What do Indians use instead of toilet paper?
There are countries that have toilet tissue available, but the common preference is to take a jar of water along to the restroom. If you've ever taken a trip to India, you may have noticed this seemingly bizarre habit. While the Indian people have adapted to the toilet paper culture, many prefer to use water instead.
Mullein aka “cowboy toilet paper”
If the cowboys used the large velvety leaves of the mullein (Verbascum thapsus) plant while out on the range, then you can too! Mullein is a biennial plant available for use in almost every bioregion.
Nature makes great toilet paper
Leaves, sticks, moss, sand and water were common choices, depending on early humans' environment. Once we developed agriculture, we had options like hay and corn husks. People who lived on islands or on the coast used shells and a scraping technique.
Stones, sponges-on-a-stick, and wooden sticks are all unique ancient wiping methods. However, throughout time, if a person did not have one of these wiping methods available, they would often resort to the tried and true “closest smooth-ish object” wiping method.
Unlike Westerners, Indians use their hands and water to clean their bottoms. First, they touch the excreta with their fingers and then they clean those fingers subsequently. At one level, this highlights the particular emphasis that the Indian psyche gives to the removal of impure substances from the body.
If you're like most people, the answer is probably less than 24 hours ago. There's no official protocol for how often to shower, but folks around the world — in countries like India, the US, Spain, and Mexico — all bathe about once a day (either with soap or without), according to Euromonitor International.
For ease of use, Victorian women could simply hold the chamber pot in their hands, rest a foot on the top of the chair, and hold the chamber pot underneath the skirts. For those who wish for visual aids (not at all indecent!), Prior Attire demonstrates using the restroom in Victorian clothing.
Before Toilet Paper
Leaves, rags, moss and rags were some of the less-painful (and probably more sanitary) options. Wealthy people used wool, lace or other fabrics. The idea of toilet paper actually dates back to medieval China, when a Chinese emperor used 2-foot by 3-foot sheets of paper.
When not dirtying their drinking water they could also be found using rags, wood shavings, grass, leaves, hay, moss, snow, sand, stone and even, oddly, seashells. I'm betting that some of them weren't exactly as delicate and comforting as today's modern toilet paper.
Before that, they used whatever was handy -- sticks, leaves, corn cobs, bits of cloth, their hands. Toilet paper more or less as we know it today is a product of Victorian times; it was first issued in boxes (the way facial tissue is today) and somewhat later on the familiar rolls.
How did the Romans wipe their bottoms?
The Romans cleaned their behinds with sea sponges attached to a stick, and the gutter supplied clean flowing water to dip the sponges in. This soft, gentle tool was called a tersorium, which literally meant “a wiping thing.” The Romans liked to move their bowels in comfort.
In the Middle Ages, people would make use of sticks, moss and other plants. Archaeological findings from cesspits of monasteries in Ireland and Norway included small pieces of cloth that were used like toilet paper.
Throughout history, societies devised systems to enable water to be brought to population centers. The oldest accountable daily ritual of bathing can be traced to the ancient Indians. They used elaborate practices for personal hygiene with three daily baths and washing.
The Native Americans that colonists encountered had different priorities in terms of hygiene. Like the Wampanoag, most Native Americans bathed openly in rivers and streams. And they also thought it was gross for Europeans to carry their own mucus around in handkerchiefs.
The roots of young yucca plants were used for shampoo. The crushed roots were soaked in water to make a hair wash. Other methods involved peeling the bark of the root, which was rubbed in a pan of shallow water to make suds to rub into the hair and scalp.
For thousands of years, Southwestern Indian tribes used yucca to wash clothing, hair, and as a ceremonial bath. Yucca soap produces an interesting lather.
While Americans in particular are used to flushing their used toilet paper down the pipe, they must break that habit if they are traveling to Turkey, Greece, Beijing, Macedonia, Montenegro, Morocco, Bulgaria, Egypt and the Ukraine in particular. Restrooms will have special waste bins to place used toilet paper.
MORE HYGIENIC: To some people, it might be surprising that Indian toilets are more hygienic than the western ones. This is the reason why you should always prefer Indian toilets in public places. Further, there is no contact between any of your body with the toilet seat while using Indian toilets.
| Country | % of people who shower each week | % of people who bath each week |
|---|---|---|
| Germany | 92% | 20% |
| Brazil | 99% | 7% |
| China | 85% | 11% |
| USA | 90% | 13% |
Research suggests that whereas people in many parts of Europe and America now make do with just a shower nearly 90% of the time, in Japan between 70% and 80% of people still bathe in the traditional way at least several times a week. This rises to 90% or more in families with small children.
