Even in cold weather you can wear silk, muslin, or linen undergarments
next the skin. Be certain to have them white, or at least undyed, and
have no colored ribbons where they can come in contact with the skin.
Outside of these garments you may wear woolen articles required for
warmth. Another little matter of importance to the growing girl――fur,
velvet or cloth collars of garments worn tightly about the neck, the
lining of gloves, dyed stockings and even the lining of your hats,
sometimes will start a skin trouble which will be difficult to cure.
Your sleeping garments should be as loose as possible――especially
around the neck. They should be such that you can turn IN them and not
have them stick to your body when turning.
Turning while in bed is one of Nature’s ways of giving all the skin
covering your body a chance to get air and allow of the evaporation of
that “insensible perspiration.” Now, if a certain part of your body
has gotten rid of its inside poison――the region over the liver, for
example――and in turning over to give that portion access to air, your
garment simply sticks and goes with it, don’t you see that you are
sleeping with a soggy bit of clothing pasted right over the region
which needs fresh air and a chance to evaporate its perspiration?
During warm weather you will find bran baths not only very soothing,
but giving to the skin a very smooth and pleasing appearance. About
four pounds of bran to a bathtub of water is what you need.
There is an annoying skin affection, though not a disease, which may
embarrass the most careful girl. It is a summer occurrence and I dare
say that most of you know something about it. I refer to “prickly
heat,” a most annoying thing to the girl who wishes to enjoy her summer
outing and has to keep away from the bathing beach and the pleasures of
all her friends. This trouble may come out suddenly all over the body,
sometimes it is confined to certain large areas, more often to the arms
and shoulders. It is accompanied by excessive sweating and intolerable
itching, prickling and tingling.
You all can avoid this distressing condition. Light clothes, linen
undergarments of the flimsiest material, the use of plenty of water
taken inwardly, the avoidance of hot rooms, no exercise, such as
dancing or tennis, are the things to remember.
Do not put anything on the skin such as powder, ointment or ammonia.
Bathe in cool water; put into your bath a handful of bicarbonate of
soda. Take every morning a full glass of some saline water or a glass
of water in which you have dissolved a lithia tablet. Eat plenty
of green vegetables and fresh fruit, but avoid spiced food. Rice,
chicken, mutton, will not harm you, but pork, ham and underdone beef
at this time should be let alone. At night you should sponge your body
with vinegar and water.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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