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Dish washing should always be
followed by a vaseline or cold cream application. Always wear
gloves when gardening, and use vanishing cream on them before
you expose them to the bright sunshine or cold. A cold cream
application before retiring and cotton gloves should accompany
chapped hands into bed.
Red Hands.—When red hands
are not caused by some trouble which calls for a doctor's care,
use a good rich, cream massage, for it will help circulation
if bad circulation is the reason. A mere surface redness may
be treated by rubbing in some standard skin food, after washing
with hot water and soap, and leaving it overnight.
The Ideal Hand.—The ideal
hand has smooth, tapering fingers. If you have square or knotty
fingers give them treatment for pressing out the ends. A soft,
white skin, a firm palm, firm and supple wrists and well-kept
nails and fingers are all possible of attainment by manicuring,
massage and constant cleanliness. Hands should be neither too
fat nor too thin. Regular diet in the first place, then massage
and special exercises are correctives. This applies as well to
fat wrists. Remember that, like the ideal face and figure, the
ideal hand is only relatively so. There is a different style
of hand for nearly every style of being, and there are as many
different hands as there are face beauties.
Gloves.—Tight gloves will
make your palms perspire, give your hands a pudgy look, and,
if you wear them right along, will turn the hands red and mottled.
Red hands often result from continual wearing of tight-fitting
gloves. And—if you do not chemically clean your gloves after
each wearing—your hands will grow dirty as soon as you put
them on. Gloves which are not perfectly clean chap and coarsen
the skin texture of the hand, and at times cause infections
A narrow palm is supposed to
be a sign of a feeble temperament, one lacking imagination. A
fairly generous palm shows imagination and a nature capable of
greatly enjoying physical pleasures. Too large, broad and pronounced
a palm denotes egoism and sensuality. Hard, thick palms, out
of proportion to the rest of the hand, show an animal nature,
void of intelligence. Knotty fingers mean originality, imagination
and a scientific trend. Smooth, tapering fingers hint at aptitude
in art and sentiment predominating over reason. Square fingers
mean a sense of method and order. Spatulate fingers are a sign
of ability, activity, tact and knowledge.
THE NAILS
A woman's nails should have
home attention, but this should be supplemented by occasional
visits to the manicurist. Else it is impossible to keep them
in perfect condition. You may use an orange stick or an ivory
pusher to push back the cuticle from the nails (after it has
been softened by cold cream or vaseline), but do not cut the
cuticle yourself. This had far better be left to the professional.
If you use the professional cutting tools you may easily cut
and scar the surface of the nail, and weeks may elapse before
the scar disappears. If the cuticle be cut constantly the edges
grow hard and thick.
Manicuring.—Always see
to it that your orange stick is well covered with absorbent cotton
or a bit of silk. When you have shaped the external edge of the
nails with a fine pair of scissors, finish with emery or a steel
nail file. And always, before beginning to manicure your nails,
soak them in hot soap water and cleanse with the nail brush.
When you polish the nails, use paste first, and do not apply
the powder till afterward. As a buffer you can use the palm of
the other hand. A thorough "home" manicuring should
be undertaken at least once a week.
There are many very satisfactory
nail pastes and polishes on the market. A liquid polish is usually
best for the nails, all the more if there is no paste foundation.
Carmine, which gives a pleasing pink tint, should be the paste
used. Never use the liquid varnishes which produce a sheen without
the aid of the buffer. They have a deteriorating action on the
nails themselves. You brush your teeth every night. It is just
as easy to devote a few minutes to your nail cuticles as well.
The Nail Bleach —A good
and simple nail bleach for use beneath the free edges of the
nails is made by mixing an ounce of hydrogen peroxide with a
quarterounce, respectively, of ammonia and lemon juice. Before
polishing the nails wash out the bleach with hot water. Keep
your manicuring tools in good condition, and throw away your
orange stick as soon as it roughens. For a buffer, if you do
not care to use your palm, buy a buffer frame and renew the chamois
skin.
Bruised Nails —A hot water
dip, with an overnight application of antiphlogiston, is good
for bruised nails. The white nail spots which often result from
a bruise will fade out slowly of themselves as a rule. Their
departure can be hastened, however, by application of refined
pitch and myrrh in equal parts.
Nail-Bite —The only real
cure for nail biting is not to bite the nails. The application
of tincture of myrrh is merely a reminder not to do so. |
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