What Lovely Locks You Have

[rikibeth]

In the course of discussing our beloved navyboys, donnaimmaculata and I were deriving amusement from how... well-groomed the lads appeared, despite long months on a ship without apparent access to grooming products. Here's the relevant bit of the conversation:

rikibeth Horatio? Hair care? Horatio's hair gets all stiff with salt and Archie is the only one gentle enough

Comments

[eglantine_br]

I always imagined that Edrington smelled complicated. I kind of assumed that everyone else smelled of sweat.

There is footage of Ioan using a period razor. I wonder if he had ever tried one before. Big jump from an electric...

The pomade receipts sound pretty horrifying. But on second thought, actual soap is made with lard too. This is like soap without the lye step added.

I know just what you mean about hair that has been at the beach all summer. Mine is not curly-- but it was like straw, (color, and texture,) by summers end.

[rikibeth]

I've used the vintage safety razors, but I need someone to sharpen the straight razor I've acquired before I give it a go. I'm no hand with a sharpening stone,or I'd try it myself, and although I asked at the old-fashioned barbershop in town, they said they were very dissatisfied with their sharpening service and were trying to find another one. It's of a far later period than our boys' - I'm pretty sure the handle is bakelite - but it makes a great prop, though.

I've taken the liberty of assuming they could at least afford to keep a bar of castile soap about them. Easily had, at Whole Foods or the like, and there's also Savon de Marseilles, which is a VERY old recipe. Both of those are olive oil based, not animal fat, of course.

I've made suet puddings with real suet, so I'm not nearly as horrified by the notion of animal-fat-based cosmetic products, although really I like the idea of coconut oil or cocoa butter very much more.

[donnaimmaculata]

The French smelled of sweat more than the British, if one goes by appearances. Especially General Charette; he hasn't had a bath in ages.

[rikibeth]

Although you figure the regimental coats into the picture, and baths make little odds at that point... have you ever gotten up close to one that's been worn in a few re-enactments? Nobody had invented Febreze in the18th century, I'm just sayin'.

[eglantine_br]

The big question of course, is what om earth did Simpson use on his hair? He looks like he has an opossum strapped to his head!

[rikibeth]

Obviously Simpson didn't use ANYTHING, and for the actor they backcombed it and used a really gunky hairspray. I believe you could still get old-style Aqua Net back then... and his hair's as stiff as a deathrocker's, just not as vertical.

[donnaimmaculata]

I shouldn't think buying bone marrow at a butcher's will be too difficult - depending where you live, of course. It's not terribly exotic, there are foods made from/with bone marrow, after all.

[rikibeth]

I think I'm going to ask the butcher at the specialty market to scoop it out FOR me, as the things at the regular grocery store were not cut in such a way as to be really useful. I've had roasted marrow bones as a delicacy (last year, anniversary dinner with boyfriend, oh my goodness they were amazing, an off-menu treat) but the grocery store was not offering nice split long bones.

[eglantine_br]

And you cannot get the marrow out with a fpatula!

[rikibeth]

*giggles* I always want to read that family of typefaces in a Daffy Duck voice, don't you?

Are you a fan of Good Omens? Do you remember the Buggre All This Bible?

(Ezekiel 48:5)
Buggre Alle this for a Larke. I amme sick to mye Hart of typefettinge. Master Biltonn if no Gentlemann, and Master Scagges noe more than a tighte fisted Southwarke Knobbefticke. I telle you, onne a daye laike thif Ennyone with half an oz. of Sense shoulde bee oute in the Sunneshain, ane nott Stucke here alle the livelong daie inn thif mowldey olde By-Our-Lady Workefhoppe. @*Ǣ@;!*

Daffy Duck, I'm telling you.

[mylodon]

Allegedly, if you leave hair unwashed for long enough it becomes quite glorious, the natural oils producing a beautiful look. This is what the Indy boys rely on. :)

[anteros_lmc]

It's true! My ex did that and it worked a treat :) He used to wash his hair in water but never used soap or shampoo. It always looked in really good condition and, perhaps surprisingly, it smelled really nice!

[eglantine_br]

Poor Simpson. He read that in Ladies Home Journal. He is still waiting for the not-washing to result in hair beauty!

[anteros_lmc]

Alternatively, perhaps Simpson's distinctive haystack locks are a result of over-use of the old styling products?

[anteros_lmc]

You know, what with my hair being similar in texture to Ioan's...
*gasp* When did you get your paws on Ioan's curls?! C'mon, spill the beans! ;)

Clearly, the armourer sharpens their razors (and don't we get at least one scene of Horatio using a cutthroat on himself?
Archie has a silver razor :) I've got a half written fic that explains where the razor came from but it's languishing in my drafts folder with the rest of the plot bunnies.

This is a fascinating post and reminds me of a something I've been meaning to post for ages.

Oh, and you're so right about Daffy Duck btw XD

[rikibeth]

I regret to say I've never had the opportunity to touch Mr. Gruffudd's hair. However, the way it was behaving in Wilde, which is SO like an unfortunate picture of me at age twelve, and the fact that when he cuts it too short for ringlets and brushes it back, it looks remarkably like my father's under the same conditions, leads me to believe that we have very similar hair.

You realize that when you say "silver razor," I get an impossible earworm and complete it with "my club room locker keys, the money in the waistcoat, it doesn't bother me." Good thing Archie would never bring a strange woman back to his lodgings!

I can't wait to see what this inspires you to post.

[anteros_lmc]

However, the way it was behaving in Wilde, which is SO like an unfortunate picture of me at age twelve, and the fact that when he cuts it too short for ringlets and brushes it back, it looks remarkably like my father's under the same conditions, leads me to believe that we have very similar hair.
You do realise that you now make me want to experiment with my daughter's hair to see if it behaves the same way! :}

"my club room locker keys, the money in the waistcoat, it doesn't bother me."
You've lost me there and I am restraining myself from googling incase teh earworm gets me!

[rikibeth]

Earworm: Squeeze, "Goodbye Girl." ah, the 80s.