Sunburn Remedies Use Unique
Ingredients
Before the days when suntan lotions came in a range of protective
levels, it was more often necessary to have a remedy to treat
sunburn. Following are two recipes that would serve that purpose.
Give them a try if your Coppertone doesn’t do its job.
Cucumber Milk
Oil of sweet almonds, 2 ounces.
Fresh cucumber juice, 10 ounces.
White castile soap, 1/4 ounce.
Essence of cucumbers, 3 ounces.
Tincture of benzoin, 38 drops.
Get the juice by slicing the cucumbers, unpeeled, boiling in a
little water and straining carefully. The essence is made by mixing
the juice with equal parts of alcohol.
First dissolve the soap in the essence, add the juice, then the
sweet almond oil very slowly, and finally the benzoin. Shake well
for half an hour if possible.
This was said to be a most effective remedy for tan and sunburn.
Strawberry Cream
White wax, 1/2 ounce.
Spermaceti, 1/2 ounce.
Sweet almond oil, 2 1/2 ounces.
Strawberry juice, 3/4 ounce.
Benzoin, 3 drops.
Take large fresh berries. Wash and drain thoroughly. Macerate and
strain the juice through a piece of muslin. Heat the white wax, the
spermaceti and the oil of almonds. Remove from the fire and add the
strawberry juice very quickly.
Beat briskly till fluffy, adding the three drops of benzoin just
as the mixture begins to cool. Put in jars and keep in a very cool
place.
This is particularly excellent for sunburn. It is also recommended
for use as a cold cream at night.
These helpful recipes were provided in The Library
of Entertainment and Culture, published in 1901. You may balk at
finding the ingredients. Spermaceti, a waxy solid made from sperm
whale oil, is probably not to be found in today’s drugstores.
Benzoin, used in medications and perfumes, and oil of sweet almond,
may also present a challenge. However, the strawberries and cukes
should be easily come by, and you can always eat them if you can’t
find the rest of the ingredients.
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