The Gibson Girl's Guide to Glamor: Natural Beauty, Victorian Beauty and Edwardian Fashion

Proper Use of Powder and Rouge: A Century Past

2012-02-27T19:25:00.000-08:00

Madame Qui-Vivre, in her Sears promotional pamphlet Hairdressing and Beauty Talks, had a bit to say on the subject of powder and rouge. Here is her article in full:

PROPER USE OF POWDER AND ROUGE

The New York Medical Journal, the most dignified and conservative medical journal in the United States, endorses the use of pure cosmetics. The powder puff and the rouge pot are acknowledged as useful hygienic accessories. Following is a brief quotation of the article to which we refer:

“The use of face creams and makeups is universal and the moral aspect of the question is becoming settled. Our women now fearlessly and scientifically handle the complexion brush, the face cream, and the powder puff. Why is the face of a country woman sixty years old faded and wrinkled, while the face of a city woman of the same age frequently is smooth and beautiful? One account of protection against the elements. The city woman has been using her cream and powder for forty years and has yet to experience any deleterious effects.

The idea that the faces of actresses are old looking off the stage is pure superstition. Many an actress courted of our fathers has a complexion the envy of our daughters. These are things the physicians should know and not be afraid to say.”

It is not an uncommon matter to hear a woman say: “I have never used powder in my life.” It usually happens that the woman’s complexion would appear to better advantage if it were powdered. The statement she makes is usually orated in a voice significant of great virtue and self satisfaction. Powder protects the skin from atmospheric dust and also from sun and wind. Good materials can be put in powder form as well as in creams or skin foods. There is no earthly reason why a woman should shun face powder as if it were poison.

The woman who keeps youthful and dainty never feels presentable without a bit of powder. It takes away the shine and the starched look and puts in its place a soft velvety surface, clean and pleasant, and gives an appearance of perfect grooming.

Excessive pallor is significant of ill health or drooping spirits and a touch of rouge on pale cheeks will not only make the chalky, wan face brighten up, but it will have a certain effect upon one’s mental state. The woman who looks into her mirror and sees the reflection of bright eyes and rosy cheeks must certainly feel happier than the one who gazes upon the mirrored outlines of a pale, white faced, forlorn looking lady.

Powder should never be applied without a foundation of cream. Special greaseless creams are manufactured for the use of those who have oily skins. This cosmetic vanishes as it is rubbed into the skin and just enough of it remains on the surface to hold the powder tight. When rouge is used it should be put on after the cream, and the powder is fluffed in afterward.

Powder should not be scattered about the face, but should be rubbed in thoroughly. The idea that it will clog the pores is nonsense. Many a mother who dusts the entire body of her infant with powder fears to put powder on her face. Life is certainly filled with many absurdities, and custom creates strange inconsistencies.

While too much rouge is always to be deplored – for the world has little use for the “painted lady” – a tiny touch of color will be found becoming. You doubtless know personally dozens of women of high social standing who have used cosmetics, rouge and powder all their lives and not one of them has any but the most exquisite and youthful complexions. To scare away wrinkles and give Father Time the laugh, the complexion should be given generously of some good skin nourishing oily cosmetic. Continual bathing of the face robs it of the natural oils and their equivalent is supplied by cold creams and skin foods.

It is best to remove powder and rouge with a bit of cold cream, although pure soap and water will do the work as well, and the cream can be rubbed in afterward.

Oxfords and Pumps with Embroidered Hosiery

2012-02-24T18:49:00.001-08:00

The interesting illustration above is from 1906, showing new styles of shoes with embroidered stockings "to match." It's amazing to think the ladies would have bothered with such nicely decorated stockings, since the long flowing skirts of the day would have tended to cover these designs completely!

But then again, great-grandma wasn't dropped off by a stork. Maybe these fancy tights weren't intended for just anyone to view, but were meant instead for husbands and special-someones. It's maybe possible that they could have been used for beach wear, too (since it wasn't till the 1920s that the idea of going bare-legged even to swim became socially acceptable.) I'm of course speculating -- these mysterious tights may never divulge their mysteries to us moderns!

Lipstick and Lip Gloss for the Edwardian Lady

2012-02-20T18:06:00.000-08:00

As mentioned in another post about Edwardian makeup, it was believed that only certain kinds of women wore lipstick, also called lip-rouge. It was not encouraged. However, there was no bar on women wearing lip moisturizers -- even if they had a bit of added red dye. The Era Formulary gives the following recipes for a variety of lip salves, with instructions to dye them using about 200 grains of alkanet root and to add whatever essential oil fragrances one would like (I'd suggest cinnamon, orange or lemon oil. Note that too much cinnamon oil can irritate the lips, but for this very reason it is actually used in a lot of modern-day lip plumpers, as the "plumping" action is so achieved through that very irritation.)

Anyway, on with the recipes:

8 ounces Vaseline

3 ounces white wax

8 ounces coco butter

1 ounce white wax

8 ounces benzoinated lard

5 ounces white wax

8 ounces sweet almond oil

5 ounces white wax

8 ounces purified mutton tallow

4 ounces white wax

The instruction for these is to add the alkanet and fats together and gently warm them, until the intensity of color is satisfactory. Then strain, and mix in the essential oils. Pour the finished formula into pots for use.

The Gibson Tuck Hairstyle How-To

2012-02-16T21:43:00.000-08:00

Gibson girls have an official hairstyle named for them: The Gibson Tuck.

Hair Rats: The Secret For Your Edwardian Era Hairdo

2012-02-13T02:26:00.000-08:00

Most people are familiar with the practice of ratting the hair, whereby one roughly frizzles and tangles the hair by backcombing with a comb or brush to give it volume. Not so many understand what a hair rat is.

Short description: it is a mass made from artificial or real hair (in the latter case, often saved off one's own comb or brush, though purchased can also be used) employed so as to pad out hairstyles. They are less popular nowadays than they once were, due to their use requiring somewhat long hair in order to secure and conceal them; modern short hairdos don't always allow for this. Additionally, modern hairsprays and glues can often produce similar effects which were not otherwise obtainable in the past. Still, in the hairstyles of Victorian and Edwardian era women (and Georgians, too!) they were often essential for being able to achieve the fashionable looks.

Madam Qui-Vive writes, "There are many advantages in a [rat.] It not only shapes the head properly, but it saves one’s own hair from “ratting” and gives a good, firm, solid foundation for puffs, braids or curls. The hair can be waved or it can be worn plain."

