11 Little-Known Hygiene Practices From the Past That Are Unlikely to Be Found in Historical Novels

Thanks to the development of modern science, we are aware of the many pros and cons of hygiene and cosmetic procedures. Women of the past centuries also wanted to stay healthy and look attractive at the same time. However, to achieve these goals, they sometimes used completely disconcerting means.

In the Middle Ages, a toilet could cause feuds between neighbors.

It is believed that in the Middle Ages the streets were extremely unsanitary and people used the toilet wherever they wanted. In fact, the law required residents and visitors to use public toilets or their own premises. Violators could get a serious reprimand. Often the toilet room was set up on the second or third floor, connected by a drainage pipe to the cesspit.

Some crafty people tried to save money and didn’t install pipes, causing all the waste to pour directly into the yard and accumulate against the walls of neighboring buildings. Other homeowners cleaned their cesspits too infrequently, causing them to overflow. This caused serious conflicts between householders, so in the 13th century London introduced legislation to regulate the location of cesspits and toilets.

Many apartment blocks in poor neighborhoods were often built without toilets. However, this didn’t mean that the residents were in a desperate situation. Most large cities had several public toilets. Usually they were built on the bank of a river or on a bridge, so that the waste could be flushed out immediately. Many of these facilities were built with the money of benefactors and were free of charge.

Others were leased to entrepreneurs for a long period of time, and the latter had to keep the toilets clean and tidy. Therefore, the entrepreneurs probably charged a small fee from visitors. The largest public lavatory in London was built in the 1420s. The building was divided into 2 parts: for women and for men. Each part had 64 seats, meaning that the toilet could accommodate 128 people at a time.

Ladies used various tricks to reduce their breasts.

In the Middle Ages, full breasts were not in favor. Noblewomen usually hired nursemaids for their offspring, so curves seemed vulgar. A thick towel could remedy the situation, so ladies were advised to bandage their breasts to avoid looking like commoners. Other women wore underwear resembling modern bras.

2 pouches were sewn to the undershirt, which could be adjusted with straps. Ladies put on this shirt in the morning, then placed their breasts in the pouches and tightened the straps. Some ladies managed to lift the bust to attract the attention of the opposite sex, which was considered the ultimate obscenity. In contrast, those who had large breasts used very tight pouches to conceal the size.

A real Renaissance beauty was supposed to have small, perfectly round breasts that resembled apples in shape. If a girl couldn’t boast this shape, she was recommended to rub a paste of ground zither and water on her bust, then to wrap her breasts with a cloth soaked in vinegar and wear this for 3 days. A little later, corsets came into fashion, which relieved ladies of many such problems.

Teeth were treated with a metal file.

In the late 16th century, sugar started to become cheaper and even the middle class could afford to buy it. After that, more and more people in Europe began to suffer from various dental problems. However, doctors of that time didn’t link sugar consumption with tooth decay. Moreover, they offered to treat dental diseases with its help.

One of the most popular mouthwashes was made of ground stone, tree resin, powdered sugar and rose water. This product briefly freshened the breath, but its regular use only worsened the condition of the teeth. To achieve a whiter smile, people rubbed powdered ground alum stone or ground pearls on their teeth. This did help to get rid of plaque, but it also destroyed the enamel.

In the 17th century, barbers used metal files to restore whiteness of the teeth. Unfortunately, these tools had the same effect as the pearl paste. As a result, a patient lost the tooth enamel and later the teeth themselves.

In the 19th century, women’s hair was a real treasure.

In the 19th century, the amount of hair required to create hairpieces and wigs was incredible. Usually, traders scrupulously scoured the villages in search of girls with long braids. And the girls were quite willing to cut their hair, because they were offered a good price for it. In some towns, they even made a show out of this action.

Girls with long locks were invited to the stage, and then an auction was organized among those who wanted to buy their hair. The authorities of some cities forbade public haircuts and allowed traders to buy curls only at fairs in special stalls. It took about 3-4 years for the hair to fully grow back, so some shrewd merchants left an advance payment to the ladies after the haircut and came back for a new batch of hair in a few years.

The situation changed when many young ladies began to move from the countryside to the city. They wanted to flaunt fancy hats, and these hats required long hair. As a result, girls allowed only a few strands to be cut off at the nape of the neck, and then masked this loss with an elaborate hairstyle.

When giant hats came into fashion in the late 19th century, the demand for hair increased even more. These hats were held on with hairballs called “rats.” Traders then found a new source to replenish their supplies — monasteries. One such institution is rumored to have sold £657,000 worth of hair in the 1890s.

Instead of toilet paper, people used corn cobs and rope.

Until the second half of the 19th century, toilet paper was not very popular in some countries, although manufacturers tried to persuade people to buy this hygienic product. However, many people thought it was wasteful to spend money on paper when there was a free and quite convenient analog at hand.

Therefore, people went to the toilet with corn cobs. Many noted that the husks were quite soft and the shape of the cob was ideal for this hygienic purpose.

On ships, sailors used a “tow rag” as toilet paper. A frayed, soft rope was tied to the part of the ship where sailors usually went to relieve themselves. After use, the tow rag was thrown back into the ocean so that the waves could clean it. Most often the toilet was placed on the bow of the ship, near the base of the bowsprit, so that the waves would wash away all the waste.

