Vintage Hygiene Practices That Are the Very Opposite of Clean

Poisonous Plants Were Used for Makeup

During the Renaissance, beauty standards were as dangerous as they were demanding. Women consumed deadly nightshade to dilate their pupils and give themselves a haunting, wide-eyed look. The plant also helped flush their cheeks—but at a terrible cost.

Nightshade caused everything from hallucinations to heart failure, yet it remained in fashion. It’s a chilling reminder of the lengths people go to for beauty—and the risks they’re willing to take.