In traditional notions a beautiful woman is the one who knows how to accentuate her natural givens and conceal her flaws. And it is rightfully believed that natural beauty has the highest value. Our great grandmothers hardly discussed such issues but for sure, they did have some cosmetic tips to use. According to the rules of proper conduct in the patriarchal community, beautifying efforts ought to remain largely unnoticed. However, similar to singing, cooking, weaving and other mostly feminine skills the secrets how to counter aging through make-up were passed down from mother to daughter.

“Did you know, sweetheart, what present is best for a young girl? For her white face – make-up, for her dark brows – eye-black, for her thin lips – lipstick.” This is a fragment from a Thracian folk song and similar lyrics are found in songs from other regions too. Some of them mention “Turkish lipstick” – a widespread, oriental cosmetic option to underline the lips. In some statistics, an average man eats about 6 kilos of lipstick throughout his lifetime. In this regard, Bulgarians of olden times were protected from the negative side effects of lipstick ingredients given that women used natural colorants exclusively, like for example cherries. In the spring and early summer girls who consumed more cherries were sure to keep a darker, fruity color of their lips. Those who preferred a brown shade had to use green walnuts. Well, this colorant was used to moderation, because the high iodine content of walnuts might damage lips.

The make-up that folk songs mention was some sort of face powder used by girls and women to achieve a smoother and lighter face complexion. During hot summers, girls and women used to cover their heads with kerchiefs as they tried to protect their faces from sunrays and tanning. Dark skin was a sign of a different ethnicity, and the traditional ideal of feminine beauty invariably included a white face. In folklore cosmetic recipes, various plants were used to beautify the face. Even today, lemon is known as one of the universal means for improving the facial complexion. Lemon juice as a facial lotion was applied in a combination with various herbal infusions. It could produce very good results as a way to remove facial dark spots and blemishes. One effective remedy in such cases was also a parsley infusion applied as a compress. The face would benefit if washed with rainwater in which parsley has been infused. Bulgaria’s greatest herbalist of all time Petar Dimkov recommended fresh parsley juice for the same purpose, or alternatively, an infusion of young dandelion blossoms.

In folklore medicine, honey diluted with water is strongly recommended as a facial mask. In this recipe water can be replaced with raw milk. In regions where the oil-yielding rose grows, the use of rosewater for cosmetic purposes was widespread. The simplest method for rosewater treatment is still popular today. Several drops of olive oil or an essential oil are rubbed into the cleaned face, and then rosewater is applied as well.
It could be that with the emergence of the first pharmacological specialists in Bulgaria various homemade ointments based on strict recipes, became quite popular. One of them is a facial cream made of white wax, almond oil and rosewater. A whitening cream was often made at home using cucumber and olive oil. However, it was rather hard to achieve a smooth texture of those creams, so women often ordered them to experienced herbalists. Natural gifts and recipes are still widespread for use at home to deal with skin problems and imperfections. Some popular remedies include extracts from tutsan and marigold. In a recipe recommended by Petar Dimkov, 50 g of extra virgin olive oil is added to 10 g of marigold and the mixture is kept in a cool place for a weak and is then filtered. A similar recipe in the Rhodope Mountains advises the use of lard instead of olive oil. In that part of Bulgaria women apply a wonder ointment made of a special resin collected at a fixed time of the year.

Fuller’s earth is a great remedy in folk medicine. It cleanses the skin, strengthens the hair, removes dandruff and is used for compresses. Our grandmothers were aware of various natural remedies for a brilliant hair that was a key point of feminine beauty. An infusion of oak bark was ideal to deal with greasy hear. Dry hair was treated with a mask made of either pounded olives or lard, egg yoke and grape brandy. There are all-natural ways for keeping hair color brilliant. The best to apply to blond hair is an infusion of sunflower, straw or chamomile. Chestnut hair was washed with an infusion of green walnuts. Nettle was believed to protect the hair from graying. Nettle infusion was applied but protection included frequent consumption of nettle dishes too. Rainwater was quite popular for hair washing. Those in the know recommend adding a little bit of honey to all preparations for both face and hair treatments. However, natural beauty is also strongly depended on other than cosmetic factors including a moderate schedule of work, a head free of dark thoughts, a diet that complies with traditional fasting plans, and getting enough sleep. It is so, the saying goes, because evil first shows on the face and sleep is sweeter than honey.

English Daniela Konstantinova