It is interesting to me that lemons have always been used to lighten brown spots and achieve highlights in the hair. When I was a girl, we used lemons a lot for both purposes and they worked pretty well to lighten our blonde hair.
As for Sarah, my heroine, she is desperate to find that elixir that will dissolve years of sun damage from her face. And while Sarah is entirely fictional, she was based upon a real Regency woman who, after being orphaned at an early age, decided it was better to live as a man and find honest work, then become a prostitute--one of the few jobs open to women without money or families to care for them. Both women lived hard lives that left the inevitable marks upon their hands and face. So after working for thirteen years as a bricklayer, Sarah finds herself in the awkward position of wishing to make herself more attractive to a man she’s falling in love with.
So, what would she do?
Well, then as now, the sun’s rays can wreck havoc with the complexion. There were many recipes, or receipts as they were called, to help ladies deal with brown spots and other skin issues. And frankly, ladies were better off making their own solutions than buying bottled mixtures from the local pharmacies, which frequently included a number of near-lethal ingredients. The ladies’ magazine, La Belle Assemblée, had recipes in it for skin lotions and tinctures. Herbals were also full of natural remedies. Some, like rose water, are still in use today by those who enjoy making their own beauty supplies.
The following are a few recipes Sarah might have used to make herself more beautiful to her handsome hero, William.
Crême de l’Enclos
Use this every morning and night to remove a tan.
Take half a pint of milk and mix with the juice of a lemon and a spoonful of white brandy. Boil and skim of all scum. When cool, it is ready to use.
Wash for the Hair
Beat the whites of six eggs into a froth and work through the hair. Leave it to dry. Then wash the hair with a mixture of rum and rose-water.
This will clean and brighten the hair, and is best used in the morning.
Paste to “Lift” the Face
Boil the whites of four eggs in rose water. Add sufficient alum and beat to make a paste. When applied, this will firm the skin.
Benjoin Virgin’s Milk