicitly. Twice round the thumb, once round the wrist; twice round the wrist, once round the neck; twice round the neck, once round the waist.

The roundest arms in the world fail to be beautiful if they are red.

There are beautiful white arms, brown arms, copper-colored arms, and even black arms, but beautiful red arms are not. This fault is seldom to be found with the arms of ladies, which are so constantly kept covered as to be protected from the influences of weather. It is characteristic of a cook, a dairymaid, a housemaid, a field-hand, to have red arms, and it is probably from this a.s.sociation that they have fallen into such extreme disrepute.

The use of violet-powder may be condoned when it modifies the contrast between red arms and white evening dresses. The application being only temporary, it can only very slightly affect the well-being of the pores, but it should be very carefully used, or it will come off on the coat sleeves of the partners of the red-armed one.

When the arms are very thin the sleeves should not be too tight, though, as a rule, thin arms do not look at all badly in tight sleeves. When the arms are too long, their apparent length may be diminished by crossway tr.i.m.m.i.n.gs on the sleeve. When, on the contrary, the arms are disproportionately short, a lengthwise tr.i.m.m.i.n.g will remedy the defect. The sleeve of to-day is a blessing in disguise for ladies with thin arms.

The leg-of-mutton (_gigot_) sleeve was invented to conceal defects in the arm, and to make the waist appear small by contrast with the size of the sleeves. Puffs at the shoulder give grace and delicacy to the neck and head. The paG.o.da sleeves, copied from the Chinese, being wide and open, cause the hands to appear smaller by contrast with the aperture from which they emerge; but when the sleeve is exaggeratedly large and wide, the effect of the contrast is lost, the sleeve losing itself in, and mingling with, the rest of the draperies. The epaulette worn some years ago is useful as giving width to narrow shoulders. The Louis XV., or _sabot_ sleeve, tight to the elbow, and ending in a frill of lace, is perhaps the most becoming of all sleeves to a really pretty arm, while the sleeve open to the shoulder is the most trying to a defective outline.

Treatment for the Hands.

The hands of growing girls are often red and clumsy, and girls who are beginning to take thought of their appearance are sometimes in despair about them, not being aware that they will grow whiter and whiter with every year. The ideal hand is white, certainly, but not dead white. It should have a dash of healthy flesh-tints. The tips of the fingers and the portions that surround the palm should be tinged with pink. The fingers should taper towards the nails, the most approved shape for which is the "filbert," so called from its resemblance to the oval form of the nut of that name, and the similarity of the direction of the lines of the nail to those on the wood of the nut.

Scissors and Nail-brush.

The appearance of white spots on the nails is caused by knocks or blows. To obviate the appearance of such spots the hands must be taken care of and the nails disturbed as little as possible. When the nails become stained or discolored, a little lemon juice is the best agent to employ as a corrective. It is equally valuable in discoloration of the skin.