The History of Morning Routines, Part Two: All Hail The Toothbrush! And Deodorant!

Summary

Ridiculous History: The History of Morning Routines, Part Two: All Hail The Toothbrush! And Deodorant!

Release Date: June 10, 2025
Host(s): Ben Bolan and Noel Brown
Producer: Max Williams
Podcast by iHeartRadio

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Introduction

In the latest episode of Ridiculous History, hosts Ben Bolan and Noel Brown delve into the evolution of two essential components of modern morning routines: the toothbrush and deodorant. Building upon their exploration of personal hygiene from part one, this episode offers a comprehensive journey through time, highlighting the innovations, cultural shifts, and marketing strategies that have shaped how we maintain oral and body hygiene today.

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The Evolution of Oral Hygiene

Early Practices and Innovations

The discussion kicks off with a reflection on the rudimentary methods humans used to maintain oral health before the advent of modern toothbrushes. Noel Brown reminisces, “[...] the history of soap and the impact of soap on that whole idea cannot be understated,” setting the stage for a deeper dive into oral hygiene.

• Ancient Practices:
  The hosts trace the origins of toothbrushes back to ancient China during the Tang Dynasty (618–907 AD), where the earliest models featured bamboo or bone handles with boar hair bristles, resembling paintbrushes (09:20). They highlight the ingenious use of natural materials like chew sticks and twigs, which were frayed at one end to clean teeth effectively (08:00).

• Advancements Over Centuries:
  Ben Bolan points out that despite the simplicity of early toothbrushes, their design laid the groundwork for future innovations. “They took out the gunk first,” Ben remarks at 11:31, emphasizing the foundational role of toothpaste in oral hygiene.

Toothpaste Through the Ages

Noel Brown elaborates on the history of toothpaste, starting with the ancient Egyptians who, as early as 3000 to 5000 BCE, developed dental creams composed of powdered ashes from oxen hooves, myrrh, eggshells, and pumice (12:15). These ingredients served both abrasive and aromatic purposes, effectively cleaning teeth while masking unpleasant odors.

• Medieval to Modern Developments:
  Moving forward, they discuss how different cultures, such as Ancient Persia around 1000 BCE, crafted their own toothpaste mixtures using gypsum, herbs, honey, and crushed shells of snails and oysters (13:35). By the 19th century, toothpaste recipes became more sophisticated with ingredients like powdered orris root, charcoal, Peruvian bark, and essential oils for flavoring (14:00).

• The Tube Revolution:
  A significant milestone highlighted is the invention of the toothpaste tube by Connecticut dentist Washington Wentworth Sheffield in the late 19th century. Noel humorously advises listeners on proper tube usage: “You gotta squeeze it from the end, by the way. Don’t squeeze it from the middle” (15:08).

Marketing and the Normalization of Brushing

The episode delves into the pivotal role of marketing in transforming tooth brushing from a niche practice to a widespread habit. Claude C. Hopkins, a marketing mogul, is credited with popularizing toothpaste through aggressive advertising campaigns for Pepsodent (16:09). Noel remarks on the clever use of celebrity endorsements and catchy slogans to “normalize brushing your teeth,” effectively embedding the habit into American daily life.

• Pepsodent’s Impact:
  Ben Bolan shares a notable quote: "Nine out of ten dentists recommend Camel cigarettes," humorously juxtaposing historical marketing tactics with modern skepticism (15:33). This underscores how early advertising sometimes stretched the truth to boost product appeal.

• Introduction of Fluoride:
  The conversation transitions to the introduction of fluoride in toothpaste post-World War II, marking a significant scientific advancement. Noel notes, “In 1955, we see Crest launching their product line with the first toothpaste containing fluoride,” highlighting the shift towards evidence-based oral health benefits (24:02).

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The Journey of Deodorants

Ancient Beginnings

Noel Brown and Ben Bolan explore the origins of deodorants, tracing them back to ancient civilizations. Mesopotamians around 2000 BCE used aromatic oils and resins to mask body odor (28:04), while Egyptians similarly employed scented oils and incense to maintain personal freshness in harsh desert climates (29:19).

• Cultural Significance:
  Cleopatra is mentioned as a historical figure who valued hygiene, using perfumed creams to enhance her public image (30:22). The Greeks adopted these practices, integrating pleasant scents into their grooming routines, a tradition that persists today.

Development of Modern Deodorants

The hosts trace the commercialization of deodorants to the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

• Early Commercial Deodorants:
  In 1888, the first commercial deodorant, named Mum, was introduced. It was a waxy paste in a metal tin containing zinc oxide, which not only masked sweat but also reduced bacteria responsible for body odor (38:40).

• Antiperspirants and Aluminum Salts:
  The conversation addresses the 1903 introduction of antiperspirants like Ever Dry, which used aluminum salts to block sweat glands. This innovation aimed to reduce sweating but raised concerns about pore clogging and skin irritation (39:28).

• Buffered Antiperspirants:
  In 1940, a French chemist developed buffered antiperspirants to mitigate the harsh effects of early formulations, combining antiperspirants with soluble nitriles to create a less abrasive product (46:09).

Aerosol Deodorants and Environmental Impact

The shift to aerosol deodorants in the mid-20th century is discussed, highlighting both their convenience and environmental repercussions.

• Rise and Fall of Aerosols:
  Aerosol deodorants became popular due to their ease of application. However, the use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in propellants led to environmental concerns, resulting in bans and a gradual shift to alternative dispensing methods like pumps (47:11).

