We have strange beauty trends today. But like all trends, they come and go quickly. The same goes for the trends throughout history, even the weird ancient beauty trends that you might have forgotten about. While you might have heard about the feet binding in ancient China or the love for unibrows in ancient Greece, these are a few ancient beauty trends that will certainly shock you.
6. Bloodletting
One of the many bizarre, yet also horrific, ancient beauty trends is bloodletting. Interestingly enough, several cultures practiced this, from ancient Egyptians to Greeks to Romans. But in the Renaissance era, it was incredibly prevalent thanks to Queen Elizabeth I, who painted her face white like a ghost.
Several women tried to recreate this look by painting their faces as well, but it seemed one of the best ways to recreate the look naturally was bloodletting. This consisted of people bleeding themselves, or using leeches, to make them pale.
5. Roman Sweat Facials
Skincare is one of the biggest beauty trends right now. It seems everyone has a ten-step process to make their skin glisten and glow. But did you know that back in ancient Rome, wealthy women focused on their skin as well, just in a different way?
During this time, the sweat of a successful gladiator was all they needed to improve their complexion and maintain youthfulness. The more successful a gladiator in the arena, the more potent their bodily fluids were believed to be, and the sweat is simply scraped off the gladiator, bottled, and given to the wealthy customer.
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4. The Deadly Use of Belladonna
Belladonna, also known as deadly nightshade, is extracted from its plant and used to dilate the pupils, giving them a dreamy, luminous appearance, which was highly sought after during the 18th century.
But of course, they were using nightshade, and the side effects were terrible. Prolonged use of belladonna leads to vision problems and blindness, all in the hopes of giving an ethereal look.
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3. Dieting in the 19th Century
The diet culture has always been horrendous. No matter where you go, someone is trying to sell the latest product to lose weight or body shaming. Unfortunately, that’s always been the case.
And in the Victorian era, one of the most bizarre ancient beauty trends revolves around weight loss. Specifically, in the Victorian era, people ingested tapeworm eggs to allow the parasite to grow inside their bodies to help them lose weight.
2. Lead-Based Cosmetics
It’s incredible to see how many beauty trends consist of terrible ingredients. The same thing was common in ancient Egypt. Despite its toxic nature, lead was a key ingredient in the makeup of both men and women.
They used these cosmetics, particularly the green and black eye paints, and believed that they had magical healing powers and could ward off evil spirits.
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1. Poisons Whiten the Complexion
One of the most popular, and bizarre ancient beauty trends ever was during the Middle Ages when women would whiten their complexion using poison. Specifically, white lead, mercury, carbolic acid, and mercuric chloride.
These ingredients were found in lotions and creams used to bleach the skin. Of course, this caused health problems. Interestingly enough, some women used this to their advantage, with some brands adding poison to their powders for the wealthy women who wanted to kill their husbands.
