Trotula Research Paper

The purpose of our project was to examine how accessible it would be to make medieval cosmetics from the Trotula while also learning about the beauty standards of the Medieval Ages. Two of our recipes were tested on a doll to detect any effects on its skin.
I did a "recipe" that involved filling a veil with sweet-smelling ingredients such as cloves and nutmeg. The purpose was just to make the hair smell pleasant. I decided to make this recipe due to the fact that I wear a veil on a daily basis and I feel that my hair could smell more fragrant. The cloves and nutmeg had scents that were a little too overpowering for me, causing me to get a headache. Also, the smell seemed to cause people to give me funny looks. Overall, I do not feel like it was a successful recipe because it evoked my scalp to start itching. The recipe was too harsh for my scalp.

For example, the danger of the ingredients was not conveyed. I used enough nutmeg to cover the veil, which came out to be approximately a teaspoon. Thankfully, this is much lower than the dosage of two tablespoons or more that can cause people to have out-of-body sensations, “intense nausea, dizziness, extreme dry mouth, and a lingering slowdown of normal brain function.
Also, another common problem in medieval cosmetics was the fact that the amount of ingredients that needed to be used was not conveyed. I crushed one clove and one nutmeg considering they made a thin layer of spices that could be sprinkled on the veil. However, this might not be the amount that the recipe wanted, but there is no way to find out.
In addition, the recipe does not specify how the veil should be tied. I decided to just tie it the way I regularly do with my neck and hair completely