I Followed an 18th-Century Moisturizer & Sunscreen Recipe & it kinda worked??

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I love researching and testing 18th century and Victorian cosmetics, skincare, and hair care products. Sometimes the ingredients are beyond strange, but sometimes you come across a recipe, product, or technique that is simply brilliant.
So, for this video, I thought it would be fun to do some experiments with making an 18th-century face moisturizer, or cold cream. We can't use the exact ingredients they did, because spermaceti isn't legal, but we can try and reproduce it as best as we can.
Also, not gonna lie, I am super excited to try the "sunscreen" this spring/summer!
Read Toilet de Flora here: www.google.com/books/edition/...
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The American Duchess Guide to 18th-Century Dressmaking: amzn.to/2GrkAIQ
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[@atinycrow]

Jojoba oil isn't the same as jojoba esters. People claiming jojoba oil is a replacement for spermaceti might have gotten confused by that. Jojoba esters have different physical properties and can be a hard white wax at room temp. They're used as an emollient in beauty products and have great shelf life.

[@saritshull3909]

I was thinking that a wax would make more sense. like vaseline or something

[@LaDivinaLover]

@@saritshull3909 Vaseline is literally petroleum and no one really needs that on their skin. It also doesn’t moisturize but merely seals the skin.

[@dissodatore]

@@saritshull3909 , Jojoba oil is a liquid wax, and that's likely why some might think it would work to replace spermaceti.

[@RestingBitchface7]

Esters have a great shelf life only if they’re stored in glass and frozen. They degrade and become rancid very quickly in plastic and with temperature excursions (expensive experience speaking).

[@argusfleibeit1165]

@@LaDivinaLover Sealing the skin is all moisturizers actually do. And Vaseline is the cheapest, safest, and longest used in cosmetics. I have used it all my life, and have always been taken for many years younger than my age.

[@katieg4083]

Sun exposure worsens scarring, so using a sunscreen while the smallpox scars were still healing would have definitely reduced their appearance.

[@aurora4218]

Also help reduce post-inflamation pigments

[@emppulina]

Zinc is good for skin problems like sunburns, diperrash and others, so why not for smallpox scarring??!

[@gabbyb9418]

@@emppulina diaper rash*

[@emppulina]

​@@gabbyb9418 Why it is it that only English speakers find a need to correct non native speakers of their language? Would it be nice, if you would write in French, Spanish or German, and native speaker would correct you in this rude way? I mean my name is clearly not in English. Don''t you find this a bit of double standard? There are polite ways to correct others too, but that was not it. In my native language people expect others make mistake, because many write with their phones, like I did.

[@Riot_Bird]

@@emppulina as someone that has Dyslexia, I understand completely, grammar nazis are so rude, like honestly you can correct someone respectfully by simply saying "did you mean ____?" That comes off as trying to be helpful where has just saying the word comes off as rude and belittling

[@k_golly_g]

You know what else is chef kiss? All those camera angles! Oh the visual variety is so very!!! I noticed and I appreciate that effort.

[@k_golly_g]

Ahahaha, the content is great too! - signed the weirdo who is here for more than just historical content. 🤣

[@AbbyCox]

It was nice to film something that wasn't just talking head lol ... I also totally went out and bought a new lens so that way I could really jazz things up with this video... so thank you for seeing and acknowledging 🤣🥰

[@laurengloriana1507]

I'm so sorry, do you mean chef's kiss? 😂

[@k_golly_g]

@@laurengloriana1507 sure did! 😂 Thanks

[@lajoyous1568]

@@k_golly_g I noticed, but didn't mention it because I thought it was the best autocorrect ever. 😘

[@crazywoollady9325]

Friendly public service announcement: jojoba oil is pronounced like ho-ho-ba :) Think of what santa says lol

[@carolemaguire644]

I was hoping someone would tell her...lol :)

[@Ms.Histrology]

Yes thank you! Girl I love your channel but your pronunciation of Jojoba was killing me softly.

[@raym4064]

i was pronouncing it jojoba like jojo in my head this entire time instead of hoho or yoyo

[@mariblue72]

@@raym4064 I've been saying Jo-Jo-Ba *out loud* my entire 37 years of life and no one has ever corrected me. The shame I feel!

[@cad9806]

Omg thank you for saying it

[@Mossquean]

Honestly the sunscreen looks about as white as most mineral sunscreens I've used which is impressive.

[@alethearia]

So, are we gonna get a winterized, snowey version of "are you hot in that?" because I FREQUENTLY get "aren't you cold in that skirt?"

[@blowitoutyourcunt7675]

I know right! I get that question a lot also, especially here in Texas! I'm never cold in winter wearing skirts - I wear petticoats underneath, including an awesome quilted one for January! And hose! I have way too many pairs of knit thigh high stockings lol! What makes me cranky is when my skirt hems get wet : | Lol!

[@cherylrosbak4092]

Karolina did one, versus someone in full modern winter gear. It was great.

[@darkiee69]

And this, right here, is why the rest of the world went metric.... 😉

[@AbbyCox]

it would have been so much easier lol

[@saritshull3909]

It's literally just the US, Liberia, Myanmar and the UK (but only sometimes. bodyweight and driving distances are imperial but regular weights of things or driving speed are metric )🤦‍♀️

[@rosacanisalba]

@@AbbyCox surely a dram is a volume measure not a weight measure

[@bes4497]

@@saritshull3909 Driving speeds in the UK are still imperial miles per hour.