• Environmental and Health Concerns:
  Noel comments on the modernization challenges, noting the ban on aluminum zirconium in 1977 due to safety and environmental issues (47:52). Ben adds optimism by mentioning the United Nations’ progress in ozone layer recovery as of 2024 (48:11).

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Cultural and Modern Perspectives on Hygiene

Body Odor and Social Norms

Ben Bolan and Noel Brown discuss how societal attitudes towards body odor have evolved, particularly in densely populated urban environments like New York City. They emphasize the discomfort and social faux pas associated with excessive body odor in close-quarters settings, comparing it to the annoyance of undisclosed loud conversations or music in public spaces (36:57).

Holistic Backlash and Modern Alternatives

The episode touches on the current backlash against chemical deodorants, specifically those containing aluminum, leading to a resurgence of "natural" alternatives. However, the hosts note the trade-off between effectiveness and the natural approach, often resulting in reliance on masking odors rather than eliminating them (38:17).

• Activated Charcoal and Aesthetic Dentistry:
  Noel mentions the trend of using activated charcoal in toothpaste and the cultural practices around aesthetic dentistry, linking historical practices to contemporary trends like dental grillz and cosmetic enhancements (51:42).

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Conclusion and Future Directions

Ben Bolan and Noel Brown wrap up the episode by reflecting on the intricate history of toothbrushes and deodorants, acknowledging the blend of necessity, innovation, and marketing that has shaped these everyday items. They tease future episodes that will explore other aspects of personal grooming, such as hairstyling and dental aesthetics, promising listeners more engaging and "ridiculous" historical insights.

• Final Remarks:
  “So, okay. Odorono is not perfect. It irritates the skin, especially if you use it regularly,” Ben concludes, highlighting ongoing challenges in personal hygiene product development (45:54).

• Acknowledgments:
  The hosts extend gratitude to their producer Max Williams, research associate Jeff Factor G. Bartlett, and others who contributed to the episode’s creation (51:25).

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Notable Quotes

• Ben Bolan on Early Toothbrush Design:
  “So, okay. Odorono is not perfect. It irritates the skin, especially if you use it regularly.” (45:54)

• Noel Brown on Marketing Impact:
  “Claude C. Hopkins [...] normalizes brushing your teeth.” (16:09)

• Ben Bolan on Fluoride Introduction:
  “In 1955, we see Crest launching their product line with the first toothpaste containing fluoride.” (24:02)

• Noel Brown on Cultural Hygiene Practices:
  “For New Yorkers in particular… BO is a real trigger.” (37:27)

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Key Takeaways

1. Historical Foundations:
   Oral and body hygiene practices have ancient origins, with early civilizations developing rudimentary methods to maintain cleanliness.

2. Material and Technological Advancements:
   Innovations in toothbrush and deodorant design reflect broader technological and material progress, from natural bristles and aromatic oils to synthetic compounds and aerosol sprays.

3. Marketing’s Role in Hygiene Habits:
   Strategic marketing campaigns have been pivotal in transforming personal hygiene practices from optional to essential, deeply ingraining them into daily routines.

4. Environmental and Health Considerations:
   The evolution of hygiene products has been influenced by growing awareness of their environmental and health impacts, leading to regulatory changes and shifts towards more sustainable alternatives.

5. Cultural Shifts and Social Norms:
   Perceptions of body odor and oral hygiene are shaped by cultural norms and societal expectations, varying significantly across different eras and communities.

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For more insightful episodes on the quirky and fascinating aspects of history, tune into Ridiculous History by iHeartRadio.

Transcript

[Ben Bolan]

Ridiculous History is a production of iHeartRadio. Welcome back to the show, fellow Ridiculous historians. Thank you as always so much for tuning in. Now, a quick bit of housekeeping. You may notice that we had a a little classic coming in the place of morning routines. Part one and part two. Right. And that's just. Everything's fine. That's just little scheduling. We like to kick off our summer break or our. What is taking a Thursday a summer break for us?

[Noel Brown]

I think it is.

[Ben Bolan]

I think it is technically. Let's intro our super producer, Mr. Max Williams. That's Mr. Noel Brown. I am Ben Bolan. Previously on Ridiculous History. In part one we started talking about just the concept of cleaning yourself up, right? Exactly. Look at you. Humanity. Wash yourself, washing your ass.

[Noel Brown]

It's important. We did devote a lot of that episode to some stuff we discussed in the past in terms of the history of soap and the impact of soap on that whole idea cannot be understated. Today we. We felt like this was beefy enough in and of itself for a whole episode. We are moving into oral hygiene. This is an I heart podcast.

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The NBC Nightly News legacy isn't handed.

[Max Williams]

Down or NBC News.

[Noel Brown]

I'm Tom Brokaw.

[Ben Bolan]

We hope to see you back here.

[Noel Brown]

I'm Lester Holt. It's carried forward. Tom Yamas is there for us.

[Ben Bolan]

Firefighters are still working around the clock. As the world changes, we look for what endures. We are coming on the air with.

[Noel Brown]

Breaking news right now. We look for a constant and from one era to the next, trust is the anchor.

[Ben Bolan]

For NBC Nightly News, I'm Tom Yamas.

[Noel Brown]

A new chapter begins NBC Nightly News with Tom Yamas. Evenings on NBC.

[Ben Bolan]

Ridiculous history is brought to you by Granger.

[Noel Brown]

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[Noel Brown]

Just like you. Call 1-800-GRAINGER Click grainger.com or just stop by Grainger for the ones who get it done. Technically, it's also supposed to be a midday routine and evening routine. But most importantly, I would urge, argue and I think nine out of ten dentists might as well. Eight out of ten. Whatever.

