RomanceEverAfter

Romantic Tales - U.S. Civil War

Pass Me the Soap

Maintaining cleanliness was important to the men and women of the Civil War period.  The interesting side benefit, unbeknown to physicians, their desire for cleanliness actually assisted in the decrease of disease.  

Soap

Soap was commonly made at home by the woman of the house.  She would make the soap from lye, grease, and water.  If lye was not available, the substance could be derived by "filtering water through a tray filled with wood ash." Another option for grease was cottonseed oil or chinaberry. 

If soap was not accessible, other items could be used as a substitute for cleansing:  soap root and yucca root.

Tooth Powder

Tooth paste, as we know it in the 21st century, did not exist.  Tooth powder was the "tooth paste" for the Civil War period.  The tooth power was made from a conglomeration of materials:  cuttlefish bone, honey, chalk, arrowroot, myrrh, salt and soda.

A toothbrush was also an item that was "home made."  A toothbrush could be fashion from hog bristles or "twigs or licorice roots whose ends had been frayed like brushes by chewing them."

Oh, the conveniences of the 21st century!

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