[@saritshull3909]

@@bes4497 sorry I was unclear. I meant that your speedometers are metric (but I think some also have the imperial on the dial) It’s all very strange to me

[@gallerymanager2040]

I think one of the issues you may have had trying to get the cream to firm up is that while you used a marble mortar at room temperature, contemporary room temp is higher than typical 18th century room temps. From what I’ve seen, when making cold cream the bowl containing the melted ingredients is set into an ice bath and then whipped (lots & lots of rapid stirring). This may give you a thicker consistency.

[@SkipperJane]

I definitely think the speed of the whipping and cooling would effect the emulsification process. Having made Toum, it’s amazing what high speed emulsification and aeration can do to a liquid oil.

[@seranathenecromancer3470]

The average room temperature in the 1800s would definitely be lower as the “Little Ice Age” didn’t end until the 1860s

[@rachael501]

Just want to put this out there, coconut oil is pretty comedogenic and will break out most people, and olive oil is best on dry skin. I have personally made a cold cream with grapeseed oil and it worked pretty well.

[@AbbyCox]

yeah, I've had luck with coconut oil, but I know it doesn't work for a lot of skin types

[@Downhomeherbwife]

This is my experience also

[@carameldare]

Grapeseed oil is phenomenal for eczema too

[@ShannaCarlson525]

Fun fact, jojoba oil is most similar to the oil our skin produces naturally so it makes a great hydrator for dry skin :) #themoreyouknow

[@CyberMercy]

speaking of Grapeseed - will it remove waterproof spf & mascara as a cleansing oil my fave commercial product contains grapeseed but how does it work straightforward up

[@interlocution6619]

Try using your cream as a moisturizing cleanser instead of jsut a moisturizer. Many cold creams are actually designed for cleaning the face, too. In the ancient world before modern soap, people used to clean by applying oil to the body then scraping it off with a shell or other object for similar function.

[@jennarhodes2724]

A great way to test how effective a sunscreen is is to cover something uv sensitive with it and see how much color change you get (in the sun or under a uv light)

[@TheTattooedDogTrainer]

I'n allergic to traditional sunscreens so mineral sunscreens are my only option. I am already Casper pale, so I reflect light with my pasty, zinc covered bod😅

[@ah5721]

So your a vampire 😁

[@TheTattooedDogTrainer]

@@ah5721 I wouldn't say I sparkle, but you could definitely get a nice tan from the rays reflecting off of me😅

[@alexia3552]

I am also a disco ball in summer

[@AgentPedestrian]

I like to call it the only downside to being white. I blind myself with my naked arms in the spring. Too pale. Too reflective.

[@May-qb3vx]

I feel that. I don’t know if I’m “allergic” to most chemical sunscreens, but I do have rosacea and chemical sunscreens will often trigger that in no time at all.

[@crazywoollady9325]

In case anyone is curious about actually using this as a potential sunscreen: you'd need the mix to be at least 20% zinc oxide before it started to offer any significant sun protection

[@vannychee]

It would probably still not provide you with enough SPF (even with 20%) because it's very difficult to disperse Zinc and Titanium in a way that would create an even film of protection. Unfortunately, it's not really possible to make a DIY sunscreen and be sure of its effectiveness.

[@crazywoollady9325]

@@vannychee Yes. Agreed. I was mostly just wanting to make sure that people didn't think a small amount of zinc oxide in a large amount of the mixture was going to protect them from the sun. But you're absolutely right.

[@crazywoollady9325]

In case my original message is confusing, you'd need to put so much zinc into this cream before it started to offer even a small amount of sun protection that it would literally be putting a white paste onto your skin that stayed white. I don't think anyone would actually want to do that. I also think it's important to remember that the sun starts to damage your skin long before you can see or feel any damage, so testing it by putting a cream onto your face and then going out into the sun isn't really a great way to know if (or how much) it's protecting you. I totally see why Abby's mind went there, and it seems like a good idea in theory, but wouldn't actually be a reliable way to know whether or not you're actually getting any sun protection.

[@Alex-ki1yr]

+ + if want thorough breakdown, Lab Muffin Beauty does a great job of saying all the details of why made at home sunscreen doesn't work. Her stiff is great

[@crazywoollady9325]

@@Alex-ki1yr Thanks for the suggestion! Do you happen to remember which video it was? I just had a look at her channel and she has a number of videos about sunscreen. There's tons of videos on her channel I want to watch now (seriously thank you, her stuff looks awesome) but if you remember which one talked about this specifically I can watch it before I forget what I was looking for and get sidetracked by all her other cool videos lol

[@andie_pants]

Suddenly reminded of the Nathan Pyle comic strip with the alien declaring "I too crave the star damage!" 😃

[@demuredandy]

In case it makes a difference, preservative free emulsions are a perfect breeding ground for bacteria and fungi. It may not be a good idea to keep it until the next "are you hot in that" video. It would probably be best to throw it out after a week.

[@BunNiiMelody]

What if you kept it in the frigid?

[@jordynshumpert]

@@BunNiiMelody it would keep for at most 3 weeks, it’s still preservative free and refrigeration only does so much

[@demuredandy]

I would treat the cream like any perishable food product, like yoghurt, or cream. Keeping it in the fridge would definitely slow down the growth of bacteria, but it will still go bad eventually. I would keep it no longer than a week, just to be safe. Since this cream is applied so close to the eyes and mucus membranes, I would err on the side of caution.

[@crazywoollady9325]

@@demuredandy Agreed. I would personally only trust it for 3 days max. While keeping it in the fridge for the whole 3 days. Partly because the mix will go bad and potentially be harmful way before any signs of spoilage (visual or smell wise) happen and partly because it's being applied so close to the eyes, nose, and mouth. I would expect it to last about as long as unfiltered, unpasteurized milk.. which is a lot less time than the milk you buy from the grocery store. A few hours to a few days at most, if kept in the fridge. If kept out of the fridge, I'd toss it within about half an hour of making it and treat it as an apply it once per mixture kind of deal.

