Original mareschal powder recipes are never identical, nor is the term “mareschal” always spelled the same way. We’ve found maréschal, mareschal, marschal, marchal, marechal and maréchale in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century documents. However you want to spell it, the result is a brown hair powder that has been scented and colored with ground clove, cinnamon and, occasionally, mace and/or ginger. [18] Some mareschal recipes have ingredients we don’t recommend using, such as paint pigments. [19] I’m sure you can imagine the mess that would result in when mixing this with your pomatum. No, thank you! In lieu of literal paint on the head, we’ve pumped up the spice-to-powder ratio to get a pretty brown color that smells like cookies. Every perfumery had their own take on this recipe, so don’t hesitate to change the ratios to best suit your olfactory preferences.
• 1 lb (454 g) White Hair Powder
• 4 oz (113 g) ground clove
• 2½ oz (71 g) ground mace
• 2½ oz (71 g) ground cinnamon
• Optional: additional essential oils (lavender, clove, orange, etc.)
1. In a large bowl, add the white hair powder, clove, mace and cinnamon. Stir until blended.
2. Sieve the powder portion by portion into a large sealable container, adding any additional essential oils. Use 1 to 5 drops per sieve portion.
3. Voilà! You now have super fancy-schmancy mareschal powder. Add this as a finishing powder when your hairstyle is completely finished rather than in your regular pomading and powdering routine.