I Tried A 300-Year-Old Hair Care Routine For A Year & This Is What I Learned (It'S Awesome!)

Abby Cox: Human and pup approved! Visit https://www.birchliving.com/abbycox to get $400 off your Birch mattress plus two free pillows! Hey everyone! So I've seen a lot of similar questions come up in the comments and while I've answered them in replies, I figure it's best to put them here: *How does this work for curly hair?* - Pomading and powdering works great for most hair types. Curly hair does fine with it. The biggest thing I noticed when I worked with curly hair (like 3a) is that the powder would/could weigh down the natural curl and turn it more into waves. *what about pillowcases/sheets?* - In the 18th-century men and women slept in caps, protecting their hair and their bed linens. When I would pomade and powder, I slept with my hair tied up and a bandana tied around my hair to protect my hair and my bedding. *what about vegan/non-animal fat options?* - I address this a bit more in my making video (https://youtu.be/G0XKXBEleVY) where I touch a bit on fatty acid chains, etc that are in different fats, butters, and oils. Basically, the fatty acid chains aren't the same, and so they just handle a bit differently, and I'm not really a fan of the vegetable/nut options. However, that doesn't mean you can't experiment with different options. I want to do this, when I have the time, to really push to try and make a *good* replacement option, but I need to study up more on fatty acid chains, etc. (Plus, I really want to do it with Chrissy cause her science brain is much better suited for this than my chaotic-good-overstuffed-library-of-dress-history-knowledge-quail-loving brain is. (and yes, I know that there are some makers out there who are doing mixtures with jojoba oil, coconut oil, etc. as vegetarian or vegan options, I'm just not into how these oils interact with the skin vs. animal fat...I'm just really picky about this y'all. ) If I see a lot of the same questions keep popping up, I'll add them here! Thanks for watching! ❤

Laura T: I love it when people prove that people in antiquity were just as smart as we are now, just without the same technology.

Laurel Anne: When you said the creping would last up to a month if you didn't get it wet, I was imagining an 18th century Legally Blonde: "You took a shower? Everyone knows getting your hair wet causes the pomade and powder to clump, and your crepe is still intact"

Evelyn U: I remember a book I read as a kid that talked about ladys powdered wigs and how they came in white, grey, and pink. Now I see that, wig or not, the “white” was powdered blonde, the “grey” was powdered dark brown, and the “pink” was powdered auburn or red hair.

Amy Barger: I can't help but think this is no different than using dry shampoo. Just a bit more involved with the application. I do love the different techniques of hair care, among other things, but we still have the same problem that we had back then. Affordability.

deidre kelley: This is so cool! Now I know why the restroom is still called the “powder room” some times. Very interesting!

Leigh Blair: I dove in and pomaded/powdered my hair just now, on day 8 hair. I’m shocked by how soft and voluminous my hair is!!! I remember you saying the fat and cornstarch just makes ✨magic✨ together and it really does. I braided it with ribbons to go to sleep (I’m one year into no elastic!) and I’m going to try this method for the next 6 months and report back!

Leslie Witherspoon: What an interesting video, I'd never heard of this before. You know as a black woman, I'm used to oiling my hair as a way to protect it from external elements like wind, sun, and air pollution. So I absolutely understand how Pomade in your hair would encourage healthy hair, and therefore allow for long hair growth. Definitely won't do that powdering thing as I have pretty kinky coily hair, and combing everyday is not the move, but I'm absolutely going to look up nineteenth-century scent profiles to add to my homemade oil recipes. Thanks for all the info!

astrid: As a gal in a tropical country with thick, curly, dark hair this is definitely not for me haha. But it was very interesting to learn. Thanks!

