Old West hygiene practices that are best forgotten

We make the Old West seem more exciting than it was. We think of cowboys, the Gold Rush, and adventure but not the inconveniences of returning in time. Let's look at some hygiene practices from the past that might make you cringe. No clean water This is important because it sets the tone for the rest of these hygiene practices. Without clean water, it's hard to stay hygienic, but clean water isn't enough. People tried to conserve clean water, even if it meant staying dirtier. What do you drink? If clean water was hard to find, how did people get their drinking water? Heading west meant leaving functional infrastructure behind. People who settled there collected rainwater to bring clean water. Taking Baths How could you stay clean without clean water or indoor plumbing? A clean bath is often seen as a luxury. Sometimes, the water would be stored in a tub and used by the family until it was no longer usable, which usually lasted about a week. Since settlers didn't bathe often, fungal infections were common. Itching and scratching with dirty hands could spread the disease. Some women heated pencils and wrapped their hair around them to curl it. That's even more likely to burn than your average curling iron! What about your teeth? What oral hygiene options did you have in the Wild West? You don't need to go to the store to get a toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, and mouthwash. You needed those of modern dentistry. You had to rely on the dentistry available at the time. Sometimes, you'd be lucky to find a toothbrush or a toothpick. The saloon is a popular place in the West. Hollywood made some changes, but there were many places to stop in. What would one of those places have been like? One thing might make you uneasy about hygiene. You should wipe your face after a drink. You shared a towel with other guests, probably needing to be cleaned more often. As people settled in the West, they were new to watching dust storms. We're not just talking about Tornado Alley. Dust storms might surprise settlers. Wind storms would kick up and coat everything in dust. This made a mess and was terrible for your lungs. How to Stay Pale In the past, women avoided the sun. Pale skin showed they didn't have to work hard.