As summer approaches, it’s a great time to talk about how people used to protect themselves from the sun. Victorian women didn’t have modern knowledge about ultraviolet rays or the dangers of sun exposure. They also didn’t have access to the powerful creams and advanced products that we modern women use every day. However, women of that time had their own methods and secrets. Here, I want to share some interesting facts about Victorian skincare for the summer season.
To protect themselves from the scorching sun, Victorian women used parasols and hats. But when freckles appeared on their faces, they turned to a variety of remedies—from gentle creams to aggressive patented lotions.
I’ll talk a little about relatively mild remedies, but only for informational purposes. I hope you won’t try to make and use them at home, but rather buy verified cosmetics from the store.
One of the safest methods to remove freckles in the Victorian era was strawberry water. The 1841 “Handbook of the Toilette” named it one of the “innocent remedies” because, even if it wasn’t effective, it couldn’t cause harm. A big bonus was its wonderful aroma. It was also recommended to use distilled liquid from wild strawberries.
To gently remove a tan, Victorian women used a solution of elderflower and boiling water. After letting the flowers infuse for a day, the liquid was strained through muslin and bottled. The girls would then wash their faces with this infusion every morning.
In addition to this remedy, lemon juice mixed with glycerin was also used. In general, lemon juice was often used for cosmetic purposes, both then and today.
The girls had many cosmetic remedies for treating and improving their skin. But they also had preventive cosmetics. To avoid sunburn, Victorian women made a special mixture to apply before going outside. The recipe included borax, camphor, alum, and half an ounce of sugar paste. Preparing this mixture sometimes took two weeks.
The 1848 “London Journal” recommended a lotion made from green grapes. Sometimes Victorian girls used cucumber water mixed with gin. The “Bazaar” and “Journal of the Household” publications from 1894 offered the following recipe: “Peel and slice a ripe cucumber, cover the pieces with cold water. Bring to a boil, let cool, then strain and bottle, adding 1 ounce of pure alcohol or 2 ounces of gin for every ½ pint of liquid.”
Read my other posts about the era of the last century: The perfume of yesteryear, Vintage style in clothes and The charm of retro aesthetics.
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