TOILET HINTS.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXII, Issue I, 7 January 1899, Page 28

TOILET HINTS.

The Hands.—A little ammonia or borax in the water you wash your hands in, and that water just lukewarm, will keep the skin clean and soft. A little oatmeal mixed with the water will whiten the hands. Many people use glycerine on their hands when they go to bed, wearing gloves to keep the bedding clean, but glycerine does not agree with everyone; it makes some skins harsh and red. These people should rub their hands with dry oatmeal, and wear gloves at night. A good preparation for the hands at night is the white of an egg, with a grain of alum dissolved in it. The roughest and hardest hands can be made soft and white in a month’s time by doctoring them a little at bedtime, and all the tools required are a nail-brush, a bottle of ammonia, a box of powdered borax, and a little fine white sand to rub the stains off, or a cut of lemon, which will do even better, for the acid of the lemon will clean anything. The Teeth.—There is no part of a woman’s toilet which should give her more concern than her teeth. The physical needs of the whole body are dependent on the (teeth, for it is through the medium of our teeth that our food gets proper mastication and is rendered fit to nourish our systems. Badly kept or insufficient teeth bring dyspepsia and many forms of ill health in their train. A woman stands or falls by the beauty or defects of her teeth. You may admire all her other features, but let the pretty mouth open to disclose discoloured, misshapen, or, above all, decayed teeth, and all your admiration is forgotten. The mental exclamation is always the same: ‘What hideous teeth!’ It is lamentable to see how many people nowadays have to resort to artificial teeth. An eminent dentist once said: ‘There is no necessity for man to go toothless to the grave if the teeth are properly cared for, from his early youth up.’’ Children should be taught very early in life to take care of their teeth, as they decay much quicker than those of a grownup person. The teeth should be brushed after every meal, and, most important of all, before going to bed. The following recipe for strengthening the gums and sweetening the breath is recommended by a famous doctor: —‘Two ounces of tincture of myrrh, add one ounce of eau de Cologne, and a few drops of burnt alum, shake occasionally, and after a few days strain through muslin. A few drops to be used on the tooth brush.’