Toilet situations:
Women in the Victorian era could not go to the toilet as easily as they can today. Their underwear was completely different. There were no panties like we have today; instead, they wore knee-length trousers called "pantalonas." They were made of thin fabric and were breathable, but their main feature was that the crotch area was split, allowing them to defecate without removing their clothes.
Toilet
paper first appeared around 1870, in the late 19th century. Initially, it contained fragrances and disinfectants, which helped with odor control, but many women experienced burns and inflammation of their genitals. Before that, both men and women used old newspapers or corn cobs to wipe themselves. Women in wealthy families kept scraps of cloth in the toilet and used them to clean themselves. These cloths were also used during menstruation; linen cloth was folded and secured with a band-like material, and after use, it was washed in hot water and reused. Old newspapers were also commonly used for cleaning up after defecation.
Bathing
with a shower was not yet common, but people maintained a minimum level of cleanliness. In poor households, water was boiled over a stove, and people bathed in wooden or metal bathtubs. However, they did not soak in the bathtub every day; women washed their hands, face, armpits, and groin daily with a large pitcher and basin kept in their rooms. There was also a custom of wiping the entire body with a damp cloth. Wealthy households had porcelain bathtubs and private bathrooms, and some even had luxurious small bathtubs for foot baths.
Women 's
hairstyles were very elaborate, and washing, drying, and styling them took a long time, so they didn't wash their hair often. They grew their hair long, but it was considered very impolite to wear it down in public, and married women only wore their hair down in front of their husbands. At the time, it was believed that washing hair too often would damage it, so many women only washed it once every 15 to 30 days. Oily hair was recommended to be washed once every two weeks, and normal hair once a month. Shampoo was not yet common, and people washed their hair and scalp with bath soap, but many of these soaps contained caustic soda, which could damage the hair. Sometimes pure ammonia was used to wash the scalp.
Before the advent of commercially available deodorants
, lotions, and antiperspirants, people had limited options for concealing underarm odor. Wealthy women could afford perfumes and colognes, but generally, scented talcum powder was used. Talcum not only masked odor but also absorbed sweat, preventing the smell from transferring to clothing. It was also used to combat dampness in the genital area. Poor women couldn't even afford talcum and would place rags under their arms to prevent sweat from soaking into their clothes.
Oral hygiene
and dental care were still in their early stages of development, and treatment mainly consisted of tooth extraction for cavities. In the early Victorian era, it was common to brush teeth with salt on one's fingers. The modern toothbrush was invented in 1857, but it didn't become widespread until the early 20th century