Rachel: I had no real interest in this and thought theres no way ill get through the whole video but this story telling was so interesting and well done i was hooked till the end

Jasminanya: I remember this one morning where I ran out of dry shampoo and was in a hurry. So i thought flour might work just as fine. And not gonna lie I did it more often since then and it DOES work. The only problem was that the first time I did it was raining outside and when I arrived at work I looked like a complete Idiot because the flour had all gotten wet and dried up.

verinis: Not washing your hair often always makes your hair way more healthy. This remember me my times in college where I wasn't okay (depression, anxiety problems, stress, not having time for anything, not eating or sleeping well) so some times I passed through like... 4 or 5 weeks without washing my hair (because my hair was ultra long and I didn't have the enough time o energy to washed so postponed until I have one day of break) my hair obviously looked so greasy an bad haha but i was just closed in a room everyday working and studying so nobody sees me like that. And when I had to went outside I only put my hair in a not on top of my hair to people no notice so much the bad state that it was. But something that it always was funny to me is how when after washed my hair and leave it free after those weeks without washing it. People always pointed how my hair look so shiny and healthy. And people always thought that i spend a lot of money into treatment or something like that but I'm reality the only thing I did was, not washing it for WEEKS, tied in a not on top on my hair to sleep, and when washing, washing with a cheap ass shampoo and conditioner lol (but always using more amount of conditioner then shampoo) and then after washing just leave it to dry alone and not using flat iron or nothing,. I just comb it and that leave it like that. (because didn't have time to do spent on those things) Now I'm i just have short pixie hair and taking more care about my mental and physical health. But on those times I learned that doing nothing to your hair sometime can help to your hair be healthier.

Vika Mkrtchyan: nothing compares with fresh washed hair for me☺️

Chibihugs: I love how contrary to what people often think, past folks did have some things figured out. The pomade and powder did make your hair look soft and voluminous. Am I the only one who likes the grayish color it gives hair!

Vicky B: Straight up corn starch is awesome for knots and adds silkiness. It brushes away with little residue. It works well on curly hair and is safe for your poodle mix.

CherryJuli: Not washing your scalp is like not washing your face and hands. And sebum smells. You might not be able to smell your own sebum or the sebum of loved ones but strangers can usually smell it.

Rose Jeans: A few years ago, I saw another video where you talked about pomade and powder and I started doing a variation on my own hair using the modern wax paste styling product and mineral foundation for the powder. It definitely helped build up the body in my very fine hair. Looking at this video today, I would suggest trying a dark brown mineral foundation to powder your hair and no one would be able to tell.

Adios Epic: Request: please create a detailed video of how to do this from start to finish to start (like if you were going from zero to pom and pow to maintenance back to fresh pom and pow look), and how to manage this type of hair in terms of how to sleep and have your head around furniture without leaving your mark everywhere. This video is amazing because it covers so much history and is sprinkled with great sass, but I would love to try this technique for long-term use as part of lifestyle. Also, your pom-cooking video goes over the hard pom, but I can't understand how that would be applied.

Didi Tops: This was fascinating. You really bring it to life. If only more history teachers in schools were like you.

Anonymous Person: I remember reading a hair dressing manual from the late 18th century that mentioned a few things for if you couldn't afford to pay someone to do your hair (and weren't rich enough for a powdering room) and it was basically "find the least windy spot you can (do it outside), have someone help you, do it upside down a lot of the time, and whatever you do, keep the geese away while you are doing this" (???) Like, sounds like solid advice, but I'm baffled by the geese...

JenniferLee Hendrixson: I feel like dry shampoo is kinda our modern equivalent, I have trained my hair not to get oily as quickly with use of dry shampoo and washing it less often.