[@kme]

I make these things myself and have done for years. Kept in the fridge (and seriously depending on the ingredients used), most of these types of creams should only be used for a max of 2-3 weeks. If it has ingredients that are antibacterial or antifungal already (rose water has some antibacterial properties), you can get away with the upper limit of 3 weeks, but no longer than that. That is why most recipes will call for tiny measurements so it will only last that long, or only within the guidelines of 3-6 months with natural preservatives. You also need to label the jars/containers with the date you made it, and keep an eye on it. If it starts to separate, goes a funny colour, smells odd, etc bin it. Take no chances when it comes to your skin and the products you make for use on it. This applies to the ingredients as well - do not skimp on the quality. Yes some ingredients are expensive, but a little goes a long way. You'll get a lot of products out of that little 5ml bottle of rose/jasmine/other very expensive essence.

[@vannychee]

I loved this video BUT please don't use that Zinc Oxide mixture in the sun. Mixing Zinc Oxide with your 18th-century recipe cream is not a way of making a sunscreen that will provide you with any meaningful sun protection if at all (it may give you a white cast but that's not really indicative of a good sun protection, unfortunately). Yes it's true Zinc Oxide and Titanium Oxide are used to make sunscreens, but it's not so simple. Sunscreens are notoriously difficult to formulate because the particles need to be evenly spread throughout the mixture in order to form a film of protection, and because Zinc Oxide and Titanium Oxide tend to clump up together (as you probably noticed when dealing with the Zinc Oxide powder) it's very difficult to formulate something that makes them evenly spread on the skin. So please, please, please, for the health of your skin don't use that cream in the sun it might not be a good indication of the SPF factor. There is a very interesting blog post made by Michelle from LabMuffin called "Don’t Get Burnt by DIY Sunscreen" (I would provide a link but I'm afraid YT might flag it) she's a chemistry Ph.D. and a great resource about skincare chemistry.

[@ragnkja]

A good use for it would be to keep minor burns and rashes hydrated, since the zinc oxide reduces the risk of infection.

[@rejoyce318]

@@ragnkja Agreed, but I'm lazy, & buy that from CVS. ;)

[@ragnkja]

@@rejoyce318 You mean you don’t like to have to match the temperature of the oily part and the watery part and then carefully add the former to the latter each time you need more moisturiser or zinc cream?

[@rejoyce318]

@@ragnkja LOL Correct!

[@Tazzie1312]

@@ragnkja Yeah, but you can also just buy diaper rash cream LOL

[@hannamadsen]

Guys I think Abby has the regerts

[@AbbyCox]

I was *thisclose* to spelling it regerts on my thumbnail 🤣

[@hannamadsen]

@@AbbyCox 🤣 Ps. Please continue this series!

[@asparagussauce]

One of the tricky things about making mineral sunscreen is getting the particles to be fine enough and to stay in suspension without clumping, because if they’re too large or too fond of each other, even if the distribution seems even enough to feel by hand and see by eye, a loooot of UV can get through between individual molecules, so please be super careful in that intense Texan sun! I apologise if I’m teaching granny to suck eggs, but homemade sunscreens can be dangerous enough for their potentially false sense of security that I thought it better to risk being annoying than leave it unsaid. ❤️

[@whitalleys5893]

I love that cute pupper also appears to have beautiful, glowing, moisturized skin.

[@AbbyCox]

Puppers have a very *expensive* diet #thatdogmom 🤣

[@wwaxwork]

Exposure to UVA and UVB rays darken scar pigmentation, that's one of the reasons doctors will get you to wear sunscreen over scars. I imagine it would work the same with small pox scaring and the sunblocking properties of the zinc oxide would help prevent that from happening.

[@crazywoollady9325]

I've been making similar diy beauty products for years. In case it's helpful to anyone who doesn't have a marble bowl and/or doesn't want to stir this mix by hand... it's possible to accomplish the same effect with a metal or glass bowl and a hand mixer or immersion/stick blender. I prefer an immersion/stick blender personally (edit: I use a whisk attachment too). You can also leave the water out if you want something that will last longer (theoretically forever) without needing preservatives (the water is the reason this mix has a shelf life because the water is the only place nasties can grow, assuming everything is sterilized). The reason for the marble mortar (the bowl part) is because marble draws out the heat slowly, allowing the oils and wax to cool quickly and uniformly. You can achieve the same thing in any bowl though, you just have to watch closer and act quicker with a different bowl material. The electric mixer is a good substitute for the pestle (the wooden stick part) no matter what kind of bowl you use. It just saves your arm and makes the mix come together faster. The only downside is that you have to be faster and watch closer for how and when your mix is cooling. An electric mixer will speed up the process of becoming a cream and the non marble bowl will slow down the process of it becoming a cream. The end result is that it almost instantly goes from liquid to cream. You'll have to mix it for a while still, but it will look like nothing is happening until you suddenly have cream. Anyway, hope that helps someone :) Please feel free to tag me if I need to explain anything better.

[@PabloEmanuel96]

I love this I want to make my own skincare How did you get started? Wich resources would you recommend?