Usually there were 1 or 2 wooden seats with a metal pipe to flush the waste. However, using this toilet was quite dangerous, and sailors took great risks when they went to the toilet. The high waves could easily penetrate the grating at the base of the bowsprit and could easily wash a man overboard. Some sea wolves, fearing for their lives, preferred to seek a secluded corner in the hold. To prevent unsanitary conditions on board, the crew had a special man to catch these offenders.

Self-made tampons existed in the 18th century.

Before the development of modern medicine, researchers didn’t understand the cause of female menstruation very well. Many scientists assumed that any food eaten was broken down in the human body into 4 fundamental liquids. Men, due to their physical characteristics, could assimilate these liquids, but women had to get rid of the excess, which led to the onset of menstruation.

And it was believed that during this period ladies should not look in the mirror, otherwise it will break, as well as walk on the grass, as all vegetation will wither.

However, women had to leave the house one way or another. To avoid embarrassment, in the 18th century they used self-made tampons. A trimmed stick the size of a little finger was wrapped in linen rags, which were securely sewn together. A long rope was attached to the product, and some young ladies tied the tampons to their leg just in case. These products were disposable.

Another variant was made of a small bag, in which cotton wool or sponge was placed. These tampons could be used several times by boiling the bag and replacing the filling.

Doctors advised men to grow beards.

In the second half of the 19th century, many residents of large cities suffered from smog, as most houses were fueled by coal stoves. Concerned about the health of their patients, doctors advised men to grow thick and luxuriant beards. Hair was thought to prevent harmful smoke and pathogenic bacteria from entering the gentlemen’s bodies.

Other researchers believed that having a beard helped relax the throat, which meant that it would hurt less after public speaking. Alas, modern medicine rejects both of these claims.

During the Victorian era, there were many interesting inventions that were designed to improve the health of men and women. Unfortunately, many of them never stayed for various reasons.

For example, in the 19th century, one of the most common and dangerous diseases was cholera. Doctors didn’t know how to cope with it, but it was assumed that hypothermia contributed to the disease. Therefore, inventors made a special “cholera belt” that was supposed to keep the stomach warm.

Ladies wore corsets with expansible busts.

In the 1870s, a woman’s figure with a slim waist and full bust was in fashion. To achieve this effect, ladies had to ruthlessly tighten themselves in a corset. This caused a lot of inconvenience to the poor ladies, especially taking into account the fact that women couldn’t leave the house without wearing a corset, otherwise they could be considered a “loose woman.”

To somehow ease the life of poor ladies, the inventors came up with a corset with expansible busts. 2 rubber bags were sewn into the corset, to which a tube was connected. When wearing this corset, a woman could, if necessary, increase the size of her bust by inflating the bags.

Originally, the word “shampoo” meant an entirely different thing.

Before the 18th century, hair care was mainly a matter of combing, straightening and hiding bald spots. Strands were combed not only to get rid of tangles. Combs were used to get rid of parasites and dirt. One of the oldest inscriptions in the first alphabet was found on a comb. It was created between 1700 and 1550 BC, and a craftsman carved a wish on it, “May it eradicate lice from your beard and hair.”

The same tools were used during the Middle Ages. People also sprinkled scented powders on their heads to make their hair smell good. Ladies necessarily wore bonnets and caps. And headdresses served not only for decoration. The fabric absorbed excess grease from the hair, protected it from dust, moreover, the strands didn’t come into contact with the sweaty face and neck, which meant that they got dirty less.

To make the hair thicker, ladies were advised to apply a mixture of burnt barley bread, salt and bear fat. A mask of shredded cabbage mixed with boxwood or ivory powder (the resulting product was supposed to have a rich yellow color) was supposed to give a golden hue to the locks.

Shampoo became popular only in the 18th century and came to Europe from Asia. And originally this word meant not a cosmetic product, but a massage. So, one of the travelers decided to try this procedure on himself, after which his body and head were thoroughly massaged, and his ears were cleaned. “Shampooing” seemed a real torture to the poor man.

A lot of strange ingredients were used for homemade cosmetic recipes.

From the 12th century, the book Trotula was very popular among ladies. The book contained medical and cosmetic recipes for all occasions. However, some of them would seem quite dubious these days. Since in the Middle Ages thick and dark body hair was considered a sign of imbalance in the body, some ladies tried to get rid of it.

A solution of arsenic and quicklime was considered a proven remedy. The most difficult task was to wash off this liquid in time, otherwise the lady could have serious problems. Another recipe from later times suggested making a paste of pork fat, mustard and juniper.

In the 18th century, ladies also preferred to make their own cosmetics. For example, to get rid of wrinkles, women made a special pomade from the juice of white lily roots, honey and wax, which was applied to the face and left overnight. To get rid of pimples, ladies prepared a special remedy from boiled boar cheeks, apples and veal.

The popularity of leeches almost led to their extinction.

Medical leeches were used for treatment in Ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome, but in the 19th century, the demand for these creatures reached unprecedented proportions. The fact is that one French doctor assured his contemporaries that leeches were able to cure any disease. As a result, only one hospital in the period from 1830 to 1836 used more than 2 million leeches.

Special containers were invented to transport these creatures across the ocean, apothecaries displayed ornate vases of leeches in their establishments, and ladies embroidered them on their evening gowns. Because of this craze, leeches almost completely disappeared in some parts of Europe by the end of the 19th century, and many governments were forced to impose restrictions on their capture in order to do something to save them.

And here are a few other beauty practices of the past that you might find entertaining.