All about soap & shaving in the 18th century.

All about soap & shaving in the 18th century.

Image taken from Perret’s Book “The Art to Shave Oneself” 1770

A question was raised about what soap was used for shaving in the 18th century, so I thought I would do a little research. No doubt many of you carry a piece of soap in your pack as I do, so soap is an interesting subject even if you do not shave.

George Washington's shaving items.

Honing a straight razor  Perret’s Book “The Art to Shave Oneself” 1770

Honing a straight razor  Perret’s Book “The Art to Shave Oneself” 1770

The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy: Which Far Exceeds Any Thing of the kind yet published by Hannah Glasse 1747

It seems that soap came in large bars, sometimes a person could choose the length of the bar they wished to purchase, & this bar was then cut to size. Other methods saw these bars cut into bricks for sale. I do not get the impression that we are talking about the bars of soap we purchase these days, I think these bricks were square & much larger. This type of soap was known as hard soap, soft soap was apparently the sort of soap that was made at home by the settlers. Whether or not there was a preference in hard or soft soap for shaving I can’t say, but it was this ordinary soap that was used for washing & shaving.

Cutting bars of soap by Diderot

Soap.

Ordinary soap was used for shaving in the 18th century.

Spain during the 11th and 12th centuries, where Spanish Muslims made Castile soap.
http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2013/03/the-history-of-soap/

Castile soap for shaving, washing & weight loss.

https://www.worldturndupsidedown.com/2017/01/18th-century-castile-soap-for-shaving.html

In 1752 Richard Barnard of Temple Bar claimed to be the inventor of the ‘True original shaving powder’. A rival powder, advertised the same year by J. Emon, claimed to ‘make razors cut easy and [was] very good for tender faces’.
https://dralun.wordpress.com/2016/05/17/splash-it-all-over-a-brief-history-of-aftershave/

“To make very good washing balls take storax of both kings, benjamin, calamus aromaticus, labdanum of each a like; and bray them to powder with cloves and orris; then beat all with a sufficient quantity of soap till it be stiff, them with your hand you shall work it like paste, and make round balls thereof.” 

Gervaise Markham, The English Housewife 1683.

 “TO BE SOLD BY EDWARD LANGDON, IN FLEET STREET, NEAR THE OLD NORTH MEETING HOUSE, A QUANTITY OF HARD SOAP BY THE BOX, SOFT SOAP BY THE BARREL”.

Pearlash soap add, Boston Gazette Mid 18th century.
https://spadet.com/19th-century-soap-making-its-history-and-techniques/

In all the material I have researched so far, no where does it mention the size of bar soap, nor are there any images of sketches of 18th century soap. However, I did find a painting, & it does give a fair indication of the size of a brick of soap.

A Lady’s Maid Soaping Linen

c.1765–82

Soap detail.

This is an image of Marseille soap as it is sold today, I have no proof, but I suspect that this could have been what it looked like in the 18th century.

18th Century Wilderness Living; Pack Items.

18^th Century Wilderness Living; Pack Items.

When living in the wilderness you need to be able to look after yourself, your tools & your equipment. Even if your wife/husband is with you, you still need to be self-reliant. In this way, should you become separated for any reason, then you are both able to survive.

  The awl is used for repairing and making leather and tree bark items, such as moccasins, pouches, belts knife sheaths, containers, and pack straps. It can also function as a tool to remove large splinters. In the image above you can see a wooden sheath bound in waxed linen thread. This wooden sheath is made to fit over the metal shaft of the awl. The top example is one that I made myself, which I now use at home. The lower one is an original awl which once belonged to my Father. It is this lower awl with the wooden sheath that I carry in my pack at all times.

Damage to clothing and equipment is bound to happen sooner or later when travelling in the wilderness; tears in clothing lets in the cold air in winter and the mossies during summer. A tear in your oilcloth will let in the rain. If such damage is left unrepaired, then it is inevitable that these tears will increase in size over time, so it is important to repair them as soon as possible. To this end most woodsrunners carry some for of sewing equipment.

This is my “Housewife”, it contains; needles, two sizes of linen thread, spare buttons, rolls of sinew, and beeswax for waxing the thread and sealing any tears in my oilcloth.

I was once operated on without any rum to dull my brain and only a piece of rolled rag to place between my teeth. I was younger then and yet was so disabled at this time that I fear in my now later years I might not fare so well. So it is then that I determined to carry with me some form of medical equipment and a bottle of rum.

  The rum bottle I have secured in an old leather drawstring pouch. My medical provisions though very little do hopefully serve my needs in the case of injury or snake bite.

A blade is only as good as it is kept, and a blunt blade is of little use at all. So I carry a small metal file and a whet stone. Creek stones can be used, I used one for some time myself, but as soon as I was able I secured a proper whet stone.

These two items are well worth the extra weight, though in truth they both weigh little, but every small item combined with other small items does add weight to your pack.

Keeping reasonably clean is important to me, even though I may go for long periods of time without washing anything but my hands and face. Nothing is more refreshing to me than washing in a cold forest stream first thing in the morning, & after a long walk dipping my feet in cool water and then drying by the fire.

 I have at times washed using wood ashes from my fire, and at other times sand, but nothing compares to using soap. I carry a piece of soap and a broken piece of an ivory comb in a cloth bag.

Making Tallow-My Videos. Parts 1,2, and 3.