Adel Elseri and Said Fayad hope that the tongue-mounted toothbrush, which is their invention, will make them rich. You slip the device over your tongue and scrub away. Apparently it's one-time use only. Check out their facebook page for more info. [edmonton journal]
Would you set yourself on fire for beauty? According to The Inquisitr, the Fire Treatment (aka Huǒ liáo) is the hot new thing in China:
The process involves an esthetician or spa employee draping target areas of the face and body with alcohol and secret elixir saturated towels. The person, more specifically the towel the person is wearing, is set ablaze. Moments later the towel is extinguished. The fiery beauty regime is supposedly based off ancient Chinese medicine. The dangerous treatment is intended to eliminate dull skin, aid in the common cold, and revert obesity.
GeoBeatsNews reports on an experimental London-based project to feed pigeons a special diet that'll make them poop soap. That way, instead of dirtying the city as they fly around, they'll clean it.
The video makes it sound like this is an official government-sponsored project. But as far as I can tell, it's an art project called "Pigeon D'Or" by Cohen Van Balen. That is, it's probably not really happening. Van Balen offers this description of the project:
With the help of biochemist James Chappell, we have used synthetic biology to design and create a bacteria that can modify the metabolism of pigeons. To achieve this, we have created a new biobrick, or standard biological part, that when added to the genetic information of the bacteria, creates lipase. We have also used a biobrick that lowers the ph. The result is a biological device that produces a kind of window-soap. We have built this device in the bacteria Lactobacillus, which is a bacteria that naturally occurs in the digestive tract. So when feeding this bacteria to a pigeon, it should produce and defecate biological soap.
Marvel Whirling Spray was a feminine hygiene product marketed in the early 20th century. It stopped being made and fell into obscurity for 100 years until the early 21st century, when it earned a place in comic-book history.
Alan Moore included a reprint of one of the Marvel Whirling Spray ads in an issue of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (Vol. 1, #5). An executive at DC (publishers of the comic) saw the ad and became worried that their rival, Marvel Comics, would take offense — even though Marvel Whirling Spray was a real product that existed before Marvel Comics. So he ordered the entire print run destroyed. The few copies that survived are now considered rare collector's items. More details at recalledcomics.com.
Even before a certain blade-wielding comicbook character pre-empted the name of "Wolverine," could it possibly have been a good idea to name your product after a vicious, pint-sized killer beast?
"Wolverine Soap--it will rip the dirt off your skin, and your skin with it!"
No wonder the pitchman in the ad below is working so hard to find sales reps.
Having your mouth washed out with soap is traditionally thought of as a punishment, but Dr. Gerald Judd doesn't think so. He's leading a campaign to convince everyone to stop using toothpaste, and brush their teeth with soap instead. He writes:
Teeth are best cleaned by brushing with any bar (not liquid) soap. Bar soap does an excellent job in cleaning tooth surfaces, enabling the enamel to thicken and causing the teeth to become less sensitive.
Toothpastes containing glycerine—which most do—are very sticky, requiring over 20 rinses to remove it from tooth surfaces. Glycerine-containing toothpastes leave a residual film, preventing the teeth from proper re-enamelization. Soap, on the other hand, is removed with two rinses.
Maybe he's onto something. I have no idea. But for now I think I'll stick with toothpaste.
Perhaps you recall the commercials with Madge the Manicurist, where she recommended Palmolive soap for its skin-softening qualities.
Well, Madge had nothing on a campaign from early in the century, for Whiz Soap, which informed customers that they could use Whiz to clean, oh, filthy farm equipment, and then use the same stuff for their personal bathing.
[Click to enlarge for readability]
There seem to be lots of antique Whiz containers around for sale, if you want to commemorate this product in your home.
Available from Aesop chemists. Only for use after "vigorous activity has occurred in the bathroom." I guess that's a euphemism for 'after you've taken a large and smelly dump.'
In 1947, Colgate-Palmolive conducted a test to prove that just one package of Super Suds detergent could fill two trucks full of suds. Because who wouldn't want a kitchen full of suds!
Category: Inventions, Baths, Showers and Other Cleansing Methods