OΛNΛ: Thank you for this video, but the reason why pomade and powder make hair fluffier is due to all the build-up, which doesn't sound like a great ongoing routine to me, more like a way of reducing hair washes (which is always great!). I used to wash my hair every day over a decade ago and then decided to switch to a once or twice per week washing routine. My hair was incredibly oily at first as I was reducing washes, but then my scalp was producing less and less oils. I even bleach my hair nowadays but it's still very healthy because I only wash it twice/week MAX. I wouldn't recommend this as a hygiene routine, it could damage your scalp and hair follicles in the long run due to constant build-up (suffocating the hair and scalp) which combs wouldn't necessarily help with. I don't think the answer to anything is ever black and white, more in the middle. I believe it's great to sometimes give your hair a deep wash and get rid of all the dead skin, bacteria, and other types of build-up, while making sure you don't overwash it, as that could be very damaging indeed (not only to the environment, but also your scalp as you're constantly stripping away its natural oils). My advice to anyone would be to strive for balance. There is no magical solution to health.

A Sparkly Life: Great video! I'm in my 50's and have been using baby powder as a dry shampoo for most of my life. It's sort of a version of this. However, I just put the powder in at night, usually, and I wake up to fluffy hair in the morning. The powder absorbs all the oil during the night. It does leave a grey cast to the hair, though. I have fine, thin hair.

SongAngel: That was so interesting:). I kind of powder my hair occasionally lol I make a “dry shampoo” with cornstarch, coco powder (since i have dark hair) and a drop or two of peppermint essential oil. I apply it to my roots with an old makeup brush. It give a lot of volume and makes my hair look and smell great between washes:)

J. Haven: I had to shampoo my hair last week for the first time in almost a year, and it’s been horrible to work with. It has no body, my combs and elastics don’t hold, it just lies there. I’ve been brushing it twice daily like I always do and it’s finally getting some life back after 8 days. Pomade and powder are definitely the way I prefer, I’m so glad I came across a reference to your experiment several years ago.

Ryssa Smith: In the category of realizing something that should be obvious but probably isn't anymore. When you said our homes/bathrooms are not set up for this anymore my brain went *ping!* and thought oh so that is where the term Powder Room came from! I do love the random bits I pick up from your channel.

Elizabeth: I’m in my 60s I have very thick hair and when my hair gets oily underneath we were taught to prouder our hair/scalp. It’s works and feels clean again. Less damage from Constant washing. Great video:)

Kazul Mehto: I love this concept as someone with your exact hair type! Makes me sad it's not more socially acceptable to switch to a routine like this. I have to wonder though, is it possible to add dyes to the powder to offset the greying effect? Or maybe even funky coloured dyes for temp, healthy, colour options!! If I could powder my hair purple I'd be so happy

April Crocker: I have no interest in ever doing this to my hair, but I just watched your video (including the ad!) with so much glee. You just rock, sister.

Carole Fraze: As a mixed female I’m going to try this. I wear wigs to preserve any length I have. I do have to say that yes pomade and powder makes your face pop and makes a huge difference in hair volume which is crazy. Love your curves and your spunk! My husband and I were just looking for a new mattress so we’ll be checking out your birch trial thank you!

Emma: This is fascinating and I’m impressed at how good it looks! Let’s be honest, 1800s fashion and hair was probably pretty epic and we make fun of it now cause we want to feel cooler and more modern than them

Lesley Harris: Hi, my great grandmother never wet washed her very long hair, but when she was taken into hospital the nurses wanted to "wash" her hair in the end the surgeon was called and he spoke to her and inspected the hair and agreed that the hair was clean and healthy, I know it was pomaded but she added ash too not sure why.

LW: I lived in this place in California called Ojai and everyday this family of quails would would walk single file down this hill into my backyard to do a bit of feeding.. it was so awesome to watch. When they were done they would politely walk back up the hill the same way. .

