Across ancient Egypt, Greece, China and other cultures, people developed their own approaches to looking fresh and youthful. Some techniques focused on cleansing and smoothing the skin, while others relied on cosmetics or traditional remedies. A few involved substances that modern science now recognises as hazardous.These practices reveal something surprisingly timeless: humans have always wanted to control how they look as they age. Here are 20 historical beauty practices, from relatively harmless grooming rituals to treatments that are best left firmly in the past.