Following a Victorian Home Made Hair Care Routine (1889)

Sources:
Washing the hair: p. 160
Dyeing the hair: p. 158 - 159
Curling fluid: p. 157
Hair "spray": p. 178

Title animation by Dani Banner
@danbanstudio

Production:
*All linked equipment are affiliate links.

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Music:
'Siren's Dance', Etienne Roussel
'The Wind is Changing', Howard Harper-Barnes
'English Country Garden', Aaron Kenny, YouTube Audio Library
'I Have a Plan, Mr Norton', Arthur Benson
'Whimsically Wonderful', Arthur Benson
'Painting the World', Raymond Grouse
'Art Culinaire', Raymond Grouse
'In the Wizards Home', John Abbot
Hold music, Monzo Bank
'They Vanished', Jon Bjōrk
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
'What Happens in the Park', Claude Signet
'Balm (Scaled Down Version', Peter Sandberg
'Miika's Journey', Lama House
'Simple Pleasantries', Arthur Benson

Chapters:
0:00 - Introduction
1:07 - A Fluid to Curl the Hair
5:29 - A Message From Our Sponsor
6:40 - One Week Later
8:51 - To Keep the Hair in Curl
11:49 - A Dark Dye
16:06 - Washing the Hair
18:39 - Dyeing the Hair
21:05 - Curling the Hair
23:36 - Dressing the Hair
26:38 - In Conclusion

[bernadettebanner]

On the subject of safety: while the intent of this experiment was to test the making and application of these recipes within the context of the average at-home Victorian, all recipes were assessed and approved by 21st century chemists before filming to ensure that no harm would be done when using these ingredients in a casual, non-laboratory setting, as would have been done in the 19th century. The steps which did require additional safety precautions were performed out the window and/or with respiratory protection. As stated in the video, please conduct thorough research before attempting any historical recipe. This video is intended for educational and entertainment purposes, and is not a tutorial.

[jamiedianne]

“Gee, Marge, what are those funny smells coming from The neighbor’s flat?”
“She’s a Victorian, Harold”

[katkitty]

Bernadette: Here is my authentic victorian measuring tools, my mortar and pestle, and my miniature hammered brass cauldron.
Also Bernadette: I do not own a corkscrew.

[Mothandflameprinting]

Has a pipkin and Victorian measuring items, but doesn’t own a corkscrew or a funnel. I’m absolutely here for it.

[royce]

The sass of the author on hair dye was incredible. I love that they all but say “it’s immoral to dye hair” but they still include it in the book

[averageviseulenjoyer]

is nobody gonna mention how the historical content youtubers are all in a group chat im crying

[Gaarasimoto]

Your friends are just like “yup she’s drunk” and offer no usable help just giggles

[WayToVibe]

There should be a Victorian version of '5-Min Craft' called 'Two Hours, Two Days, Two Weeks: Crafts, the Victorian Way' and every week features a different costuber whose craft has to fit into those time frames just like Bernadette's potions.

[alexoneil]

I looked up the book you got most of the recipes from and saw "oh, it has a section on diet for invalids. Well, I count as one often, let's see what it says" and not only does it have quite good advice, but the care and gentleness and desire for the person who is not well to get better is so apparent in the text, it honestly made me tear up a bit because I know with my disabilities my family has frequently expressed frustration with having to make me food or do things like laundry for me.
"Another point to be borne in mind is that the food should suit the invalid's taste, be tempting in appearance, and daintily served.
Soiled or crumpled napkins should never be placed on the invalid's waiter, and the prettiest china should not be regarded as too good to hold the sufferer's food and drink."
this feels so soft and nurturing and compassionate. It makes my heart happy, while also hurting, because it's very sweet and I wish I could be treated with such care.

[LilithFury]

Victorian women were straight up chemists. They deserve a lot more recognition.

[melimsah]

Ah yes, potions class with Professor Banner. I am so here for this!

[ThisEnchantedHouse]

Oh wow, I actually know something about Victorian beauty that Bernadette Banner didn't! So, rosemary spirit is alcohol infused with rosemary. It's actually very simple to make: Just put a couple springs of rosemary in a neutral alcohol let set for a week or so. Likewise, a lot of the oils mentioned would have been infused oils---ie oils where the herbs/flowers were put in the oil and let to sit and absorb the essences. As opposed to essential oils which are made using a distilling process and are super concentrated and very expensive. In the 1890's those oils would primarily be available to perfume makers who would combine them with neutral bases. If you want to use essential oils in recipes like this, you need to dilute them first in neutral carrier oil like almond or coconut or even olive oil. The scent will then be much less overwhelming. Really enjoyed this video! Looking forward to the next one!

[MadGabLunatic]

My roommate is a chemical engineer. The face he made at some of these ingredient lists was frankly hilarious

[KTCC]

This makes me think of a scenario where a jaded husband claims his wife was a witch for making “potions” when really she was just making hair products.

[blondeviolet]

Drunk History with Bernadette Banner. Different type of history, different type of booze, still makes for excellent content.

[bigchungus]

So my great grandma is 99 years young and she just keeps everything, she's a hoarder, but an organized one. Her mom was the same and so was her grandmother. And it's definitely shocking anytime i go in her basement and find more of her grandmother's wardrobe and beauty products from the 1800's just kinda there

[thetaaaa]

I'm reminded of Oscar Wilde when I think of questionable Victorian hair care. His trademark floppy curled dark brown hair was, unsurprisingly, not natural, and his sister-in-law described his natural hair as "not of very good natural quality or quantity, of indistinctive brown colour, rather straight and lank."

Also, he began to grey early, something which he was very self conscious about, and which was made obvious during his time in prison when he didn't have access to hair products.

All of this meant that available hair dyes were neither strong enough nor easily available enough for his tastes. You may also know of Wilde's trademark large fur coat, which would have been heavily dyed to give it a richer and more uniform colour. It is widely believed that Wilde used fur dyes, which were deemed harmful for human use even then, to dye his hair.

On several occasions Wilde is quoted as having complained about an unexplainable rash which he didn't know the source of. Many 20'th century historians attributed this to syphilis, due to Wilde's reputation for homosexuality and promiscuity. Oscar Wilde did not have syphilis, this is something we now know. So the only reasonable explanation is that this man was using dangerous fur dyes to keep his hair pretty, and honestly I think that's kind of iconic.

If you can't tell I think too much about Oscar Wilde

Edit:
While coming back to this comment after another year of Wilde fixation and research, I noticed a couple inaccuracies in my original comment.
-I said that Oscar Wilde did not have syphilis. This is inaccurate. Although it is almost certainly not what killed him (he is believed to have died of meningitis, although it's possible syphilis may have exacerbated the problem) we have no concrete proof that he didn't have it. Wilde is known to have slept with many prostitutes throughout his life, both male and female, and it's perfectly possible that he may have had syphilis. However, the rash he experienced does not align with symptoms of syphilis
-The ingredient in question was PPD, or para-phenylenediamine. This was used commonly for both hair and fur dying in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, although it was known to cause health problems when used on humans. Although does still appear in certain hair dyed, PPD is now a regulated substance.

[NickIsMe]

Bernadette: "That burns."
Me, a Chemistry major whose olfactory system has been thoroughly desensitized by the smell of ammonia: Ah, the good old days.

[eddiedanrith]

"These are not in fact safety glasses." They protect you from the dangers of not looking super rad!

[Rachel-fisc]

A note from a person with sensory processing / hearing issues:
Your subtitles are the best! [inquisitive music] [concerned stirring] Thank you for putting in the extra effort. It is so appreciated.