With the rapid advancement of the times, people have begun to pay more and more attention to their personal image, and have also attached great importance to personal hygiene. Things such as toothpaste and hand sanitiser have become daily necessities for modern people. However, in ancient China when science and technology were underdeveloped, productivity was low, and there were few assorted toiletries, how did the ancient Chinese maintain their personal hygiene?
随着时代的快速发展，人们开始越来越关注自己的个人形象，也高度重视个人卫生。 牙膏和洗手液等物品已经成为现代人的日常用品。 然而，在中国古代，当科技不发达，生产力低，洗漱用品很少的时候，古代中国人是如何保持个人卫生的呢？
Salt ’n’ Vinegar Toothpaste
盐醋牙膏
Is it really just like on TV, where they just rinse their mouth with water after getting up in the morning?
真的像电视上一样，他们早上起床后就用水漱口吗？
On the contrary, not only were the ancients well-equipped for cleaning their teeth, but their solutions were no less effective than modern toothpaste.
相反，古人不仅装备精良地清洁牙齿，而且他们的解决方案不比现代牙膏有效。
Salt has the effect of whitening and protecting teeth. During the Wei, Jin, Sui and Tang Dynasties, people used to dip their fingers with salt, tea, wine, vinegar, etc. to wipe their teeth and rinse their mouths. According to “Essential Recipes for Emergent Use Worth A Thousand Gold” (备急千金要方), written by the famous ancient Chinese doctor, Sun Simiao, after getting up every morning, it is important to put some salt in your mouth and to hold it there for a while with warm water. This will make your teeth firm.
盐有美白和保护牙齿的作用。 在魏、晋、隋和唐朝，人们习惯用盐、茶、酒、醋等蘸手指来擦牙和漱口。 根据中国古代著名医生孙思彪撰写的《备急千金要方》，每天早上起床后，在嘴里放一些盐，用温水保持一段时间是很重要的。 这会让你的牙齿变硬。
Later, the ancient Chinese no longer used salt to clean their teeth, because they had by then discovered an exclusive recipe; tooth powder. This was smelted with traditional Chinese medicines, such as pork teeth, saponin, ginger, cimicifuga, cooked rehmannia glutinosa, mulu, eclipta, sophora japonica, asarum, lotus leaf, green salt, etc. Such tooth powder not only cleaned and maintained teeth, but also removed moisture and heat from the body.
后来，古代中国人不再用盐来清洁牙齿，因为那时他们已经发现了一种独特的配方；牙粉。 这是用中药冶炼的，如猪齿、皂甙、生姜、西米奇夫加、煮熟的谷氨酸雷曼尼亚、穆卢、黄芪、日本苏福拉、阿萨鲁姆、荷叶、绿盐等。 这种牙粉不仅能清洁和保养牙齿，还能去除体内的水分和热量。
In addition, salt water, tea water, drinks, and more mysterious potions, were also used as mouthwash.
此外，盐水、茶水、饮料和更神秘的药水也被用作漱口水。
From Fingers to Horse Hair; China’s Ancient Toothbrush
从手指到马毛；中国古老的牙刷
In the beginning, ancient Chinese brushed their teeth with the most convenient tool available, their fingers. But over time, many people realised that while this method may clean the mouth, it might not be so practical.
起初，古代中国人用最方便的工具，即手指刷牙。 但随着时间的推移，许多人意识到，虽然这种方法可以清洁口腔，但它可能不那么实用。
Then someone invented brushing their teeth with willow branches. The method is to first take a small swathe of willow branches and rinse it clean. Then one end is chewed until the branch fibres are exposed and the end becomes hairy. In this way, a simple toothbrush is achieved. After that, the toothbrush was dipped in a little of that magic tooth powder. Brushing teeth complete; very simple and low in cost.
然后有人发明了用柳枝刷牙。 方法是先取一小片柳枝，然后冲洗干净。 然后咬一端，直到树枝纤维露出来，末端变得多毛。 通过这种方式，可以实现一个简单的牙刷。 在那之后，牙刷被蘸了一点神奇的牙粉。 刷牙完成；非常简单且成本低。
Later, toothbrushes were upgraded, with the wise Chinese using animal bristles to make toothbrushes that were very similar to those of today, most of which employing pig bristles. Although the texture was a bit hard, it was cheap.
后来，牙刷升级了，聪明的中国人用动物刷毛制造了与今天的牙刷非常相似的牙刷，其中大部分使用猪刷毛。 雖然質地有點硬，但它很便宜。
Rich people tended to use horse bristles; softer and more comfortable for brushing teeth.
富人倾向于使用马毛；刷牙时更柔软、更舒适。
In the Southern Song Dynasty, there existed shops specialising in the production and sale of toothbrushes. They became common objects, mostly made of wood and bamboo. Very similar to the today’s toothbrush, there were two rows of holes punched therein, and the horse bristles attached.
在南宋时期，有专门生产和销售牙刷的商店。 它们成为普通物品，大多由木头和竹子制成。 与今天的牙刷非常相似，里面有两排打孔，还有马毛。
Rice as Detergent
大米作为洗涤剂
During the Qin and Han dynasties, people formed the habit to wash their hair every 3 days and to bathe every 5 days. For this reason, the government often took 1 day off in every 5.
在秦汉时期，人们养成了每3天洗一次头和每5天洗澡的习惯。 出于这个原因，政府经常每5天休息1天。
So what did they use for shampoo and body wash?
那么他们用什么做洗发水和沐浴露呢？
In the pre-Qin days, people first washed their hair and bathed with rice water, which contains starch, protein and vitamins. Not only did it help remove oil stains and maintain the scalp and hair, but it also helped with rough skin. There were also medicinal functions associated with rice water, it helping with cold hands and feet, low back pain and frostbite, as well as as fatigue relief. Such natural cosmetics were, in effect, a combination of shampoo, shower gel and facial cleanser.