Hair rats can be made in pretty much any shape needed, and are done by tangling up or ratting (hence the name) whatsoever hair is to be used, into the proper form. One's own hair saved off a comb or brush is recommended because this way, it will exactly match your own hair's color and texture. Show-through was a common problem; while formal studio portraits always show ladies with their hair and makeup freshly done, more informal pictures of Edwardian ladies frequently show their natural locks in a bit of disarray, falling away from an inner form that probably is a hair rat; as in the following example of a girl with a low pompadour:

To use a rat, it is secured with hairpins or sometimes with very small threads (much like modern weaves) and the natural hair arranged over it.

Shoes of the Gibson Girls, Part 1

2012-02-09T15:34:00.000-08:00

For everyday wear, the Oxford style shoe was a popular choice. The shape of the moment was for a long, narrow, pointed toe, and a "French" heel (what we usually now call a Louis heel) of about 2 inches: rarely ever was it higher, or lower. Even walking shoes for ladies tended to have elevated heels.

Fletcher complained against the fashion of the pointed toe, thinking it to be too uncomfortable:

"Though ages past have shown us many curiosities of footwear, nothing more abnormal or more inimical to the beauty of the foot, and consequently the grace of a woman's walk, has ever had any vogue than the absurdly deforming and crucially uncomfortable pointed-toed shoe of the present decade. It should be said in their defense that women are not alone to blame for the folly. If the shoemakers did not make them they could not be worn; and if there was anything else to be had in the shops, there is an army of women who would never wear them. They are women who cannot afford their private bootmaker, and often have to buy where they can cheapest; and even the wise woman who knows that the best in quality is the truest economy is equally restricted in style.
It is idle to urge in defense of the pointed toe that the remedy is to buy longer shoes, and that you thereby gain for the foot a slender appearance and give the toes the necessary ease. When a shoe of this shape is long enough to secure this freedom, it is too large for the heel and the ball of the foot,—even with an unusually high instep; and will rub blisters in the most surprisingly unexpected places. An ill-fitting shoe may be too large as well as too small; both extremes are a menace to the health and comfort of the foot."

I was able to buy a set of shoes in a thrift store of a similar appearance to the ones portrayed above, and have to say I don't find the long toes to be more uncomfortable uncomfortable or problematic than any other dress shoe; in fact less a problem than many a fine pair I've owned. In any event, the fashion of the Edwardians was for more of a long, narrow foot than for a small foot overall, and the elongated toes of the shoes helped one to gain this impression.

The Feet of American Gibson Girls

2012-02-06T23:59:00.000-08:00

"It is a physical characteristic of the American woman to possess as handsome feet as any women in the world, not excepting the Spanish, Russian, or Polish; yet except among the Chinese, no women treat their feet so badly, in a mistaken effort to improve their beauty. Dr. Shoemaker has aptly pointed out that there is such a thing as a 'danger-line of beauty,' and native-born American feet often verge upon this, and occasionally pass it. That is, they may be too short for the height of a person. A woman five feet six inches in height should have a foot nine and one third inches long. It should be slender and delicate, not thick nor broad; and in the highest type the instep rises in a gracefully swelling arch. 'It should be axiomatic that nothing, except face and hands, can be so aristocratic as a well-dressed, shapely foot; nothing so plebeian as an ill-dressed, clumsy one; and nothing more vulgar than any foot in a shoe manifestly too tight.'"

-- Fletcher

Clean Hair, The Old Fashioned Way: By Not Cleaning It

2012-02-03T00:31:00.000-08:00

The old-time texts of the Edwardian era usually advise washing hair once a week. Some take this even further: they say that, in fact, hair should never be washed more than once a week.

The natural oil of the hair and scalp doesn't seem to have been considered a dirt like it is nowadays. In fact, it was considered healthy and beneficial. Books of the era advised to keep the hair combed and brushed to distribute the sheen, and that one should avoid adding other pomades and greases to any but the driest of hair.

I decided to brave this tactic and put it to test. Usually I'm a person who shampoos and conditions every day or every other day. A week without washing my hair would be a bit of a task. I made sure to arm myself with period-correct styling tools: a natural boar-bristle brush (stiff, like the texts direct -- so it will "stimulate the scalp") and a wooden comb.

It is notable that the wooden comb does a fair job of keeping the hair clean on its own. Something about its texture makes it very good at picking up any lint, dust or other things that have gotten into the hair. Maybe for this reason, Mme. Qui-Vive had made it a point to say that all combs and brushes should be always kept "scrupulously clean." I made sure to give my hairbrush a wash and comb-through as well.

I shampooed my hair on Saturday. By Monday my hip-length hair was looking typically oily, at least down to about the shoulders. A whitish film -- I assume the oil and dead skin from my scalp -- was beginning to collect on the wooden comb when I'd run it through. By Thursday, my hair looked as if I had intentionally greased it up with styling pomade, and dandruff was becoming a bit of a problem: nevertheless, at the store that day the clerk (whom I had never seen before) complimented me on how I looked so "Victorian" in the way I'd done my hair. The greasiness was, admittedly, giving the hair a bit of body and hold, very much like a styling pomade would. It was interesting to see that only the upper part of my hair around my scalp was getting oily: everything from the shoulders down stayed pretty dry. On Thursday night I decided to follow some in-period advice and brush a little bit of castor oil into the ends, to help keep them moisturized (usually my hair would be conditioned frequently to keep the ends nourished and strong.) This now allowed my hair to be uniformly greasy.

By Friday the dandruff seemed to have cleared up, for no apparent reason. Hair still looked very slick and well-greased. Brushing hair was becoming a high point of the day -- the 'stimulation' of the brush made my scalp feel just a bit less oily and nasty.

Interestingly, on Saturday, prior to any washing, that disgusting feeling had mostly gone away. My hair was still undeniably oiled looking, but it was very shiny, and the oil seemed to be leveling out some, so that the strands weren't inclining to clump together so much. In fact, Saturday's hair probably looked better than Monday's.

Some months prior I'd actually done another Edwardian hair experiment, washing my hair according to the recommended historical mode and then applying a period-correct concoction of castor oil and alcohol as a sort of conditioner. It too had left my hair greasy but shiny. At left is my "shampooed and conditioned" Edwardian look: right is my "natural" Edwardian look. Note that while in both pictures the hair just looks nice and shiny, I don't think in real-life view you'd perceive the hair, in either case, as not being a bit greasy looking: the sheen is definitely that of oil, not of healthy, clean hair.

