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Another Facial Cream.


 

Furthermore.

Take a half pound of Lard from a sow. Clean it, pare it with a knife, and put it into an earthen jar with Rosewater, and mix it well. Change the Rosewater every twelve hours for eight days; then, add well-sifted powdered Sulphur to the mixture and blend it well, with a little Lavender Oil to perfume it, and well-ground White Salt. 

Apply to the heat with some Lavender Oil, and it's done. 


lardo di porca femina - Well rendered and clarified lard was an important medium for oils, and for their extraction. The stress on a sow's lard is probably because the fat from a boar is too gamey. Friends who slaughter their own livestock or hunt are very welcome to share their insight.

I suspect the eight-day process of mixing and standing with rosewater is more about purifying the lard than perfuming it. Eight days is a 'liturgical week' or Octave. 

poi si pigli del solfo - Sulphur has a sinister reputation, but like asafoetida it was valued as a substance to cleanse, purify. Here you might think of it as a preservative and antiseptic. That is me going out along a bit of a limb, though. 

Another line might be that the sulphur and white salt help bond the lard and lavender oil. Which I'll look into. But if you know either way, let us know in the comments!

con un poco d'olio di spico - I believe a variant spelling of spica, Lavender. This would combine well with the lard to lend it a persistent fragrance. 

As always, I will be delighted if someone tries this. I'm particularly keen to see what happens between the sulphur and lavender. 



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