Erika🌍🤍: I’m so excited for this! I wash my hair VERY INFREQUENTLY, it’s long and thin, so it tangles into an nest easily. I’ve chosen to keep it “up” in a top knot, with a satin tie, unless I’m going somewhere special. Maybe not even then. I HATE wet washing, (s3xual trauma as a child, a bit afraid of the shower, most of my washing is done by hand, on the side of the tub) my hair, although thin, is very resilient, shiny, and happy. I know this is off topic, but some just can’t “self care” as much as we want, as our brains are just afraid. No matter how much time and therapy, I’ve not been able to put my head under the spray, in over a decade. I don’t smell bad, I am clean. I just do it differently. My mental health is more important than my hair style. No one would ever know looking at me that I’m afraid of the shower head. I can sit in the tub with water running, but not plug it. I know- weird. I feel it’ll always be this way.

threerings: I mean, I basically do this all the time. I use cornstarch as dry shampoo in between shampoos (which I do as little as possible because of my hair dye). It really absorbs oil and prevents that greasy texture. I just apply it to dirty hair like you did the powder and skip the pomade step, then brush through until it's mostly invisible. It does make my hair a little lighter in color but not to a weird extent like yours does. (Not that that's bad, it's just not a modern look.) I also have extremely fine hair and when I do this my hair is WAY more styleable because it holds it's shape better.

ItsFreshItsAnne: Didn't expect to find this as fascinating as much as I do! It's beautiful what someone can create out of their life by sheer dedication!

Olivia Landen: Being someone with fair skin, and light hair/ eyebrows. I definitely relate to adding color back in my face or I look, odd dimensioned in my opinion. always felt that way about it even when I was a child particularly in pictures as the flash would wash my eye brows out & I’d look like an alien. now I know what it is particularly haha. Loved the video !!!!

Kris ThroughGlass: I started to wash my long hair only once every 10 days or so about a year ago and sometimes use dry shampoo in between. My hair got healthier and thicker. But I can't imagine to never get it wet. I sweat a lot when working out and can't imagine not rinsing the sweat out. Plus I love the feeling of hot water on my head, especially on bad days.

BT H: I have a form of alopecia and have had thin and thinning hair for about 15 years. For a long time I didn't really do anything about it and was just embarrassed all the time, but several years ago I discovered the joys of dry shampoo. I generally wear loose hats, but I don't wash my hair that often and whenever I need to wear my hair out of a hat, or even just to add volume when I am wearing hats, I'll do a conditioning and then powder the hell out of it. If I'm using a very light powder and don't want my hair to look so light and powdery I'll do a coat of a tinted dry shampoo like the Batiste Hint of Color (though I do try to avoid it because it's aerosolized and I hate breathing that garbage in). I can't say my hair is the softest or healthiest it's ever been, especially because when I try to cut down on the cost of the dry shampoos I'll opt for a talc-free baby powder, which kind of draws more moisture out of the hair than the dry shampoos do. But if I were more diligent about conditioning beforehand (or pomade, I suppose, as the original technique requires) it probably wouldn't be so bad.

Janine Paradiso: I literally haven't bought hair products for years. I just let my hair go through the greasy stage and it balances into being just a tad les shiny than it was when I washed it every day. If I do some dirty gardening and splash mud around or whatever, I rinse my hair with water. My hair was typically a bit oily and a bit dry on the tips and it is awesome to see it is actually beautiful and healthy without any haircare routine except for brushing it each morning. People often compliment me on my hair. I am so happy to not be wasting money and plastic and all the stuff I used to use. Try it!

Ryouichi: great editing, not what i expected from a hair video- but honestly i got a good laugh and was well informed! you got a subscriber out of me :D

Luutâs Λούτας Лу́тос लूतस 野人 لوتاس: This was the most sincere sponsorship video I've ever seen. You were indeed into it

ការីន Kaarin: Totally loved this! It was one of the most interestingly informative yet odd videos I have ever seen, and your personality made me feel like I actually know you and I could keep on listening to you talk lol. My hair has been between mid-back and waist length for decades (I'm 49) and I usually just "water wash" my hair, but I tend to have dry scalp and dry hair so I pretty much never have that oily scalp business. I put lotion or a serum on the ends. I will now be checking out your other videos. Thanks for sharing !!!

Madisonkayb: Brad mondo needs to see this video. He was wondering how the heck they got their hair to stay and got it so voluminous! He tried teasing it it was great.