Much like today where that which is "artificial" is frowned upon, the Edwardians would have considered the naturally oily hair to be the healthy and correct version of beauty, whereas they'd have had some kind of excuse for why the applied oil was unhealthy for its being "unnatural." Nowadays we tend to feel somewhat opposite to this; oil secreted from the body is perceived to be more unhealthy than applied botanical oils. As my experiment shows, in any case, the better part of a week's nastiness can be avoided but a similar result obtained, with the artificial application of oil.

The recipe for my applied hair oil -- called Brazilian Amber Gloss -- is as follows:

1 part castor oil

7 parts 80 proof alcohol

Essential oil perfume may be added as desired: the original recipe used a perfume made from 1 part each thyme and clove oil to 2 parts geranium oil. To use, apply the final mixture with a brush to freshly washed and dried hair. Keeping the hair very well combed and brushed is the key to making this "well-oiled" look work in one's favor.

Weight Loss for the Ideal Figure

2012-01-31T22:32:00.000-08:00

Dieting, once a revolutionary act, became just one more way for women to model trends. And, as Vester concludes, “The disciplinary regimen of social control from without — through fashion, restricted mobility, and corsets — morphed into a dietary regimen of self-control from within.” In dieting, women internalized the corset and took hold of the strings. Culture simply sold them on the proper measurements.

The above quote is taken from an interesting little article about dieting in the late Victorian/early Edwardian era: the genesis of our modern attitudes on the subject.

Authentic Shampoos By Hair Type

2012-01-29T17:24:00.000-08:00

In the original posting about Edwardian Hair Shampoo, a list of period-correct soaps was given. After some more experiments, I can give the following recommendations by hair type:

NORMAL HAIR

Use Ivory soap

DRY HAIR

Use Castile soap

OILY HAIR

Use Octagon soap

This should in no way be taken as an indication that I'd tried EVERY soap on that list, by the bye. This is based on my results from trying more like five different soaps and washes, so do feel free to keep experimenting, ladies!

Mascara: Its Origins

2012-01-25T21:58:00.000-08:00

Rimmel and Maybelline are cosmetic brands still known today. However, both these companies took their formation almost a hundred years ago, each starting out with a single product: mascara.

The term mascara had been in use since the late 19th century as a word for a hair-darkening substance, often used by actors for certain kinds of stage makeup. Exactly where the word comes from is unclear, but it is most frequently thought to be based from the Spanish word máscara meaning ‘mask’ or ‘stain’ and the Italian word maschera meaning ‘mask’. The Oxford English Dictionary also cites an alternative Catalan definition that describes soot or a black smear, or a Portuguese root (the Portuguese word máscara means ‘mask’, but a similar word, mascarra, means dark stain or smut). There is even strong support for a possible source from the Arabic word maskharah or ‘buffoon’.

In the 1910s, Eugene Rimmel and T. L. Williams, working on separate sides of the Atlantic, both developed similar mixtures for mascara using Vaseline and powdered charcoal. It was as messy as it sounds: luckily, improvements soon followed. Cake Mascara, still sometimes sold today, was soon created, and remained the standard until the 1960s.

Dreams of the Rarebit Fiend: Hair Restorer

2012-01-17T16:40:00.000-08:00

Arm-Pit Powder and Old Time Deodorant

2012-01-14T13:52:00.000-08:00

A few years ago, a show called 1900 House aired in which a family attempted to live life only using products available in the year 1900. On one episode the mother was complaining about body odors and speculated that people must not have been bothered by them in the old days. Au contraire, madame, deodorant and perfume powders have long been available. The following is an Edwardian period recipe for so-called "arm-pit powder."

Salicylic acid gr. 45
Zinc oxid av. oz. 1
Orris root av. oz. 2
Talcum av. oz. 7
Cumarin gr. 1
Oil of bergamot drops 10
Oil of rose drops 20
Tincture of musk drops 5
Solution of carmine to color

Reduce the solids to fine powder, mix thoroughly with the other ingredients, and pass through a fine sieve. The solution of carmine may be omitted and the perfume changed.

Another recipe is as follows:

NO. 1. ASTRINGENT POWDER
Burnt alum 5 grammes
Salicylic acid 2 1/2 grammes
Starch 15 grammes
Violet talcum-powder 50 grammes (this was just scented talc; replace with any other fragranced cosmetic talc you'd like: but be certain it's real talc, not starch.)

Notably, recipe books of the day tended to say that foot powders and arm-pit powders were interchangeable with one another. Always good to know that there's another use for your Dr. Scholl's (which brand's been about since 1906, by the bye.)

Wigs and Edwardian Hair

2012-01-12T21:10:00.000-08:00

The previous post about the pompadour hairdo mentioned the use of false hair by Edwardian ladies for achieving the look of fashion. Here's a video I found on YouTube of someone (I assume an actress by the way she's made up) working a wig into her own hair in what really is a relatively period-correct way.

The main inaccuracy here is the hairspray: if you want to keep it historically correct, the original trick for holding hair in place was to sweep pomatum or castor oil across the hair with a brush.

Corsets in the Mode: The S-Bend

2012-01-10T22:48:00.000-08:00

Around the beginning of the Edwardian era, a new style of corset called the S-bend came into fashion (see fig. 1906 above.) New observations about health were leading many medics to believe that corsets were unhealthy, and the S-bend was, in theory, a more healthful corset as the leaning action it forced naturally made the waist appear to be more narrow, reducing the need for compression, and the larger rib section supposedly made it easier for the wearer to breathe fully. Actually women didn't seem to take much heed: ultimate Gibson Girl Camille Clifford wore her S-bend at a famous 18 inches, and there are mentions of "a certain well-known actress" who compressed herself down to a 12 inch waist!

Reports from modern-day and old-time corset wearers alike actually tend to agree the S-bend is substantially more uncomfortable than the earlier style; perhaps then this is the reason for its short lifespan. One man, telling the story of his grandmother's toils with the S-bend, related that the said lady, who was of the middle-class, was forced to hire a maid to help with the housework after switching the to new mode: she could no longer see over her own chest to do baking and cooking. (But apparently her husband, a baker by profession, liked her new look well enough to go along with this expense for the sake of fashion.)

A report of 1911 declares that "the straight up-and-down silhouette is the fashionable one, the aim being to give the effect of an uncorseted figure." (see fig. 1914 above.) The S-bend had died after barely more than a decade.

