25 Vintage Hygiene Hacks That Are Nasty and Unusual

Some ways that people used to take care of themselves might seem bizarre to us now, but for them, it was as normal as brushing their teeth! If you find yourself repulsed by some of the facts you learn below, the joke is on you.

Some of your ancestors probably took part in some of these practices long before you were born.

One Man Had the Job of Being the King’s Butt Wiper

It was once an honor to be the man who wiped the King’s behind after his restroom trips. During the Victorian Era, there was a prized man crowned the “groom of the King’s close stool.” He was solely responsible for everything that happened in that restroom, underneath those extensive clothes (and without sanitary napkins).

Entire Families Used the Same Bath Water

In poorer areas of the world, having your own bath water was a luxury. People went days without bathing. And when they did, they shared their water with their entire family and sometimes an entire town shared bath water!

Men Used Chicken Poop to Cure Their Balding Heads

Somebody once told men that by rubbing chicken poop on their bald head, hair would magically grow. They mixed the dung with a form of potassium in the hopes of regaining their long forgotten locks. Unfortunately, chicken poop contains a poisonous alkaline solution which explains why no one uses this method today.

Sugar and Snails Makes the Perfect Cough Syrup

While we use a cup of tea and a little bit of honey to ease a sore throat nowadays, that’s wasn’t always the route taken. Before this tea nonsense became popular, doctors combined a mixture of snail slime and sugar to make quite possibly the most repulsive cough syrup known to man. The thought might make you queasy, but how different is it from honey, really?