[Ben Bolan]

Nine out of ten.

[Noel Brown]

Morning, very important. Get a good start. Brush them teeth.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah, if you have to choose one right, morning is the one you should choose. But it's also, it's interesting because it's like the question of how often you should change the oil on your car. Technically every time you drive it. Oh, good point.

[Noel Brown]

Okay. All right.

[Ben Bolan]

I mean that's how race cars.

[Noel Brown]

That is true. Hence the pit crew. And I will walk back a little bit of what I said. We do also know that that evening brushing of the teeth may well actually be more important than morning because a lot happens while your mouth is closed and you're sleeping and all the bacteria that can kind of build up and if you eat before bed and then you don't brush your teeth, God forbid it be something with sugar that can really be a problem in that overnight time.

[Ben Bolan]

So yeah, not to high road anybody, but I love brushing my teeth. I like to do it at. A few years ago I started saying we were working from home during COVID I was like, I don't know, man, anytime I happen by the bathroom, I got a couple minutes. Why not?

[Noel Brown]

I've been doing it too. I've been a multitasker toothbrusher. I got one of those like WiFi connected E toothbrushes that monitors your brushing habits. Probably feeds that data directly to Palantir. But whatever it's fun. It's a fun little gimmick, and it really does make me. The gamification of oral hygiene really does help.

[Ben Bolan]

It's a motivator.

[Noel Brown]

Yeah.

[Jeff Factor]

If I could jump in here real quick. I actually, on this point, about last year, I. My dentist told me I was over brushing.

[Noel Brown]

Oh, dear.

[Ben Bolan]

He's like.

[Jeff Factor]

I had only heard of that from Parks and Rec because Leslie Knopes over brushes. Oh, my God. That's a real thing.

[Noel Brown]

Like, yeah, maybe. Maybe pare back the brushing and introduce some more flossing, because that's certainly something that I need to do. But I can't imagine that you're not a mega flosser.

[Jeff Factor]

I'm a mega flosser. I have a water pick. Hey, everyone. Future Max, right here. I just want to jump in and clarify something I said right there. I want to make sure that everyone knows I'm not saying use a water pick or floss, but you should use. They say you should use a water pick and floss. Am I that much of a flossing nerd that I thought it was essential for me to add this line in here? Well, obviously, yes.

[Noel Brown]

Who's that sneaking in the phone? It's Max, and he's full of knowledge just for you right now. Here he comes. It's Max with the fact.

[Jeff Factor]

I've met a couple other people who are mega flossers, and we're all beautiful, wonderful nerds.

[Ben Bolan]

Well, it's. It's good to have a habit that does not become like a. A routine is beneficial to a certain threshold before.

[Noel Brown]

Positive.

[Ben Bolan]

Compulsive. Yeah. And you can. You can overdo anything. Like, I have. I've. I've candidly gotten a little bit too into water again. And you can drink too much water.

[Noel Brown]

I see what you mean. I thought you meant, like, swimming. No, I gotcha. Consuming water. So while theories about the causes of tooth decay have pervaded over the centuries, much like those miasma theories we talked about the idea of stench purveying some sort of airborne, you know, sickness. We've got a lot of those kind of misplaced theories about things like tooth worms in ancient times, which we've probably updated to something that's not far off from tooth worms, which would be plaque and the bacteria that is bred on your teeth if you don't brush those chompers.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah. Plaque is a playground for bacteria, and that can lead to decay. Also, statistically speaking, given the billions of people who have lived and died over the course of human history, there probably were A few people with something like a tooth worm. Like a tooth, but it's not normal. Name your tooth worm before, before the modern toothbrushes, water picks and all the doodads we're talking about. Recently, people still knew that oral hygiene was important because you're the first person who smells your own breath. Right. So they use chew sticks and thin twigs that they would gnaw on until one end frayed off into, you know, fibrous matter. And that would be a way to. A way to attempt to clean your teeth and your mouth. And depending on where you travel in the world, you may see some people using things like chew sticks in the modern day.

[Noel Brown]

Yeah, well, sure. I mean, even like flavored toothpicks are very popular today. You can find these ones that are like infused with eucalyptus or mint rather. Yeah, maybe not eucalyptus, but mint. And they are really tasty and a good way to kind of do a little tooth maintenance throughout the day.

[Ben Bolan]

They can sometimes feel like a little bit of an appetite suppressant too.

[Noel Brown]

Also true.

[Ben Bolan]

Or just a little fidget.

[Noel Brown]

Or if you're trying to quit smoking, for example, that's very, very, very helpful for that. The toothbrush as we more or less know it today does seem to have been invented in China sometime during the Tang Dynasty. And they also invented Tang as it turned. That's not true. From 618 to 907 AD and the earliest models were made of bamboo or pieces of bone for the handle and bristles made from boar's hairs, much like paintbrushes would have.

[Ben Bolan]

Right, right. And that sounds super fancy today when so many toothbrushes are entirely plastic affairs, you can still find boar's hair toothbrushes. They're often promoted these days as an environmentally friendly alternative, you know, to the microplastic laden toothbrushes that most people use.

[Noel Brown]

For sure. Get rid of that plaque and replace it with microplastic. William Addis, an Englishman of note, gets credit for kind of scaling and mass producing toothbrushes thousands of years later, by the way. Thousands of years later. Of course, as is usually the case, he supposedly, according to toothbrush lore, created a prototype around 1718 while in prison because of being a bit of a rabble rouser, a bit of a rioter. In 1857, H.N. wadsworth, who is a dentist from Washington, D.C. got the very first patent in the United States for a toothbrush which he claimed was much better at scrubbing in between the teeth than previous models.