How often should a woman take a bath?
If you stick with daily showers, limit them to five minutes with warm water, not hot. This is likely fine for most people. However, bathing 2-3 times per week is also likely just as healthy and good for the environment too.
The Victorian Period (And Beyond)
From the 1890s to the early 1980s, people used sanitary belts, which basically were reusable pads that attached to a belt worn around the waist – and yes, they were as uncomfortable as they sound.
Victorian Oral Hygiene & Dental Decay
Most people cleaned their teeth using water with twigs or rough cloths as toothbrushes. Some splurged on a “tooth-powder” if they could afford it. Sugar became more widely distributed, thus contributing to an increase in tooth decay during this time period.
In the 19th century, London was the capital of the largest empire the world had ever known — and it was infamously filthy. It had choking, sooty fogs; the Thames River was thick with human sewage; and the streets were covered with mud.
Toilet paper is used in Japan, even by those who own toilets with bidets and washlet functions (see below). In Japan, toilet paper is thrown directly into the toilet after use. However, please be sure to put just the toilet paper provided in the toilet.
Greek plumbing often consists of dated, narrow pipes which will easily clog if you flush toilet paper down them (and definitely clog if you flush anything else like tampons or baby wipes).
And though sticks have been popular for cleaning the anus throughout history, ancient people wiped with many other materials, such as water, leaves, grass, stones, animal furs and seashells. In the Middle Ages, Morrison added, people also used moss, sedge, hay, straw and pieces of tapestry.
"Sandpaper"-like toilet paper is still in use in some toilets in Russia and Eastern Europe. Yes, the soft stuff is available for general purchase. The gray-to-brownish Soviet-issue toilet paper is as bad as the stereotype - to varying degrees.
In Europe, toilet paper is certainly an option for sanitation, but most occupants overseas prefer to use the bidet for cleaning themselves post toilet use.
One of the reasons some countries have always favoured toilet paper, it appears, is the climate. Most countries in Northern Europe are cold for a good part of the year, and although we live in the 21st century and water heating is available today, it's just a habit that's been passed down the ages.
Did Victorian ladies shave?
In the Victorian era, ladies with excess facial or body hair didn't have the luxury of making an appointment at their local salon. Instead, women employed various methods of hair removal at home. There was shaving and tweezing, of course, but there were also more dangerous methods.
By the middle of the Victorian era, bergamot and lemon oil had surpassed Eau de Cologne to become the most popular fragrance for women. According to Goodman: “Bergamot and lemon oil, sometimes employed separately but more often used in combination, was the signature smell of the middle years of the century.
The 1847 article continued: “When the weight of the body has reached its average maximum, men weigh 139 pounds, women 112 pounds.” Fifty years later the numbers remained about the same.
Many people use muriatic acid. Muriatic acid is also known as hydrogen chloride acid. This is the yellow acid sold in grocery stores here. It works like magic on build up but also eats away at plastic toilet seats.
In the Roman bath houses, men and women did not bath together. It was considered to be in poor taste so, each had their own designated time at the bath house. For instance, woman may have been allowed in the bath houses in the morning while men came in in the afternoon.
The Introduction of Paper as a Wipe
Although paper originated in China in the second century B.C., the first recorded use of paper for cleansing is from the 6th century in medieval China, discovered in the texts of scholar Yen Chih-Thui.
Description: The waterlogged areas of the excavation at Whithorn uncovered preserved 'sheets' of moss, which had been discarded. Closer analysis revealed them to be studded with fragments of hazel nut shells, and blackberry pips.
But instead of reaching for a roll of toilet paper, an ancient Roman would often grab a tersorium (or, in my technical terms, a “toilet brush for your butt”). A tersorium is an ingenious little device made by attaching a natural sponge (from the Mediterranean Sea, of course) to the end of a stick.
If you relieved yourself in a public latrine in ancient Rome, you may have used a tersorium to wipe. These ancient devices consisted of a stick with a vinegar- or salt water-soaked sponge attached.
