History of Beauty: Elizabethan Era Beauty Secrets

Every girl knows that beauty hurts. But when you compare the modern woman’s beauty regime, not even a bikini wax can compare to the things that women from the Elizabethan era endured for beauty!

Women who lived during the Elizabethan era were constantly striving to emulate their monarch, Queen Elizabeth, with her pale skin and high forehead. Here are the heights and depths they went to for the sake of beauty.

Elizabethan Era Beauty Secrets

1. In order to achieve a fashionably high forehead associated with aristocracy, women would pluck their hairline back.
2. Before they had Clairol, the women of the era dyed their hair using urine and lye. Lye unfortunately lead to hair falling out, which led to the popularity of wigs.
3. Since peasants who worked in the sun had darker skin, people who had pale skin were considered upper-class. To create the coveted paleness, women used a concoction called ceruse on their faces, a poisonous combination of white lead and vinegar that made them pale and sick.
4. An alternative recommended for pale skin included alum, tin ash, and sulfer.
5. Raw egg whites was used on the face to achieve a smooth complexion and hide wrinkles.
6. Mercury was used as a facial toner to help women achieve soft and fresh skin.
7. Women of the era were also know to bleed themselves to achieve the coveted pale look of nobility.

Thankfully today achieving pale skin is as simple as staying out of the sun and applying good SPF sunscreen. Methods for achieving beautiful, clear, radiant skin are many with new methods and research coming out everyday. If you are interested in creating a living in this field, the esthetics and skin care industry is booming!