[Ben Bolan]

And then we see in 1938, the rise of nylon bristles. We see the electric toothbrush all the way back in 1937, courtesy of the American inventor Tomlinson I. Moseley. He patented a design, but it didn't really. This happens all the time with patents. It didn't really catch on until someone else comes in with maybe a more frequent, functional or somehow more friendly, user friendly model. So his is 1954.

[Noel Brown]

Kind of reckon that an early electric toothbrush might have been a little bit of a terrifying proposition.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah, it's got a pull cord and it's gas powered.

[Noel Brown]

It's gas powered.

[Ben Bolan]

So you have a canister that you put on your back and that's where you rip the cord. It's basically a lawnmower for your mouth.

[Noel Brown]

There's a tube.

[Ben Bolan]

I'm so into this. This is like Susian and Ye. Anyway, the thing about this is we're talking about toothbrushes and it may be surprising to learn how old some of these innovations are. But what was really mind blowing on my end was to learn that toothpaste came before the toothbrush. They took out the gunk first.

[Noel Brown]

Yeah, well, I mean, you know, sometimes people would maybe just like apply it to their teeth. You know, in the earliest days, of course, the ancient Egyptians were. Were pretty quick to the party on a lot of this kind of beauty stuff. Around 3,000 to 5,000 BCE, they developed a dental cream with powdered ashes from the hooves of oxen. It also contained myrrh, which is, I think, kind of like an incense. It's like an aromatic material and maybe. Well, that's frankincense. Maybe I'm confusing my three wise men gifts. Eggshells as well and pumice, which does make sense because the toothpaste that they use at the dentist does have these particulate things in it that kind of grit that sort of helps, you know, get the gunk off. And some toothpaste that you can buy for home use has that as well. So they really were pretty innovative in terms of like the overall makeup of what kind of materials should be used. Something that like the ashes we know was a precursor to soap. The hooves and the myrrh perhaps were a bit of a stabilizing agent or something to kind of tie the room together. And the myrrh perhaps also an aromatic kind of situation, a flavor. And then the eggshells and the would be the grit that would hopefully help get some of the guck off of.

[Ben Bolan]

You'd have to be careful with that though.

[Noel Brown]

Really would you could damage the enamel.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah. Such a needle to thread with the abrasion we also see not too, too far away. People in Ancient Persia around 1000 BCE were doing similar things. They made a mixture with gypsum, herbs and honey. So good so far. And then the Shyamalan twist, the shells of snails and oysters.

[Noel Brown]

Burnt shells of snails and O. I guess they'd smash them up and again, it would be that kind of particulate matter.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah, probably like a mortar pestle situation.

[Noel Brown]

Totally. But it would kind of serve a similar purpose to those eggshells and pumice that the ancient Egyptians were parallel thinking about. People would continue to kind of make their own unique recipes for toothpastes and powders throughout history. In 1860, book titled the Practical Housewife recommended mixtures of powdered orris root, charcoal, Peruvian bark, something called prepared chalk, which sounds interesting, and oil of bergamot or lavender. Now we are starting to get into the more like spearmint kind of flavoring, you know, of modern toothpaste. We were already starting to get that sort of vibe with the lavender and bergamot. A Connecticut dentist, a guy named. Boy, oh, boy, these are names. Washington Wentworth Sheffield, he gets credit for the idea of packing toothpaste into a tube, and the rest is history. We can stop here. The tube, you gotta squeeze it from the end, by the way. Don't squeeze it from the middle.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah. The ADA is cutting into the show right now. That's the American Dental association. And I wanna bring up. We used one of my favorite US idiomatic phrases. Nine out of ten dentists, I have this deep mythos in my head about the renegade 10th dentist. I wanna write a horror story. Yeah, he's the guy who beat me here, Max. He's the guy on every survey who.

[Noel Brown]

Says, no toothpaste, smoke, eat sugar before bed. He's a real maverick. He's a cannon.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah, he's an anti hero. But before this tube innovation, which was actually pretty huge, a lot of people made toothpaste at home to save money. And when they bought it in, say, Ye Olde General store prior to the 1880s, they were getting little pots, like little glass. Almost like you would see a glass jar of yogurt at the store or paper boxes.

[Noel Brown]

100%. And I maybe imagine that different stores and early pharmacies in the way that, you know, early pharmacies would actually mix up the medicine on site. You know, that's why, like, the mortar and pestle is sort of a symbol of that. That some of these would be sort of house versions, right. Of, like these. Of these tooth creams and we have.

[Ben Bolan]

An embarrassing yet overall positive story to tell you about American history. Everything we described in the 1800s, when we look at the US it only applied to a pretty small demographic of Americans. Most people did not brush their teeth until a brilliant American businessman named Claude C. Hopkins starts talking to an old buddy of his. And his buddy had created a minty, frothy toothpaste. It didn't taste bad. No burnt snail shells. He called it Pepsodent. And Hopkins is a marketing guy, right? He's not the guy who invents Pepsodent. He's the guy who normalizes brushing your teeth. So he launches on these Bernays esque advertising campaigns and they see results.

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[Max Williams]

Oh, let's see.

[Noel Brown]

Hand sanitizer. It's lavender. I'm good. Seriously. Let me check this pocket. Oh, mints. Really, I'm fine.

[Max Williams]

Oh, I have raisins.

[Noel Brown]

I'm a mom. Wait, wait one sec. I've got cupcakes in the car.

