History classes often cover the Colonial era, with familiar mentions of tricorner hats, muskets, and iconic figures. But have you ever wondered about the hygiene habits of that time? Beneath the layers of uniforms and wigs, colonists had some truly peculiar practices. Journey through time into the strange and often astonishing world of colonial hygiene practices that you’ll be glad have been left in the past.
Rotting Teeth Were Seen as a Sign of Wealth
During the Colonial era, sugar was a hot commodity. It wasn’t something that the average Joe could buy, which meant that it was reserved for the higher, wealthier classes. And while we now know that rotten teeth as a result of too much sugar is a bad thing, they didn’t think the same back in the day. Rotting teeth were actually seen as a sign of wealth, as it proved to the rest of the world that you could afford it.
Even those who couldn’t afford sugar tried to fake that their teeth were rotting. They tried to stain them with natural colorings, and scrubbed them with lye to create the illusion that they were rich.
They Used Crocodile Excrement as a Contraceptive
During the Colonial era, contraceptives were scarce. Because of this, couples and unmarried women often welcomed children they had not been expecting or planning to conceive. But in an effort to prevent pregnancy, strange and bizarre makeshift contraceptives started to pop out of the woodwork. One of the most common during this time was crocodile excrement, which was rolled into a ball and then inserted into the woman before any physical acts.
As you can imagine, this caused a whole load of other problems and didn’t always prevent pregnancy. So, the concept became less and less popular as the time wore on.
Dishes Were Washed With Animal Fat and Ash
Back in the Colonial era, they didn’t have dish soap or laundry detergent on tap. Instead, the regular folk had to save up their hard-earned money for months to buy some laundry detergent. This was called lye soup, a strange concoction made from animal fat, ash from the fire, and lye. However, this lye soup was so expensive that the common folk didn’t want to use it on all of their dishes and all of their laundry.
So, while they used it to wash their dirtiest washing dishes and the dishes that needed a good cleaning, others just didn’t make the cut. In those instances, they were given a quick rinse in a bucket of water before being used again.
Only Men Were Allowed to Shave
Before the late 18th century, men tended to grow their beards and rarely focused their attention on shaving. If they did shave, they chose to do it at home. But that all changed when barbers started offering their services, and more and more men chose to attend these barbershops to shape up their beards and trim their mustaches. However, only men were allowed to shave in these barbershops, as the services weren’t offered to women.
Instead, women would try to shave their body hair in private, which often resulted in bloody incidents and accidents. And as hygiene during the Colonial era was poor, these open wounds often became infected.
Men Wore Wigs to Prevent Lice Infestations
When you look back at photos from the Colonial era, you’ll likely come across photos of well-to-do generals, presidents, and upper-class men wearing white wigs complete with ringlets and pigtails. And while these wigs were a sign of aristocracy, they also held a lot of secrets. That’s because lice infestations were so common during this era that many men either lost their hair or shaved it off to prevent lice from setting up shop on their heads.
But while these wigs certainly covered their bald heads, they didn’t stop the lice entirely. The critters were also attracted to the wigs due to the fact that they were often made from animal fur and hair.
Women Had to Pluck the Hair From Their Bodies
During the Colonial era, men shaved and women weren’t allowed. And while some women simply embraced the extra hair on their bodies, others wanted to get rid of it. However, doing so required a high pain threshold. That’s because colonial women had one of two options; they could either pluck each individual hair from their body, or they could make their own depilatory hair removal cream to help them out.
This cream wasn’t like the safe products we have on the market today, though. It was actually made from a mixture of arsenic and limestone, which was not only painful but also very dangerous.
Huge Families Had to Bathe in the Same Water
Many of us take baths for granted today, but bathing was a huge ordeal back in the Colonial era. They didn’t bathe regularly – perhaps once a month at most – as doing so was too difficult and time-consuming. After all, they had to pull their own water from the closest well, walk it back to their home, and then heat it up before pouring it into their wooden bathtubs. Because of this, they needed to savour every drop of the water.
As a result, huge families would share the same bath water when it was time to bathe. As soon as one person had their turn in the bath, they got out and another member of the family had their turn.
Colonials Covered Themselves in Snails to Cure Coughs
Coughs are all part and parcel of everyday life, and people still develop coughs every single day in the modern era. But while we have cough drops and even antibiotics, doctors relied on different medicines during the Colonial era. In fact, they swore by using a mixture of sugar and live snails, which the patient had to eat. Not only that, but they also had to cover themselves in snails to make the most of the slime.
Doctors believed that the snail slime would help to coat their throats and ease their cough, but they ultimately had no proof that it worked. So, it wasn’t long before that type of medicine was shelved.
Women Wore Specific Toilet Clothes to Use the Bathroom
During the Colonial era, upper-class women wore large gowns that hid underskirts, bustles, and hoops that formed many heavy layers. However, there was no way that they could take these off every time they wanted to use the bathroom – which is why they had to wear specific toilet clothes instead. In most cases, women wore underwear that had an opening in the crotch, which allowed them to use the bathroom without taking off their clothes.
These proved to be extremely challenging to use, though, and women still had to hoist up their heavy skirts and dresses to use the opening. Because of this, using the bathroom was very messy business.