The Woman Beautiful; or, The Art of Beauty CultureJameson, Helen Follett
Science
The Woman Beautiful; or, The Art of Beauty Culture
Jameson, Helen Follett
Beauty, Personal
Speaking of baths reminds me of Mme. Tallien, the beautiful French
woman, who lived in the time of the first Napoleon. She went in for
baths galore. Let me tell you what she did.
She gathered together all the strawberries or raspberries that the
corner grocery could supply. These were mashed to a pulp and the
bathtub filled. In this Mme. Tallien bathed until the idea of milk and
perfumed baths appeared to her fancy. There were many absurd and
useless fads those days as well as wise beautifying practices--just the
same state of affairs as now confronts us.
How much more rational than Mme. Tallien's notions were the methods of
Diana of Poitiers, who, history tells us, was fresh and lovely at
sixty-five! She left the berries and things to their rightful place,
the breakfast table, and each morning took a refreshing bath in a big
tub of clear rain-water. There has nothing yet been found, even in this
progressive age of electric elixirs and beautifying compounds, that can
equal this old-time aid to loveliness.
With the delightfully convenient bath-rooms, that even the most
ordinary apartment or flat has now, bathing is not a matter of trouble
and bother, but is, instead, an invigorating pleasure. I believe firmly
in the need of the daily bath. Not the thorough scrubbing, mind you,
but the quick sponging and the plunge. Let the thorough scrubbing be at
least twice during the week, and the five-minute plunges on other days.
Certain it is that one is much refreshed by the dipping luxury, and
still more certain is the fact that in no other way can the flesh be
kept healthy and firm. To those who are robust enough to stand it, the
cold bath is very good, but I would not advise it as a general thing
for women. For actual cleansing warm water and pure soap are necessary.
The shock of cold water immediately closes the pores, and they then
retain all the impurities that they should cast out. The temperature of
the water for the daily tepid bath should be about seventy-five or
eighty degrees, never more than that.
Whether or not the bath should be taken at night or in the morning is a
question which each must decide for herself. While it has often been
claimed that a bath at night will quiet the nerves and make one sleep
sweetly, I have known many persons who found it an utter impossibility,
as it caused them to be restless and wide-awake. One reason why the
bath before going to bed is desirable is that a soothing emollient can
be applied to the face, neck and hands, and thus will the skin be
whitened and beautified. After a warm plunge the pores of the skin are
opened and in excellent condition to absorb a good skin food or a
pleasant cream.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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