Lip Salves
A good lip-salve may be made as follows:–
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1. Take an ounce of the oil of sweet almonds, cold drawn; a drachm of fresh mutton suet; and a little bruised alkanet root: and simmer the whole together in an earthen pipkin. Instead of the oil of sweet almonds you may use oil of Jasmin, or oil of any other flower, if you intend the lip-salve to have a fragrant odour.
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2. Take a pound of fresh butter; a quarter of a pound of beeswax; four or five ounces of cleansed black grapes, and about an ounce of bruised alkanet root. Simmer them together over a slow fire till the wax is wholly dissolved, and the mixture becomes of a bright red color; strain, and put it by for use.
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3. Oil of almonds, spermaceti, white wax, and white sugar-candy, equal parts, form a good white lip-salve.
Source: The Ladies’ Book of Etiquette, and Manual of Politeness, Florence Hartley
Mutton Suet, The Value Of
One drop of warm mutton suet applied to any sore at night, just before retiring, will soon cause it to disappear; the same for chapped hands or parched lips. If people only knew the value of the healing properties of so simple a thing no housekeeper would be without it. For cuts or bruises it is almost indispensable. Keep the wound clean, and put a little suet, melted, on a rag, and you will be astonished to see how soon the sore will heal.
Source: Fray’s Golden Recipes for the use of all ages, E. Fray
Elder Ointment
Melt 3 lbs. of mutton suet in 1 pint of olive oil, and boil in it 4 lbs. weight of elder flowers, full blown, till nearly crisp; then strain, and press out the ointment.– Another: take 4 oz. each, of the inner bark of the elder tree, and the leaves, boil them in 2 pints of linseed oil, and 6 oz. of white wax. Press it through a strainer.
Source: The English Housekeeper, Anne Cobbett
Elder Flower Ointment
Lard, twenty-five pounds; prepared mutton suet, five pounds; melt in an earthen vessel; add elder flower water, three gallons. Agitate for half an hour, and set it aside; the next day gently pour off the water, remelt the ointment, add benzoic acid three drachms; otto of roses, twenty drops; essence of bergamot and oil of rosemary, of each, thirty drops; again agitate well, let it settle for a few minutes, and pour off the clear into pots.
Source: Our Knowledge Box, ed. G. Blackie
Lip Salve
Put into a wide-mouthed bottle four ounces of the best olive oil, with one ounce of the small parts of alkanet root. Stop up the bottle, and set it in the sun, (shaking it often,) till you find the liquid of a beautiful crimson. Then strain off the oil very clear from the alkanet root, put it into an earthen pipkin, and add to it an ounce of white wax, and an ounce and a half of the best mutton suet, which has been previously clarified, or boiled and skimmed. Set the mixture on the embers of coals, and melt it slowly: stirring it well. After it has simmered slowly far a little while, take it off; and while still hot, mix with it a few drops of oil of roses, or of oil of neroli, or tincture of musk.
Source: Directions for Cookery, in its Various Branches, Eliza Leslie