Nail Bleach

2012-01-08T14:13:00.000-08:00

Oh, but why pay 19¢ for a bottle when you can make your own? Here are a few recipes:

Nail Bleach and Wash, I.

1 dram Oxalic acid
2 fl. ounces Rosewater

Apply to the discolored nails with friction by means of soft leather or flannel. Citric or acetic acid may be substituted for the oxalic acid.

II.
Sodium perborate is highly recommended as a nail bleach. Mix one teaspoonful with about 1 1/2 ounces of lukewarm water, and apply the liquid to the finger nails with a nail brush, rubbing for a few minutes. The powder may also be sprinkled dry on the nails and then rubbed with a damp brush, but the first-mentioned method is the most satisfactory.

Hatpins as Deadly Weapons

2012-01-05T19:21:00.000-08:00

The Bartitsu Society has an interesting a well-written blog post about Edwardian hat pins, and their use as concealed weapons. Check it out!

A wealth of evidence from the period demonstrates that hatpins were popularly regarded as secret weapons, and indeed as “every woman’s weapon” against the depredations of hooligans and ill-mannered brutes. Laws against hatpins of “excessive length”, or the wearing of hatpins without protective stoppers, were proposed in Hamburg, Berlin and New York among other cities. At least ostensibly, these laws were intended not so much to ban the use of hatpins in self-defence as to mitigate the incidence of accidental hatpin related injuries inflicted upon blameless fellow passengers in crowded tram-cars.

The Turban Hat

2012-01-03T18:42:00.000-08:00

Just about the same time the Merry Widow hat came on the scene, another very different sort of hat began to appear: the turban. Paul Poiret was responsible for this, attempting to evoke fashions of a hundred years prior from the Regency and Directoire era in his designs. The new orientalism in fashion also contributed to their use.

The turban seems to have been more popular in Europe than in America (where we do always like things big -- the Merry Widow thus stayed more true to taste) but it did seem to catch on somewhat for the purpose of evening wear. The fact that it offered no sun protection to preserve one's pale skin probably contributed to its being passed by for most day wear.

Maybe to keep up with the largeness of the other fashionable hats, even the turban began expanding from chic little oriental pieces to boxy, gargantuan devices that once again came to resemble nothing so much as bird's nests, merging ultimately with the toque until the smaller post-war hairstyles made dainty turbans once again reasonable for the masses.

Shaving and Hair Removal

2012-01-01T14:15:00.000-08:00

The above advertisement for a lady's "decoletté" razor from about 1915 tries to sell women on the new idea of body hair removal.

In the 19th century, evening gowns began to be fashioned that lacked sleeves entirely and were held up in place only by small spaghetti straps. The famous Portrait of Madam X shows us one such early example. However, despite the idealizations paintings and sculpture of the era might present, the act of shaving one's body hair was not immediately put into vogue. Historical pictures show that shaved armpits were not always expected on women -- even attractive and scantily clad ones -- even through the 1930s. If you've ever read the naughty literature of the era, you find that pit hair was even considered fairly titillating and sexy.

This is not to say that the whole concept of hair removal was unknown in the Edwardian era. Unibrows and female mustaches have been commonly troubling women for centuries. However, depilatories and tweezers were usually the preferred methods for dealing with these problems; shaving razors needed to undergo some modifications before they became an acceptable possibility for use on the female body (imagine trying to shave your legs with a straight razor!) Electrolysis was also newly discovered and already in use.

Edwardian Beauty Recipe: Bath Bags II

2011-12-30T22:35:00.000-08:00

Oatmeal bags used frequently in the bath are very pleasant; they whiten the skin and give it a velvety softness, besides imparting to it a delicate fragrance. Make the bags of cheese-cloth, about four inches square, and fill them loosely with the following mixture:

OATMEAL BATH-BAGS.

Oatmeal -- 5 pounds
Florentine orris root (powdered) -- 1 pound
Almond meal -- 1 pound
Old Castile soap, scraped to a powder -- 1/2 pound

-- Fletcher

Edwardian Beauty Recipe: Bath Bags

2011-12-27T16:09:00.000-08:00

Quireda Bath Bags:

One pound of fine oatmeal.
One-half quart of new clean bran.
Two-fifths pound powdered orris root.
Two-fifths pound almond meal.
One-fourth pound white castile soap, dried and powdered.
One ounce primrose sachet powder.

Dipped in tepid water and used as a sponge these bath bags make a velvety lather that softens and whitens the skin in a way that warms the cockles of one's heart.

--Mme. Qui-Vive

Sea Bathing and Salt Bath Recipe

2011-12-24T13:34:00.000-08:00

In the early 20th century, some people preferred "sea bathing" to fresh water bathing. Pye Henry Chavasse went on and on:

"The salt water is far more refreshing and invigorating; the battling with the waves is more exciting; the sea breezes, blowing on the nude body, breathes (for the skin is a breathing apparatus) health and strength into the frame, and comeliness into the face; the sea water and sea breezes are splendid cosmetics..."

Of course, not everyone had the luck to live near a sea to test these supposed virtues. The following "Sea Bath Salt" recipe was used by some in an effort to replicate the good virtues of the ocean:

10 grains potassium iodid

20 grains potassium bromid

1 oz sodium bicarbonate

2 oz magnesium sulfate

16 oz salt

Have all salts in a coarse granular condition and mix.

Bathing Temperature

2011-12-20T08:31:00.000-08:00

Washing with cold water was often felt to be healthier than warm, on the notion that warm water would 'bring the blood to the surface' of the skin and cause it to cool excessively upon one's emerging from the tub. It was advised that a person fresh from a warm bath "must not expose himself to draughts, neither ought he to wash himself in cold water, nor should he, immediately after taking one, drink cold water."

However, women were advised against soaking in cold baths, as it would prove too much of a shock to their system. Sea water was an exception to this because it had "other stimulating properties."

"A cold bath has a temperature of from 33 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit, a temperate bath from 75 to 85 degrees ; a tepid bath rises to 85 or 92 while a warm one reaches from 92 to 98. At 98 a bath is hot, but it may sometimes be raised as high as 112, under direction."

-- Dr. Mary Taylor Bissel

Edwardian Bath Powder Recipe II

2011-12-16T13:00:00.000-08:00

12 oz borax

4 oz sodium bicarbonate

2 oz potassium carbonate

To be perfumed with a mixture of lavender, orange and rosemary oils. Mix a tablespoon into bath water, or a half teaspoon into washbasin water.