Adiagy: I've just got on this channel and love it. I'm going to subscribe. Regarding people in the past, I was in university and had a class of history of literature. The professor demanded for us to read a novel written by a Greek author in 200 AD. I was thinking 'Hgh! Primitive guys!', and made my mind to go through the book quickly, get some ideas and make a summary. Well... I started the book, and I forgot to put it down. I devoured that book in a few hours. That author could've been put on same podium with the best modern writers around the world, complexity of narrative, psychology of characters, gradual descriptive techniques, in one word, it changed completely my idea of old age mankind. I discovered that humans were humans then, as they are now. Maybe even better than us.

Jishinima Tidehoshi: I love how confident she is.

I said this: If you read the ingredients lists on your shampoo and conditioner, you'll see that they are almost the same ingredients, probably in different proportions, but mostly the same. The only difference is that shampoo has surfactants, which is what makes it lather up. I've been using just conditioner to "wash" my hair for years. I only use shampoo once in a while during really hot weather when my head feels sweaty. I think Wen brand shampoo is probably just shampoo without surfactants, so basically just conditioner. My hair is much less oily than it used to be when I used shampoo every day.

caro1ns: Not washing my hair was something I'd been meaning to try for a while, then when lockdown happened I did it. The first two weeks were pretty gross (but no one saw me, so whatever) and then my hair was fine - full and bouncy, and has remained so. I use a nice boutique dry shampoo every few weeks, and that is all I need. I do however wash my brush every week. I think that's important. I have friends and family who would tell me if my hair smelled, and so far (six months in) there have been no complaints.

Sophia DeFrancesco: This is fascinating! As a hairstylist/cosmetologist, I have a recipe to modernize. Shampoo & blow dry. Immediately after the blow dry go through the whole head with dry shampoo at the scalp. Use a quarter size of Morrocan oil and apply from mid-strand to ends. It’s a dry oil and will dry down. Once dry, use a light texture spray or light hairspray. Take a bore bristle brush, brush from scalp to ends. Your “clean” hair will last at least 1 week+.

Ochipon: I usually put flour in my hair when i'm out of dry shampoo. After 20 min (or longer), i just brush it off with a towel and my hair is clean and voluminous. I usually don't talk about it too much though i don't want people to think i'm mad :D

Libby Walkup: 'NoPoo' 18th century style. Very seriously wondered if I could try this and if it'd be better or worse for my dandruff (so far only washing works and I've tried all the contemporary ways of no shampoo) but I also have fine, wavy hair and that would disappear if I never got it wet! Which would make me sad. My waves took years to take shape and I love them.

michelle margagliotti: This gave me a great idea how to care for my waist length care after my major back surgery in a few days. I probably won't be able to shower for several months after surgery so thank you very much!!

Mintystripes: the mattress sounds absolutely amazing and I'm totally checking them out for myself, but my mom is allergic to latex so I'd imagine they wouldn't be good for her or anyone else with that allergy :')

Michelle Lu: For this routine, do you ever wash or clean the pomade and powder out? Or how would that process look like? Cuz there must be a time where this process come to an end and like you said water probably isn't the way to go for the starch and oil combination

Off the clock astrophysicist: My hair has the pommaded and powedered look on it's own. It's thick, on the dry side, prone to friz, and greying. My battle is to get the volume down and to remove that velcro effect of the strands sticking to each other. But this is a very interesting video (and as mentioned perhaps more for oily, finer hair).

althea: I love your attitude towards everything. You're just so frank about it, like "this is the way their society was, this is the way our society is, this made sense then, makes less sense now, but still has its place, it is what it is." It's just a refreshing take to have somebody not be blatantly for or against one technique but just frank and logical about it all.

Vaping Gaming: I'd like to see a YouTube video of women from 300 years ago being introduced to our modern shampoo/conditioner/styling beauty routine. They had to work with what they had to work with back then... I think they'd have a lot of appreciation for how things have changed.

