Happy September! The last heat wave is well and truly behind us, blown away by a crisp autumnal wind and the sun goes down sooner in favour of candle-lit evenings. To welcome the new season, I’d like to share this section from an Edwardian beauty book with you. It’s a paragraph from Health and Beauty Hints by Margaret Mixter; a book filled to the brim with beautifying practices, recipes and exercises for the fashionable 1910s lady. This excerpt comes from the chapter on clearing the skin, and is perfect for the upcoming months. Please take it with a grain of salt :)
Brisk Walk in Rain Clears the Skin
Walking in the rain, for persons who are not susceptible to cold, is an excellent tonic for the complexion, but one that must be prepared for in order to get the most benefit.
For instance, when taking such a tramp the clothing must be warm, the skirts of a length not to drag wetness about the ankles, for nothing will give cold more quickly than the constant slopping of wet garments about the feet.
The ideal walking costume for wet weather consists of a thick and warm, but not heavy, short skirt. The length need not be so abbreviated as to be conspicuous in city streets, and a blouse of thin French flannel and a short jacket are best for the upper portion of the body. A jacket is far better for walking than a long coat, as the latter is apt to drag or pull when the wearer is exercising, and a short garment gives freedom of movement.
A soft felt hat of a color to match the suit should be trimmed with one or more wings and a band of soft silk. Water, unless floods descend, will not hurt it, and thus the carrying of an umbrella is obviated.
No boots are as serviceable as those that are a trifle higher than regulation. These walking boots come about half way to the knee, are thick soled, lace, and will protect ankles and calves from dampness. It is an unfortunate fact that any skirt longer than knee length becomes damp about the bottom, as it is rubbed by the heels during walking.
Bloomers of silk are to be preferred to petticoats for this particular costume.
Clad in such a fashion the risk of dampness or chill penetrating to the skin is almost impossible. One may be in a drenching rain and come forth unscathed, for should the jacket be wet through the shoulders the latter are still protected by the flannel blouse.
But to derive benefit it is essential that the exercise shall be rapid. Just ten minutes’ brisk walking in a steady down-pour will make the blood circulate with vigor and put the pedestrian into a delightful glow. However, it is absolutely imperative to keep moving rapidly as long as one is out of doors, and the length of time one walks in the rain must be regulated by individual strength, as well as by inclination.
One who has not been accustomed to walking is apt to be tired in fifteen minutes, and care should be taken not to get so far away from home as to delay in returning. To become overtired is too often the means of contracting cold, nor must it be thought that to go home in motor or trolley will be healthful. Constant motion of the muscles is the only thing that will prevent cold.
On going into the house damp garments must be removed immediately, and if there is the least suspicion of moisture on the feet stockings as well as shoes should be changed. Different petticoats and, of course, another dress must be donned.
I wish girls who have not tried this rainy-day treatment would give it a fair test, for I am sure they would enjoy it and would be benefitted, if only they would take the precaution not to contract cold.
– Health and Beauty Hints, Margaret Mixter, New York 1910, Cupples & Leon Company
I love this!! Reminds me of J.P. Müller’s “My System for Ladies”. Highly recommended if you want to check out some early 20th century women’s workout & physical health tips ;)