1930s Nail Art
The following is a recipe for making nail ointment with natural ingredients ( see also https://www.pilloledistoria.it/4949/storia-contemporanea/smalto-per-unghie-1906).
It is taken from a 1906 hygiene and beauty manual, To be beautiful ( Sonzogno, Milan ), all the rage among our grandmothers and great-grandmothers.
I quote verbatim:
"When the nails are crumbly, glassy, grease them every evening with an ointment prepared in the following way:
Sweet almond oil gr. 30
White wax gr. 50
Rosin gr. 5
Alum gr. 1
Melt the white wax and the rosin in the oil over a low heat; then add the alum powder " .