Ancient Egyptian Beauty Secrets Revealed!

   Every generation that comes along likes to think that their idea of fashion is the height of sophistication, beauty and elegance. Since the beginning of time our species has found clever ways to make themselves more attractive to prospective mates, to gain social status and secure the admiration of their peers. With the use of mud, pigments made from vegetation, minerals and all other sorts of organic matter, our ancestors managed to paint and decorate themselves to the heights of the primitive fashion scene.Being a part of the beauty industry, I have often wondered, who was the first of our primitive ancestors to dip his finger in the primordial mud and smear it somewhere prominent on his/her body, thus marking him/herself as being distinctively different and unique amongst their peers. I would like to share with you some of the secrets that the ancients used to make themselves more appealing to one another. I hope you find it as interesting as I do. With that said, let's take a walk into the past.

  We'll start with the Egyptians, although archeological evidence shows that they weren't the first civilization to paint themselves up for a night on the town, they were the first ones that we know of that left an extensive written record of what they did. You don't think they spent all of there time building pyramids and wrapping up dead bodies for the afterlife,do you? No, they spent a great deal of their time primping, preening and improving their appearance, much as we do in our modern times. One of the great but little thought of legacies that they passed down to us was the very beginnings of the spa, beauty and cosmetic industry.

   Any artist will tell you that the cleaner and fresher a canvas is, the easier it is to paint. The Egyptians liked to start each day with a clean, fresh canvas. To them, cleanliness was next to Godliness, both being very important aspects of their culture. They spent a great deal of time bathing the sweat and desert dust from their bodies. They used natron, wich was often times scented and could be worked into a lather. There is evidence that they also mixed animal and/or vegetable oils with alkiline salts to form a crude soap that was also used to clean and disinfect wounds.Their cleansing rituals were perfomed each morning upon rising and before each meal, much like we do today.
   Hair was looked upon as unclean or at least, uncomely, and a lot of money was spent on oils and creams to soften the hair on their bodies before plucking or shaving it off. All of it! Arms, legs, chest, back, head and everywhere else that hair is known to grow. This went for men as well as women. Not only was this a very fashionable practice, it helped to keep them free from lice infestations.

   Once the body was cleansed and hair free, it was time for a beauty treatment. Firm, toned skin was held in high regard as it is today. These ancient cosmetic chemists were masters at mixing up strange sounding but surprisingly effective concoctions with wich to make the skin soft, smooth and subtle. One of the more interesting and questionable treatments that they used was a mixture of crocodile dung and warm river mud wich was smeared all over the body and left to dry. I can't help but wondering about the first person that had the idea to do this.
   " Hey Kahotep, this stuff is all over the river banks, there's got to be something we could do with it, got any ideas?"
    "Yes Menmet, we could mix it up with mud from the Sacred Nile and see if beautiful, rich women will let us rub it all over their naked flesh and pay us lots of money. We will say to them, it is good for the skin."

 " Kahotep, you are a genious!"
   And thus the concept of the Beauty Spa was formed.

  Once the treatment was rinsed off, the body was rubbed with perfumed oils to help protect them from the hot desert sun and dry air.It also left you smelling good wich was important since deodorants had not been invented yet and they got pretty smelly living in a desert with no air conditioning.If you were part of the upper class, before your rub down you might first bath in water containing Dead Sea salts or in asses milk(both being documented favorites of Cleopatra) and have honey applied to your skin. Honey was highly prized as a beauty treatment. Because of its anti-bacterial properties it was also used to treat wounds of all sorts and was pobably a tasty treat on their morning flatbread. A very versatile ingredient, indeed.

   They were remembered most for the elaborate eye make-up they wore, the evidence of wich was left to us as a legacy thru heiroplyphs, funery masks and coffins. The make-up not only made them feel much prettier, it helped to protect them from the hot sun, had anti-bacterial properties and repelled flies.It was also believed that it was a good protection against the evil eye. The predominent colors of the day were black, green and blue. (Sounds a little like the 70's disco scene to me.) The eyelids were lined,  top and bottom with kohl wich was a mixture of galena(lead oxide) and charcoal. The line was drawn well out past the corner of the eye in an effort to produce a classic almond shape. Color was applied to the upper lid all the way to the brow line. The bottom lid was painted down to the bridge of the nose.This helped to protect the delicate skin around the eye from the damaging effects of the sun.The green was derived from powdered malachite mixed with various fats and the blue was made from powdered lapis- lazuli mixed in the same manner.

   Next it was on to the cheeks and lips. Red ochre, a clay rich in iron oxide, was used on their cheeks in the same way that we use rouge today to impart a healthy, rosy glow, giving a more complete and finished look. This same material was used, mixed with animal fat and beeswax to color the lips. Sometimes wine dregs were used  for the purpose of staining the lips, making them appear more luscious, alluring and smoochable to available young pharaohs or members of the royal court. And of course, no self-respecting  young princess would feel complete without having her nails stained yellow or orange with henna. What would her admiring public think?

   Since most of the population kept their heads shaved, it was time for their crowning glory to be attached.Wigs were elaborate affairs made by highly skilled craftsmen using human hair and/or a combination of sheeps wool and vegetable fibers that were carefully woven and braided into the latest styles and dyed in shades of purple, blue and black.Hmm, for some reason blondes weren't very popular at the time. After all of this preparation it was time for a night on the town. Sound familiar?

   I guess that's the point I'm trying to make. Oh sure, the packaging is a little different and the methods by wich we obtain the materials that we adorn our bodies with have changed, but we are essentially the same silly creature we have always been, alone, desperately seeking approval and acceptance from our peers in an effort to be revered, to be desired, to be loved. Perhaps my profession with it's venerable history is more noble than I give it credit for being. Maybe vanity is more than an indulgence.
   I hope you have found todays blog to be enlightening as well as entertaining.It is but a brief summary of what our forebearers did each day, hopefully it was enough to spark your imagination and rouse your curiosity. As always, I welcome any questions or comments that you may have. Next week, I will tell you a little bit about the ancient Greeks ideas of beauty.