Edwardian Bath Powder Recipe

2011-12-13T12:50:00.000-08:00

This preparation, documented in the New Standard Formulary (1910), was used to soften the water before bathing and was thought to be "refreshing."

10 oz tartaric acid

12 oz sodium bicarbonate

6 oz rice flour

It was recommended to be perfumed with lavender oil, or a mixture of rose geranium and lavender oils, in the amount of 1 dram per pound of the formula. 2 parts neroli to 1 part rosemary was also suggested for a fragrance blend.

Shower Heads

2011-12-10T08:04:00.000-08:00

Several special shower-heads were developed in order to help avoid wetting the head while still having enabling one to shower instead of soak. While washing the hair was a known practice, it was usually performed separately from the bath for the body; getting the head wet was believed to bring on colds and other illnesses, so it was a thing discouraged unless absolutely needed. You will notice in the post about Edwardian shampoo, Qui-Vive recommends massaging the scalp after a hair wash in order to prevent catching cold.

Edwardian Tonic Bath Salt

2011-12-07T13:12:00.000-08:00

1 oz iron sulfate

1 oz magnesium sulfate

2 oz sodium sulfate

12 oz salt

Combine all together. Use all salts in a coarse, granular condition.

How To Take a Spongebath

2011-12-04T08:37:00.000-08:00

According to Chavasse's Advice to a Wife and Advice to a Mother on the Management of her own Health, a spongebath should be done as follows:

[One needs:]
(1.) A large nursery basin, one that will hold six or eight quarts of water (Wedgwood's make being considered the best); (2.) A piece of coarse flannel, a yard long and half a yard wide; (3.) A large sponge; (4.) A tablet either of the best yellow or of curd soap; (5.) Two towels—one being a diaper, and the other a Turkish rubber. Now, as to the manner of performing ablution. You ought to fill the basin three parts full with rain water; then, having well-soaped and cleansed your hands, re-soap them, dip your head and face into the water, then with the soaped hands well rub and wash your head, face, neck, chest, and armpits; having done which, take the wetted sponge, and go over all the parts previously travelled over by the soaped hands; then fold the flannel as you would a neck-kerchief, and dip it in the water, then throw it, as you would a skipping-rope, over your shoulders and move it a fevr times from right to left and from left to right, and up and down, and then across the back and loins; having done which, dip the sponge in the water, and holding your head over the water, let the water stream from the sponge a time or two over your head, neck, and face. Dip your nead and face in the water, then put your hands and arms (as far as they will go) into the water, holding them there while you can count thirty. Having reduced the quantity of water to a third of a basinful, place the basin on the floor, and sit (while you can count fifty) in the water; then put one foot at a time in the water, and quickly rub, with soaped hands, up and down your leg, over the foot, and pass your thumb between each toe (this latter procedure tends to keep away soft corns); then take the sponge, filled with water, and squeeze it over your leg and foot, from the knee downwards, —then serve your other leg and foot in the same way. By adopting the above plan, the whole of the body will, every morning, be thoroughly washed.
A little warm water might at first, and during the winter time, be added, to take off the chill; but the sooner quite cold water is used the better. The body ought to be quickly dried (taking care to wipe between each toe), first with the diaper, and then with the Turkish rubber. In drying your back and loins, you ought to throw as you would a skippingrope, the Turkish rubber over your shoulders, and move it a few times from side to side, uptil the parts be dry.
Although the above description is necessarily prolix, the washing itself ought to be very expeditiously performed; there should be no dawdling over it, otherwise the body will become chilled, and harm instead of good will be the result. If due dispatch be used, the whole of the body might, according to the above method, be thoroughly washed and dried in the space of ten minutes.

Edwardian Milk Bath

2011-12-03T00:54:00.000-08:00

The economical Edwardians didn't subscribe to the Cleopatrine notion of filling a whole bath with milk. The following replacement was suggested.

Combine together in a muslin bag:

1/2 pound marshmallow flowers
1/4 pound hyssop herb
4 pounds bran flour

Bathing in the Edwardian Era

2011-12-01T06:47:00.000-08:00

"I tell you, it's easy to clean up here. Hot and cold water on tap, just as much as you like, there is. Woolly towels, there is; and a towel horse so hot, it burns your fingers. Soft brushes to scrub yourself, and a wooden bowl of soap smelling like primroses. Now I know why ladies is so clean. Washing's a treat for them. Wish they saw what it is for the like of me!"

The words of Eliza Doolittle in Shaw's famous play Pygmalion show us that cleanliness was not always an easy thing for the belle of a century ago. Spongebaths in shallow tubs were very normal, and even sit-in tubs were often filled manually with pots of water warmed on the stove or fireplace. This was especially common in Europe, where even a fairly well-to-do home might have been built long past and never refitted to include indoor plumbing.

In America, however, the spirit of invention was alive. While rural areas and older developments were still modeled on the well or pump or go-out-to-the-lake method of getting your water, many new homes were being built for the middle and upper classes. They usually included plumbing and bathtubs. And keeping in the spirit of the times, people sought to make bathing easier for the benefit of mankind. The merit of sanitation was just beginning to be understood, and how can man truly experience the benefits of healthy cleanness unless it's easy to perform and maintain? Strange devices evolved for use, such as "bath yokes" -- basically a shower-head in the form of a noose one set around the neck so the water would trickle down, thereby cleaning the body. Guides evolved to ensure people would understand the "correct" way to bathe, for it was still perceived as a medical treatment with the potential for abuse. Dr. Alvin Chase warned, "Many a good man or woman has unwittingly committed suicide with water." One period source assured bathing to be "almost a fine art, and its value is so great as to make that art well worth intelligent study."

Consequently, the remainder of this month will be devoted to such study: the topic of the Edwardian Bath.

1909 Hair Tutorial

2011-11-30T20:36:00.000-08:00

A Frolic Through Time gives instructions on making a hairstyle circa 1909 using hair rats and false hair, as was discussed in the Edwardian pompadour post.

The Merry Widow Hat

2011-11-27T14:55:00.000-08:00

The Edwardian era was a time of big hair, and big hair required proportionally big hats. They reached their utmost when the Merry Widow Hat sprang to the scene in 1907, after being featured in a play by the same name. The brim alone could reach a depth of as much as a foot, and the crown was made extra roomy as well. Satirical drawings and doctored photos exaggerated the size all the more (as shown at right.) Coco Chanel, who began her career as a milliner during this period, described them as "bird's nests" for all the feathers and lacy swaths wrapped about them. The actual shape of the hat was often lost for all the piles of trim placed upon it.