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[Noel Brown]

And it's so interesting to think of a time where like the humble toothbrush and toothpaste were like, almost a novelty. You started to have, like, influencer types screaming about their pepsodent smiles. And can I just say too, Ben, that I love early marketing and early kind of product placement type stuff with like the Kraft Radio Theater or whatever.

[Ben Bolan]

The Colgate Hour.

[Noel Brown]

That's exactly right, Ben. The Colgate Hour. But the term pep was so popular. They loved pep. I mean, it has nothing to do with what we're talking about here, but the idea that this would maybe give you pep, I wouldn't be surprised if that was part of the marketing.

[Ben Bolan]

Oh, 100%. Right. Give you that famous Pepsidan smile. And Pepsident is this brilliant bit of language because it implies something, but it does not promise anything. Right. And so Hopkins is figuring out a little bit of background on this marketing guy. He's figuring out how to promote Pepcid and to normalize brushing one's teeth. And he says, okay, I'm not a dentist, but I've got to find a way to make the case to the American people so I can make a lot of money. And in his autobiography, he would later write about how he sat down with a pile. Pile of dental textbooks, the textbooks that kids have to study to become dentists. And in the middle of one book, he says, I found a reference to the mucin plaques on teeth, which I afterwards called the film. And this gave me an appealing idea. I said, I'll advertise toothpaste as a creator of beauty. And that's what he starts arguing for. It's not healthy necessarily. It's vanity.

[Noel Brown]

That makes sense.

[Ben Bolan]

Why don't you give yourself a bright, shiny smile like the Shirley Temples and the Clark Gables and all the other folks on the big screen.

[Noel Brown]

Yeah. Run your tongue across your teeth and feel that icky film. That is the stuff that makes your teeth look a little bit off color. And he said in the marketing campaign, invites decay. This was back in the day where you didn't necessarily need a ton of scientific backing to make claims like this.

[Ben Bolan]

Right? Yeah. 9 out of 10 dentists recommend Camel cigarettes.

[Noel Brown]

They did. That's not a joke.

[Ben Bolan]

I know, I know.

[Noel Brown]

It's a thing. Some even would argue or make the claim that cigarettes, certain brands of cigarettes were good for you, were good for your teeth.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah. And relaxing for, you know, whatever sounds scientific, but is not scientific, like relaxing for the constitution, freshening of the lungs, which is, weirdly enough, the opposite of what cigarettes do. But this is another mind blower. All of these things that we just described again in the history of toothpaste they did not have fluoride. That didn't come along until after World War II in 1955.

[Noel Brown]

So in 1955, we see crest launching their product line with the first toothpaste containing fluoride, which did have some scientific backing, which in and of itself, because of the lack of it, was like a huge marketing point. I would say. Research had shown that this material, this substance, was in fact effective in reducing cavities. And of course, we know Norman Rockwell, painter of Americana, literal inventor of the visual reference to the American dream, did illustrate those early Crest ads featuring young people, boys and girls, families hanging out, having a good time, living that American dream and parroting the tagline, look, mom, no cavities.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah, perfect stuff, right? And an amazing painter. My opinion, I just enjoy the way he, he paints his story.

[Noel Brown]

You could argue it's propaganda, though.

[Ben Bolan]

It very much is. Oh, I'm not arguing that, just a fact. But we do know that fluoridation has been considered controversial in certain parts of the world and at points in time. But the overall science teaches us that fluoride in toothpaste is a good thing. And you can trace rates of tooth decay in places or in populations that don't have fluoridated toothpaste.

[Noel Brown]

Yeah. And many municipalities around the country and around the world do still fluoridate their drinking water supply. Another thing that's under fire is that practice with Robert F. Kennedy having some real hot takes on fluoridation and perhaps, I think some pretty lacking scientifically claims about other knock on effects, if I'm not mistaken.

[Ben Bolan]

Right. I don't want to be too, too political. I think that is a quintessential example of how off base people can be when they never admit that they're wrong and no one has ever called them on the progressively crazier things they say.

[Noel Brown]

Yeah, for sure. And I mean, and just, you know, we know that fluoride has been controversial for a long time. This isn't like a new thing. So I guess that gets us to modern day. So why don't we move on to another facet fixture of the morning ritual, the humble deodorant stick, or perhaps deodorant spray. And when you start looking into that, you start looking further back, realizing that things like perfume are the predecessor of like a chemical agent that actually reduces sweat. Initially, everything was about masking the stank, Right?

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah. Like I was saying in part one, the first thing you would notice as a time traveler, depending on how far back you went, is that the past is stinky. Yes, it is.

[Noel Brown]

Yeah. It's come up many times in this show and others.

[Ben Bolan]

Essential oils are one of the earliest forms of masking and odor.

[Noel Brown]

Right.

[Ben Bolan]

And from there we get perfume. Or you're out in the woods and you smell a beautiful flower and you wonder, how could I smell like that? Instead of like bo, but instead you.

[Noel Brown]

Smell sort of like that mixed with bo.

[Ben Bolan]

Right. Like how hospitals have a lemon scented sanitizer. But you smell what's under there.

[Noel Brown]

You sure do.

[Ben Bolan]

In more recent history, we started to see that people would take absorbent fabric and kind of sponge under their arms so that it didn't soak through their clothes. And then we see talcum powder, then the discovery or creation of baking soda. These are all precursors to modern day deodorant. And some deodorants still have baking soda or talcum powder or other scent agents to mask us smell.

[Noel Brown]

If I'm not mistaken, Arm and Hammer has their own line of toothpaste.