[@crazywoollady9325]

@@PabloEmanuel96 I started experimenting with different things I'd seen on blog posts honestly. In the beginning my aim was to find something, anything, that might actually help my daughter's severe eczema. (Prescription products weren't helping) That eventually led me down a rabbit hole of making my own soaps, shampoo, lotions, chap sticks, deodorant, body butter, etc. This was many years ago (maybe roughly 10 years ago now?) and most of the places I used starting out don't exist anymore. To be fair though, most of the stuff I tried from these blogs didn't actually work and turned out to be a waste of time and money. That's the biggest downside with trying to figure some of this stuff out. A lot of mommy blog type circles have a lot of misinformation online about what actually works and why. I think though, in general, brambleberry (soap making supply company) has really good info about making soap safely as well as a ton of info about what each ingredient does and why (skin benefit, potential spoilage, harmful if used in x quantity, etc type stuff). Any of their info about soap making ingredients can also be applied to general skin care because a lot of the base ingredients are the same. Mountain Rose Herbs (they sell supplements, diy skin care kits for bath bombs and similar, etc) also has a reasonably helpful info section on the base ingredients they sell. I think I've honestly learned more about what to put in skin creams for eczema and dry skin from soap making people though (youtube especially) because soap making people tend to focus more on the safety side of things. Since lye is extremely dangerous if not used properly they kind of have to focus on safety. That carries over into the ingredients they use or don't use too though. Soap Queen is a youtube channel I would recommend. Run by the same people that run the brambleberry website. TL;DR: I've found the most helpful information by looking into specific ingredients.

[@crazywoollady9325]

@@PabloEmanuel96 I'll save you a ton of time too by telling you now that it's not possible to find/make a "natural" deodorant that works as well as typical store bought stuff. I know you're asking about skin care, but just in case that's helpful I thought I'd mention it. Aluminum is the thing that makes store bought stuff work so well. It's also what's potentially harmful and is always left out of diy and "natural" deodorants. Without it it's just not the same. You can masks smells, but not prevent them entirely, if you're only using "natural" ingredients. (I put natural in quotes because that's a whole other conversation lol)

[@lizcademy4809]

@@PabloEmanuel96 My go-to site is SwiftCraftyMonkey. Susan is obsessed with making bath and body products, to the point where she's gone back to school to learn chemistry. She stresses safety and minimally processed ingredients. The one drawback is that the bulk of her site is behind a pay wall ... only $1.00 a month, no minimum, and very, very much worth it f you are interested in this.

[@RevertedRashidah]

@@crazywoollady9325 the natural “deodorant” people will NEVER admit this! It’s not deodorant if it doesn’t stop you from smelling people! It’s a coconut oil and baking soda stick ffs. I used to sell natural body products for a grocery store and the deodorant gets returned and complained about constantly. People don’t want to admit that it’s either use aluminum or you’re gonna smell. And before anyone says “Toms is actually good” or “Native REALLY works” you smell like ass. It doesn’t work.

[@catrinabush1530]

Jojoba oil is actually a wax ester in liquid form. Also it's really close biologically to our own natural oils, which is why the nail community swears by it for nail oil. It's all I've used for years

[@janisi9262]

Yup, I've got my little dropper bottle with nail oil mix right here on my desk!

[@ShannaCarlson525]

lmao I literally had to pause and burst out laughing during your 2020 trauma about smallpox. Just...... It's so true XD

[@lspthrattan]

Lol was waiting for you to finally whip out the ole wire whisk. Much better, isn't it? :D I had fun watching you make this; I make my own kitchen face care stuff all the time--rosewater is one of my favorite things! Your recipe looks good, I might give that a shot. Oh hey, next time you have a batch turn out too thin, try whisking in a little rice flour to thicken it; it's good for your skin, too. Thanks for another great Sunday Morning Coffee video!

[@AbbyCox]

Normally, I would just have thrown it in my kitchen aid, but I wanted to see what happened when I followed the exact instructions...so I busted out the whisk after the face to just see how the aeration could help (eh. I think the extra wax did more to assist, tbh). If you're comfortable with animal product - I would look into seeing if a combination of beef tallow with the jojoba oil would create a better fatty acid mix than just jojoba oil and a bit more wax.

[@ashleejones1690]

Even though I know, it's super nice to see people in their natural **pre-makeup** stage 😭💞

[@xxxholic22]

watching abby reinvent sudocrem, a cream used in the uk for just about everything, especially nappy rash I swear by ponds cold cream and its a lot thicker than that, and you apply it on a cotton wool pad so you don't get too much on your skin, it's also an amazing make up remover

[@ragnkja]

A cream or salve with zinc oxide is perfect on rashes that you’re worried might get infected, since it is antibacterial.

[@xxxholic22]

@@ragnkja its got a burn - sudocrem, chapped lips = sudocrem, spots = sudocrem, not sure i like the look of that = sudocrem, grazes = sudocrem, we really do use it for everything, its this really heavy zinc oxide cream which is amazing for most things

[@ragnkja]

@@xxxholic22 Or on atopic dermatitis, to prevent impetigo.

[@sisuguillam5109]

@@xxxholic22 my mum used to do that after I saw it being mentioned in a british paper.... and then they stopped selling it here in Germany for some reason 😀 .... wait your user name reminds me of someone on ao3...

[@nicolakunz231]

I'm so very tempted to just Bill Nye my way through making the sunscreen, I live in South Africa so yeah an inexpensive Natural sunscreen would be great.

[@hotjanuary]

I advise against it. Beauty lab muffin explains why DIYing your own sunscreen is not a good idea. And remember to wear a large brim hat even with regular sunscreen.

