Friday, June 5, 2020

Keep Your (Victorian) Moustache Nice! by Kristin Holt

Kristin Holt | Keep Your (Victorian) Moustache Nice
USA Today Bestselling Author of
Sweet Romance set in the Victorian-American West


Mustache, moustache.... that hairy patch above a man's lip. Apparently our Victorian ancestors spelled the "moustache" with an 'o', at least in Chicago where this 1891 article originated.

My husband wears a full beard (and mustache), and I love it. He keeps it trimmed nicely and I find it handsome. Our son wears full facial hair, too. The younger Mr. Holt uses beard oil, a trendy bamboo beard comb, and his new bride bought him a beard iron/curling iron thingie as a Valentine's gift last winter. I think today's men love facial hair almost as much as their Victorian counterparts.

This 1891 article is a beautiful "slice of life" view of a barber's no-nonsense replies to both "keep that moustache nice" (was spelled in 1891 after all), and "dandruff!"

Notice this late Victorian-era barber's solution for a moustache that won't grow. Note that this barber shop of the nineteenth century employed hot irons (yes! curling irons!) to moustaches. "Don't curl it with your fingers!" Okay. I won't. (Never had a mustache, even a few hairs in need of bleach, myself.)

Note the 1891 treatment for dandruff. Salt water and brisk brushing. But don't you dare use a wire brush, said the barber. Never, never never.

This one's definitely worth reading:

Kristin Holt | Keep Your Moustache Nice: an article original to the Chicago Post, published in The Charlotte Democrat of Charlotteville NC on April 24, 1891.

What fun!

For more articles about the happenings inside a Victorian Old West Barber Shop don't miss out on my related history bits like this.


Kristin Holt | Old West Barber Shop Haricuts


Kristin Holt | Victorian Shaving, Part 1

Kristin Holt | Old West Barber Shop

Kristin Holt | Victorian Era Men's Hairstyles

http://www.kristinholt.com/archives/8245

Kristin Holt | Victorian Curling Irons


Thank you for joining me! Please scroll down and comment. Your thoughts are welcome (as is "conversation", especially amidst COVID-19).

Warm regards,
Kristin
Kristin Holt | Contributing Author at Sweet Americana Sweethearts, USA Today Bestselling Author Kristin Holt


Copyright © Kristin Holt LC

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