10 Fascinating Facts About Men's Hygiene That Made Us See Things From a New Angle

We talked a lot about how women lived in the past. But what about men? And they, by the way, had their own hygiene problems.

For example, a barber literally put his fingers in the client’s mouth to cut his mustache. We have studied the peculiarities of men’s hygiene through the centuries, from the Middle Ages to the 19th century, and we are ready to tell you about the most amazing facts about it.

They shook rats out of wigs.

Throughout history, men have worn wigs at various points in time. They were a symbol of status and wealth, as well as a fashionable element of wardrobe. Wigs were powdered with a mixture of starch and aromatic oils to make them white.

In wealthy homes, wigs were kept in separate rooms, but no one was immune to rodents that could settle in these rooms. So before putting on a wig, you may have had to shake rats out of it first.

They wore pads.

Everyone knows how sad things were about hygiene in the Middle Ages. In the Victorian era, things got a bit better: people learned more about self-care, hygiene, doctors, and disease. But in those years, instead of washing more often, people preferred to wear body pads — pieces of cloth or sachets that absorbed odors — in the most sensitive places.

They risked their lives just to get shaved.

The first razors appeared 3000 years BC. However, this doesn’t mean that shaving was as comfortable for men in the past as it is today. Safety razors only came into use in 1903. In addition, many diseases were transmitted through barbershop razors, including the famous “barber’s itch.”

They brushed the teeth with a cloth.

The toothbrush was invented a few centuries after the Middle Ages. But this doesn’t mean that the people of that time didn’t take care of their teeth. They cleaned their teeth and gums with coarse linen cloths, used pastes and powders made from sage and salt crystals. To get rid of bad breath, they used herbs, including cloves.

They washed their hair but not too often.

In the Middle Ages, people bathed despite the popular belief that they were dirty from top to toe. But they didn’t wash their hair as diligently. Doctors in those days advised to beware of this procedure to avoid catching a cold. The noble lords, of course, didn’t wash their hair themselves, but entrusted this procedure to servants, simply enjoying the process.

They took care of the beard.

In the Victorian era, the beard was considered a symbol of masculinity and status. It was therefore cared for with the utmost attention. In the book of advice for gentlemen, the author emphasized that a beard should be kept clean, washed regularly, combed and shaped. Dyeing the beard was considered bad taste in those years, but all men did their best to take care of it.

They slept in nightcaps.

The nightcap has a long history. Its main purpose was to protect the head from drafts at night. It’s funny that in the years when it was no longer fashionable for women to wear it, men still enjoyed it.

They had to put up with barbers.

Arthur Anderson barbershop

Before the invention of the safety razor, it was virtually impossible to remove facial hair on your own. In the 19th century, American barbers used to put a finger in their customers’ mouths while shaving. This way they could stretch the skin and shave the hardest to reach areas of the face.

They cut their nails with whatever not.

Bronze nail clippers, 3rd or 4th century AD

The first manicure scissors were not scissors at all. People of the time used knives to cut off the protruding part of the nail. But more often than not, the nails were probably just broken off or cut with whatever was available - this aspect of hygiene received little attention over the centuries.

They went to the toilet wherever they could.

A medieval toilet in the castle wall

In the Regency era, balls were particularly popular. Women had to go to the pots, while men had to find a private place to ease themselves. Sometimes stately gentlemen would urinate at an inappropriate place. However, more often than not, they still tried to find a toilet.

Here are a few other curious facts about hygiene. For example, do you know why most Asians don't have toilet paper in their homes? Find out here.