It was always beauty that has lured many of us round the corner, beauty is something which is delightful to look at pleasing, to our eyes which may not be just exterior value but interior as well. Looking beautiful and charming is something almost everyone desires, getting knocked down by beauty was always in stories in ancient times/mythology and still today. There is no one denying the power of beauty. Beauty does surely gets in the list of other human qualities being bestowed upon by the Almighty. That gets a thumbs up when we pick up history pages to look back, Cleopatra the most successful Pharaoh of her times reigning almost for three decades and often known to the modern world as the most beautiful looking person of all times human kind ever witnessed.
Egyptians were always beauty enthusiasts both men and women time indulged themselves into beauty rituals, doing lengthy procedures of makeup, hairdos, exotic perfumes and body polishing, which were believed to keep them beautiful young looking and attractive for long. Theses beauty treatments were actually rituals for them which was believed to bring magical and religious powers. Amazingly theses were performed over 5000 years ago.
Cleopatra was known to follow some strange and weird beauty tricks which was too hideous to know, it was also heard that she had a face mask made of pure gold which she used to wear in the night believed to bring her face the glow of gold. While she also was believed to use crocodile dung and donkey milk.
Red ochre: This flowers were finely ground due to it’s red color, mixed with water a smooth paste textured was obtained and used for tinting lips and cheeks with either wooden brush or fingers. It worked as lipstick and blushers.
Kohl: Egyptians had applied kohl which is very popular trend nowadays among girls, it was made by lead salts quite a heavy metal and dangerous too. It was then filtered and treated for 30 days before bringing in use, this soft lead after processing were used as eyeliners, they often used cat eyed style. This protected their eyes from the Sun and guarded off against any infections.
Almond burnt: Almond was known for it’s benefits and oil which of course worked wonders for their skin, few almonds were roasted and powdered which was used as brow filler to give them more defined and darker looks.
Henna: Henna was used to dye their nails in orange tinge which conditioned and promoted growth also.
Castor, sesame and moringa oil: Egyptians knew it way before that moisturizing helps reduce fine lines and wrinkles, giving them with more soft, supple and even toned skin. They were know to hold youthful appearances for longer despite being aged. Apart from skin these oils worked wonders for hair growth also, to bring in shine to their mane and keeping it damage-free.
Soap paste: Hygiene and cleanliness was what they loved to live in. Soap were made using clay and olive oil, which apart from providing clean hands and body nourished their skin too.
Honey and milk mask :Milk and honey was used for moisturizing values. Honey is anti-fungal and anti-bacterial while milk provided with extra softness.
Milk Baths: Cleopatra used to take bath in milk, donkey milk. The lactic acid exfoliated and moisturized her skin leaving it soft and.
Dead sea salts: Cleopatra used dead sea salts for it’s healing properties and replenishing properties used to remove dead cells making it glow from within.
Body sugaring: This method was used to remove hair known to be less painful than waxing plus added benefits of exfoliation.
Aloe-vera: Aloe gel was mixed with honey to make face masks and facial creams.
Rose water: Rose water was used as face mists and it worked as toner, moisturizer and it was loaded with antiseptic properties as well.
Apple cider vinegar: ACV was used for face rinse and wipes by Cleopatra. Yes this vinegar is that old.
Essential oils: Rose, neroli, myrrh, frankincense, cypress, were Cleopatra’s perfumes. These oils are strong aphrodisiacs.
Honey and castor oil: This concoction was made to be only sprayed on hair and let it soak in which was believed to be Cleopatra’s hair secret making it soft, thick and strong.
Heavy cream and honey mask: This mask was used for her face, extracting fresh cream from donkey’s milk mixed with honey.
Oatmeal cleanser: Oatmeal is a good exfoliate and has nourishing properties, which was added in warm bath water and rubbed all over the body for dead cells removal.
White clay/Rhassoul clay: This Morocco clay gives your skin toning and lifting. This can be used on whole body, face and hair too. It has conditioning properties.
Celery and hemp serum: Cleopatra used this serum to keep her eyes bright and healthy.
Beeswax face cream: Cleopatra also has a beeswax mixed with essential oil, aloe juice and rose water as her regular face cream, beeswax is known for it’s deep moisturizing nature.
Eggs: Cleopatra surely knew the tricks to keep her mane healthy by washing it with eggs, it was protein packed wash, rubbing eggs with water over head and hair and rinsing it off.
You can choose few tips from above to include in your daily beauty regime and grasp the goodness the nature has to offer you for your beauty long lasting and appreciated.
