The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1893-08-04
A GOOD COMPLEXION.
There Is Much in knowing How to Wa,

The face is usually the part OF the
person women most desire to make at
tractive. There are exceptions to this
order who declare that the face is un-
important if the figure is good, but as
rule the woman who has pretty face
feels that the gods have not dealt un-
generously with her.
Without good complexion all other
beauties fail to show to advantage. A
pair of magnificent eyes are never at
their best set in sallow, unhealthy,
looking face, and perfectly-molded feat
ures, if covered with a greasy, blotched,
colorless skin, do not show for half
their value.
On the other hand, clear, pure COM
pleXion will to a great extent atone for
irregular features. In consideration of
this it is great comfort to reflect how
often it lies within a woman's power to
materially benefit even a poor COM
pleXion.
AS a matter of course, the bathing
that invigorates the whole body can
not fail to produce salutary effect
upon the face. But more than this
may be DONE
1t has passed into proverb, in speak
ing of a slatternly or careless woman,
to say: 'She does not know enough to
wash her face"
How many neat women know how to
wash their faces in the right way?
1t is one of those processes commonly
supposed to come, as Dogberry said of
reading and writing, by nature. A
woman washes her face in hot or cold
water, as the fancy strikes her, with
the hands or with a cloth or sponge,
with soap or without, when she is going
out in the wind, or when she comes in
out of the sun. She dries it gently with
soft towel or polishes it off with a
rough one, according to her fancy.
She never stops to think of the harm
she may be doing her complexion by
this reckless treatment. There may be
some skins that will stand such rough
handling and show no i'll effects. There
are very few that would not be bene-
flied by tenderer care.
The woman who has due regard for
her complexion will not wash her face
just before going out or just after COM
ing in. The temptation is great to
dash water over the face when one is
heated by exercise in the open air, but
temporary relief will be forgotten in
the dry burning sensation that will
speedily follow. If the face must be
cleansed at such time, it should be
carefully wiped with soft cloth, and
perhaps powdered lightly.
On the same principle, the woman
who has become overheated in house
work or by other indoor exercise will
be wise if she delays washing her face
until the skin has regained it's normal
temperature.
Some complexion specialists go even
farther than this, and say the face
should never be washed. At least one
woman in New York atfirms that she
has not washed her face in seven years.
She has beautiful skin, and when
eomplimented upon it, she says: "Ah,
you should have seen my grandmother's
skin. When she was seventy, it was
like rose leaf, and she had not washed
her face for twenty-six years"
Similar stories are told of Madame
Patti and other persons of remarkably
fine compilations, but the truth of these
Is not vouched for by reliable author
tiles.
On the other hand, there Is a woman
living in New York who makes prac-
tice of washing her face every night
with soap and hot water. She is over
fifty years old, her skin is satin smooth,
and the coloring as delicate as that of
a young girl. A friend of hers, who is
of about the same age, and has COM
pleXion rivaling the others, puts only
clear pure water on her face, and has
not touched it with soap in fully twenty
years.
The weight Of evidence is with the
people who use soap, but all agree in
saying that only the finest, purest soap
must be employed, and that every par
ticle must be rinsed off. Authorities
on the matter assert that the face
should not be washed oftener than
once day, and that the water should
never be dashed over it, as is the de-
lightf1l if reprehensible practice of
most men and some women. Very lit
tie water should be used, and it should
be applied with a soft cloth, fine
baby sponge, or one of the high
priced facial sponges.
Hot water is said to have a tendency
to produce wrinkles, but this state
ment is open to doubt. Hot or warm
water cleanses the face more etfectually
than the cold, and sponging off with
cool water Immediately afterwards
will probably obviate any possible evil
effect.
II there is any prediction towards
eruptions on the skin, warm water is
to be recommended. In winter cold
water is sometimes preferable to hot,
as the latter, by making the face ten
der, renders it more liable to become
chapned. When cold water is used il
should be soft, and hard water should
have added to it little horax or a very
few drops of diluted ammonia, Moth,
ing is better FOR washing the face than
rain-water, and there is superstition
that that which fails in May or June is
especially beneficial to the complexion
After the face has been washed il
should be dried gently and very thor
oughly. 4 soft towel is better for this
purpose than rough one. By many
people fine huckaback is preferred to
damask. Either will serve the pur.
pose.-Harper's Hazar
Behind the Times.