在秦前时代，人们首先洗头，用含有淀粉、蛋白质和维生素的米水洗澡。 它不仅有助于去除油渍和维护头皮和头发，还有助于粗糙的皮肤。 米水也有相关的药用功能，它有助于手脚冷、腰痛和冻伤，以及缓解疲劳。 这种天然化妆品实际上是洗发水、沐浴露和洗面奶的组合。
Then there was the Chinese honey locust with its many uses. During the Southern Qi Dynasty, it could effectively clean the skin and eliminate dirt, as well as being a kind of ancient moisturiser. For laundry, it could stop clothes from fading and deforming. For bathing, it could help treat rheumatism and ringworm.
然后是中国蜂蜜蝗，它有很多用途。 在南齐时期，它可以有效地清洁皮肤，去除污垢，也是一种古老的保湿剂。 对于洗衣，它可以阻止衣服褪色和变形。 对于洗澡，它可以帮助治疗风湿病和白癬。
Plant ash was also a cleaning product, discovered by ancient people in the course of life. Being the ashes left after straw is burned, women in the south would use it to bathe and wash clothes.
植物灰也是古代人在生命过程中发现的清洁产品。 由于稻草被烧毁后留下的灰烬，南方的妇女会用它来洗澡和洗衣服。
In later centuries, people mashed natural plants, such as saponin, to wash and protect hair. The Compendium of Materia Medica (本草纲目), that was compiled in Nanjing, notes that saponin can remove dandruff, relieve itching, reduce swelling and eliminate poison.
在后来的几个世纪里，人们用天然植物捣碎，如皂甙，来清洗和保护头发。 在南京编纂的《本草纲目》指出，皂甙可以去除头皮屑、缓解瘙痒、减少肿胀和消除毒物。
Threading; Origins of the Bikini Wax
穿线；比基尼蜡的起源
Ancient Chinese did not have the culture or living custom to shave their body hair. As for facial hair, the ancient Chinese popularised Threading (共충) in the Han Dynasty. Practiced to remove delicate facial hair to make the face look smoother, both men and women had to have this treatment the day before marriage to look pretty for the wedding.
古代中国人没有剃掉体毛的文化或生活习俗。 至于面部毛发，中国古代在汉代普及了共충。 练习去除细腻的面部毛发，使脸部看起来更光滑，男人和女人都必须在结婚前一天接受这种治疗，才能在婚礼上看起来更漂亮。
The practice calls first for the application of some lime powder to the face. A wet white cotton thread is then twisted up, down, left, and right, around the hairs to be removed, with both teeth and hands. This method of hair removal is still popular among elderly people in some areas of China.
练习首先要求在脸上涂抹一些石灰粉。 然后用牙齿和手在要去除的毛发周围向上、向下、向右扭动一条湿的白色棉线。 这种脱毛方法在中国一些地区的老年人中仍然很受欢迎。
Toilet Paper, a.k.a. Shit Stick
卫生纸，又名 狗屎棒
In ancient China, common people used leaves and branches to get things done.
在中国古代，普通人用树叶和树枝来完成事情。
Before that, stones, earth blocks and branches, among other things, were the items of choice. After the Han Dynasty, there was a special tool, which was “chuugi” (籌木). Made by cutting bamboo slices into strips, its shape was thin and flat, slightly wide with rounded edges. The better models had great water absorption and a light fragrance. The upper classes would also wash themselves afterwards with water and then employ aromatherapy for greater fragrance.
在此之前，石头、土块和树枝等都是首选物品。 汉朝之后，有一个特殊的工具，那就是“筹木”。 通过将竹片切成条状制成，其形状又薄又平，略宽，边缘圆润。 更好的型号具有出色的吸水性和淡淡的香味。 上层阶级之后也会用水清洗自己，然后使用芳香疗法来增加香味。
It took a very long time for the chuugi to give way to paper, due to the latter’s high cost. It was not until the Yuan Dynasty, and then only the emperor generally used straw paper. In the Ming and Qing dynasties, straw paper was often used by common people, with royalty opting instead for silk.
由于纸的成本很高，chuugi花了很长时间才让路给纸。 直到元朝，那时只有皇帝一般使用稻草纸。 在明清时期，普通人经常使用稻草纸，皇室选择丝绸代替。
The Discovery of Alkali as Washing Powder
碱作为洗衣粉的发现
In the earliest primitive societies, soil was a very important cleaning tool. People also found that soil could remove oil stains; the scientific explanation today is that soil is alkaline and produces a chemical reaction with oil.
在最早的原始社会中，土壤是一种非常重要的清洁工具。 人们还发现土壤可以去除油渍；今天的科学解释是土壤是碱性的，与油产生化学反应。
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Following the Han Dynasty, the ancient Chinese found out how to use natural alkali to wash clothes. Although the clothes were washed clean, some odours remained. Therefore, a kind of scented alkali came into being, by the addition of starch and spices to it.
汉朝之后，中国古代发现了如何使用天然碱洗衣服。 虽然衣服洗得很干净，但还是有一些气味。 因此，通过添加淀粉和香料，一种有香味的碱就出现了。
The end of the Ming Dynasty saw scented alkali at the peak of popularity, and many scented alkali stores were opened in Beijing. Among them, “He Xiang Lou” and “Hua Han Chong” are the most famous. At this time, there were many kinds of scented alkali, and they had become a must-have item for laundry.
明朝末期，香碱在盛行高峰，许多香碱商店在北京开业。 其中，“何向楼”和“华汉崇”是最著名的。 此时，有很多种有香味的碱，它们已经成为洗衣的必备物品。