Strangest Hygiene Practices From The Middle Ages

Strangest Hygiene Practices From The Middle Ages

Shannon Quinn - December 6, 2020

Strangest Hygiene Practices From The Middle Ages
Modern hand made soap is similar to medieval methods of soap making. Credit: Shutterstock

24. Soap was Handmade Out of Whatever People Had Available

Today, soap is made out of essentially the same types of products. Back in the middle ages, people used a lot of different substances to make soap. Sometimes, they used lime and soap. Other times, they used wood ashes mixed together with lard, or oil. Soap was then molded into cakes and bars, adding dried flowers and scents like lavender. The quality and scent of soap changes depending on how wealthy someone was. Unfortunately, some people made soap with lye, which was so harsh, that it could remove skin if you scrubbed too hard. For people who couldn’t afford any of the ingredients mentioned before, they grabbed some soapwort, which is a flower known for being great for cleaning.

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