Even in Ancient Times, many people were willing to do even the most bizarre things to become more beautiful and to preserve youthfulness. Spreading elephant dung on the skin, drinking dried and powdered tiger testicles, or even getting stung with scorpions were once considered to be effective ways in retaining beauty and maintaining soft skin.

If you think that people nowadays cannot fall for such beauty taboos, you can never be more mistaken. Even at the turn of the 21st century, there have been a lot of people who were all too willing to go great lengths for silkier skin, wrinkle-free face, and even thicker hair.

Here are some of the weird and bizarre beauty ideas that a lot of men and women used and may still be using for the sake of vanity:

Spanish Fly: A Cure For Baldness

An emerald-colored beetle called Spanish Fly is actually more popular as an aphrodisiac than as a cure for baldness. However, years ago, men used to apply a concoction of cantharides, a poisonous substance found in Spanish Fly, and nux vomica, also a potent poison, to promote hair growth. Although there has been no evidence to show that this deadly blend was effective in stopping baldness, it was found to be effective in giving men erection. Before you ditch Viagra, however, you need to understand that the erection comes with spasms and eventually paralysis.

Mercury And Arsenic For Deathly White Skin

Nowadays, having a tanned look is in vogue. Even during winter, people go to salons in order to have sunless tan. Back in the old days, however, aristocrats aspire to have a pasty and ultra-white skin to distinguish themselves from the "filthy" tan of the commoners.

In order to achieve this ghostly white complexion, people -- especially those that had brown skin hues -- resorted to the power of metallic substances like arsenic and mercury to do the trick. Lotions and unguents with these ingredients were indeed successful in making skin ultra-pale. But come to think of it, those who used these poisonous applications were slowly slipping away to the other side.

Get Rid Of Blemishes Through Substance Abuse

In a world where beauty is regarded as one of the most important characteristics of a person, it is not surprising that those who are suffering from blemishes on the face will be willing to undergo pain, self-deprivation and even hallucinations just to make sure they have smoother and acne-free skin. One treatment that was once used in some parts of the world to eliminate pimples and blemishes is a combination of petroleum jelly and Ergotine, the same substance in illegal drugs that causes hallucinations. Although users claimed that this acne treatment was effective, experts are not really sure whether the success of the product was largely due to the hallucinogenic effects of Ergotine.

Bird Poop Facials

You may have marveled at the beauty of geishas after watching Memoirs Of A Geisha. However, there are rumors circulating that facial substances containing Guanine have kept these beautiful Japanese women's skin silky and soft. Incidentally, Guanine is a substance that can be found in bird poop.

At present, there are several establishments that offer Guanine-filled facials. So, the next time you visit your spa or salon, you better ask the contents of the facial cream being used on your face to prevent having bird wastes being splattered on your face and neck.