[@Aethelgeat]

The eyebrow blackening is essentially a recipe for common black or iron gall ink, applied one ingredient at a time to the eyebrows. Green vitriol is iron (II) sulfate - an iron salt. That's not as harmful as it sounds, as that is still used today as an additive for treating iron deficiency. The tannic acid from the oak galls - which makes a great mordant for dye - is not something you might want near or in your eyes. The gum arabic simply a binder so it sticks to your hair, but the 'ink ' is soluble enough at first it might permeate your hair like it does on paper or parchment and not wash out. And darken as it oxidizes. To go all etymological, mordant comes from the Latin 'mordere, ' to bite because it helps dye hold on or 'bite' onto fibres, and ink come from Greek 'enkauston' to burn in, as it was acidic and would burn into the parchment and paper, making it difficult to impossible to scrap off. Go ahead, put that on your hair and near your eyes.

[@ragnkja]

I made cold cream in science class when I was 16. Can’t remember what the fatty ingredients were, though. On the other hand, I remember _very_ clearly that we were told to make sure the “water” part and the “oil” part were the same temperature, and to add the oil to the water, not the other way around.

[@tiffanymaurer3370]

You are hilarious! I love your personality! I found you today and I'm here to stay. I love your content!

[@quelarte]

THANK YOU SO MUCH for shearing this amazing book. I already want an 18th century herb bath! And your books are on my wishlist to my fashion books. I'm starting to adapt details of 18th century clothing to my modern creations. Finding your channel changed my life!

[@ElizaBeth-ng3pu]

You are seriously one of my favorite KZbin personalities. You remind me so much of my theater kid background and the wonderful people that I knew. You are just a delight. You are smart and you are funny and you are silly. You make my world a better place.

[@IruninmySleep]

Hi Abby! I truly enjoyed watching your video. There was 1 thing that stood out to me though: the Toilet de Flora said that you could also add saffron to the salve/cream. I browsed your comments to see if anyone commented on it and, when I found that nobody did, decided to delve into the matter. I have a love for late medieval/early modern texts (pre-1700), and several of these include the use of saffron for medicinal purposes (aside from its general colour-adding purpose in contemporary foodstuffs). Overall, they seem to agree that saffron (or subspecies of it) was helpful against at least warts (possibly carbunculus) and possibly also helped to prevent infection. The latter one was sort of my interpretation, since the texts says that you could add saffron to the glair of an egg to put on the eyelid after removing (presumable ingrown) hairs. When relating this to the smallpox note from the recipe, it could well be that saffron was added to the mixture to reduce inflammation and/or formation of warts and such. I'm very interested to see if anyone else has any additional information on this use! All best, Cindy

[@Reticulating-Splines]

Looks like we're on the same wave this week Abby. Currently watching this making a contemporary equivalent, whipped Shealoe butter!

[@kellimbt]

I see your Mythologie candle back there. : ) They're incredible!

[@TheMetatronGirl]

You are so beautiful! Your attention to skin care really shows...you look better without makeup than I do with it! I LOVE vintage skin care and making cosmetics at home, so this video is right up my alley. Your 18th century rouge is one of my all time favorites. I’m definitely going to check out Tula. That plumping moisturizer sounds fantastic and is precisely what I’ve been looking for as I’m getting to the age where plumping is needed! Really great video...those extra camera angles were primo. Be well, and much love to you and yours.

[@NightKitchenQueen]

Loved your ending comments about the rosewater. Puts me in mind of something Paul Hollywood of The Great British Baking Show said to a baker when they'd added too much rosewater to a cake, "Reminds me of grandma's knickers drawer." Anyhoo, you are a gem, and I so enjoy your vids!

[@mvega6]

Awesome video Abby! Learned so so much... but at the same time never laughed out loud so much with your editing too 🤣🤣🤣

[@TheAgeofFabulous]

Yay for watching Abby after going through Texas storms...and no power. SOOOOOOOOO needed! You’re braver than me because I’m PROTECTIVE of my skincare routine - there is a reason I look 35 at 42. My skin, at one point, was part of my livelihood because I was an Instagram influencer *SHOCK FACE*. And I had a sponsorship with Tula and LOVED their products. So I totally love that you’re working with them too!!!

[@AbbyCox]

I am a skincare nut as well, but I also love experimenting with stuff lol so I figure a bunch of almond oil and rosewater will be just fine. I used to use my 18th century hair pomatum as a skin moisturizer when I was pomading and powdering my hair regularly and was traveling...that stuff was amazing for my face lol. Also, yeah TULA is *incredible* gosh. I'm so glad I got to work with them, and now all i want to do is buy more and more product. lol

[@RevertedRashidah]

Maybe go back and watch the last video you posted. You looked older than 42 two years ago! I’m glad you’re ok in the storm but come on.

[@qwispery]

@@RevertedRashidah That was kinda rude. I think she looks just fine. I'm a terrible judge of age, but her skin looks good to me.

[@rd6203]

@@RevertedRashidah The only guess that I have as to your opinion is that you're one of those people who think everyone over the age of puberty is old. Whatever the case and whatever your age, there was NO WAY that you didn't realize that saying that would be cruel and for zero good reason.

[@TheAgeofFabulous]

@@RevertedRashidah Where were you raised? Because it wasn’t where there was class and kindness. FYI last time someone bullied me it was in middle school. He was eaten by a great white shark. Karma is fun. (That’s a true story.)

[@MsThiffany]

I need more of this!!!!

[@damarisrempel9147]

Zinc is a healing agent. Diaper rash creams often have zinc in it

[@PurelyCoincidental]

Thanks, I was wondering why this sort of thing hadn't been mentioned anywhere else. Zinc oxide is also in many first-aid ointments. Probably very helpful if you're recovering from smallpox. I have a medical deficiency in zinc that I only discovered a couple years ago. I add zinc oxide to many of my lotions, in addition to taking a small supplement, and it's amazing the improvement I've had in my skin. "Thankfully" I'm terribly pale, so no one notices the white cast. :/

[@damarisrempel9147]

@@PurelyCoincidental so glad you found help🙂👍 To here are so many mineral deficiencies that adversely affect our bodies. So much information it's hard to tell what is important that one isn't.

