Want to know ancient egyptian makeup and beauty secrets?
Mention Egypt and the first picture that comes to mind is that of the marvelous pyramids. The very next thing one is reminded of is the beauty of Cleopatra and Nefertiti.
Egyptian skin care history goes back more than 5000 years ago. Ancient Egyptians were people obsessed with beauty. Both men and women were alike in this matter. They took pride in their looks and indulged themselves in various beauty rituals to enhance their appearance. They had their own makeup and perfumes. In fact most of the beauty products and rituals of today are believed to have originated in Egypt, one of the most famous being the ancient egyptian eyeliner.
The details of ancient Egyptian beauty secrets have been revealed through the various artefacts found from excavations. Ancient Egyptians were very particular about how they looked. They were so particular that they wanted to be well-groomed even in their afterlife. And hence the ancient Egyptians were buried with grooming products.
The proof of their beauty can be taken from the images on their tombs which closely resembled their actual face at the time of their deaths. And all you can see is flawless wrinkle free healthy skin.
Now you can get skin as gorgeous as the beautiful Cleopatra because we are going to reveal the ancient Egyptian beauty secrets in this article. In this article we have covered ancient Egyptian beauty rituals, Egyptian skin care products, and ancient Egyptian makeup recipes.
15 Ancient Egyptian Makeup And Beauty Secrets
1. Ancient Egyptian Eyeliner
Ancient Egyptians were practically the first proponents of the cat eye trend. They made their own eyeliner from lead salts. Since these salts had lead in high concentrations, ancient Egyptians used to process and filter it for up to 30 days to get the lead levels lowered. And voila, the ancient egyptian eyeliner was ready! It not only beautified their eyes, but also protected against sun damage and fought infections.
A study has found out that the lead based egyptian eyeliner killed bacteria and gave a boost to the immune system.
2. Use Of Oils
Ancient Egyptian beauty rituals highlight the benefits of using oil on skin. Ancient Egyptians had access to more than 20 kinds of oils and they put them all to good use. Oils such as castor oil, sesame oil, and moringa oil were used to fight wrinkles and other signs of ageing.
The most favored Egyptian oil for skin was almond oil.
Oils were known and used for their youth preserving properties. It was a great preventive measure.
3. Hair Care
Ancient Egyptian beauty secrets are full of tips about taking care of one’s hair. Women in ancient Egypt had a love for thick and long tresses. And maintaining thick hair required serious effort. Oils formed a vital part of this care and maintenance. The ancient Egyptian women did it all by using a variety of hair oils.
Egyptian women used to massage their scalp and hair with coconut oil and extra virgin olive oil. They also used castor oil to stimulate their hair growth.
Sometimes, it is said, they even used rosemary oil for their hair.
4. Hair Styling Gel
Ancient Egyptians loved styling their hair. And like all stylists they too faced the same problem. How to make the style stick throughout the day? In modern times hairstyles can be set by using styling gels and hair spray. But what about the ancient Egyptians?
It is clear that they were ahead of us. They too used a styling gel to keep their hair in place. Ancient Egyptian beauty secrets reveal that their hair styling gel was made with shea butter and coconut oil. They often replaced coconut oil with almond oil. This was a completely natural, nourishing and strengthening styling gel.
5. Coffee Scrub
A coffee scrub for skin can do wonders. It reduces inflammation, improves blood circulation, removes dead skin cells, reduces puffiness, improves the skin’s texture, and gives youthful radiant skin. All these benefits of using a coffee scrub were well known to ancient Egyptians. They used grounded coffee powder to exfoliate their skin.
6. Milk And Honey
Raw honey and milk form a vital part of ancient Egyptian beauty secrets. This honey and milk combination was very popular amongst the ancient ones and they used it as a face mask and also as a body wash. In fact this is said to be one of the many beauty tricks used by the ever beautiful Cleopatra. The milk and honey combo cleanses, nourishes and exfoliates to give a healthy glow to skin. Honey has anti-ageing properties. It is yet another reason why ancient Egyptians favored this sticky product in their beauty rituals.
7. Dead Sea Salt
Exfoliation is the key to healthy skin and ancient Egyptians knew it to be true. Salt from the Dead Sea is one of the most popular Egyptian skin care products. Salt collected from the Dead Sea was used to exfoliate dead skin cells. If certain ancient Egyptian beauty secrets are to be believed, Cleopatra travelled to the Dead Sea from Egypt in order to take a bath with its salts and to revitalize herself. Now fella, this is called true dedication!
8. Cleopatra’s Favorite
One cannot talk about Egyptian skin care history without talking about the famous queen Cleopatra. She was known not just for her beauty but also for her intellect. She was an able ruler of the lands of Egypt. She also liked to take care of her skin. It is believed that she used to take a bath with milk and crocodile dung. We don’t know about crocodile dung but you can definitely use milk for bathing. Milk cleanses, nourishes and exfoliates at the same time. It is the perfect replacement for the chemical laden harsh soaps.
9. Body Sugaring
Ancient Egyptian women were familiar with the concept of hair removal. The only difference between us and them is the fact that they had a formulated a completely natural and less painful method for removing unwanted body hair. Such hair were removed by using a paste of water, sugar and lemon juice. This procedure was known as body sugaring. Ancient Egyptians seem to be the first ones to come up with this concept.
10. Henna
Ancient Egyptian beauty rituals consisted of the use of henna. Henna departs a strong color on application and also has cooling effects on the body. It was used by the ancient Egyptians to color their hair and finger nails in shades of red and orange. It was also used as cooling agent on the hot summer days.
11. Burnt Almonds
Ancient Egyptians loved dark and thick eyebrows. They used burnt almonds to fill in their brows. The burnt almonds were vitamin E filled eyebrow pencils for them. They were really way ahead in their makeup routine.
12. Ancient Soap
Ancient Egyptians were also big on cleanliness and hygiene. According to some of the ancient Egyptian beauty secrets, Egyptians used to make soap with clay and olive oil. This natural soap cleansed and nourished at the same time. Clearly, ancient Egyptians knew what they were doing.
13. Under Eye Care
If you think tired puffy eyes is a modern issue then think again. Yes, ancient Egyptians too had to face puffiness and they knew exactly how to deal with it. Ancient Egyptian beauty secrets reveal that Egyptians treated under eye puffiness with slices of avocado. This nutrient-rich fruit tackles not just puffy eyes. It helps to get rid of dark circles and eye bags as well. It also helps to reduce fine lines and wrinkles. So the next time, you have trouble in the under-eye area, put an avocado on it.
14. Ancient Egyptian Makeup
Look at the artefacts and you will see how much ancient Egyptians loved their makeup. Ancient Egyptian makeup game was always on point. They used natural pigments to color their eyes, lips and cheeks. They used ochre, naturally occurring clay, to color their lips and cheek. They used saffron as eye shadow. Green malachite was another choice after kohl to line their eyes. Ancient Egyptians grounded the substances and mixed them with water for a smooth application.
15. Dates
Ancient Egyptian beauty secrets were not just about cosmetics. Their obsession with beauty made Egyptians mindful of their dietary habits as well. They were very fond of eating dates. They consumed them in large amounts. Dates are a rich source of antioxidants, protein and fiber. They are a good source of energy and have multiple health benefits. Ancient Egyptians had figured it out even then. Eat well to look well.
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