Old Hygiene Practices That Will Gross You Out

Bright Side

Do you know how people kept clean back in the day? Well, get ready to be grossed out by Old Hygiene Practices That Will Make You Cringe. From bathing in questionable substances to using downright bizarre grooming methods, these practices will definitely make you grateful for modern hygiene standards. Brace yourself for tales of greasy hair, stinky perfumes, and toothpaste made from some seriously weird ingredients. So, if you're feeling brave enough to dive into the murky waters of historical cleanliness, buckle up and prepare for a wild ride!   Preview photo credit:  Egyptian Doctor: GoShows, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/, https://flic.kr/p/d1o9gh Animation is created by Bright Side.  #brightside   ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Music from TheSoul Sound: https://thesoul-sound.com/   Listen to Bright Side on:  Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0hUkPxD34jRLrMrJux4VxV Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/idhttps-podcasts-apple-com-podcast-bright-side/id1554898078 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Our Social Media: Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/brightside/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/brightside.official/ Tik Tok - https://www.tiktok.com/@brightside.official?lang=en Snapchat - https://www.snapchat.com/p/c6a1e38a-bff1-4a40-9731-2c8234ccb19f/1866144599336960  Stock materials (photos, footages and other):  https://www.depositphotos.com  https://www.shutterstock.com  https://www.eastnews.ru  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For more videos and articles visit: http://www.brightside.me

Transcript

00:00 Hygiene practices have been on this planet for as long as there's been life.

00:06 Even those initial single-celled organisms felt icky when they got dirty, so they made

00:11 shields and developed mechanisms to kick out unwanted guests, such as bacteria.

00:17 Animals are surprisingly clean too.

00:20 Especially pigs, out of all animals.

00:22 Turns out they're particularly good at keeping their space tidy.

00:26 Domestic pigs, for instance, pick a spot for their toilet business that's a good distance

00:31 from where they eat or sleep.

00:35 Humans have a long, and at times icky, history with hygiene too, which can be traced as far

00:40 back as our ancient cousins, the Neanderthals.

00:44 There's evidence that even over 60,000 years ago, they seemed keen on keeping their pearly

00:49 whites in good shape.

00:51 Two fossilized Neanderthal teeth tell the story through some weird grooves, which were

00:56 obviously made by something pointy, like a toothpick of sorts.

01:01 Then there's Venus of Willendorf, this tiny ancient statue, around 25,000 years old, discovered

01:08 in Austria.

01:09 Its whole purpose remains a mystery.

01:12 Scientists don't even know if it was an art piece or if it had some spiritual significance.

01:17 But it does give us some indications on ancient hygienic practices.

01:21 Now there's no way to confirm, but those bumps and grooves on the statue's head might

01:26 represent braids.

01:28 Scientists have no idea how often people washed their hair back then, or if they used any

01:33 specific cleaning products.

01:35 But the fact that they put some time into a hairdo shows an extra bit of care that other

01:40 species might not have.

01:42 In all fairness, the likely culprit for prehistoric hygienic practices might've been lice, unfortunately.

01:51 Even further back in time, we meet the Egyptians, who surely take the crown for ancient self-care

01:57 practices.

01:58 In fact, according to the Greek historian Herodotus, around the 5th century BCE, the

02:04 ancient Egyptians were the cleanest and healthiest bunch around.

02:08 Why so?

02:09 Because they made sure to bathe twice a day to steer clear of health problems.

02:14 Spiritual leaders in particular took cleanliness seriously, shaving their entire bodies every

02:19 three days and having two baths during the day and two at night.

02:24 Wow.

02:25 Know what should also be taken seriously?

02:27 Liking this video and subscribing to this channel, which doesn't take nearly as long

02:32 as an ancient Egyptian bath.

02:34 Meanwhile, ancient Egyptians also didn't just rely on water.

02:38 They used perfumes to stay fresh.

02:40 They also had these natron soaps that were scented and had properties like fighting bacteria

02:46 and fungi.

02:47 These natron, which is a mineral salt, was used in mouthwash solutions too.

02:52 These people chewed on parsley and similar herbs to keep their breath fresh.

02:57 Egyptians back then went even as far as developing one of the first deodorants.

03:02 Ancient texts suggest putting a scented bread concoction under the arms post-bathing.

03:08 People also mixed an ostrich egg with pulverized tortoise shell and used it as an ointment

03:13 to ward off unpleasant odors.

03:15 Women, especially the wealthier ones, shaved their heads with flint or metal razors, choosing

03:22 wigs made from human hair to shield their skin from the sun and avoid lice.

03:27 Those who kept their hair natural often used hair extensions or wigs secured with beeswax

03:33 and resin.

03:34 There were even women who wore perfume wax cones on their heads that would slowly release

03:39 a delightful scent during the day.

03:42 Woo, coneheads!

03:44 Let's now move towards the north a bit and check out the ancient practices of the good

03:49 old Romans.