[Ben Bolan]

Yes. Yeah. As well. Look, they took the baking soda train and figured out how to put it into everything.

[Noel Brown]

Totally. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And to be fair, baking soda is a great odor absorber. Like, if you put like an open thing of baking soda in your fridge, it helps cut down on weird fridge smells. It's a pretty interesting substance that is pretty, you know, useful in a lot of different ways. The earliest forms of deodorant we start to see emerging around 2000 BC in Mesopotamia, which would be modern day Iraq, where people started to use aromatic remedies that included natural ingredients like oils and resins in order to, of course, mask that smell. Smell of body odor. They were often applied during a morning bathing routine.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah. The ancient Egyptians also were again, first to the game in a lot of ways here, possibly because they were just such an ancient society. So they were the first to the post outside of Mesopotamia. They used a blend of natural ingredients, scented oils, incense, old saints to mask the smell of living in a punishing desert climate. Cleopatra was always historically renowned as a beautiful public figure, and part of her beauty was her hygiene. She used her own perfumed cremes for these purposes. Oils and incense. This also transferred over to ancient Greece. The Greeks always took inspiration from the Egyptians. Just like with bathing. Right. Just like with soap. And they started putting in a nice little smell in their grooming routine that continues on today. I like a little spritz of something. It just makes you feel good, you know?

[Noel Brown]

I love it. Yeah. In my middle age, I have become a lot more interested in colognes and things and Try to have some classy ones. Nothing too acrid or over the top, but I also really like a little rosewater mistake. You know, it's refreshing. You spray it in your face, close your eyes and kind of mist yourself and it really does feel super nice. So I get that.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah. And one of my favorite quotes about cologne for anybody considering getting into that game or perfume is cologne must be discovered, never announced.

[Noel Brown]

Yeah, or also a dab will do you Hi Zoe Saldana, welcome to T Mobile. Here's your new iPhone 16 Pro on us. Thanks. And here's my old phone to train you don't need a trade in when you switch to T Mobile. We'll give you a new iPhone 16 Pro. Plus we'll help you pay off your old Phone up to 800 bucks and you still get to keep it. There's always a trade in.

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[Noel Brown]

I know, I know.

[Ben Bolan]

They already had the bath houses and then they started adding accoutrement there. Festooning it with fragrant oils, herbs and perfuming the waters. Which is an interesting thing. You know, I've been to onsens, I've been to bathhouses before. Perfumed water is not something I have Too much experience with.

[Noel Brown]

No, no, nor I. I do know though, that a carryover, I guess, from this period of Egyptian scents would be the much wrapped about Egyptian musk, which is. I guess it's a sense you can get like, but it's also an incense, popular incense. But I think it is in a Wu Tang lyric where they say something is fly like Egyptian musk.

[Ben Bolan]

I believe you because they're just fantastic with their strangely specific references, you know what I mean? I'm gonna have to find that lyric and listen to that song. They made this mixture, the Romans, not Wu Tang, made this mixture they called unguent, which was charcoal, animal fat, scented oil. So kind of like scented soap, basically, as a paste. And they applied it to the body the way you would apply deodorant today. However, the world is still divided on what should be considered hygienic or uncomfortable body odor. In the US Here, where we often record this show, it's considered a social faux pas to have very loud bo, right? And you hate getting stuck on the train or stuck in an elevator or any other enclosed space with someone who does just smells like they need to clean themselves up. Part of it.

[Noel Brown]

For New Yorkers in particular, and not just New Yorkers, but anyone that is relying on close quarter public transit, BO is a real trigger. I would say it's not great in the best of times, but when you are crowded into a subway car or like an L train and someone's holding onto that little strap on the ceiling, fully exposed pit, you do not want there to be a green wafting fumes coming from that like in a Bugs Bunny cartoon.

[Ben Bolan]

It's egregious. It's the olfactory version of having music or a phone conversation going without headphones. You know what I mean? It's just, I feel like not everybody comes from the same circumstances, but the ability to bathe and the ability to find deodorant or relatively, you know, that's a low bar. It's a low bar of soap right there. Yeah, it's got to be. At least here in the west, at least part of it is these huge continuing marketing campaigns. Right? And that's why we'll have more of our hippie esque friends saying, well, why can't people just smell like people? You know, you guys are so programmed. Everybody's got to smell like elder flowers and illuminate.

[Noel Brown]

That is funny. Yeah, Alum. I love the scent of aluminum. We'll get into aluminum, by the way, because that is a problematic additive of certain types of Deodorant. And there's sort of a holistic backlash against some of that, let's just say. And maybe some of those less chemically products, they don't quite work as well. And you do sort of return back to the masking over actually dealing with the issue situation.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah. Now, after all this ancient history, it is not until 1888 that the first commercial deodorant debuts. It is called mum. And this happens just a few years after the toothpaste stuff. Right. So the early form of deodorant came in. It was like a wax pasty thing in a metal tin made of zinc oxide and then other natural ingredients, stabilizers, things for the texture. And this cream, because of that zinc oxide, it was able to not just mask your sweat, but it was able to eradicate some of the bacteria on your skin. And your bacteria is what's making a lot of those foul smells.

[Noel Brown]

Although one might argue that some of these early methods of antiperspirant weren't the best because they were using aluminum salts which did prevent sweating, but they did so by clogging your pores, which doesn't sound good. I don't think that's good. This was in 1903 with ever dry. No, every dry. I like Ever dry better.

[Ben Bolan]

Personally, I like Ever dry better. It's a cleaner word actually.

[Noel Brown]

But every dry doesn't really roll off the tongue.

