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The Toilet and Bath: Soaps

Toilet Soaps. These soaps are distinguished by the purity of their ingredients, as almond oil, beef marrow, refined lard, and the like. They are usually saponified without heat, and may be perfumed according to taste. Any neutral hard white soap may be used as a foundation for toilet soaps if prepared as follows:

Shave the soap thin or run it through a meat cutter, and melt in a double boiler with rose water, orange-flower water, or other distilled water, and common salt, in the proportion of 6 pounds of soap to 1 pint each of rose water or orange-flower water and 2 ounces of salt.

After boiling, allow the mixture to cool. Cut it into small squares with a cord or wire, and dry without exposing to the sun. When dry, melt it again down with the same proportion of rose water or orange-flower water.

Strain, cool, and dry thoroughly in a warm oven. Now reduce it to powder and expose it to the air under a screen. Coloring matter and perfume may be added according to taste.