Health and beauty trends have come a long way since the 18th century. While I tend to share current trends and recent beauty happenings, today’s post is going back in time and casting a glance on the beauty trends that started out in the 18th century. These set the trends way back in the day, which has given us trends to work on and improve, bringing us to todays modern health and beauty world.
Many trends created during this period of time are no longer in practice today, as you’ll soon discover why. While that doesn’t mean that they did not have an influence over current health and fashion trends, nowadays they tend to focus more on the cleanliness and sustainability side of things – which was not always the case. Back in the 18th century, they didn’t have the extensive knowledge or advanced technology that we have today, so their practices can seem incredibly risky and dated …
Beauty
The first beauty trend of the 18th century is the one where Europeans would rub lead on their faces in hopes of achieving a pale complexion. This trend can be traced back to when the Ancient Greeks would use lotions made with white lead for their skincare routine. This was done by both men and women and was rumoured to clear blemishes and improve the texture of the skin. This trend was quite a prevalent one as it infiltrated Ancient Rome where they also used white lead in hopes of lightening their skin colour.
Another beauty related trend is the one where Victorian women would place nightshade into their eyes. Nightshade is a deadly substance which can cause delirium and hallucinations but the Victorian women used this plant to dilate their pupils. During the time, the most attractive look was one where the woman would appear weak and fragile. An effective way to achieve this look is by having big, watery eyes, which used to be recreated using the nightshade.
Health
A huge trend of using tobacco was present during the 18th century. During this time, the snus industry was having its big break in Scandinavia and the higher class citizens of the western culture wanted to get their hands on some snus. Snus is a form of tobacco which can be placed on the gums and left to take effect on its own. This is one trend that is still relevant in the 21st century, with sites selling tax free snus to buyers in the UK. The invention of snus pre-dated the invention of cigarettes by a whole century but snus is still a healthier alternative to cigarettes. Tobacco was highly important during this time as it was recognised as a medicine used for a procedure called Tobacco Enema.
The 18th century did open up the world of medicine to various possibilities. In fact, many medical treatments which where adopted during the 18th century are still in practice today. An example of this is when herbs are used to heal wounds and infections. Morphine is the most basic example that one can give when speaking about medicinal practices which were influenced by the 18th century.
It was also during this time that the thermometer was created, oxygen was discovered and a smallpox vaccine was created. All of the medicinal inventions of the 18th century, although needed some improvement, are still the pillars upon which modern-day medicine is based.
The 18th century has provided us with aspects of health and beauty which we have continued to build on to form our modern-day society. They would no longer be deemed OK to follow nowadays, but they certainly kick started the interest that women have with creating impressions on their skincare and appearance to say the least . The health trends and discoveries helped pave the way to the vast amount of knowledge in the sector which we have now, which brings us to having a very intelligent and advanced beauty and health industry.
Leave a Reply