[Ben Bolan]

I like that point though about aluminum salts because it's kind of like saying, oh, someone is breathing too loud, so let's shut their nose and tape their mouth. Problem solved.

[Noel Brown]

You do need some breathability in the skin, in the underarm. And clogged pores can lead to some negative knock on consequences. I believe you can even get infections and stuff if you have too much clogged pores. Anywho, in 1910 in Cincinnati, Ohio, which by the way, we may have talked about this, Cincinnati, I found out many years ago, was a big jingle town, was a big advertising town and a lot of like jingle writing took place in Cincinnati. So that's sort of an appropriate mention. So the unique combo of a surgeon and his school aged daughter, as well as a Bible salesman, former door to door Bible salesman, cause that used to be a thing all coalesced in a. You know, sounds like a, what is it, like a walk into a bar kind of joke. But they all coalesced and came together to lay the foundations of what is now an $18 billion industry.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah, this is a guy named Dr. Abraham D. Murphy and he is in an operating room pretty Often because he's a doctor in the early 1900s, this guy is a bit of a Renaissance man. So in addition to being a crackerjack doctor, he invents a liquid substance that helps keep his hands free of sweat in the or. And his daughter we mentioned just a second ago, her name is Edna. She tries this liquid antiperspirant thing to stop you from sweating on her armpits. And she says, hey, not only are my pits finally dry. I'm sorry, Edna, I don't mean to paint you as though you're some sweat ridden child. But she says, you know my. It's a good insult, right?

[Noel Brown]

You sweat ridden child. Yeah, insult to injury for sure.

[Ben Bolan]

Sure. So she says not only does this dry out my pits, but also it helps address BO smells. Body odor smells. And they named it Odorono. Odoron.

[Noel Brown]

Oh no. Isn't Odoban also a thing? Odoban, I want to say, is a spray for like furniture. It's an odor absorber. Odoban Deodorizer. It's more of a chemical product for pet solutions, let's just say. Right. Which I think is great. And also just sounds like one of those old timey brands. Odo Ban. We have Odo.

[Ben Bolan]

Oh no.

[Noel Brown]

Right.

[Ben Bolan]

Odor.

[Noel Brown]

Ohno.

[Ben Bolan]

Odor. Odor.

[Noel Brown]

Oh no.

[Ben Bolan]

It's just fun to say Odor. Oh no.

[Noel Brown]

You're like Odo. Oh no. It's more fun. Sorry, we're rewriting advertising history here.

[Ben Bolan]

But you know, I feel like it sounds like it would be a great episode of Deep Space Nine. Odoo. Oh no. You.

[Noel Brown]

That's for you, Max and her cousin, Yoko Ono Yoko.

[Ben Bolan]

Oh no.

[Jeff Factor]

It be. It would definitely be an Odo and Quark episode. But not the one where they have.

[Noel Brown]

To climb up on a mountain.

[Jeff Factor]

Cuz that one's really.

[Noel Brown]

Wait, Odo is a character?

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah, Odo is a shape shifting character from beyond the wormhole.

[Jeff Factor]

One of the characters in Star Trek History Fair.

[Noel Brown]

All right.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah.

[Noel Brown]

It's hot take from Matt Max.

[Jeff Factor]

Not a hot dick at all. Okay, Not. Not everyone. Not everyone loves him, but everyone can. Everyone can agree that he's a really good character.

[Ben Bolan]

Really compelling.

[Jeff Factor]

Renee Auto. I can never get his last name. It's complicated. But he had been acting for. He was in his 70s, I think, or maybe 60s when he did Odo. He was a very good actor. He passed away, I think 2019, right after the documentary came out. The documentary is also amazing. All right. Future Max is back. I already had to record one for that flossing a bit earlier. So how hard Is it to put a second addendum in here, beauties of being the producer. So I looked it up. It's pronounced Rene Aubergenois. Rene Auberjonois. Apologies, because I know I'm not nailing pronunciation perfectly. His first credited role, according to IMDb was from 1970, where he played Father John Mulcahy on an episode of Mesh. He was also in 73 episodes of Boston Legal, along with fellow Star Trek alum William Shatner. He did pass away in 2019 at the age of 79. And you know, Noel just said, oh, hot taker, right there. No, not at all. According to ign, he is the seventh best character in Star Trek history, while the rap has him as eighth. And you might be saying, oh, that's not so high. He's behind, like people like Data McCoy, Cisco, Spock, Jean Luc Picard, Kirk. Big names, so very popular.

[Noel Brown]

Rip Odo.

[Ben Bolan]

So the issue with Odorono is that odorono, it's so fun.

[Noel Brown]

Oh, wait, if you say odorono, that's better. That's better than Odo Ono Oderono. You just got to do the. It's all in how you say it. Yeah, it's.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah, it's got a good mouth odor.

[Noel Brown]

Ohno. No. Odorono. That's how you do.

[Ben Bolan]

Reminds me of that toast of London.

[Noel Brown]

Yes, yes. There's only so many. No, there's a lot of way you can emphasize.

[Ben Bolan]

So, okay. Odorono is not perfect. It irritates the skin, especially if you use it regularly. And because of the acidic aluminum that we've been teasing here, it can also damage your clothing. This stuff is hardcore.

[Noel Brown]

So then we've got another chemist, this one, I believe, from France, entering the chat in 1940 to help out with this problem, he filed a patent for what's called a buffered antiperspirant. Stopette.

[Ben Bolan]

With the French ending.

[Noel Brown]

E, T, T, E. Exactly.

