CONCERNING HANDS.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1756, 1 November 1905, Page 26

CONCERNING HANDS.

HOW TO MAKE AND KEEP THEM PRETTY. Attention and cleanliness of the hands bring immediate rewards, and even the housewife who does a great deal of work in her, home may still keep her© in excellent condition. Every mother who has her child's interest at heart will look carefully after the tiny, chubby hands of the little one, for children are apt to form habits that absolutely destroy the beauty of their hands, and these cannot be too speedily corrected. From - birth almost the finger nails should be carefully treated. Trim the little nails into an oval shape, and it will be surprising to see how soon nature will develop pretty artistic points. Children should never be allowed to bite their nails, for if the habit is formed and allowed to continue, ugly, ©tubby, coarse nails will be the result. Some grown-up people and many nervous, highstrung girl© are easy victims to this habit, though they are eager to overcome it. To these, let it be suggested that the moment they find themselves nibbling at their finger nails, a quick bathing with hot water will be effective, for the hot bath soothes the little nerves that are causing the mischief, and prevents the determining cause of the nibbling. Coarse, rough hand© are natural with some women, just a© are coarse, unlovely complexions, but neither the one trouble nor the other is beyond remedy. Often the rough condition is the result of carelessness. When washing the hands the purest, finest soaps should be used, hut even the best soaps must be rinsed away, and the surface of the skin be dried with painstaking attention. Occasionally one finds a skin that will not endure soap at all, and for these French amandine is wonderfully effective. The prescription ie as follows: Put into a large bowl two ounces of white honey; triturate it, and when the mixture has been rubbed to a thick paste add three ounces of perfectly neutral almond shaving cream. Then continue the trituration until the mixture has become homogeneous. Two pounds of fresh fine oil of sweet almonds must then he poured in very ©lowly and mixed in well. If the almond oil enters in large quantities the blending i© imperfect, ©o great care must he taken. A few drops of oil of bitter almonds and from five to ten drops of oil of rose are used as perfuming agents. A jelly-like cosmetic will be the result, which should he closely sealed and kept in a cool place. Almond meal is also delightful for the hands, and can he used with equal success on the complexion. The cheap qualities of almond meal contain very little almond, and for that reason it is a good plan to compound one's own, which is done in this way. Take two ounces of sweet almonds, blanched and powdered ; one ounce of bitter almonds, blanched and powdered orrisi root; five ounces of talcum powder, one ounce of powdered white castile soap, one hundred grains of powdered borax, ten drops of oil of bitter almonds, ten drops of oil of neroli, and ten drops of oil of tincture of musk. The vola.tile oils may be reduced, as they are somewhat expensive, and small quantities will do. This mixture may he used instead of soap.

Chapped hands are caused by poor circulation, or by immersing the hands too frequently in hoi or cold water. Incomplete drying will also cause the surface to roughen. Chapped hands are not confined to the winter months as many individuals fancy. Tight gloves should be avoided, also tight corsets, or tight collars, since anything that interferes with circulation will not only make the hands rough, hut will cause them to become very red. The persistent use of cosmetic jelly will invariably cure rough hands. Here is the recipe, and it is one that may easily be compounded at almost no expense. Take thirty grains of gum tragacanth, seven ounces of rosewater, one ounce of alcohol, and one ounce of glycerine. Let the gum tragacanth soak in the rosewater for three days, then strain it forcibly through muslin; add glycerine to it, then alcohol, and a suggestion of perfume. A teaspoonful of pure borax is an improvement, but not actually necessary. For children who suffer from chapped hands this will be found a great boon. Once a week the finger nails should be carefully manicured. A good plan, and one which should be followed faithfully every day, is to trim the nails with a pliable file, to lift up the cuticle with an orange wood stick, and to polish the nails slightly with the palms of the hands. Pointed finger nails and nails that shimmer like mirrors are no longer considered correct.