Anti-Aging Methods – Inspired by History

Throughout history, people always had the ambition to stay young and tried all kinds of bizarre beauty hacks. Many of them are still common and believed to really help anti-aging.

We teamed up with Ellipse to give you some examples:

Empress Wu Zetian’s “Fairy Powder”

Wu Zetian was a female emperor of China and used a daily face wash routine to keep young. She mixed her famous “fairy powder” – which is a powder made of Chinese motherwort – with cold water and used this mixture to wash her face every morning. It seemed to have worked for her, as she was well known for her beautiful appearance up until an old age.

Queen Mary’s Wine baths

In the sixteenth century Queen Mary was the Queen of Scots and admired for her looks. Her beauty secret included regularly white-wine baths which was her method to keep her skin young, smooth and beautiful.  

Placentas

In ancient cultures, human placentas were believed to keep you youthful. It is still trendy nowadays, however it is more common to use animal placentas, like from pigs, sheep or goats. JLo and other celebrities trust in it, if you believe the media.

Snail Slime as Facial Wonder

It became quite popular to use creams that contain carefully collected snail slime. It is known to be an effective anti-aging hack and moreover is able to reduce wrinkles, stretch marks, acne and scars. This comes from the regenerative compounds the slime contains.

Emu Oil helps your Skin

Aboriginals have used Emu oil for years. It is made from the fat of the emu birds and processed into an anti-aging oil that is told to have healing powers. It has to be mixed with eucalyptus oil and then contains vitamin E and A which help to thicken the skin and heal wounds. On top of that it works as a moisturizer to stop skin from dehydrating.   

Anti-Sagging Lips as Face Slimmer

Japan’s cosmetic company Glim came up with this invention called “anti-sagging lips” that help to slim the face. These lips, a rubbery looking mouthpiece, are supposed to keep the muscles of lower part of the face pert by stretching them permanently. Moreover, you can do various face exercises with those lips that prevent jowls from sagging.

Not so relaxing Cactus Massage as Body Treatment

In Mexican resorts cactus massages are the latest trend. The spiky plants are used as a body treatment. The cactus leaves are being rubbed down on your body, which will afterwards be scrubbed with coarse salt, lime and tequila. This is supposed to be a useful anti-aging method.

Leech Therapy as popular Anti-Aging Treatment

Back in the Middle Ages, it was highly common for doctors to include leeches in their medical kit. They would attach them to a sick person’s skin to let them suck out diseases. What sounds quite sadistic is still popular these days. Bloodletting still follows the reputation to be detoxifying and anti-aging and celebrities like Demi Moore are big supporters of this kind of therapy.

Exfoliating Socks for soft feet

These kinds of socks can be bought in many stores, like Boots and are a real feet renewer. Just wear the gel-filled socks for an hour and see the transformation happening a couple of days later. All the dead and calloused skin peels of the feet and what you get are soft, young-looking feet. You should use them around once a month. 

Silkworm Cocoons to rub in your Face

A pretty unusual method to keep your skin from aging is to use silkworm cocoons. This method has apparently been used by geishas since centuries. The cocoons are soaked in hot water and then being rubbed all over the face. The water together with the casings releases sericin, which is a protein- and amino acid-rich substance that locks in moisture. It reduces wrinkles and is an all-natural method without any bad side effects.

Rejuvenating through Slaps

The so-called “slapping facial massage” that originated in Thailand, sounds painful but Thais swear on it. By slapping and striking specific areas in the face, the skin apparently gets suppler, wrinkles are reduced and pores tightened. Only one of this natural healing sessions rejuvenates your skin, apparently.

Anti-Aging Crocodile Dung Mask

Mud mixed together crocodile dung was a common and popular mixture for facial masks among Greeks and Romans. It was supposed to keep you young and was known as a successful anti-aging method.

Charlotte Giver

Charlotte is the founder and editor-in-chief at Your Coffee Break magazine. She studied English Literature at Fairfield University in Connecticut whilst taking evening classes in journalism at MediaBistro in NYC. She then pursued a BA degree in Public Relations at Bournemouth University in the UK. With a background working in the PR industry in Los Angeles, Barcelona and London, Charlotte then moved on to launching Your Coffee Break from the YCB HQ in London’s Covent Garden and has been running the online magazine for the past 10 years. She is a mother, an avid reader, runner and puts a bit too much effort into perfecting her morning brew.