Fledhyris Proudhon: This was a really interesting and informative video! I know a lot of people put butter in their hair, but not with the powder (but I think they wash the butter out after a while?) Really the only social drawback to this is people wondering why you have grey hair, but that's actually becoming a bit of a fashionable trend anyway! The biggest drawback to doing it, for me, would be the mess. Four hours deep cleaning your bathroom?! No thanks!! Personally I keep my hair healthy by just not washing it too often. Once a week is fine, unless you're getting hot and sweaty or encountering lots of pollutants. But that probably wouldn't work for people with oilier hair.

Blessing Farm: Shout out to Colonial Williamsburg! I worked there for four years while in Jr High and High School as part of the newly launched Junior Apprentice program. It was one of the best experiences of my life, though I can't claim that the clothes were particularly comfortable. They were beautiful, though and watching the process they went through to fit each apprentice and to remain true to what they knew about styles and fabrics was fascinating. They had a box of scraps by the door, and I still have some in my "make a memory quilt someday box." You do a great job and are very informative and fun. I think I want a Birch mattress now, too. Very convincing!

Sasha Arroyo: I feel like this would make me break out like mad :( If there was a way to make the powder dark it would work really well with darker hair tones. I remember using either baby powder or cocoa powder for my bangs as a teenager when they would get greasy.

sh0e h0rn: I came here to be scandalized about your hair, and now I’m in love with this channel and am knee-deep into a binge of your videos.

ichigo momomyia: I'm currently on my longest length yet, thanks to good old rona making haircuts impossible lol. I'd really like to try this once to see if I can get it longer now I just use coconut oil the night before I wash my hair and only that difference made such a huge change for my hair it's so much healthier and softer it's crazy

ehheeajeshika: I think the reason why people thought that they did their make up like that was because of Elizabeth. She used a heavy amount of powder to cover her face because of the smallpox scars that she had. But ultimately ended up being very deadly for her because of the powder itself.

Amber: I had to come back to this video to say that, yes, this definitely does work and I love it! I didn't do it exactly like this cuz I have naturally curly hair and it's thick and gets dried out easily. I didn't powder, I just used my cotton head wraps for the excess oil. But it does work as far as not having to wet your hair and wash it. The only thing is, brushing my hair out means I have to set it in curlers and I got tired of that. I went almost 2 whole months. Once my hair is long again though it'll be cool. I can just do braids or a twist out or wear a bun or updo, more options. Anyway, I will definitely be using this method over winter when it's cold.

lovepeace: You demanding us to comb our hair is the most adorable thing I've ever seen.

Tay The May: I think you're my spiritual twin. I literally grew up in Williamsburg and am obsessed with history. I'm so glad I found your channel.

m: I don’t think this would work well for me because I have naturally thick, curly hair. I can’t really comb my hair regularly or easily. But it’s definitely interesting to learn about the theory behind this. It would be super cool if they started using this method in 18th century period pieces.

KiosheKat: I used to live in williamsburg, honestly might go back there just to learn blacksmithing or any of the other craftsman trades there. I always appreciated how dedicated everyone was to their jobs

Abir Hussein: Just got the Roxanne #10 Sharps and I already see the difference with my stitches. Thanks for explaining how a thimble works. I've had one forever but didn't know how to use it.

Kimmi Michelle: I feel like I’ve been doing a modern version of this, I put oils in my clean hair and then use a brand of tinted brown dry shampoo. It does almost exactly what your hair did, thickened the strands and made styling stay put better. The more you know thanks for the history

Aqua chonk: Fascinating. And it reminds me why I taught myself to cut my hair into a super short pixie cut during lockdown.

Laetitia Mulas: I never use pomade, however I started powdering my hair to wash my hair less often and sometimes I can go for a whole week between washes! I should try pomade because they are reeaally damaged so maybe it can help in making them thicker!