[@MaridithSmith]

This looks like such a fun experiment

[@emmadavey3892]

Love your work!

[@Signor1pc]

Very nice upload! Thank you for sharing!

[@TheCoutureCourtesan]

That was absolutely delightful 😂 I’ve actually never gone through Toilet of Flora before but now I will!

[@elisa.llew-send]

So pleased to see the sleeves at the underside of your forearms wet - I’ve never been able to wash my face at the sink without getting water EVERYWHERE! So this is reassuring. :)

[@lily_white]

There are no preservatives in these. I'd recommend to keep them in the fridge for no more than a week or two and use a little spoon instead of dipping your fingers into them to keep the bacteria down.

[@paleylewis7440]

So cool! I have been using a whipped shea butter + neem oil cream for several years now. You'd think it would be too heavy, but fresh out of the shower on wet warm skin it's perfect! My scars and discoloration look so much better and its nice to have simple natural ingredients.

[@rosemary709]

Zinc oxide is actually antibacterial, it is used to treat skin conditions, such as acne, atopic dermatitis, etc. Using it to help cure smallpox bumps makes a lot of sense.

[@kathryncoelho2249]

This was so much fun!! 🤣😂🤣!! I love “experiments”!

[@melimsah]

Omg I definitely want to see a video testing that sunscreen vs various modern sunscreens (and perhaps other era sunscreen recipes???) and just see how they compare.

[@joyruppert4710]

It probably won't work well. Here is someone with a PHD in chemistry explaining why: kzbin.info/www/bejne/l4WxlJWCfb-oqcU

[@liltricky27]

I loved this video so much ❤️❤️❤️

[@lynnesmith6827]

Abby, your skin care protocol is definitely working for you! You have a beautiful face to start with but your complexion is flawless looking without makeup which not many women can say! 😍

[@littlemissdressmaker]

Thank you for this video. I study for my masters degree in pharmaceutical science at the moment and this was the most delightful combination of my love for pharmaceutical formulation and production and my love for historical sewing

[@MsPiinkFllamingo]

Love your videos!!!! ❤️❤️

[@cherrylee1103]

i have been making my own beauty products for years. i am adding the sunscreen version to my rotation.

[@laurensternenberg7635]

I tried this recipe today and I’m impressed. I ended up with a nice thick white (greasy) cream. I used the apothecary drahm (3.8 grams) instead of the avoirdupois drahm (1.7 grams) because I wanted a thicker product. I used coconut oil instead of jojoba because it is solid at room temp. I mixed it with a battery operated coffee milk frother and it emulsified beautifully. I don’t know what kind of a sunscreen value it has, but it is a very nice moisturizer. Thanks for the recipe.

[@ukallii]

Abby: "we have a little winter storm coming in over the mountains today." Me, from Texas: oh, cool, just a little storm, that's awesome.............oh, you still have power and heating and water? That's so cool. Not jelly at all, hun.

[@AbbyCox]

oof. Storms in the mountains are normal and they rarely make it over the Sierras, so the storm I was watching was just sitting on the mountains and doing its thing. Which is a good thing for us. That means there's water in the summer. I hope that you are doing alright in Texas ❤

[@JLRiason]

Still no power or water in Texas?! Sending you good thought from Canada. Feel your pain. Spring is coming! Hang in there.

[@ukallii]

@@JLRiason most of us just got power back yesterday. my house got power back on Saturday, finally. My whole neighborhood was completely without power for four days - no rolling blackout, just complete blackout. And before that, their idea of rolling blackout was four hours off, 30 seconds on. It was a nightmare.

[@Butterflier00]

love the sweater

[@OzDrysdale]

My grandma used cold cream... (maybe that relates to the smell..). I never found the commercial stuff good for my skin. Rosewater is great, especially the good quality ones. So far I have found shea butter very good with my skin. Lots of things to experiment with.... thanks for the inspo xx *waves with smallpox-vaxed-scarred arm from Australia*

[@arifal-yousif]

Drams are actually still used up here in Scotland for serving whisky! It's set at 35ml by the Scottish Licensing Board, though that may not be the historical value for the measure. I know from trying to follow the great Jerry Thomas' mid-19th century cocktail recipes that that doesn't quite work but the joy of trying these things out is that we get to learn what works and doesn't in our recreations! I also kinda love how much of a hands-off approach 18th century recipes are, reminds me of my Bahraini grandmother's recipes where all of the "cups" for measurement was a specific glass that she'd used for decades to measure with so I had to do a bit of work in converting to other units so I could actually follow her instructions and pass the flavours and aromas down to the next generation!

[@sew_i_did5257]

I watched this video after watching the video on makeup, and the oil content in these makes sense with the fact that the makeup required oil to activate the colors. So cool!

[@calicolyon]

I totally know what you mean about looking after your skin! I'm a rep for a skin care line and I love not looking my age!!

[@SD-qu8vp]

...this is a good snot consistency...perfect advertising 🤣🤣🤣

[@monicamcintosh1515]

Once she said it, I couldn't un-see it! 🤢 Totally gag-inducing 😂

[@crazywoollady9325]

I haven't watched this video all the way through yet, but a (not historically accurate probably) sub for the whole jojoba oil and wax thing, plus lowering the greasy feel, would be shea butter. In case anyone wants to try this at home who doesn't care about the historical accuracy part and does want something that feels good on their skin :) Shea butter absorbs into the skin quickly so whenever you add it to mixes like this it always makes it feel less greasy on the skin.

