Cleanliness!
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| I could resist no longer; a Monty Python & The Holy Grail image |
Be honest, isn't this what you think of?
I already mentioned lavers when we explored the rooms of a manor house. So, yes, they washed their hands before and after meals.
And, the rich, had very nice bath...barrels. Yep, medieval bath tubs, which your faithful servant would fill with heated water and herbs, such as thyme - mmm...lovely. Although, this was quite arduous and would not be done very regularly in all likelihood.
But, let's take a closer look...
And during! Two people at table would share a finger bowl. There were knives but no forks, so people picked up their cut food, delicately, with their fingers. Frequent rinsing was therefore a 'nice to have'.
One's hair was secreted under a coif (linen cap) and/or other headwear - fashion will be covered later.
Anyway, so nobody ever really saw hair. Even in bed, they would wear a head covering. So, it didn't get washed much. And when it did, it was quite laborious, involving several rinses of different ingredients. Watch this fabulous video for details.
Peasants would bathe in streams, whilst townspeople may have had access to a public bath house. Although, the latter were also places to partake of other naked activities (*nudge nudge wink wink*).
Soap was known and made in England by the 10th century.
Herbs, such as sage were used to make a sort of deodorant.
Knights brought perfume back from The Crusades. Lavender and rose were popular ingredients.
Oral cleanliness - well, the first toothbrush was patented in 1857. However, that did not mean they didn't look after their mouths. Mouth rinses made of things such as vinegar and mint were used. They rubbed their teeth with a cloth. And just chewing some fresh herbs helped.
Skincare & Beauty
I remember hearing how a pot of moisturiser had been found at an Ancient Roman site, and its contents were analysed. It contained similar ingredients to ones in use today! So, it is perhaps not surprising to hear that cosmetics were in regular use from the 12th century all over Europe.
Ointments were mainly fat based, by the way. (*whispers*) They still are!
As with so many times in history, I'm sorry to say that smooth, pale skin was the desired look. If one was out of doors long enough to get a tan, one was probably a lowly labourer!
There were small, cosmetic mirrors from around the 13th century. Oh vanity, ever present!
Herbs and amethyst were used as complexion enhancers, especially if one had an outbreak of spots (*runs to crystal collection on my shelf to try*).
All sorts of concoctions were used; most of which were highly toxic. But hey, as my mother always told me, "You have to suffer to be beautiful!" (*PLEASE NOTE: I do NOT hold this to be true and use this here in sarcastic tones).
Mind you, those Crusaders also brought back rosewater - still prized for its skin healing as well as delicious scent.
The good people also had things such little tools as ear cleaners.
Oh, and I'll get more into fashion later, but using tweezers, ladies plucked their hairline for that gorgeous high forehead look (ever hear of someone being "highbrow"?). With the rest of their hair tucked under headwear, apparently, the bald look was in!? LOL
Even in the 14th century, white lead powder was being used to cover blemishes. This didn't stop until the late Georgians some 400 years later. Really? It took that long to realise it was making people ill/causing hair and tooth loss?
Hey, it technically goes further back. The Ancient Egyptians used black kohl for eyeliner - that too contained lead salts. Although, hopefully, in less harmful quantities. In fact, it's argued, that maybe it helped prevent eye infections and boosted the immune system.
But, I digress!
The Church, surprise, surprise, declared makeup to be the work of the devil! Did that stop them? Of course not.
In addition to the toxic white makeup, the rich mixed red roots with sheep fat to redden their lips. Failing that, rubbing a bit of lemon into one's lips naturally increased the blood flow; not technically makeup then, eh?
Want blonde hair? Sure, mix up some sheep's urine and saffron!
My heroine, Isabel, lived on a sheep farm. However, she's far too good to have done anything like the aforementioned sheep-assisted cosmetics! At least, none that I've admitted to in her story.
Maybe one day, we'll all wake up to the fact that it's just not worth it. That we should just let nature be. I don't think it'll happen any time soon, though. Even yours truly uses cosmetics.
Seriously though, if you do find any medieval cosmetics recipes online, please don't try them at home - they probably won't end well. At best, serious skin reactions may occur. At worst, death!
And on that happy note, I shall sign off.
Always in love and light,
TL
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My book, Love in the Roses is
available for pre-order (click here).
To protect her family, she must marry the enemy!
The fictitious tale of a knight’s
daughter, living life as it very well may have been in 1484.
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