How to Make Silky Smooth Skin Lotion: Italian Balm

Zillah at 17 shortly before her marriage.

Family Jewels

My grandmother's name was Zillah which means shade in Hebrew. She was the daughter of Andrew and Charlotte Mitchell Watson who built a farm in Caledon in the district of Cardwell, Ontario. They began with a small log cabin and determination. They were rewarded with many children and a productive farm.

Andrew built a stone farmhouse from the rock they had cleared from the land. It took years of work and instilled the value of labour and cooperation in each of the children. Zillah told us about how her mother, Charlotte, would gather with her daughters in the kitchen, teaching them the art of cooking, baking, canning and preserving the harvest for the coming winter. She also taught them togetherness, cooperation and love.

When Zillah married, she took with her the lessons from this kitchen and a corner of the Watson family kitchen table. A piece of the family table was given to each of the girls as they left home to become young wives and mothers. It now stands in my hallway waiting to be given to my daughter.

The notebook begins shortly after my grandmother's marriage on July 6, 1897. Inside are hints, recipes and quick notes for easy reference but it was the front page that got my attention right away.

She wrote her name with a flourish that I haven't seen since we were all writing inside our high school text books. There is even a symbol drawn and no matter how hard I try, I can't figure it out.

Zillah was eighteen years old and beginning a new life as Mrs. Douglas.

Ladies Home Journal 1897. This is what her world looked like that year.

Italian Balm

Imagine my surprise at finding so many people on the web looking for this particular lotion! It has been tucked away in the notebook all these years and I never gave it a thought until now. This formula became a very popular commercial lotion in the 1920s through the 1960s but in the old days, women made it at home. It felt wonderfully silky on the skin and was easy for anyone to make. Here's the recipe exactly as written in Grandma's notebook:

Miss Kellett's Italian Balm

1/4 ounce gum tragacanth

1/4 gill glycerine

1/4 gill cologne water

1/4 gill rubbing alcohol

Method:

Dissolve gum in 1 pint of rain water. Leave overnight near heat by a stove. Add other ingredients and shake well.

Explanations

Miss Kellett is a mystery lady so far but perhaps more about her will emerge in time.

What on earth is a gill? It's a unit of measurement that was common years ago, especially in British pubs. In Grandma's book it is an imperial measure so 1/4 gill would be equal to 35.5 ml or 1.2 US ounces.

Gum tragacanth is a viscous, water soluble powder made from the dried sap of what is commonly known as goat thorn. It's available in cake decorating shops, herbal outlets, Bulk Barn and Michael's.

Cologne water was made in every home from either alcohol or witch hazel and essential oils. The mixture was tightly closed, shaken once or twice a day, and left at least a week before use. If you are feeling adventurous and want to try your hand at it, here is one from The White House Cookbook 1887 courtesy of the Gutenberg Press. Note: One drachm is about 1/8 fluid ounce or 3/4 teaspoon.

Ingredients

• oil of lavender two drachms
• oil of rosemary one drachm and a half
• orange, lemon and bergamot, one drachm each of the oil
• two drachms of the essence of musk
• attar of rose ten drops
• a pint of proof spirit

Or try this for a simpler version and a smaller quantity:

• 1/8 teaspoon orange oil
• 1/2 teaspoon bergamot oil
• 1/4 teaspoon lavender oil (you can use lemon, mint, or whatever you like)
• 1/2 cup witch hazel (or alcohol)

Why not try it yourself and make gifts for friends? Search the second-hand shops for interesting bottles, tie with a satin ribbon and add your hand-written label. Anyone can buy a gift but making one says so much more.

My grandmother played the piano by ear and knew the Bible by heart so it is fitting to include a quotation as she might have done.

Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure, and whether it be right.
--Proverbs 20:11

Ingredients for Italian Balm

	LorAnn Oils Gum Tragacanth - 2.7 oz Amazon Price: $15.00
	NOW Foods Glycerine Vegetable, 16-Fluid Ounces Amazon Price: $6.87 List Price: $12.83
	Essential Oil- Beginners Best of the Best Gift Set Amazon Price: $41.75

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