HOT and sticky days can leave you feeling uncomfortable and often a little out-of-sorts; but you can keep yourself feeling fresh and cool with easy-to-make natural skin colognes.
Flowers and herbs can be made into colognes and toilet waters that are a delight to use.
When splashed onto your body after a wash or bath, their refreshing fragrance will lift your spirits, make you feel special and refresh your skin.
Natural fragrances have been used throughout history to mask body odours and increase attractiveness.
They were made by distilling, by steeping herbs and flowers, or by mixing aromatic oils with alcohol.
Aromatic toilet waters first appeared in the 10th century, and during Norman times were widely used for cleansing the face and body.
An old-fashioned recipe my wife adores as a summer body splash is simple to make and is based on the Carmelite Toilet Water invented by the Carmelite monks in Paris in 1611.
Put one generous handful each of angelica leaves and lemon balm leaves, 15 grams of bruised coriander seeds, one minced nutmeg, two tablespoons of cloves and three pieces of crushed cinnamon stick in a wide-mouthed glass jar.
Add 300ml of high proof vodka, seal the jar and shake vigorously. Leave it in a warm place, shaking every day, for about three weeks.
Strain the liquid through muslin cloth, then drip through coffee filter paper and dilute with 150ml of distilled water. Store in an attractive glass bottle until needed.
For those who love the outdoors, a refreshing, cooling and invigorating lemon skin cologne is ideal to use on hot summer days to cool down. Splash it generously all over your body to remove that hot, sticky feeling.
To make the cologne, first add two cups of tightly-packed lemon balm leaves to a ceramic bowl, pour in 600ml of boiling water, cover and allow to steep overnight. Strain through clean muslin cloth and set aside.
Put half-a-litre of vodka in a suitable bottle, add 10 drops of lemon oil and five drops of lime oil, seal and leave to stand for one week.
Add half-a-litre of the lemon balm water, reseal, shake vigorously and leave to stand for a further two weeks; drip through coffee filter paper and bottle.
Another warm weather favourite of my family is the following citrus blend that will not only refresh you, but also impart a beautiful lemon scent.
In a suitable bottle, mix together 4ml of lemon grass oil, 10ml of lemon oil and 3ml orange peel oil with half-a-litre of vodka.
Seal and allow the mixture to stand for a month, dilute with half-a-litre of distilled water, drip through coffee filter paper and re-bottle.
Fragrant flower and herb oils are available from specialty shops, chemists, mail order and some supermarkets.
Body colognes are especially ideal for use on hot summer days and nights to cool the skin, leaving it feeling wonderfully fresh.
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