I started thinking the life of Indians 100 years ago or even period before that, when I came across the 
I still remember, some faded stories from my grandfather, who becomes a cooperative bank manager during his time after year long of hard ship. For sure those time i.e before Independence, Indians were farming oriented nation and do not have much consumer oriented product, like No ToothPaste/ Tooth Brush, No Beauty cream, No soaps or other products of daily need. Still they use to live clean and hygienically.
But what they use to do??
My Grandfather used to told me, they were grown up using Mud for bathing instead of Soaps, Ashes were used to clean home utensil. Mustard oil to keep body dry free.
From.all those stories that I hardly remember now I still found many practices in our rural areas very common and active. Few of them, which I found quite interesting and meaningful
Toothbrush / Toothpaste Alternative
What people of yesteryear were using, when the soft bristles plastic handle or the sweet and salty gel paste were not available?.
Well then, people opt for natural ways, they have the best alternatives in "Datun" for toothbrush and mixture of "Salt/Mustard oil" as paste. Datun are still been used in many places even the priest or religious minded people often found using Datun. A wooden tweek slowly chewed every morning is good for your teeth. The Neem Tweeks is the most common toothbrush however one can choose from, Kikar, lemon, olive.
Even before the dental association discover benefits of salt toothpaste for sensitivity, many people of rural part were already applying Salt on their tooth. To prevent from decay and keep them clean and sensitivity resistant.
Alternative to Bathing Soap and Gel or Utensil Bar
How many of you know of "Multani Mitti"?? Or Mud from Multan. A yellow kind of mud found in India and Pakistan. Or forget it, Who Don't want to get Dirty in Mud?? , Remember our childhood, or just imagine how a farmer's child would be bathing in earlier days, when there were no soaps available.
Let me tell you They use to apply local Muds on their skin from nearby river to wash body waste. Even Muds were used to wash utensil. I have seen many Black Burned utensils which were hard to clean, however rubbing it with Mud, they get clean and shine.
Nowadays, I read about "Mud festival" being organised in different part of the world and people took it as a therapeutic treatment.
Anyhow, nowadays, Multani Mitti is the hot selling item in many stores. Even though many people use slippary Mud found on the banks of river Ganga to bath. They found to be very pious and have shining cleansing quality to keep your body clean.
Alternative to Beauty Face Packs
This one is the old traditional method. I found in my home and pretty sure many Indians and people around the world quite familiar.
Beauty packs which many actress or models uses to keep themselves for looking shining and glowing. However in many homes, we have a common paste as an alternative to costly beauty packs available in markets.
A mixture of Gram Floor (Besan) , Curd & Turmeric Powder. Make a thick paste of it and apply on your face or body before shower. This one is our aged method and a good alternative from all kind of beauty products. Keeps your body glowing and shining.
Alternative to Mosquito Coil.
Visit any Rural part of India, and you will find many people massaging Mustard oil on their legs or body, just to keep the mosquito away. Mustard oil has a strong odour and act as a mosquito repellant, if you not tried yet, give it a go. Another way of keeping mosquito away is keeping Neem Leafes nearby. A natural repellant from mosquito. Now a days we have Neem Oils available in market.
These practices sounds pretty unorthodox. However, these are few of the aged old traditional homely methods that may prevent your pockets from burning and a good alternate to daily consumer products. I know many would be hesitant to even think of using Mud, or Mustard oild but this is how Indians develop and grown over the years.
To add on rather than using any branded baby oil, many households still prefer to have Mustard Oil baby massage
Now we have all kind of Soaps, Oil, Toothpaste or other daily use products easily and readily available in markets. However, even in some corner of India's region you will find the old traditional methods still in exist and the family living happily.
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