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The
best advice we can give you regarding make-up is don't
use any at reenactments. Don't even put them
in your trunk so you won't be tempted. When you have worked hard to achieve
the look of the period in clothing and hairstyle, don't ruin the effect with
modern make-up.
Although there were exceptions, the Civil War lady would shudder with horror at the thought of wearing "face paints". If you were unfortunate enough to be born with pale green skin, you, if you were a lady, would not for a moment entertain the thought of rouge, but would accept your color as your cross and do nice things for poor people.
This may be tough for you, dear ladies, as many modern women feel almost naked without makeup. Be strong. Sacrifices must sometimes be made to give our impressions the realism necessary to achieve historical accuracy.
Release that withheld breath, gentle readers, as there are a FEW exceptions to the rule of shunning cosmetics.
Creams & Lotions Even the most respectable lady would avail herself of creams and lotions designed to soften the skin. Lily white, creamy skin on faces and hands was the desired fashion, and moisturizing and bleaching lotions were widely used. Those ladies who cared for families and did their own cleaning had especial need of these products. Lye soap, cleaning chemicals and abrasives took their toll on hands.
Hair
Treatments A variety of products were available for use in dressing
the hair, many were oil based. Other patented products were brushed through
the hair to encourage hair growth, with questionable results. Hot combs
and sweet oils were used to straighten curly hair. Homemade herbal rinses
were used to soften and brighten the hair. Henna and hair dyes were available
at any apothecary, but NO woman would ever admit to using such a product!
Perfumes Cologne & perfume products were used lavishly and with great gusto! Dabbing on a pleasant scent was considered part of getting dressed. Some brands, such as Florida Water and Bay Rum, are still available today. Floral scents such as Lavender, Rose, Orange Blossom and Gardenia were popular, lavender had the added bonus of repelling insects.
Powder Powder was applied liberally under the clothes for dryness and comfort. Powders were also applied discretely to the face and hands, to even out the complexion and enhance the paleness of skin.
Rouge
Most ladies would never consider using such paint on their person. More
cosmopolitan women, even the most respectable ones, would use just a touch of
rouge upon cheek and lip when going out for the evening to a party or ball.
Day use of rouge was confined to fallen women or ladies of questionable morals.
Remember that rouge was applied much differently in those times than blush is applied today. The application of rouge, applied in period correct style, looks almost clownish to modern women. Rouge was applied to the cheekbone in a little circle just beneath the outside corner of the eye. A touch of rouge might also be applied to the lips, but just to the center of the lips. Full lips were not in fashion, so it was not applied like modern lipstick.
Women with dark complexions could not purchase cosmetics in tones complementary to their skin color. These enterprising women rubbed bricks together and mixed the powder with fat to create a rouge that complemented dark skin. Purchasing modern rouge in a "brick" tone would duplicate this look.
If you are portraying a "fallen woman", daytime use of rouge would likely be part of your impression. We are not implying that a fallen woman applies only to prostitutes. Card dealers, hostesses or waitresses at saloons, actresses, and even certain merchants would be looked down upon as lost souls beyond redemption. As such, they had nothing to lose by wearing cosmetics, did they? These women could kick over the traces and improve on nature with every product they could lay hand to.
Misconceptions abound regarding the bathing habits of Civil War era women. Most view ladies of the time as filthy creatures who never bathed or washed their clothes and who went everywhere enveloped in a miasma of body odor. This is not entirely true.
Full immersion bathing, in a tub, was a considerable undertaking. Considerable amounts of water had to be hauled and heated, then hauled away again. Of course, wealthy women with servants most likely enjoyed this type of bath more regularly. Most women were just too busy, or too tired from working to engage in full baths frequently.
Every household had soap, basins and pitchers for washing. Upon rising and before retiring, most folks used these items to bathe face, neck, arms, and whatever else required cleaning. Although a "bucket bath" was no sensual orgy, it did serve to remove the dirt and odor of a days labor. Washing before meals meant washing hands, arms, face and neck.
Before donning a fine gown or nice dress, a lady would wash thoroughly and wear clean undergarments. Ladies fine gowns were rarely washed due to the difficulty of the process and possible damage to trims. (Working garments were untrimmed and plain so that they could be washed occasionally.) Aside from preserving garment quality, doing laundry was a hard, backbreaking job to be avoided as much as possible. Hence, undergarments, detachable collars and undersleeves were donned to protect dresses from skin contact and soiling. Aprons protect the most vulnerable outside area of a dress, the front, from spills and soiling.
Hair was washed regularly. A pitcher of water was generally sufficient for this task, and herbal rinses were common. Many point out the plastered down appearance of women's hair and claim it is due to filthy condition. Some women dressed their hair with sweet oils to straighten curl or make the hair more manageable, which most likely accounts for the "slick look" in some photos. Most photos show women with clean, neatly arranged hair.
