One cosmetic issue just as hotly debated during the 1940s as it is today: whether or not to be gentle to your face when washing it. I find myself now - at 35 - being much more gentle with my face than I was in my early 20s. When all the world was my oyster and my skin would be beautiful forever... On the other hand, you do see all those infomercials with gorgeous women in towel turbans praising appliances meant to massage and stimulate your facial muscles. That's supposed to be the key to keeping a youthful skintone, so they say.
I'm not sure what to think, but it is a comfort knowing that my '40s counterpart probably would have been just as confused. Helen Follett, touched on the debate on the women's page of the St. Petersburg [Florida] Times during the early 1940s.
Never Be Afraid of Your Face
November 9, 1940
Don’t be afraid to give your complexion a thorough friction with soap and water. Some women clean their faces with little dabs as if the skin were something sacred, should be treated with the utmost gentleness. Friction tones the tissues, stimulates glandular activity and rouses up the blood streams which give good coloring to the flesh. Muscles and tiny fibers are exercised.
Don’t be afraid to give your complexion a thorough friction with soap and water. Some women clean their faces with little dabs as if the skin were something sacred, should be treated with the utmost gentleness. Friction tones the tissues, stimulates glandular activity and rouses up the blood streams which give good coloring to the flesh. Muscles and tiny fibers are exercised.
To Improve Defects in Facial Skin
February 28, 1941
Mirrors magnify complexion defects; let that be a consolation to the girl whose complexion is of coarse texture, pores large and falling into little dents. She longs for a fine-grained facial coat, and if she will be persistent she can improve the one that is so disappointing to her. She must avoid the use of hot water when washing her face, have the water just warm enough to form a suds. Friction is a help in skin toning and refining, so when rinsing away the suds she should use the palms of her hands, dashing the cold water first on her chin, working up over her forehead. A first-class face washing can be a pretty fair facial treatment. When drying the face, wrap the towel around the hands and do that same upward slapping.
Mirrors magnify complexion defects; let that be a consolation to the girl whose complexion is of coarse texture, pores large and falling into little dents. She longs for a fine-grained facial coat, and if she will be persistent she can improve the one that is so disappointing to her. She must avoid the use of hot water when washing her face, have the water just warm enough to form a suds. Friction is a help in skin toning and refining, so when rinsing away the suds she should use the palms of her hands, dashing the cold water first on her chin, working up over her forehead. A first-class face washing can be a pretty fair facial treatment. When drying the face, wrap the towel around the hands and do that same upward slapping.
7 comments:
Okay you ask for it !
It is all up to the individual ,as we are all made up of individual
and unique features.
I am fortunate or unfortunate
to have a ruddy complexion with large pores.I sunburn at the drop of a hat.I break out in hives faster than a speeding bullet ,yet I scrub my face with tap water and very little soap.I like to feel clean at the end of the trail.
And for some reason I look younger than I am to everyone or they are all lying to me for the past 30 odd years.
I honestly have no profound wisdom to offer ,But I do know I love Jesus,I love Life with a passion,I love to just be myself,I don't worry over what people think,I try to be a good steward over What God has given to me.
Don't know that this was what you expected but that is cool I am who I am .
Just plain me.
Its funny, we've been having this "debate" in my house lately. My husband commented on the tube of exfoliating facewash I have in the shower and exclaimed that I was essentially "washing my face with sand!" and that doing so "couldn't possibly be good for skin". :) Maybe its a girl-thing, but I'm ALL FOR exfoliating scrubs -- I really do see a difference when I use them regularly.
Love this blog! I sometimes wish I could travel back in time to the '40's. You blog almost accomplishes that! :)
Ruth
Who knows? Probably what works best for the individual. As you know, I mostly just use water, and I don't scrub. I used to use all kinds of anti-acne soaps - that didn't work. I swam everyday in chlorinated water. Was out in cold and wind after swimming. I sunburn easily, but almost never were protection. I have fine lines all over my face. But, I'm almost 55. I'm not going to look young forever.
I've known one young women since she was 16. (She's now about 41 - Yikes, that "snuck" up on me! She graduated with my baby brother.) Anyway, she has never used anything on her face except Noxema. I can't say that her skin looks any different (older or younger) than by brother's skin. I know my brother just uses bath soap on his face. Other than some gray hair, he still looks likes he's 25.
I am a fan of exfoliation; I found it keeps my skin clear and bright and pores small. I use a Japanese horsehair brush. But I am 34 and have had dry skin issues. Scrubbing nightly (with cooler water after a steamy shower) with a brush is too much. I read this tip on the internet: mix your usual cleanser with some baking soda for a gentle exfoliator. It's FANTASTIC!!! Gentle, effective-- I may give up the brush.
For cleanser, BTW, I use castile liquid soap (Dr Bronner's, which I wash my hair with as well).
For moisturizing, I've tried all manner of expensive things, but i like to be organic, so I got into the habit of using grapeseed oil (wonderful! brightens and takes away lines) and olive oil on top of that if I need more moisturizing, or castor oil on top on winter nights. I used to get combination skin; now that I've started using oils and pure things, which were available to our grandmothers, my skin is clear, balanced and matte. If it gets a tad shiny, I use oil blotting paper. Look up "oil cleansing method" on the internet.
I used to spend a lot of money on lotions; now I use just those same 3 oils on my body too, and I no longer have the dry skin problems I once did.
Good luck to you! Thanks for writing your blog, I love it!
Finding that perfect balance is so hard! I'm a firm believer in "if it hurts when you do that, don't do that!" ;0)
I agree with Glove Snap about mixing baking soda with whatever you wash your face with. You can do the same with your body in the shower too. I also use it on my teeth. I put some toothpaste on the brush and then dip it in a small container of baking soda before I brush.
I'm also a big believer in sunscreen with good UVA blockers. I'm quite fair and I'm hoping to avoid having chunks cut out of my nose like my late grandmother. *shudders*
Yes, no two complexions are exactly the same... I guess we gals are a bit like snowflakes! And if our skin changes as we age, our cleansing rituals probably have to change along with it.
Ruth, thank you for the lovely compliment! I'm glad you enjoy it.
Glove Slap, I love the idea about the baking soda. It makes sense that it would be a really gentle exfoliator. I guess the women of the '40s counted on their washcloths to do the exfoliating, but you could probably be alot more thorough with baking soda.
Post a Comment