Ancient Greek Beauty Secrets Revealed

   Last week I shared with you some of the beauty secrets of the Ancient Egyptians. This week it is on to Greece, the cradle of Western Civilization. At first glance it would seem that they didn't pay much attention to their appearance. Their dress was more simple and rustic than the Egyptians and their hair styles and cosmetic use were minimalistic. It was as if they were too busy politicking, philosophising and building the foundations of western civilization to pay much attention to the way they looked. But how wrong we are in our assumptions, they were as vain as any civilization, before or since.

   The Greeks prefered a more natural look as far as beauty was concerned. The human form in all of it's glorious perfection was highly regarded. You can clearly see this in their art as well as the images of the gods and goddesses that they worshipped. For the most part,their gods had a much more human appearance than the gods of previous civilizations.

   Short hair and beards were fashionable amongst the men. Women grew their hair long and wore it piled up on top of their heads, secured with pins.Female slaves were forced to wear their hair short as a mark of distinction between them and the people they served. Light hair was all the rage of the day and they tried to achieve this by applying a vinegar solution to the hair and exposing it to the warm Mediterranean sun. Lemon juice was also used. A fair complexion was in style, it showed that you were a person of liesure. They used white lead to make their complexions appear lighter.  Although toxic,this practice was followed up thru the 19th century. They, like the Egyptians, colored their lips with a mixture of red ochre mixed with oil or fat and beeswaw, wine dregs were also used to give them a sensual and alluring appearance. A primitive form of rouge was also popular, imparting a healthy, rosy glow to the cheeks. The eyes were lined with kohl and the upper lids were shaded lightly with earthy, natural pigments. They were also big fans of the uni-brow, it was held in high regard and looked upon as a sign of beauty and intelligence, so the area between the brows was shaded to give the much desired appearance.

   Beauty treatments were simple but an important part of the lives of the upper class.Olive oil was used on the skin as well as the hair to soften and improve its condition. Honey was an important part of their beauty regimens and vinagers were infused with herbs and flowers for all sorts of cosmetic purposes. They are credited with the invention of cold cream, a mixture of oil, beeswax, rose petals and water.It gets its name for the cooling effect of the water, held in suspension, evaporating on the skin.
   Perfume was Prized by the upper classes but they were more intrigued by their aphrodisiac properties than esthetics. That is one of the reasons the Egyptians didn't like them very much. They looked down upon the greeks as being rustic, crude and uncivilized. The Greeks thought of the Egyptians as being intelectually inferior and unenlightened. I guess some things never change when societies clash with one another but one thing is for sure, vanity shall always remain as an integral part of the human condition.