Recipe Manuscript

Pour Faire Beaulx Cheueulx

Name: Pour Faire Beaulx Cheueulx
Prep time: PTPT20M
Cook time: PTPT20M
Yield: 1
Cuisine: European
Ingredients: Ivy wood (Hedera helix), a few branches (modern substitute: untreated hardwood twigs or branches, if ivy is unavailable); 500 ml grapevine water (verjuice, or diluted fresh grape juice); Natural white soap, approximately 60 ml (mild castile soap recommended as substitute)

"To Make Beautiful Hair"

1541

From the treasured pages of Bastiment de receptes

Unknown Author

Renaissance (1400 - 1700)European Intermediate Other

Original Recipe • 1541

Original Manuscript(circa Renaissance, 1400 - 1700)

As inscribed by the original author's hand, transcribed with care by Lost Kitchen Scrolls

Pour Faire Beaulx Cheueulx

"Prens boys de lyerre, & luy oste la premiere escorce sans plus, metz le en cendre, puys prens eaue de vigne enuiron demy cestier, ou chopine, fais lessiue: puis ten laue tresbien la teste, & tessuye au soleil: Et quant seras a demy essuye, aye fauon blac desfaict & deslaye auec vng peu de susdicte lessiue enuiron demye escuelle, & soit ledit fauon liquide comme miel: puis mouille ta main dudict fauon, & ten frotte les cheueulx, laisse les essuyer, oingtz ten de rechef iusques trois ou quatre fois, tessuyant comme dessus, fais cela deux fois la sepmaine, tu auras fort beaulx cheueulx."

English Translation

"To make beautiful hair. Take ivy wood and remove only the first bark; put it in ashes, then take vine water, about half a sextier or a chopine, make lye: then wash the head very well with it, and dry it in the sun. And when you are half dry, have white soap dissolved and mixed with a little of the aforesaid lye, about half a bowl, and let this soap be as liquid as honey: then wet your hand with said soap, and rub it into the hair. Let them dry, then anoint them again two or three or four times, drying as above. Do this twice a week, and you will have very beautiful hair."

Note on the Original Text

The recipe is written in early modern French, with spelling and grammar that can appear unfamiliar to modern readers: for example, 'cheueulx' for 'cheveux' (hair), and 'eaue de vigne' for grapevine water. Measurements are imprecise, often referring to household vessels like 'demie escuelle' (half a bowl) or 'chopine' (a little over 470 ml). Instructions blend scientific and magical thinking typical of the time: repetition and drying in the sun are stressed for effectiveness. The recipe prioritizes practical steps and omits precise times or temperatures, assuming the reader brings common sense and personal judgment to the process.

Modern Kitchen Interpretation

Recipe's Origin

Bastiment de receptes - Click to view recipe in book

Title

Bastiment de receptes (1541)

You can also click the book image above to peruse the original tome

Writer

Unknown

Era

1541

Publisher

A Lescu de Coloigne

Background

Step into the culinary secrets of Renaissance France! 'Bastiment de receptes' is a delectable compendium newly translated from Italian, brimming with recipes, curious odors, and medicinal tidbits designed to both delight the palate and preserve health.

Kindly made available by

Library of Congress

Historical Background of the Recipe

Learn about old traditions

This recipe comes from the mid-16th-century French household manual "Bastiment de receptes," printed in Lyon in 1541. The book compiles practical recipes and "secrets" about beauty, health, and perfumery — reflecting the Renaissance fascination with personal care and the blending of folk remedies with learned medicine. At the time, maintaining beautiful hair was both a cosmetic and a hygienic concern, and specialized washes and ointments were part of elite daily routines. The recipe employs locally available natural products, like ivy and grapevine water, demonstrating how people turned to their gardens and kitchens for beauty solutions before commercial shampoos existed.

Culinary Tools when the Recipe was Crafted

Tools and techniques from kitchens of old

Traditionally, this remedy would have been prepared in a simple domestic kitchen. Burning the ivy wood required a hearth or open fire, while the ashes would be collected in a ceramic or metal bowl. The grapevine water would be sourced from winemaking or pressed grapes, and soap likely came in large blocks, hand-shaved or grated. A wooden or ceramic basin would serve to mix the lye and for washing, and hair was dried outdoors in natural sunlight.

Modern Kitchen Adaptation

Ingredients and techniques for today's cooks

ounces, cups, Fahrenheit

Prep Time

20 mins

Cook Time

20 mins

Servings

Ingredients

Ivy wood (Hedera helix), a few branches (modern substitute: untreated hardwood twigs or branches, if ivy is unavailable)
2 cups grapevine water (verjuice, or diluted fresh grape juice)
Natural white soap, approximately 1/4 cup (mild castile soap recommended as substitute)

Instructions

To create beautiful hair, start by gathering some ivy wood (Hedera helix), and peel off just the outermost bark.
Burn the wood into ashes, then soak these in approximately 2 cups (1 pint) of grapevine water (verjuice or diluted grape juice is a modern substitute).
Mix to make a lye-like solution.
Use this to wash your scalp and hair thoroughly, massaging well.
Dry your hair in the sun until halfway dry.
Meanwhile, take some white soap (preferably a mild natural soap, like castile), and dissolve about 1/4 cup (half a small bowl) with some of the lye solution, creating a liquid with the consistency of honey.
Dampen your hands in this soapy mixture and rub it through your hair.
Let your hair air dry again in the sun.
Repeat this application of soap mixture two to four times, always drying in between.
Do this routine twice a week for noticeably more beautiful hair.

Cooking Estimates

Preparing this natural hair wash takes about 40 minutes, including burning the wood, preparing the solution, and mixing the soap. Actual washing and drying time will vary, but the main prep and cook steps are under an hour. This recipe makes enough for one thorough hair washing session.