Rose Bloomie: I love finding out that past generations had some things figured out better than us. We shower & wash our hair way too much its true! I've gone a month without washing my hair once. A lot of talc free baby powder

Holly Michelle: this video has been continually recommended to me probably since it was posted. I finally gave in and watched and wasn't disappointed. now I wanna try it for my soft fine hair

V Wesley: 4:07 Yeah. I was gonna say this wouldn’t really work that well for my coarse, curly, dry hair. It already takes too long for my natural oils to get to the ends of my hair and combing my hair isn’t something that I ever do unless it’s soaking wet. But I think it’s cool that this works for some people

paige kleckner: Literally smashed the follow button during the Birch sponsorship when she squeals “uuughh I LOVE WOOL” this is the energy I’m here for.

BamItzSam: As someone who is a natural Dirty Blonde/Ash Brown when i use dry shampoo/ baby powder you really can’t even see a gray cast which is why i love doing it. I don’t know if it’s something i would do regularly if i had darker hair though.

Smörgås Broad: I use cornstarch (or cornstarch baby powder, but actual food grade cornstarch is cheaper) in my hair when it needs a quicky refreshening. It plumps up my hair and feels nice. I've been powdering my hair for years between washings.

escape_ kite: genuinely might have to try this bc i wear hijab and dont wash my hair often, but the grease can make my skin worse, so kinda seems like ppl in the 18th century knew what i needed lol. also thank u for putting the certifications for the mattress in the video so many ppl make those claims with no evidence oml

Marie Borchert: Love your videos! I have a question, how does this hold up to a very sweaty scalp? I imagine the humidity in Williamsburg was intense at times, and I’m just curious about whether the powder became sticky and gunky when your scalp sweated.

Panda Pantz: Cool video! I've been struggling with depression lately & have found myself going 3-5 days at a time without washing my hair, not fun. I would love to try this but it looks very time consuming. Anyways, u won me over when u hollered at ur doggo to not bark at the quail, bird nerd here.

JBond0070: Love these kinds of videos!! So interesting. I'm curious about the powder though. I will use dry shampoo or baby powder (cornstarch) sometimes and I find my head will break out really bad. I'm not sure if it clogs up pores or what, but my friend was having the same thing happening to her scalp.

Rowan Womble: I'm a vegetarian with thick, curly, dry as heck hair (I only wash when I need a deep condition because it's SO DRY), so it's definitely not for me, but it's really interesting to see all of this! History is really cool.

Daiska_Plays: Scented arrowroot powder is great on hair as well. I put a small amount in my hands and work it through my roots. If you go easy on the amount, it won't make your hair look lighter, and it's soft, clean, and fresh with lots of body. I haven't washed my hair in over 2 years, and it's much healthier, thicker, and manageable than before. I also have gotten no gray hairs at 54. Note: the only place I was able to find arrowroot already scented and packaged like baby powder was on Etsy. There's a nice selection there. I think it's better than cornstarch based products because cornstarch feeds bacteria and yeast. I originally got it for body powder, but then started putting it in my hair and loved it. I'm surprised it's not more mainstream, since there's no downside to it and it's not expensive.

virginia creager: Can we acknowledge the incredible editing and historical research of this video !!! Not to mention how witty, charming and hilarious Abby is. Excellent video

L'Operatorium - Secrets d'Ateliers: Ohhhh I wish I had seen your video when shooting my last 18th century ! Well, took good notes for the second episode. Thank you so much for the research and insight ! I do love grey/white hair I find it so beautiful.

Katherine Wilson: I also have very fine, oily hair, and I am interested in this technique! It's making me more interested in the dry shampoo. Moreover, I'm interested in the mattresss...gonna buy a new mattress, so thanks for the tip!

xLadyBanana: I have very curly hair, not quite coiled but definitely curly. I would love to try this, but I can’t comb my hair without a comb getting stuck or causing ridiculous knots. So I would love to try this, but also I can’t do that to my hair literally ever. It’s thinner if I straighten it, but otherwise it’s down to my tailbone. It is very long compared to the rest of my African American family, but thinner and not as coily because of my mom’s very white side of the family

Rachel Frumkin: I found out yesterday that my mom watches your videos as well. This will be a nice thing to share, watching you together.

