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r rr.fy vRed-hots, ootmeal were cosmetic mustsIt isn't difficult to visualize pio-Mieer women in the Salina area and pother parts of Kansas tending to '-their day-to-day chores in calico ^ frocks' and sunbonnets.V- But did you know that red-hot candy -t and grated cucumber played cosmetic I;roles for the imaginative and resource-ful female here in the mid to latter v-19th century and into the 20th century?Such was true, say some of the local ''women asked to comment on makeup . aids and clothing of the era.Red-hots for rouge. 441 heard an old lady say that she used red-hots for rouge and they took dry oatmeal in little bags and rubbed it on their faces,said Mrs. Forrest Miller, 231 W. Prescott.Mrs. John Egan. 151 Fairdale Road, Speaking as a member of the Saline county chapter of the Native Daughters of Kansas, remembers hearing stories that pioneer women burned flour a little bit to be used as a.powder, and Used buttermilk on their skin to keep it -soft, goose grease on their hands for •^softness and grated cucumber like a ^-facial.*;♦. “They used a little of the red-hotsFor early-day Salina womenByJacqWoolseyfor rouge, rubbing them on and also used some cornstarch on their faces,” according to another Salinan.“I also heard my mother say women took oatmeal soaked in water and used it on their faces, sorta like a facial. We've come a long ways, haven’t we?”Mrs. Emma Ridings, 111 N. Penn, said she recalls her mother, the late Bertha Tressin Stoll (born Aug. 4,1867, 3 miles north of Salina on the Saline river) using a pink liquid in a bottle when she (Mrs. Ridings) was a little girl. But she can't remember what it was called.She says her mother also used Cut-icura soap.Mrs. Miller thinks the pink liquid might have been the same that her parents, the late Mr. and Mrs. D. E. LaSh-.-J -A-13?Those were the daysSporting a long cigaret holder is Mrs. Edwin Peterson. 1302 Highland Circle, wearing silk andsatin lounging pajamas with a multi-colored tunic in the style of the 30s and 40s,elle spoke of as face wash (liquid face powder). The LaSbelles lived in Salina.Walnut dyeAccording to Mrs. Miller, her grandmother, the late Mrs. J. Y. Maxwell, who was originally from Washington county but spent her last years here, boiled walnut hulls and used the liquid to dye her hair.Women back then also used a lot of curling irons on their hair and did their hair up on kid curlers, says Mrs, Miller.Mrs. Richard Nethaway, 745 Highland, had these comments: “It seems to me that most of the ladies made their own creams and created their colognes or toilet waters.“They seemed to rely on different soaps for just washing their faces and some of those used were: Pears’ soap (all sorts of people use it, all sorts of stores sell the famous English complexion soap. Est. 1789) and Packer's tar soap (unexcelled for the hair, unrivalled for the skin).44I found an interesting recipe for making your own cold cream:8 ozs. lanolin 24 ozs. almond oil 6 ozs. coconut oil 8 ozs. spermaceti 8 ozs. white wax 4 drachms benzoin 10 ozs. orange flower water Pour into bowl orange flower water, adding benzoin, drop by drop, stirring carefully.Heat lanolin, almond oil. coconut oil. spermaceti and white wax together, beat well and while still warm, beat into first mixture.4'One wonders if many women of the times made use of these and other makeup aids on the sly. even out here on the prairies.Fenja Funn discusses the situation existing in the Victorian era in a book. 'The Artificial Face. A History of Cosmetics, published in 1973. The publication is available at the Salina Public library.According to the author, men in those days could “blatantly use cosmetic devices”, but women had to “disguise any attempt at self improvement” under the “prudery of contemporary moral standards.” However, many women attempted tofind 4'secret ways of improving on na-ture” despite the restrictions.And maybe the subject of cosmetics wasn’t so hush-hush in these parts after all.Toilet articles and perfumeries were included in drugstore advertising appearing in 1871 and 1873 editions of The Saline County Journal, forerunner of The Salina Journal.Then too, some interesting early day cosmetic tips are listed in a chapter of a book, ,4One Thousand Secrets Revealed,''14th edition, 1907 (written in 1898), by C. A. Bogardus (referred to as the “Champion Quick Shot of the World-’), and furnished by Gsee Ket-tenring, 237 Oakdale Drive:• “To remove freckles — use trxo-late of copper ointment.• “Powder for the complexion — half ounce tincture of elder blossoms, half ounce beef marrow, half pint orange flower water, one cassia bud, 2 ounces bitter almonds, 4 drachms spirits of Oriental roses. Mix and apply it in the evening and wash it off in the morning.“To beautify the teeth and make the breath smell street and pleasant — one ounce chlorate of lime in a pint of soft water, and let it stand 24 hours. Then pour off the clear water and add 40 drops of essence of rose.“To make the hair soft and glossy — one pint alcohol. 4 ounces castor oil. Mix, and flavor with bergamot. Apply frequently with the hands.”Here are some descriptions of clothing and accessories of these women of yesteryear:“I imagine they would have had draped skirts with bustles.’'said Mrs. Ridings. Calico was the thing in those days, as were leg o' mutton sleeves (large sleeves tapering down to the wrist, all in one piece.)“They never wore short-sleeved(Continued on Pg, 27)Oh/you kid!Mrs. John Garrison. 2552 Robin complete with a velvet head-Road. does the Charleston in-a band, long beads and a beadedvelvet “Roarin’ 20s ensemble. purse.
Newspaper Details
Salina Journal
Salina, Kansas, US
Sun, Jul 04, 1976
Page 30
Full Page
Clipped by
Salina P.
KS, USA 08 Sep 2023
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