Sunbathing, rose water, cabbage mask: beauty secrets of Russian empresses

In each epoch, different peoples had their own habits and customs, including those related to personal hygiene. Even before the appearance of the first soap, people used to wash literally everything that came to hand — clay, oil, ash, sand, sawdust, and so on. And the Chukchi, for example, did not wash at all, believing that their masculine strength goes with the dirt.

Our ancestors also had different ideas about beauty from modern ones: then "aristocratically" pale skin was in fashion, then tan, then lush hips and tummy, then protruding ribs and thinness.

But one way or another, at all times women followed fashion and took care of their appearance. Below we have told you what beauty secrets famous Russian empresses had. Many of them are still relevant.

Empress Catherine II, despite her busy schedule, always had time for beauty treatments. It was a whole range of activities aimed at skin, body and hair care. And it began in the morning with an early rise and wiping the face and the decollete area with ice cubes.

Next, Ekaterina made a refreshing mask from natural ingredients: strawberries, cabbage leaves or a mixture of honey, verbena, flour and milk. After removing the mask, the Empress carefully wiped her face with a "tonic" based on heavy cream.

Every week the fashionista went to the bath, where she also conducted a whole ritual of self-care. This includes scrubbing the body with coffee grounds, rinsing the hair with a decoction of herbs, and covering the skin with fat. And after the bath, Ekaterina would start drinking hot tea with herbs and honey. That's how complex care turned out!

The daughter of Peter the Great, Elizabeth, also loved cabbage masks and, one might say, even introduced the fashion for such "cosmetics" at the court. To prepare the mask, cabbage leaves were crushed, apple juice and honey were added to them. The result was a gruel that perfectly helped to remove traces of fatigue and even had a lifting effect. After the mask, Elizabeth always applied a "lotion" of cucumber juice to her face. It helped fight pigmentation and prevented the first signs of aging.

As for the daily routine, the Empress did not have it as such. She could wake up at lunch and go to bed in the morning. Not surprisingly, with such a schedule, she needed refreshing masks…

However, Elizabeth still had one ritual, which she did not change for many years. Before going to bed, she invited a regular carder, who gave her a foot acupressure and rubbed her heels. Without this, Elizabeth could not sleep for a long time.

Ivan V's granddaughter Anna was not too concerned about fashion and beauty. Prince Dolgorukov spoke of her as "a blonde with a bored look and an expressionless face," and in some ways he was right. The girl was much more interested in hairstyles, outfits and grooming procedures, books, leisurely walks in the garden, conversations with her friend maid of honor Juliana von Mengden and lazy rest.

But still there was one "procedure" that Anna certainly resorted to if she was not lazy — it was sunbathing. The Empress regularly ordered a bed to be placed on the balcony of her palace, and screens to be placed around it. It is assumed that this is how the girl took a sun bath, and the screens hid her nakedness from prying eyes.

Tsarevna Sofya Alekseevna was also not too worried about all sorts of "feminine tricks". However, even she had a special box with different cosmetics. For example, Sofia always took handmade soap with her to the bathhouse, which was made for her by Kostroma and Nizhny Novgorod soap makers. She also loved imported soap — walnut, Indian ... as well as a variety of essential oils and rose water.

Sophia also had jars of different aromatics (perfumes). It was the fragrances that the sister of the future Emperor Peter paid special attention to. By order of Sophia Alekseevna, more than 20 incense was made for her choir. Curiously, they were based on the essence of amber, which is considered a strong aphrodisiac.

It seems that the simpleton Sofia was not so simple. After all, she knew exactly what could attract the opposite sex.

Peter the Great's niece Anna Ioanovna became famous for her love of bright outfits, lavish celebrations and various entertainment events. It is not surprising that her reign was marked by record spending on balls and palace decoration.

The Spanish diplomat Duke de Liria, in his description of the Empress, mentioned that she was "excessively fond of pomp" and "lavishly generous." And the court of Anna Ioanovna, according to the duke, surpassed many European in splendor.

As for appearance, the Empress has never been distinguished by angelic beauty… Many described her as a "fat, swarthy and short" lady. Nevertheless, even she had her own rituals for self-care. So, the Empress regularly wiped her face with pieces of steamed liver and treated the skin with a "lotion" made of melted milk. And instead of soap, Anna used a special cream powder made from a mixture of wheat and zinc whitewash. It made her dark skin at least a little lighter.