[@lucie4185]

I thought coconut oil. That's solid at room temperature but liquid on skin.

[@confusedwhale]

The substitute suggested was jojoba ester, which is hydrogenated jojoba oil. (Though, I don't know which of the kinds of esters is preferred. I'd guess the 20 would be fine.) So, it can have the texture similar to Shea butter.

[@confusedwhale]

@@lucie4185: Coconut oil is really comedogenic; so, you should avoid direct contact with your skin. It's great for hair though, but avoid putting it on your scalp unless you like acne there.

[@crazywoollady9325]

@@confusedwhale The biggest downside there is that you're then putting hydrogenated oil on your skin. I personally wouldn't want to do that. Hydrogenation often includes nickel and/or other harmful substances that I wouldn't want on my skin. Obviously it's a personal choice though.

[@crazywoollady9325]

@@lucie4185 Coconut oil would still feel greasy on your skin until it's done absorbing though, so wouldn't solve the issue of feeling greasy. The reason shea butter works well is because it absorbs quickly, meaning it doesn't sit on the skin continuing to feel greasy for as long. Any oil that's put on human skin will feel greasy for however long it takes to be fully absorbed. This takes different lengths of time for different oils, but adding shea butter speeds up the process a little bit for every oil you'd put on your skin. Coconut oil might help with making for a firmer mixture at room temperature though, if that was the goal. Lots of people have also had issues with allergic reactions and/or clogged pores because of coconut oil. That's a whole other conversation about different oils and their chemical makeup, but knowing it might be an issue for some people is the important part I think.

[@rickshaw1971]

Have made this often with just beeswax, almond or olive oil, and rosewater, with extremely half-arsed measuring, very small quantities, and mixing it all in the jar I'll use it from with a combination of stirring with a fork and vigorous shaking. Never had a batch fail yet.

[@JasminMiettunen]

What do you use it for? Is it just a moisturiser? Cold cream confuses me 😅

[@AlishaHerbiederbie]

This is the most I have been excited about non-spermaceti cold cream in a hot minute.

[@annbrookens945]

Abby, the more I watch you, the more I love you.

[@claram5482]

I see Karolina's merch hoodie... I love when my favourite youtubers show love to each other

[@saratoninASMRtist]

I love this, I’m thinking you probably just used more than you’re supposed to 😅 I tried making my own face cream a couple months ago and it went about as well as this did

[@emilyhuffman7815]

Grapeseed and sesame are my favorite skin oils, they absorb so nicely. And I would sub tallow for the jojoba oil cause it's frickin awesome (and as a hard oil would give a firmer consistency). I don't like emulsions for the aforementioned spoilage so I just spritz my face then apply oil while still damp

[@januzzell8631]

Um ... I was a teensy bit worried that you were quite pink after the initial moisturiser test (wasn't sure if it was the 'stuff' or the vigorous rubbing off) but then you used the sunscreen one and ... um ... it was lovely and pale .... so good?

[@laurens7731]

Most people, (especially us pale faced babes like myself) do tend to look flushed after rubbing their face as you're irritating and stimulating blood flow, but it goes away after a minute or 2. I wouldn't say the redness here is abnormal, just the expected after rubbing cream into ya face 😊

[@robinhahnsopran]

I am HERE for any and all 18th century experiments. I literally made popcorn to go with my tea for breakfast to watch this. :D

[@rd6203]

CHEESY POPCORN and coffee! Whee! High five!

[@93midnightsunrise]

Lol, I have both the smallpox vaccine and the BCG (tuberculosis) vaccine. I feel so special!

[@StephanieRubletz]

I've made my own sunscreen with a similar recipe and it works great. 😁

[@Larissa-le7dk]

Love your vlogs

[@delphinidin]

zinc is actually really good for your skin in general. I take a zinc supplement to help prevent breakouts, and it's in a lot of acne creams!

[@kitkat1995032]

Huge fan of knowing how people made these things in the past, but I've got to say the arrival of petrolatum gel in the late 19th century really did wonders for cosmetics and skincare. You don't have to use oils/waxes that you might have a reaction to, as petrolatum is very well tolerated! Thanks for the informative video :)

[@ah5721]

Petroleum is toxic

[@kitkat1995032]

@@ah5721 good thing petroleum isn’t the same thing as petrolatum!

[@barbararuden7848]

I make a version of this moisturizer but use my kitchen aid mixer verses the morter and pestel to get a thicker cold cream consistency. Less rosewater helps with this.

[@elizabethclaiborne6461]

I love zinc sunscreen, on really pale people it’s an excellent cosmetic as well as sun screen. Even out white skin for that 18th century look, no lead or arsenic needed.

[@beagleissleeping5359]

This video sounds a lot like a Townsends cooking video. Drams and pestles and pipkins. (They don't sell a dram measuring cup. I checked)😉💕

[@nicolakunz231]

My gran always used Cold Cream as a cleanser, it worked great!

[@Southphxgal2023]

I suggest you could add a light cocoa powder to tint your lotion and it might look a little better. You can also add rose clay or green clay for cover other imperfections on your face. Maybe some lavender essential oil too.

[@hajeansonne]

Jojoba oil may not seem waxy but it behaves more like a wax than an oil on a molecular level so I guess that's why its suggested

[@AbbyCox]

I was chatting with Chrissy about it and I just did a quick google - it's probably because of the amount of oleic acid in it, but definitely needs to be combined with something else to work on getting similar fatty acid content...

