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10 WTF beauty rituals women claim are worth the 'ick' factor

Jul 08, 2011

Sonja Holbrook is a regular columnist on http://www.ranker.com who enjoys writing about topics like men and dating.

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Bizarre beauty treatments that people actually swear by

For centuries, women have been committing acts of medieval torture on themselves just to look, seem, smell or even just feel more beautiful. Here are the 10 biggest OMG WTF beauty rituals you might not know about... (and if you have tried one of them, tell us all about it because we haven't found anyone brave enough to try them yet!)

8. Whale excretions

New Zealand

Ambergris -- sounds like my mom's fruit salad on Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, the truth is a lot less sweet.

"Gris" is a solid waxy substance originating in the intestine of the sperm whale. When the sperm whale has a bowel movement, the ambergris is usually expelled through the rectum. The chunks float onto the surface of the sea, where the sun sterilizes and cooks them.

Ambergris floats and washes ashore most frequently on the coasts of China, Japan, Africa, the Americas and on tropical islands such as the Bahamas. In Eastern cultures, ambergris is used for medicines and potions and as a spice. In the West, it was used to stabilize the scent of fine perfumes.

No word on the cost of whale vomit or diarrhea, but we're guessing they're for the natives.