[Ben Bolan]

This resolves that excessive acidity problem by combining antiperspirant with a soluble nitrile, which is not as bad as it sounds.

[Noel Brown]

No, it's soluble.

[Ben Bolan]

It's nitrile.

[Noel Brown]

You don't want it to be insoluble. Right. If it's soluble, that means that it. What? I don't know. I'm just talking.

[Ben Bolan]

So it's after World War II. This is a huge time for American progress and for American consumerism because a.

[Noel Brown]

Lot of those innovations get accelerated due to a war effort, and then that stuff sort of trickles down into normal, polite society. Right?

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah. And aerosol spray is an excellent example of that. This is a Technology that came from the military. And now people are saying aerosol spray is a new and convenient way to apply deodorant. History would prove people started using aerosol spray for almost everything through the 50s and 60s and even today.

[Noel Brown]

Yeah, but all those CFCs, right. Really led to the depopularization of aerosols of all kinds. And I would argue that there certainly are. I see it every now and again in a hair salon, but typically things are more like. Would you call them pomades or, you know.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah. Or pumps.

[Noel Brown]

Pumps, exactly. More of like a spritz rather than the aerosol. Because in 1977, the FDA banned aluminum zirconium, which is the active ingredient in aerosols, over safety concerns. And also, of course, the EPA raising concerns of those CFC propellants used in aerosols, causing depletion in our precious ozone layer.

[Ben Bolan]

And this is where we can give you some good news, folks. In addition to the invention of roll on deodorant and the rise and fall of aerosol technology, we've seen real positive results from banning aluminum zirconium.

[Noel Brown]

It, like, heals itself a little bit, doesn't it?

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah. As of September 2024, the United nations found the ozone layer is well on track for a full recovery. So go, team.

[Noel Brown]

And not to be political, but just do wanna point out that there are some qualities to this progress that may well be reversed due to some not particularly environmentally friendly policies of various governments across the world, not just here in the United States.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah, it goes back and forth. Right. And we see various cultural shifts. It's just. It's tough to get, you know, even 12 people to agree on something. So getting a billion people to forego convenience or forego profit in pursuit of the greater good, that's always gonna be a tall milkshake.

[Noel Brown]

It's tough. Yeah. Especially in a country, in a society where kind of profit is sort of the name of the game. And year over year, growth is not just a suggestion, it's an expectation.

[Ben Bolan]

Check out our earlier episode, which unfortunately still holds up on how the US Started moving away from the term citizen and started calling people consumers.

[Noel Brown]

Ooh, that is a fun episode. I totally forgot about that. And it really ties into this whole marketing aspect of history that we're always on.

[Ben Bolan]

And with that, we have more that we want to get to.

[Noel Brown]

We do. Starting with aerosol. We could have gotten into hairspray, of course, which we teased a little bit, and pomades and various, you know, natural remedies for that. But honestly, Ben, I think Jeff really went over and above on this one, and really the hair stuff is kind of its own thing. You know, we could maybe do a history of hairstyling and haircuts and hair products. Right.

[Ben Bolan]

Especially the ridiculous versions of what people put in their hair, either in good faith attempts for better health or for vanity or for spiritual purposes. The story's pretty wild and we can't wait for you to join us on that journey. For now, we're going to call it a day. We're gonna go participate in our brushing, but not over brushing. Right.

[Noel Brown]

So also, don't put too much pressure. Don't use too. That's one thing I like about my electricity. Your toothbrush. It tells you when you're pushing too hard, and it also vibrates periodically to let you know when to move on to the next quadrant.

[Ben Bolan]

Also, don't use too much toothpaste. Remember when you see ads for toothpaste, that huge S shaped dollop they put on there that looks like a dolphin? No, that's just by, like, they make money when you overuse toothpaste.

[Noel Brown]

But also like food styling and that kind of styling, like what you're looking at there is some sort of polyurethane, like, you know, foam or something.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah. And so with that, we want to give a big thanks and shout out to Our super producer, Mr. Max Williams, our research associate for this episode, Jeff Factor G. Bartlett. And then, of course, AJ Bahamas Jacobs. I wonder, yeah, I'm still wondering if he. If he saved a morning routine from his year of living constitutionally, wouldn't they.

[Noel Brown]

Have used, like, charcoal, too? We haven't really talked about activated charcoal, which is becoming kind of trendy now. But it does strike me as maybe something that they would have used in olden times just to brush their teeth with charcoal. It's a real interesting way to take a really freaky selfie with your teeth all blacked out.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah. We also didn't talk about just the aesthetics of some tooth treatments that people used in the past. Like that period of time in Japan where it was considered attractive for women to have their teeth blacked out 100%.

[Noel Brown]

And we could also lead that into things like grill culture and. What's the word? I guess you could say aesthetic dentistry.

[Ben Bolan]

Aesthetic dentistry. Oh, yeah. Like when people are bejeweling their teeth now temporarily.

[Noel Brown]

Apparently Kanye has gone insane because of the infection that he got from his grill piece.

[Ben Bolan]

That's one of the theories. One of our theories is that you will join us very soon for another episode in the future. Who else do we need to thank here at the end?

[Noel Brown]

Noel oh, obviously we gotta thank Christopher Ciotes and Eve's Jeff Coats here in spirit. Jonathan Strickland, the Quizzer. You already thanked the puzzler. AJ Bahamas Ben thanks to you buddy.

[Ben Bolan]

Thanks to you buckaroo.

[Noel Brown]

We'll see you next time folks. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.

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See details@t mobile.com this is an iHeart podcast.