THE SCENE: According to Gerald of Wales, the pillars of medieval Welsh hygiene were tooth brushing and shaving here, there, and everywhere.
THE TEXT: Both the men and the women cut their hair short and shape it round their ears and eyes. Like the Parthians the women cover their heads with a flowing white veil, which sticks up in folds like a crown. Both sexes take great care of their teeth, more than I have seen in any country. They are constantly cleaning them with green hazel-shoots and then rubbing them with woolen cloths until they shine like ivory. To protect their teeth they never eat hot food, but only what is cold, tepid or slightly warm. The men shave their beards, leaving only their moustaches. This is not a new habit, but one which goes back to time immemorial. You can find it in the book which Julius Ceasar wrote about his exploits, for there we read: the Britons ‘shave their whole body except their upper lip.’ Sometimes they shave their heads, too, so that they can move more freely, for, when they run through forest groves, they want to avoid the fat of Absalom. Of all the people I have seen the Welsh are the most particular in shaving the lower parts of the body.
– The Description of Wales, Gerald of Wales, 12th Century AD
