CULT OF BEAUTY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue 187, 9 August 1930, Page 4 (Supplement)

CULT OF BEAUTY.

WELL-CARED-FOR HANDS.

HOW TO KEEP CLEAN.

(By A PARIS BEAUTY SPECIALIST.)

It is not the luck of everyone to possess beautiful hands, but much can be done to improve even the ugliest, and, as the hands are so expressive of character, it is well to spend a. little time in a critical study of'them. One of the most important items to pay attention to is restful and graceful posing. Hands which are never still look "twitchy" and nervous, and soon begin to assume a claw-like appearance. Most people have innumerable little nervous movements, which never allow the hands a single instant of repose. "Drumming" on tables, etc., not only irritates other people, but flattens out and broadens the tips of the fingers in a most objectionable manner. Hands were made for use,, and it is quite possible to do any and every kind of work, and yet keep them in good condition. Perfect cleanliness is the first golden rule. Continual and careful cleansing, followed by a hand bath every evening, will work wonders. The hand-bath has nothing to do with the ordinary day bath, and must be a thing apart. Into a lather of warm, soapy water, containing delicately scented bath salts, the hands must be laid and allowed to steep for ten minutes. A nail brush can be used within reason, and it is a good plan to have something to wash—a piece of flannel, for instance—pausing the hands to bend and relax, opening little cracks and crevices in the skin, from which the soapy flannel will remove the dirt.

The Importance of a Good Soap.

In caring'for the hands, the choice of a good soap, is 6f primary importance. In the 'first-place, a soap of high quality contains nothing that is harmful-for the skin, but Willi instead, keep it Binooth and delightfully, perfumed. This-latter trait is one ;of the reasons for using a good soap, and a number of them are to be had, perfumed with your favourite scent. Among the soaps of special merit is Castille. This is made from pure olive oil, and is excellent for softening the hands, and the cuticle around the nails. And do not forget that a good nailbrush is also necessary to scrupulously, clean: hands. Do noti however, jchoose a'brush; with very .stiff 'bristles,' as they may; prove too 'hard for the delicate cuticle under!andla'bout the nail. Oatmeal, the: good old standby-.of our grandmothers,' for dusting.and softening.the skin of the hands; has a value, which in these days, we do riot understand. If it were used more often for softening the water, and for giving a final dry "finish" after washing,'we should see fewer .red and; roughened'hands. >. i..\

Importance of Well Drying. Now a ( word about drying. You should spend as much time in drying your hands as you do in washing them; Each finger should be ■ dried separately, and after each crashing gently push back- the: cuticle with' a bone or ivory trimmer, using the rounded end. Or, when the cuticle is inclined to be tender, use a bath-towej--two thicknesses—which answers the. equally, well, arid ; : s less painful..' After drying, it is a /good plan to massage a little olive \oil .Well into every :part, especially ■•■between- the fingers/, and rub well: up on, to the wrists. ■Then manicure the nails carefully. "Five minutes is well spent-on the nails alone,, and, repay Si one ■■# hundred fold. I'lt is not necessary to go to a manicurist. Anyvwoman nowadays can be an -expert Herself'in looking-.after her own: nails, : as so many,firms supply complete vsets of simple and effective preparations for the nails, with descriptive literature explaining clearly the uses of these articles.-

An-Excellent Plan. It is an excellent plan to bathe the hands for a quarter of an hour in warm elder-flower water, to which has been

added a little bran. Undue perspiration is a trouble which is sometimes very embarrassing and ruinous to gloves. After washing the hands, carefully with superfatted soap, they should be dried and bathed in some mixture like the following:—Witch-hazel and orangeflower water mixed together in equal parts. Allow this mixture to dry on the skin, then powder the hands with equal parts of boric acid, salicylic acid, talcum, and fuller's earth. Or, as I have elready remarked before, in this little "causerie," with simple oatmeal powder. Beautiful hands have inspired poets and artists to do their best work, and there is no reason why every woman should not possess them.