For beauty and everyday life: what were the strangest gadgets used by our (great)grandmothers?
Even our grandmothers and great-grandmothers cared about their health and were not indifferent to how they looked. Because they were usually also skilled homemakers and uncrowned queens of the whole household, they had a perfect overview of what they had at their disposal and what could be used - sometimes in an unconventional way.
Citron
With serums loaded with all kinds of vitamins, including the proverbial "C", the cosmetics world has been on fire lately. But even our great-grandmothers and grandmothers knew what was good for the skin. For example, they didn't just use lemon, which contains vitamins C, A and B, among others, in baking or flavouring. They commonly rubbed lemon peel on their faces, décolleté, hands and added a few drops of lemon to their hair or freshly washed (and sun-dried) clothes for natural lightening.
Francovka
Did you think that this famous alcohol solution is more or less used externally as a disinfectant? Wrong! Some great-grandmothers and grandmothers would probably disagree with you, as they took a "shot" of this solution as a way to prevent pain and illness of all kinds - either on its own or with a sugar cube.
Priessnitz
Today, the name of the healer and native of Jeseník, after whom the universal wrap was named, will sound familiar to almost no one. However, the Priessnitz wrap used to be a common and widespread method that helped with stomach aches, sore throats, fever, bronchitis, tonsillitis and other ailments. And how do you make a wrap? Place a cloth (a small towel or perhaps a washcloth) pre-soaked in lukewarm water directly on the sore area. Then cover the wrap with plastic so that it steams. Finally, add a third and final layer of cloth (again, a towel will do) and knot it or fasten it with, for example, a safety pin. The wrap should remain on the affected area for about two hours. If even after this time there is not much improvement, be patient and repeat the same procedure three or four times a day.
Withering flowers
You may be an experienced gardener who can cope with any situation. But maybe you're not. So, although you like flowers, you don't like getting them because you're afraid they'll wilt immediately. When it comes to caring for cut flowers, even they can be a pain. But you can try a trick from the old days. Put the stems of wilting flowers in hot water and leave them there until the water cools down. Then cut off a piece of the stems and put them in cold water, which is probably the first choice most of us would make.
Herbs, oils and...lard?
Herbs are still very popular today in the form of teas and salves, as are oils of all kinds, which have also found success in the kitchen and in cosmetics. But did you know that pork fat is also a carrier of the substances contained in herbs? One of its great advantages is that it is very close to human fat, so it is well absorbed and suitable for treating various skin problems such as eczema.
Cork
If you never manage to keep your cork in good condition after opening a bottle of fine wine, don't throw in the towel. Try following the example of your great-grandmothers and grandmothers, who would either roll the cork with a shoe or a rolling pin. This will reduce the size of the cork without destroying its beautifully smooth surface.
Glasses
If you're a glasses wearer, you'll be well aware of how challenging winter can be. With the big temperature differences, glasses are perpetually fogging up, which is a real nuisance. Fortunately, there is a solution. If you wash your glasses with soap every day and then clean the lenses thoroughly, you may be able to get rid of your troubles. The soap leaves an invisible film on the lenses that should prevent fogging.
While some of our grandmothers' and great-grandmothers' tricks have fallen into oblivion, others have proved so successful that they have become so popular that almost everyone takes them for their own. And then there's that last group of original gadgets that only a handful of people have experience with. For these, there is nothing to do but try them out for yourself. Will you do it too?
