Important: Safety Warning
This page directs the use of hazardous substances — such as benzine, gasoline, lye, or strong acids — for household tasks. These materials are highly flammable, corrosive, or poisonous, and the practices described have caused fires, burns, and poisonings.
In addition, this page contains cosmetic recipes using substances now known to be poisonous, such as lead, mercury, or arsenic compounds, which cause cumulative and serious harm when absorbed through the skin or eyes.
This information has been left in for historical purposes but should not be acted upon.
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Fine Shaving Cream
Take of clarified lard, 7 pounds (avoirdupois); potash lye (26 per cent . of caustic potash), 34 pounds; rectified spirits, 3 ounces; oil of bitter almonds, 2 drachms. Melt the lard in a porcelain vessel, by a salt-water bath; then run in the lye, very slowly, agitating the whole then add the lye as it is obtained, keeping a time; when about half the lye is in, the mix- slow fire , and stirring often, until you have ture begins to curdle; it will, however, be- a barrel of soap. After boiling the grease come so firm that it cannot be stirred. It and 4 gallons of lye together, it may be put will assume a pearly appearance by triturating in a barrel and the rest of the lye added there, in a mortar, and slowly adding the alcohol, which will form good soap if frequently holding the oil of almonds in solution. This stirred, but the heating process is the best furnishes a splendid shaving cream. when weather and time will permit the work 608. Το Make Good Common Soft to be done.
Soap. For a barrel of soap take 12 pounds of potash to 14 pounds of grease. Dissolve the potash over night in 2 pailfuls of hot soft pounds potash into small lumps, and put it