7 interesting beauty practices from the past

The concept of beauty has changed many times over the decades. In fact, beauty practices and methods have also changed in the historical process. The most popular beauty trends of that period have lost their relevance and have disappeared today. It’s good that this happened, because some of the beauty treatments that were popular in years past were terrifying and dangerous, as well as extremely interesting! Here are 7 beauty practices that prove that beauty was once an extremely complex process…

1. Sun mask

It has been known for many years that the sun can pose a serious threat to human skin. For this reason, people have tried to protect themselves from the sun both in the past and today. However, in some periods, “pale complexion” was one of the mandatory requirements for beauty. For this reason, people used sun masks with UV protection, both to protect against the harmful effects of the sun and as a requirement to understand the beauty of the period. However, those masks used in the past looked a bit intimidating…

2. Ice mask

Facial wrinkles used to be quite annoying, just like they are today. Thanks to the development of technology and cosmetics, the fight against wrinkles today has made significant progress. However, this was not the case in the past. A long time ago, in the 1940s, the most effective and only weapon in the fight against wrinkles was ice!

Developed in the 40s and used by many people, especially Hollywood stars, ice masks have proven that beauty is something that can be achieved after a complex process. Many ice cubes were put on a paper mask, what became an ice mask was left on people’s faces for hours …

3. Electric face mask

In the 1940s, a beautician named Ann Drew introduced a very interesting product at a beauty fair: a very strange-looking mask made of thick material that covers the entire face and is heated by electric current!

4. Diet for tapeworms

Beauty and weight were two concepts that were often clashed in the past, as they are today. For this reason, people have resorted to the tapeworm diet to lose weight, at the risk of extremely serious health problems! According to this diet, a person who wants to lose weight takes a pill containing tapeworm eggs in order for the tapeworms to multiply in the dieter’s stomach. Then it was believed that the tapeworm will digest the food eaten and the diet will bring success! In the early 1900s, the tapeworm diet was a fairly common beauty practice.

5. Radioactive cosmetics

Radioactivity poses a serious threat to human health. Fortunately, today we are aware of this danger and can safely use the power of radioactivity in many different areas. However, in the late 1800s, radioactive materials were mainly used in the field of cosmetics. And without any precautions!

For example, when the French physicist and chemist Marie Curie discovered the radioactive element radium, she claimed that this element had an incredible healing effect. In the following period, she and her husband developed a makeup kit containing radium. However, many beauty creams containing radium were also very popular in the late 1800s.

6. Freckle removal

In the 1930s, freckles never matched beauty. Therefore, many people were willing to make great sacrifices to get rid of their freckles. At this point, technology intervened and a freckle removal machine was developed. This machine, which had a rather intimidating appearance, worked on the principle of freezing freckles with carbon dioxide.

7. Perm machine

Getting a perm wasn’t always as easy as it is now. A long time ago, a German hairdresser developed a very interesting machine for women who want to get a perm. The huge iron tips of the machine were placed in the hair, heated with an electric current, and finally sodium hydroxide was applied to the hair. Even getting a permanent wave a few fifty years ago was really difficult and dangerous.

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