"It is a genuine cosmetic prepared by Madame Nature without a particle of any poisonous vegetable, and offered to the public more from benevolence than any pecuniary motives, and particularly designed for the relief of all who are afflicted with an ugly skin. Try in the next light snow that falls. First rub the hands with a piece of bar soap till a sufficient quantity adheres, and then taking up a little snow, rub the hands with the snow and soap until the water drops so pure as not to stain the snow where it falls. Then proceed to the face, and if it does not procure the pure blush of health, you may rest assured there is nothing in the apothecary's shop... that will do it."
Beauty advice from 1837.
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Average life expectancy in 1850; 43 years.
All of those young people looked terrific until they died.
Actually it probably is better than washing with hot water, which can make your skin kinda florid looking.
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Sounds advice. Snow would be about the purest water you could get in the 1830s, and about 100x less likely to contain nasty infectious bacteria than your nearest crap- and piss-tinged well.
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When I was about 7 or 8, some neighborhood kids made a throne in the piled-up snow on the side of the road.
When I finally got up there, surveying my kingdom, I remember taking a glove-ful of dirty road snow into my mouth.
I was sick as a dog for a few days, and I remember being embarrassed enough as to never answer why or how.
Just thought I'd share.
Snow is like distilled water. Soaps behave differently in them, probably because there aren't many +2 charged cations around to screw with micelle formation. In other words, snow lathers better with soap. It's also good for giving hair body.
And thankfully not for giving body hair.
The scary thing: the next cleanest liquid one could find is probably beer...
I think I'll try washing my face with beer.
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