You Won't Believe How Unsafe These 19 Vintage Beauty Practices Were
Many women have endured harmful beauty practices in the pursuit of looking good, from using useless vibrating machines for weight loss to ingesting toxic products with serious side effects. The phrase "beauty is pain" has been taken to the extreme with these old beauty regimens:
1.Corsets
Corsets originated in the early 1500s and were used to create the appearance of a smaller waist. They were typically made of cotton, linen, and silk, and reinforced with materials such as wood, metal, and whalebone to give them their shape. Despite remaining popular today for shaping the figure, these garments can be harmful, leading to skin irritation, discomfort, and even organ damage.
2.The Nose Shaper
In the early 1900s, nose-shaping devices were introduced to the market. These devices were strapped to the face to help straighten and structure the shape of the nose. Similar devices have been marketed to people, but they have harmful consequences that can lead to scarring, bruising, damage to the nose, and infections.
3.Deodorant Tampons
Marketed in the 1970s, tampons with perfumes became popular for their "fresh, delicate scent." However, they led to severe infections, irritations, imbalances, and the growth of bad bacteria. They were taken off the market in the 80s.
4.Radioactive Cosmetics
Marketed as being able to firm skin and remove wrinkles, Tho-Radia cosmetics contained radioactive elements. The France-based product line included makeup, toothpaste, and their creams were advertised to make your skin glow (all due to the radioactive components).
5.Tapeworm Dieting
Popular in the late 1800s through the early 1900s, people would swallow a pill containing tapeworm eggs which would hatch inside the intestines and the parasites would absorb the food, aiding in weight loss. However, this method proved dangerous and led to infections.
6.X-Ray Hair Removal
First introduced in the late 1800s, women sought this popular treatment to remove body hair. Although successful, it led to sickness, skin damage, and excessive radiation exposure.
7.Dimple Machines
Popular in the 1930s, a device was designed to forcefully create dimples in the face by pressing a pair of knobs into the skin, but it was deemed unsuccessful.
8.The Toilet Mask
The Toilet Mask was made of flexible rubber designed to help your skin while you sleep. The original ad states it's, "a natural beautifier for bleaching and preserving the skin and removing complexional imperfections."
9.Bird Poop Facials
Bird poop facials, also known as the Geisha Facial, is a treatment that originated in Japan and was marketed to remove makeup and brighten the skin. The bird droppings work as a bleaching agent and are mixed with rice bran, forming a paste. Bird poop facials are still popular in many spas.
10.Lysol Douching
In the 1920s, advertisements for Lysol appeared in women's magazines and promoted the use of the cleaning agent for feminine hygiene and even birth control. It was linked to harmful conditions including burning, itching, inflammation, and even death!
11.Ironing Hair with a Clothing Iron
Popular in the 1960s, women used to straighten their hair by placing their heads on a flat surface and ironing their hair, while trying to avoid burning their scalp.
12.Vibrating Excercise Belt
In the 1950s and 1960s, this popular device was designed to target fat without requiring much movement. The device vibrated through the body, claiming to target unwanted fat. However, it was proven unsuccessful as people noticed that the pounds weren't melting away.
13.Breast Enlarger Pump
14.Violet Ray Generator
Violet Ray Generators, invented by Nikola Tesla and sold in the 1900s, claimed to treat conditions such as baldness, bunions, blackheads, eczema, hay fever, and sciatica, as well as injuries like bruises and sprains. The alleged cure-all machines were even used in doctors' offices.
15.McGregor Rejuvenator
In the early 1900s, the McGregor Rejuvenator was a chamber where a person would lie with only their head sticking out. The machine transmitted the body with magnetism, radio waves, infrared, and ultraviolet rays, and it claimed to reverse the aging process.
16.The Eye Normalizer
The Eye Normalizer claimed to restore vision and cure far-sightedness. The device massaged and suctioned your eyes by placing them in a rubber cup and turning a knob on the side that would rotate the cups. The device was popular in the early 1900s and eventually fell out of favor.
17.The Relax-A-Cizor
The Relax-A-Cizor used electricity to stimulate muscle exercise, claiming to provide slimming results, without traditional workouts. It gained popularity in the 1950s and 1960s and was even endorsed by celebrities such as Doris Day. However, the device was found to cause serious side effects, including ruptured blood vessels, cramps, vomiting, urinary discharge, and even miscarriages and paralysis. As a result, the FDA banned the sale of Relax-A-Cizor's.
18.Radioactive Energy Drinks
Radithor was an energy beverage sold in the 1920s and 1930s, that contained radium dissolved into water. It was marketed as an energy booster, a cure for diseases, and an impotence remedy, but it resulted in illnesses and poisoning.
19.Hemorrhoid Cream For Under The Eyes
Promoted for reducing puffiness and swelling, this dangerous method can lead to irritation and contribute to side effects such as cataracts and glaucoma. Despite its risks, it remains popular in the beauty industry.