The original item which started the craze was an immense black crinoline hat, banded round the crown with silver and two huge pink roses nestling under the brim. In 1908, as a promotion for a performance of The Merry Widow at the New Amsterdam Theater, free replica hats were promised to theater-going women. This prompted what was dubbed The Battle of the Hats, as chaos ensued when impatient women stormed the cloakroom and overwhelmed the female staff to get at the promised articles.

The fad of the Merry Widow lasted till around 1913, when smaller and more practical hats replaced them as the mode.

Edwardian Earrings

2011-11-25T21:22:00.000-08:00

Take a gander at these Edwardian-esque pearl earrings from Dragon Dreams Jewelry. That's something to stock a few Christmas lists, I'm sure.

The Edwardian era was actually the end of the natural pearl's use in jewelry. Once the most expensive gem in the world, in 1913 the first cultured pearls came onto the Western market following the discoveries made by Japanese scientists about how to 'seed' oysters to produce the precious stones. Prior to this, pearls had had to be obtained by sending someone down into the water to pull open oysters and hope one of them might have a pearl inside.

Once cultured pearls came to the world, the value of the natural pearl dropped significantly, to the point that the work was hardly worth it anymore. Today, almost all pearls sold are cultured.

The Pompadour Hairstyle

2011-11-23T10:59:00.000-08:00

The Pompadour hairdo was named for 18th century noblewoman Mme. de Pompadour, even though no portraits of her seem to actually show her wearing such a style. It involves a large puff created at the front of the hairline. Wikipedia claims, "For women, the hairstyle has become marginally popular again in the first few years of the 21st century. It can be created by ratting at the roots of the hair on the sides of the pompadour towards the top of the head. Then the hair is combed up and over the ratted hair, off the forehead, the front up in a curl straight back, and the sides pulled back towards the center ... Often many hair-care products are employed in the creation of a pompadour. Commonly seen are wax and gel pomades, held in high regard for their durability. Sometimes they are created solely with the use of hair spray, hair gel, or even hair glue."

While the modern lady has the option of many fine and safe products to use for the sake of tangling and gumming up her hair into a form of pompadour, the Edwardians had another method for stablizing their tresses in the desired shape: the hair rat. This is created by either utilizing false hair, real hair (often carefully saved from combs and brushes) or sometimes cloth or wool padding, always sure to match a similar color to the lady's own hair. The rat was pinned beneath the natural hair, which was then arranged overtop to create the stunning effect.

Now, do not confuse a rat with the practice of ratting. This was also done, but as Qui-Vive advises: --

"There is only one argument against the pompadour, and that is the practice of “ratting” the hair underneath so that it will hold the waves out away from the head. This habit will invariably break and destroy the hair growth, the long strands gradually becoming ragged and of many lengths. A certain amount of roughening up with a comb will not prove fatal, but it is when the hair is left tangles most of the time that it becomes so ungroomed and assumes a generally unhealthy, unkempt appearance. At night let the pompadour lady comb and brush her tresses and arrange them in loose braids. This small attention is really due a respectable head of hair."

The one trouble with the use of a rat -- sometimes in this specific case referred to as an "inside pompadour" -- is that one needs relatively long, thick hair to be able to secure it properly. This is even more of a problem today where the fashions might have led a lady to clip her hair too short for this style; but it was not an unknown trouble even in the Edwardian era. Some women just have the bad luck that their hair is thin or just refuses to grow out to any sort of length. Qui-Vive continues, for their sake:

"When the hair is very thin, scanty and practically unmanageable, there are two means of imparting an appearance of abundance. One means is the inside pompadour which is worn under the natural hair, and the other is the outside transformation which covers the natural hair. If the hair is very short and wispy and not thick enough to fairly cover the pompadour, the transformation is more desirable."

"Transformations" were basically just pre-shaped pieces of false hair, similar to some of the ponytail and bun clip-ons one can buy from many a supermarket or beauty supply shop today. In this instance the subject would have just pinned in a pre-made pompadour piece around her hairline that matched the color of her own tresses.

Homemade Hand Treatment for Sensitive Skin

2011-11-20T16:16:00.000-08:00

"When the hands become rough and tender, and will not stand soap, prepare a little almond meal. This, too, is very inexpensive, for, instead of the powdered almonds, you can use the pressed almond cake, which is nearly as good and very cheap, and in place of the orris root wheat flour can be used. Take three ounces of the first and seven of the latter. If you can afford it, add a little powdered talcum."

--Mme. Qui-Vive

Edwardian Hair Tutorial

2011-11-18T21:00:00.000-08:00

The Seamstress of Avalon has a blog post demonstrating how to make a (slightly messy) Edwardian hairdo. She's also got a separate post on the classic Gibson hairstyle. Check them out for some ideas on old fashioned hairstyling!

Accident to a Young Man with a Weak Heart

2011-11-15T14:19:00.000-08:00

Fair Skin and Pale Powder

2011-11-12T23:38:00.000-08:00

The industrial age was in full swing, and would soon create a shift in fashion that would contradict centuries of beauty theory: the notion of the "healthy tan." However, the old standard was still sticking in the Gibson girl's era. The spots and rough skin associated with a tan were undesirable and deemed a sign of both poverty (because it was a sign you were working outdoors all day) and of carelessness (because you hadn't swathed yourself in hats and scarves to protect against the sunlight.)

Far from healthy tans, a slightly blueish or purplish pale complexion was considered to even be desirable in some instances, as it showed the clearness of the skin. Tinted powders were even made to swing one in this direction. A brand mentioned in the previous post about powders, T. LeClerc, still produces a slightly purple shade of powder for the purpose of complexion enhancement. (And don't worry that it would make you look like Grimace from the old McDonald's commercials, the tint is in fact very very slight.)

For those who really needed help, plain white face powders were also made. L'Oreal brand actually has a white powder out that doesn't look overly clown-like, called "translucent matte", for those who might seek to imitate this classic appearance in our modern age.

Our First Video! Gibson Girl Edwardian Makeup Tutorial

2011-11-10T14:20:00.000-08:00

Just for the blog -- how to create a Gibson Girl style makeup effect video tutorial.

