15 Historical Beauty Ingredients That Will Freak You Out

We often take today's make up and beauty regiments for granted. Looking back to our ancestors, the ingredients they used would freak anyone out. Take a glance back in time at these historic beauty ingredients and be thankful that you were born in the 21st century.

Kohl

Eyeliner dates back thousands of years. Mostly used for tradition, religious, and/or health benefits, kohl was used on women, men, and even children all over the world. With lead as a major ingredient, side effects were common, but don’t worry, these days kohl is just a color.

Arsenic

Even back then people were chasing the fountain of youth. Would you believe arsenic was their secret to looking younger!? While women back in the day drank arsenic for a better complexion, the misuse of this led to some of their deaths.

Mercury

Mercury was a way of curing those blemishes. Dating back, ancient Egyptians and even the Romans used mercury in their cosmetics. Not to be used today, as mercury can cause kidney and liver failure, even death.

Deadly Nightshade

A few drops of deadly hightshade was believed to dilate pupils and brighten eyes. Other wise known as Belladonna, meaning “beautiful woman” in Italian, it was used by women to make them appear seductive. Deadly nightshade is not used today as it is toxic and causes hallucinations.

Cocaine

Cocaine was used to help ease the pain of those painful beauty products. Fake lashes anyone? From the dentist to the surgeon, cocaine was also used as anesthesia back then.

Lard

No hairspray or gel, lard did the trick for those enormous updos of the 18th century. As lard could hold those hairstyles in place for a week, lice infestation and mice were very common. No scratching sticks needed these days.

Sandpaper

Hair removal comes in so many forms now, but would you believe sandpaper was a method for removing hair? As hard times fell in the 40’s, women used sandpaper to buff away unwanted hair. Bare legs were a must as wartime shortages meant less stockings.

Camel Urine

Shiny hair didn’t come naturally to most women. Ancient Arabian women who loved sleek and shiny hair used camel urine to dip their hair in. Don’t be shocked — this method is actually still used today!

Crocodile Poop

Cleopatra was well known for her beauty. History shows face masks of crocodile poop and mud were used to keep her lovely complexion and help prevent wrinkles. Due to toxins, today we just use mud.

Urine Mouthwash

The active ingredient ammonia in urine actually lifted stains, cleaning teeth and freshening breath. That’s right, people in the old days once used urine as mouthwash!

Orange Juice Eye Drops

In the Victoria era, orange juice was actually used to clear eyes. A drop in each eye was said to cleanse the eye. If you can get past the burn, this method is actually said to work.

Rat Poisoning

Products containing thallium, a toxic element in rat poisoning, was used to remove unwanted hair back in the 30’s. Although primarily affecting the scalp, loss of hair in eyebrows and eyelashes would occur. Due to several cases of poisoning and even death, thallium was banned from commercial use.

Cyanide

Dying your hair black? Recipes for hair dye offered yellow cyanide instead of lead as an ingredient. In case you aren’t familiar, cyanide is a deadly poison.

Mouse Skin

With the understandable hair issues that resulted from all of these poisonous treatments, many women in the 18th century turned to using false eyebrows. They made these false eyebrows by attaching the skin of mice to their faces!

Radium

The stuff that we wouldn’t touch with a 10-foot pole today was once applied directly to skin to treat wrinkles! Women even called themselves “Radium Girls,” and would rub the glow-in-the-dark goo on their skin, teeth, and nails.