[@parasemear2686]

@@AbbyCox after some research I found about babassu oil as one of most similar to spermacetti as it is also a Wax ester with high content of Cetyl palmitate. Babassu is a type of palm

[@canucknancy4257]

All I could think of was how cool we all were in the 1980s with our coloured zinc sunscreens. Neon shades were our friends! Thanks for sharing your experiment.

[@sierraroseprzybyla3333]

Jojoba and Sweet Almond are actually great for your skin... they’re both noncomedogenic (they won’t clog your pores) and do wonders to help stay moisturized. I tap some of either over top of my moisturizer morning and night and they really help my moisturizer do it’s thing :)

[@CarmenShenk]

You are so much fun! Zinc oxide does work very well to form a physical barrier on the skin which is called sunblock. The weakness of the stuff is that it is subject to removal by water, rain, or sweat and so may need to be reapplied. However, it does work. Honestly, the easiest way I have found to apply the stuff is with a mineral makeup brush such as a kabuki, and that’s a pretty cool thing if music festivals ever become a thing again. I’m a pale skinned person, so it’s either something like this or extremely painful sunburn in no time at all. Grr. And as long as you are using the non-nano version, it’s considered non-toxic. Adding zinc oxide to a cream, balm or salve doesn’t equal sunscreen, sunscreen is the chemical alternative to sunblock and works chemically instead of blocking the sun physically... which is a picky point to make, except that sunscreens are often quite toxic whereas sunblocks based on zinc oxide can be quite safe. What fries my fritters is that toxic chemical sunscreens are often used in baby products, and marketed to good mamas to marinate their kids in, plus... there’s that whole thing of the damage those chemicals have done to the coral reefs. So DO use a homemade sunblock created with zinc oxide, and do use it dry with a makeup brush or make a cream, or balm and use it. It’s “good for you” or at least better than the toxic stuff in chemical sunscreen, and that’s a win. Also, thank you for your willingness to take one for the team. Greasy homemade potions are no joke... especially when my favorite glasses started to slide off my face and... well... catching them with greasy fingers wasn’t all that helpful... yeah. 💕

[@breannadyck3415]

Glad to see someone has the same thought process regarding smallpox vaccines as i do! 😂

[@AbbyCox]

Sometimes I just embrace my Elder Millennial Trauma and let it bubble to the surface... 😂

[@tiredoftrolls2629]

@@AbbyCox I am 56 and my scar was obvious for decades but seems to have disappeared in the last few years. Along with moles I have had all my life!

[@lajoyous1568]

I remember as a kid realizing that my whole family had a matching scar on their arm...every one but me. 🤔 I'm the youngest. I love the look of the sunscreen, but how long does it stay greasy/smudgey?

[@ingridellis8237]

I remember getting the small pox vaccination because the the repeated picking with the little prongs was so irritating , but I never had a scar.

[@Downhomeherbwife]

I am old enough to have had one, with a pinchy gun rather than needle injection at school at age 7.

[@lisaowen6103]

My grandma had a hint of that Pall Mall aroma🚬 along with Vicks nasal sticks. She was also fond of cussing. She was fantastic !!! 😀ha ha

[@saritshull3909]

I really loved this. btw Tula means quiet in a few South African languages.

[@thetimetravellingwitch2615]

Cool I used a very similar recipe to make a Natural suncreen thing... Last summer - because I am sensitive to sunburn but also my skin gets irritated by normal sunscreen... And well this homemade stuff works great for me😂 used it as my skin care ever since 😻 a little Tip: the powder you use in your hair in 18th c Beauty also works great to get rid of the to much shine on the face😉

[@dragontearsoflove]

Don't forget your neck! Love the experimenting. I think the sunscreen smoothed your skin out.

[@emilyflowers1105]

I've made a homemade sunscreen with nearly these ratios. (I think I was using shea butter in there and olive oil, any-whoo). Yes, it absolutely will work as a sunscreen, results will partly depend on how much you apply tho. So it becomes this question of how oily and white-cast you want to look.

[@studious_nonchalance]

Your face is lovely no matter what's on it!

[@macmama6836]

My Great Grandmother came to the US from Norway in the 1870"s. She told my Mom that the girls (teenagers) used their own first morning pee on their faces. It was a practice Greatgram tried to get my Grandma to do. My Grandma refused and would gag when asked to talk about it. I asked her to tell me about it when she was in her 80"s and she still gaged! But she did say women from Norway had the best skin.

[@parasemear2686]

Well pee has urea which soften skin, pee was also used to whitening clothes and.. teeth.. soo..

[@macmama6836]

Yucky

[@megsmith6758]

16:52 The little tail and head 🥰

[@themorela32]

I would like to make the last version and try it on the chicken pox scars on my arm and see how it works

[@RubyofTrinity]

I have severe allergies to All Teh Things and the zinc skin cream and almond oil moisturizer are what I've been using 24/7 for the last few years. The zinc sunscreen has a rather low spf (15 or so?) but it's better than nothing and good for just day-to-day. Per the moisturizer, I sub out rose for lavender water 'cause I'm not really into rose fragrance. I also add a tiny bit of tea tree to keep the zits in check. (PS: I think it's pronounced "ho-ho-ba".)

[@nicoledeloncrais5940]

Welcome to my world 🙂 Ha ha ha 🤣 I do this stuff.. make mistakes all the time!!! Thank you for your honesty and integrity. Love you Abby 😍🙏

[@LouAnne26]

It's cold cream meant to be applied liberally and then excess wiped away. Similar in concept as co-washing your hair. Conditioning/moisturizing and cleansing at the same time.