Traveling Dress

2011-11-05T15:29:00.000-07:00

Traveling Dress. Comfort and protection from dust are the requirements of a traveling dress. Soft, neutral tints may be chosen, and a smooth-surfaced material which does not retain the dust. The dress should be made plain, and quite short. Collars and cuffs are worn. A gossamer and warm woolen wrap must be carried, as also a satchel containing a change of collars, cuffs, gloves, handkerchiefs, toilet articles and towels. A traveling dress should be well supplied with pockets.

So says Hollinshead in The New Century Speaker. In practice, the traveling dress was used for much more than just travel -- in fact, many Edwardian women even chose them in place of wedding gowns! (However, it was warned that a bride taking this path should not have bridesmaids in the ceremony, though a female friend in street dress standing along her side would be acceptable.) A traveling dress was "very simply but well made, short enough to clear the ground; made with a jacket and skirt." The fanciness of the shirt worn underneath could be altered to suit the occasion.

Hats in the Theater

2011-11-01T02:03:00.000-07:00

As we saw in the previous post, fashionable hats could make a bit of chaos if going to a theater. Hollinshead advised, "If a large hat is worn to the theatre, common courtesy demands its removal that those in the rear may see the stage." Which was a lot nicer than what he had to say about those who would dare to wear any sort of hat to the opera! After calming the rage induced by the mere thought of such deeds, he advised that for that location, one should only wear "a tiny bonnet, a dainty confection of tulle, flowers and ribbon."

Those Awful Hats

2011-10-29T08:50:00.000-07:00

Old Time Face Powders of the Edwardian Era

2011-10-27T18:45:00.000-07:00

The use of makeup and cosmetics was generally frowned upon during the Edwardian era. Even a decade later during the roaring twenties, when star-to-be George Burns met his star-to-be and wife-to-be Gracie Allen, he mentioned with some irony that she had made a point of not wearing any lipstick when going out, because "it was well known that the only people who wore lipstick were prostitutes and actresses."

The one cosmetic for which an exception was made was that of face powder. One woman is documented as having remarked, "It isn't decent not to [wear powder] in the summer -- one looks so greasy without." Health books of the time that railed against the use of makeup assured that a little face powder was all a person needed. However, the lack of regulation at the time meant that many face powders were not safe to use -- a fact of which people were surprisingly aware. Plain talc, cornstarch, or rice flour were often recommended for use as safe powders, and beauty books advised their readers on how to select safe formulations if they still sought to purchase commercial beauty products.

The book Mother's Remedies (1910) gives instruction for how to apply face powder, following a system which was pretty common at the time:

TO USE POWDER.—Wash the face; rub a little cold cream over it, rubbing it in well, wipe with a dry towel, gently, then apply the powder with a chamois—a clean one. Do not keep it on unnecessarily. Remove by rubbing with the cleansing cream, then wash the face. Never go to bed with powder on your face.

These recipes were presumably meant for people with skin less greasy than I have, for they always recommend applying some oily substance to the face beforehand to help it stick. It could be anything from olive oil to Vaseline: just apply, blot, then powder. Admittedly the trick does help to ensure the powder spreads evenly and sticks heavily, assisting one in making that desirable porcelain doll look.

For those who would like authentic face powders, try these on for size:

T. LeClerc has been making face powders since the 1890s. This brand would have been known to Victorian and Edwardian ladies.

This is a newer brand, but, the formula consists mostly of talc and rice flour -- a very period-correct recipe. I can say having used this that the "translucent" shade actually does help give a whitened appearance as would have been sought by the old time Gibson Girls.

How To Dress for Special Occasions: Ball Dress

2011-10-24T05:53:00.000-07:00

"For the ball-room the most elaborate dress is to be worn; decolette corsage, flowers and jewels are all appropriate. Those who dance should wear pale colors and light, floating fabrics, leaving the heavy silks and velvets for those who do not indulge in this amusement.
A low-cut corsage is not expected of elderly women unless they wish it. Chaperons can wear an elegant dinner dress if they desire; velvets or brocades, cut square in the neck, with a profusion of fine lace and rich ornaments. In short, she should be as different as possible from her charge.
If an elderly woman of full figure wears a low-necked dress, a lace scarf or something of that sort should be thrown over her shoulders.
Gowns cut dancing length or with train, are appropriate for the ball-room, but where much dancing is to be indulged in, trains are very much in the way."

-- T. Edward Hollinshead

Old Time Curling Irons

2011-10-21T12:52:00.000-07:00

It is no wonder that Fletcher advised against the use of the curling iron, for the electrical devices which we now know and love were only just beginning to come to the market during this time. Most women curled their tresses with the old time metal irons that had to be heated manually in the fireplace or over an open flame. There was no temperature control -- one simply had to hope it wasn't overheated to the point where it would scorch one's hair off. Telltale singe marks were apparently not uncommon to find in a fashionable 'do, as referenced in the Love Sonnets of an Office Boy:

Yesterday I stood behind your chair

When you was kind of bendin' down to write,

And I could see your neck, so soft and white,

And notice where the poker singed your hair,

The idea of heating up the iron from an outside source seemed to initially be preserved in the new electrical editions: instead of making the electricity heat the actual ironing device, early versions often came instead with a little electric oven to be heated in.

For Safely Curling the Hair

2011-10-18T12:50:00.000-07:00

From Fletcher:

"For curling the hair, recourse should be had to the curling-iron only in emergencies, when there is no time for other methods. Its habitual use is very injurious to the hair, drying and ultimately destroying its fibre. There are some methods of treating the hair which will promote waviness by keeping it for a time in a condition between dryness and humidity, so that different parts will be unequally affected and, in consequence, acquire varying degrees of tension. One method is to shampoo the hair with soapy water in which a few grains of carbonate of potash have been dissolved. While the hair is still moist it must be loosely dressed as desired. The effect comes as it dries. Another method is to moisten the hair with strong rosemary-water, black tea, or aromatic vinegar, in which ten or twelve grains of the carbonate of potash to a half-pint of the tonic have been dissolved. Brush this in, and dress the hair before it dries."

Vogue: 1910

2011-10-15T10:21:00.000-07:00

Check out this post from the blog Why That's Delightful, featuring covers of Vogue Magazine from the year 1910, along with the proprietor's commentary.

Edwardian Egg Wash for Hair

2011-10-13T12:37:00.000-07:00

"Occasionally an egg shampoo is more beneficial than the usual one of soap. This is especially true when one has just recovered from a fever or when one's scalp is in an unhealthy condition or afflicted with dandruff. The rosemary formula is very effective.