The medical community in medieval Europe believed that water was harmful to health, as it opened pores and left the body more vulnerable to disease. Because of this, people would not wash. Full body baths were rare.
Where did American Indians go to the bathroom?
American Indians generally did their “business” in the most convenient place not far from their tipis. Indians dug latrines away from the tipis and fresh water. During the most brutal weather, these latrines would be placed close by. Human waste froze in the winter and didn't smell nearly as much as in the summer.
Bathing played a major part in ancient Roman culture and society. It was one of the most common daily activities and was practiced across a wide variety of social classes. Though many contemporary cultures see bathing as a very private activity conducted in the home, bathing in Rome was a communal activity.
Oral Contraceptives
The Shoshone and Navajo tribes used stoneseed, also known as Columbia Puccoon (Lithospermum ruderale) as an oral contraceptive, long before the pharmaceutical industry developed birth control pills.
They used needles from a pine tree like we use toothpicks today to remove food from teeth. Both groups rubbed herbs, salt, and leaves onto their teeth to freshen their mouths, and the Native Americans created something similar to toothpaste using the cucacua plant.
Oral hygiene practices among tribal were found to be minimal and were not up to the mark. For cleaning teeth chewing, sticks were mainly used by majority (56.7%) of the participants. Furthermore, 7.7% of participants reported to use gudaku (a tobacco product) and 4.7% used salt for cleaning their teeth.
The practice of using shampoo dates back to 1500 AD when a concoction of boiled reetha (soap berries), amla (gooseberry), hibiscus, shikakai (Acacia) and other hair friendly herbs, was made and used on the scalp to healthify and cleanse the tresses.
Native Americans take great pride in the upkeep and maintenance of their hair, so it is no surprise that they use a lot of natural herbs, plants and oils to take care of their hair. A lot of the natural ingredients used are made into teas so I noticed that they like to drink their way to healthy hair.
As Luger explains, your hair is a physical manifestation of your spirit. Cutting, burying, and burning it all carry a strong significance and meaning. It's often tradition in some tribes to cut your hair and bury it with the deceased when someone close to you dies.
Millions of Muslims and Hindus around the world were bowled over by this need to buy toilet paper since they typically wash their backsides with water. According to Sahih al-Bukhari, one of the six significant Hadith collections in Sunni Islam, the left hand should be used for anal ablution after defecation.
In India, as right across Asia, the left hand is for wiping your bottom, cleaning your feet and other unsavoury functions (you also put on and take off your shoes with your left hand), while the right hand is for eating, shaking hands and so on.
Why do Indians not use toilets?
Cultural behaviors play a big role too. Purity is an inherent part of toilet etiquette in India. According to common customs, toilets are often built outside the home and deemed unclean. That means many people in India still see open defecation as a more sanitary option than using a bathroom in or near the home.
In India, toilet paper isn't really a thing. You rarely see it, unless you're in a hotel or an expat's home. For the rest of the country, it's water all the way.
Use Wipes in Addition to Toilet Paper
The rest is common sense, folks, using wipes to clean everything up after using toilet paper.
The International Foundation for Gastrointestinal Disorders recommends washing rather than wiping when you have anal discomfort. If you're at home, you can: Wash in the shower with lukewarm water, especially if you have a handheld showerhead. Soak in a sitz bath of warm water for just a minute or two.
To touch someone on the top of their head is considered rude and insensitive. This is especially the case with babies, children, elderly, religious leaders or statues of deities. To show the utmost respect towards a religious leader, statue of a deity or an elder, one will touch the feet of the person or the statue.
Indian head wobble to say 'okay'
When the head is tilted slighty from left to right in quick motion, this also means yes. This gesture is more often used to convey 'okay'.
It can serve as an alternative to thank you, as a polite introduction, or it can represent acknowledgement. Head bobbles can also be used in an intentionally vague manner. An unenthusiastic head bobble can be a polite way of declining something without saying no directly. The gesture is common throughout India.
In South Asia, the lota is employed to cleanse oneself. In Bengali, the term lotā is used for bath mugs. People of the South Asia diaspora may use watering cans, empty bottles or cups for cleansing purpose. Muslims use lota for the istinja cleansing rituals, such as wudu, bath and anal cleansing.
South Indians do not use oil in the place of shampoo. My family is from South India (Tamil Nadu) and we do use shampoo and soap.
