Cosmetics and Cleanliness

Whenever possible, the time period these practices took place is indicated. In some cases, they may have continued on after the period or took place before the period.

Yomjang: The process of making oneself attractive.

Regular bathing and washing of hair was encouraged.*

White facial powder, made from ground rice or other grains, roasted sea shells, or white clay or talc mixed with small amounts of ground up animal bones was used on a large scale in Korea, up until the 1960's. It was mixed with water and applied to the face. Women had to remove their facial hair before applying this powder, usually by shaving, plucking, or yanking many hairs out at once by twisting the hairs into threads. With the addition of lead (DON'T try this at home!!), facial powder was much easier to apply.*

Rouge, made of red flowers, was applied to the cheeks, lips, and forehead. In some cases, upper class women wore bright red dots on their foreheads and cheeks, sometimes using special stamps manufactured for that purpose. People who could not afford rouge bit their lips to make them appear redder. People with pale lips were considered sickly, and those with lips to dark (purple) were considered lecherous.*

Perfect eyebrows were very important to Koreans. People with bushy, thick eyebrows were unattractive. A manual, written during the Choson (Joseon) ere, called Kyuhap Chongso, gave various models for women to follow when they painted their eyebrows. A special ink was used especially for eyebrows, called pundae.*

During the Yi dynasty, people used hair oil made of peony or camellia.+

Once a woman was of a marriagable age, she began to wash her face with soap made from red beans soaked in water, crushed, and then filtered. By using this soap, it was hoped the skin would become softer and whiter.+

To disinfect the skin, ashes were applied to the entire face. Afterwards, a mixture of honey and pressed garlic was applied and left on the skin for a period before being washed off.+

Finger nails were dyed red by coating them with a mixture of crushed balsam flower, its leaves, and alum. They were then wrapped in pumkin leaves, then fabric, then secured with string and left on over night.+

 

*these traditions began in the Shilla period, but continued on into the 20th Century.
+Yi dynasty practice.

 

 

Sources:

NOTE:
While I would like to derive as much information as I can from primary sources, I am , as yet, unable to translate Korean.
Whenever possible, I try to either base my research on art from the time period, or translations of primary documents from the time period. As these are often difficult to find, some of my resources are second hand accounts, but in these cases I do try to find sources written by native Koreans whenever possible.

Hanbok: The Art of Korean Clothing. Sunny Yang. Hollym Corp, New Jersey: 1997
Korean Cultural Heritage, Vol. 4. Korea Foundation, Seoul: 1997