Cosette Lewallen: Just be aware of the fact that the mattresses are made with latex. Those with an allergy should not be sleeping over on the mattresses in Abby’s guest rooms. Latex allergies do affect breathing in some with this allergy whether in direct contact with latex or even just in a room with latex present somewhere in the room.

Kellie Weaver: I started using a DIY dry shampoo routine on my hair about a year ago as an experiment after reading The American Duchess Guide to 18th Century Beauty. I figured it was worth trying because my hair is fine and greasy, and I struggle using any conventional hair products because I am very sensitive to scents and perfumes. I powder my hair all over with a mixture of cornstarch and cocoa powder for color, and then brush it out. I found that the cocoa powder lets the powder blend into my hair color. I rub a tiny bit of rose hip seed oil into my hair and reapply the power as needed until my hair washing day. (Conditioner only-it lifts away dead skin cells without stripping my hair oils.) And my hair looks amazing! I have volume and texture and I can braid and style my hair much more easily. The cocoa powder makes the powder subtly blend in instead of being obviously grey. I'm not using nearly as much powder or conditioning fats in my hair as an 18th century person probably would, but this works for me as a compromise between historical hair care and modern hair aesthetics. And Abby is right, hair powder is MESSY. My advice is: powder your hair while standing in your bathtub or shower stall, and then you can rinse it out when you're done and not get powder all over the rest of the bathroom.

Tis'ButAScratch: As someone who has scalp psoriasis and therefore has to wash their scalp everyday, I can't imagine applying powder (that could clog my pores), and not washing my hair for a month at a time. That would definitely inflame my psoriasis for sure. I wonder what people with scalp conditions like mine did during this era? Either way, a very interesting topic and video

Michaela Wagner: I was listening about the mattress and then she said 100% natural rubber latex...I have to carry an EpiPen, medicine, and wear a medical bracelet. The mattress would literally send me into anaphylactic shock. I loved the video and the sponsorship was done great. That one part just literally sent me into a panic.

Kathy M: I could not tolerate animal fat on my hair — it's just weird — grease on grease, powder notwithstanding, does not appeal to me. However, I LOVE this video, it's just brilliant! First, the colors.. the red apparel and lipstick in front of a jewel-like blue background and lit candle — it's like dessert for the eyes! Second, the creative editing, with pertinent clips thrown in for humor, slo-mo voice bits, the floral illustrations... what a unique way to make a YouTube video! I'm gonna subscribe because no matter the subject, I will be back for the joy of viewing some exceptional videotaping skills.

DIANAH SURBER: I freaking love your passion!

Ericat: Due to the benzene recall, I've made my own dry shampoo from cornstarch, bentonite clay, and cocoa powder. It's perfection and lasts days. I powder my hair! P. S. I have a very oily scalp.

Nidomhnail: @4:06 Abby: "This hair care process and technique is ideal for really fine, thin hair on the kinda oily side." Me: "Is my video on??? Can she see me???" Kidding aside, I will be working from home for the near (maybe far) future. It seems like a good time to pomade and powder. Thank you, Abby; I really enjoyed the video. I hope that the move is going well.

Luzmaria Diaz: The quails love and stern lesson to the dog made me love this video even more! Great job!!

Travels with Debbie & Randy: Very well done video. You brought in history and photos to keep the whole thing worth watching, even the Birch video. Excellent!

Katherine Harfouch: So cool!! Thank you for this video (p.s. I have the same bedsheets as you). I’m curious as to how pomading/powdering would fare if one sweated a lot (i.e. exercised/worked out). When you treated your hair with pomade/powder for a year, did you have to avoid sweaty exercise?