Blond hair should always be washed with the yolk of an egg, as that will make it keep its golden tints. Mixing the egg with a pinch of borax and a pint of warm water is a good plan."

So says Madame Qui-Vive, continuing her lessons on the care of one's "halo." Another book of the period, The Woman Beautiful (coincidentally, having the same title as one of Qui-Vive's own books) elaborates:

"There is no better shampoo for the hair than an egg, well-beaten with about an ounce of water, and rubbed thoroughly into the scalp. It is not merely a detergent, cleansing the scalp and hair of the dirt, but is tonic in its effect and strengthens the scalp. The yolk contains natural food for the hair, iron and sulphur; while the white, being a mild alkali, finds its congenial mate in the oil from the sebaceous glands, and they mingle in a saponaceous lather. It should be thoroughly massaged into the scalp with a rotary motion, beginning in front over the forehead and going back to the crown, then forward to the temples, and back and forth, till the fingers of the two hands meet at the nape of the neck."

Qui-Vive also gives this alternate recipe for an egg shampoo:

"Shake the yolk of an egg in a pint of alcohol, strain and bottle. To a bowl of warm water add two tablespoonfuls of the liquid."

I've tried the simple egg and water version of the egg shampoo, and found it to produce an effect similar to the "macaroni hair" of Alphonse Mucha.

Liquid Verbena Soap for the Hair

2011-10-11T14:06:00.000-07:00

As promised in the previous post, here is the recipe for Liquid Verbena Soap for the hair:

"Cut in small pieces one-half pound of pure imported castile soap. Put in porcelain kettle with two quarts of warm water and dissolve by boiling. When cold it should be of the consistency of rather thin cream; if thicker, add more water. Stir in one-fourth pint of alcohol and let stand several days in a warm room. All the alkali and impurities will settle to the bottom of the bottle, leaving the liquid as clear as crystal. Pour off carefully, leaving the residue for kitchen purposes. Perfume with a few drops of oil of verbena, or any scent one may prefer. A small quantity of this used in the shampoo is delightfully cleansing."

Shampoo in the Edwardian Age

2011-10-09T12:18:00.000-07:00

The modern woman has so many shampoos, conditioners, hot oils and detanglers ready and waiting to be purchased at her nearest grocery or beauty salon. The belles of a century past had a much more simple choice, generally limited to: soap, or a homemade preparation.

Madame Qui-Vive, a famous beauty expert of the day, provided her helpful advice for the care and beautification of one's "halo." For shampooing, she advised that one should use bar soap that has been shaved and dissolved in water -- essentially a homemade version of a liquid shampoo. Period soaps that are still available for purchase include:

Octagon

Cashmere Bouquet

Ivory (formula has been recently modified, but the makers insist it washes the same)

Vinolia (famous for being the soap used on the Titanic -- however the recipe is now different)

Qui-Vive gives a step by step process for washing the hair, which is as follows:

Fill a washbowl with warm water. Hold the head over the bowl and with hands or a cup, throw the water over the head, wetting the hair thoroughly. Pour on some of the liquid soap, rubbing it in briskly. Do not be afraid of tangling or snarling the hair. The soap must be well rubbed in or the results will not be satisfactory. Keep on adding soap and throwing the water over the head until there is a rich live suds that has gone into every little corner and recess.
Rinse the hair well with warm water and follow with a second shampoo. In almost every case of the unsuccessful shampoo, it is because the hair has had only one soaping or because the rinsing has not been complete.
With a bowl of fresh water and with more soap, repeat the first process. Rub the scalp well with the finger ends, so as to dislodge all the dandruff. Pour some of the soap on the long hair. It needs attention quite as much if not more than the hair that is close to the head. The final rinsing should be continued until the strands are soft and silky. Experienced hair shampooers know immediately by the feel of the hair whether or not it is absolutely clean. If there is the slightest stickiness, if each hair does not stand by itself, the shampoo is not a success.
Running water is always better than water splashed up from the bowl. If one has a bath tub and spray with a rubber hose attached, the problem of rinsing the hair is easily solved and the hair can be thoroughly cleansed of every particle of soap suds.
Wrap the head tightly with a hot towel, and pat until most of the water is absorbed. Shake out the hair and massage the scalp with the finger ends, wiping the long hair with warm towels. The hair should never be left to dry without friction. Such neglect will destroy the hair roots and prove destructive to the growth. The hair should not be groomed at all until nearly dry if you would have it fluffy and silky. Use the brush first, dividing the hair into sections. Then comb carefully.

In another piece by the same author, she continues on the subject:

It is almost impossible to state positively how often the hair should be shampooed. Oily hair needs a thorough washing every two weeks, while drier tresses should not be given a bath oftener than once a month. Half the reason for falling hair, or hair that seems never to grow, is caused by improper shampooing. The scalp must be kept scrupulously clean. And I doubt very much whether the soap and soiled water can be thoroughly rinsed out without the use of running water, the bath spray being the most convenient means of getting this. How often, after washing one's hair, one finds a white, sticky substance clinging to the teeth of the comb! This should never be, and the hair must be continually washed until it is fluffy and soft and absolutely without any suggestion of the shampoo. When the hair is very oily a dessertspoonful of ammonia and a pinch of borax should be added to two quarts of warm water. This will soften the water and make the soap more easily rinsed out of the hair. The liquid verbena soap makes a delightful shampoo. Recipe can be found at the end of this chapter.
When shampooing, rub the lather through the strands gently, and with the finger tips remove all the little particles of dust and dandruff which may be clinging to the scalp. And may I gently suggest that you do not go at the task as if you were scrubbing a grease spot out of a rug? You must neither dig the scalp with your nails nor wring out your hair as you would a wash-rag. Try not to get your hair into a more mussed-up and tangled condition than is absolutely necessary. After using the bath spray liberally dry with warm towels, then — if possible — get someone to vigorously massage the scalp. This will almost invariably prevent one from taking cold. Never begin combing out your locks until they are nearly dry. A sun bath of twenty minutes is a good tonic.

I can attest, having tried the process, that for long hair this method does seem to work a little better than modern options -- or at least, it gives one's hair a more 'period-correct' look of smoothness and slight fluffiness. Beware though, it is more drying than most shampoos available today, so indeed a shampoo by this method "once a month" may really be all you can stand.