The Renaissance era was an exciting time for fashion, cosmetic and hair trends. The women of the era strived to achieve a “glowing” alabaster skin. A countless number of poetry and plays from this time can be found that concede that women with white skin were considered very beautiful.
Women went to great lengths to have incredibly pale, white skin. There were many methods to create the look. Some were surprising, but harmless. Others were dangerous to the health and even caused deaths.
Leeches: Before social events it was common for women to put leeches on their ears or cheeks to drain the blood from their face. This gave the women the look that was so en vogue for the evening. If this method were used consistently, women would suffer from skin lesions on the face and head. The women would often cover these spots with fabric pieces cut into shapes such as stars or moons.
Egg Whites: This was the safest way to create the renaissance facial look. Egg whites were applied to the skin, sometimes along with vinegar to get a paler look. Some women even went to great lengths of applying blue paint onto the face and neck to create faux blue vein lines.
Lead and other toxic mixtures: Lead and other toxic chemicals added to bleaching mixtures were used often to bleach the skin. This was responsible for many deaths in the era. Even so, women continued to strive to have the look of the times and put their health in great danger.