03:50 Sure, the Babylonians and Assyrians were the first to sort of invent the toilet.

03:56 That's because they crafted areas with too short walls and a little gap for the business.

04:01 And then they just let the debris flow into the canals along with their bathwater.

04:06 But it wasn't until the ancient Romans that these toilets became a common widespread device.

04:12 The less well-off households went for a barrel as their toilet, just dumping the stuff from

04:17 their chamber pots into it.

04:19 Public toilets were popular too, at times even big enough for over 50 people.

04:24 Imagine having a chat about commerce and marketing with other professionals while, uh, doing

04:29 your thing.

04:30 You wouldn't be wrong.

04:31 In fact, that's what the Romans did.

04:33 And that's where the phrase "to do one's business" comes from.

04:40 Did the ancient Romans use toilet paper?

04:43 No, they didn't.

04:44 But they did supposedly use a sponge on a stick called a tersorium to tidy up after

04:50 completing their potty time.

04:52 There's evidence you'd often find these devices in public bathrooms, but how exactly

04:57 they were used is still a bit of a mystery.

05:00 It's not like we sell toilet paper with detailed instructions these days either.

05:04 However, the hefty sponge might've been a reusable contraption.

05:09 Some say it was dipped in a little water and vinegar, did its job cleaning, and then got

05:13 rinsed or dunked back into a bucket of salt water or vinegar for the next person to use.

05:19 Hmm, I think I'd rather be first in line or wait for a new sponge.

05:24 Probably one of the most important ancient inventions when it comes to hygiene were the

05:28 Roman aqueducts.

05:30 These sophisticated engineering marvels were designed to transport fresh water from distant

05:35 mountain sources to cities.

05:37 This meant ancient Romans always had a reliable supply of clean water.

05:44 The medieval times have this reputation of being some of the smelliest in human history.

05:50 But if we look at the data, it wasn't that bad.

05:54 People were advised to keep it smooth, getting rid of unwanted hair by either shaving or

05:58 plucking.

06:00 Another technique was to put together a mix of crushed needle seeds and vinegar and slather

06:05 it on the skin.

06:06 Think of it as an ancient body scrub.

06:09 As for hair, doctors suggested washing it, but not too often – just once every three

06:14 weeks.

06:15 The preferred method?

06:16 A good scrub with water and herbal blends.

06:19 Daily hair care involved combing, sometimes with powders made from sweet-smelling flowers

06:24 like rose petals.

06:26 For laundry duty, our medieval ancestors tossed clothes and linen into a tub, river, or stream.

06:33 To really amp up the cleanliness, some added wood ash to the water.

06:38 Women often took laundry to rivers, where they would stomp on clothes or beat them with

06:42 a wooden bat until they were done.

06:44 In fact, the washing enthusiasm got so intense that it led to some serious public health

06:50 issues.

06:51 One story goes that in the 1400s, an English city put a ban on washing clothes at town

06:56 conduits because it became such a mess.

07:03 When it comes to laundry, though, people that lived through the Victorian era really overdid

07:07 it.

07:08 For starters, it was a multiple-day project.

07:11 Manuals then suggested letting clothes soak overnight as the first step.

07:16 The next day, it was a complete process of soaping, boiling, rinsing, drying, starching,

07:23 and ironing.

07:24 Sometimes they even had to repeat these steps.

07:26 To keep whites looking brand new, women had various stain removal options.

07:32 For instance, sour milk was said to work wonders in removing iron rust.

07:37 Every wash also involved a "bluing" stage.

07:40 White clothes were boiled or scalded with water that had a touch of blue dye.

07:45 This made yellowing clothes look whiter.

07:47 Interestingly, you can still find bluing products for laundry today.

07:52 Another manual gave tips on bleaching clothes.

07:55 Cotton could be bleached by soaking in buttermilk or adding turpentine to the first wash.

08:00 Muslin fabric needed a chemical mix after the initial soap boil, followed by sun-drying.

08:09 At about the same time lived one of the most beautiful women in history, Sisi of Austria.

08:15 She became renowned for her personal hygiene and self-care routines.

08:19 Her most recognizable attribute was this thick chestnut hair with an incredible length, down

08:25 to her feet.

08:26 It took her 3 hours per day just to manage it.

08:30 Every morning she'd have a cold bath, a massage, and then she'd sit down in a chair

08:35 for hours, letting her hairdresser do her job.

08:38 Sisi's skincare regimen was equally as outrageous.

08:42 Obsessed with keeping wrinkles at bay, Sisi put crushed strawberries to her hands, neck,

08:47 and face.

08:49 She also slept with a custom mask on, lined inside with pieces of raw veal.

08:55 The woman also spent time in warm olive oil baths to keep her skin soft and, for everyday

09:00 bathing, she used distilled water.

09:03 Sisi also made it a habit to sleep without any pillows, because she believed it would

09:08 benefit her skin.

09:10 Kind of obsessive, wouldn't you say?

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