Women and makeup goes together, be it any culture, time, era, country and age group. Women have always loved makeup to get their features enhanced and envied times and again. Excavating history inside out brought many women buried with makeup on, with beauty tools in their graves and even influential women with many manuals on beauty and makeup. This bizarre ritual was followed religiously to achieve that beauty envied by others. Some of the countries with extremes on beautification and cosmetics from the world history are as follows:
Egypt
Egyptians have been the most influenced by beautification and cosmetics, art of makeup and beauty treatments was always something men and women have indulged their time into. Queens like Nefertiti and Cleopatra had their own blends of lip tints, eye shadows, kohl and eyeliners with anti-infections. Cleopatra even wrote a manual over makeup tricks, hairdos and highly valued beauty secrets of Egypt. They have always admired taking care for their skin, hair and nails. They knew the secrets to treat wrinkles and aging signs. Not only the upper class but the lowest ones also used to get olive oil along with their wages so that they can indulge themselves into taking care of their body too.
- Crocodile dung and donkey milk paste for face mask, Cleopatra after which took hours bathing in milk with fresh rose petals.
- Blushers made out of crushed clay and beetles.
- They loved keeping long hair and took hours of time to make hairdos, which then was supported by neck supports to preserve them.
- Lower people and slaves were not allowed to keep longer hair. Those hair were made up into styles after cleaning and washing thoroughly, which higher class people used for their hairdos.
- Lead was used to create kohl for eyes. Although it was filtered and processed for 30 days.
Greece
Ever wondered why drop dead gorgeous, exceptionally beautiful women are often denoted as “Greek Goddess”?Aphrodite was Greek ideal women to which often women are compared. They are known to be one of it’s kind in beauty. Light complexion, light hair was always the symbol of beauty. Helen of troy was one of the most beautiful female history ever produced for who was the cause of the bloodiest war ever to happen in Greece. Even today there is much hype created over fair skin. They used honey and olive oil in most of their cosmetics. Preferred lesser makeup unlike Egyptians.
- White lead was extensively used for lightening their skin. Mixed with olive oil white lead made their face stand out and the poisonous metal lead to their death.
- Wigs were popular among Greeks, light hair was much hyped and to achieve it they used to vinegar-wash their hair in order to bleach it out. Resultant hairfall and hair thinning.
- It was fetish for unibrow, if someone didn’t had that, made with dark colored powder, and eyes were also enhanced using those colored powders.
Japan
Glossy, porcelain type, clear are some words first to pop up in mind hearing a Japanese beauty. Geishas had to undergo long hours of makeup to achieve that zombie look of white face and thicker red pouts.
- Geishas used to pluck out their whole eyebrows using tweezers and then painted it thick.
- They stained their teeth black using oxidized iron steeped in acidic solution, at the time of Heian Era.
- Geishas used finely ground rice paste as face foundation.
- Nightingale poop was used to cleanse heavy makeup, which has guanine, an active chemical, which rejuvenates and cleanses skin.
- Beauty of Japanese women is connected with their hair length and the ideal length was two feet below waist.
Elizabethan Era
Queen Elizabeth was seen as the beauty ideals of English women, of then era when Elizabeth ruled. She was the epitome of beauty and grace and women went extremes to follow their Queen. Despite all the harmful effects of cosmetics, women strived for made up look which gave them pale and porcelain dolls look.
- Broad forehead was considered the sign of aristocracy to achieve that sometimes women even plucked out their hairline.
- Egg whites were used as face masks to get glossy and clear skin.
- Lead was used in makeup to get that perfect look.
- Arsenic was consumed by many in order to get white glow on their face. Which obviously killed them young.
- Leech therapy was done where leeches sucked out the blood from their body making them pale out of blood loss.
- Most outrageous would be the use of tapeworms which women gladly gulped down with water, believed to eat and digest most of their food making them slim.
India
The most diverse beauty to be found only in India, characterized by their exotic complexion, sharp features, and wide eyes. Ayurveda has been always influencing Indian beauty using all the goods nature has to offer;Still the modern times Ayurveda has been helpful and still helping many.
- Indian to be bride was not complete with sixteen adornments (solah Singaar)which was a complete beautification from head to toe, which reflects the 16 faces of the Moon. Still some follow the ritual.
- Multani mitti was used as body and face masks before showering, which is believed to balance out the body temperature and heat, and clear and supple skin was complementary.
- Use of multiple herbs and plants with medicinal properties to fix many beauty issues.
- Yoga was always the best exercise Indians ever developed and originated which not only uplifts you physically but mentally and spiritually too. Yoga has to offer the best combination ever. It has power to cure any deadly diseases.
- Cow urine as one of the most effective elixir which has multiple benefits, right from slimming, to skin diseases to any thing to mention and this has a cure.
- Use of pure carbon made by half roofing a lit diya by earth plate or metallic plate and then finely removing the accumulated smoke(carbon), mixed with either pure cow’s ghee or mustard oil to line eyes for wider eye openings and bigger eyes. Known as kajal.
- The ancient Indians used pure ghee which is believed by Ayurveda to contain gold particles to moisturize their skin which keeps them away from aging, stretch marks and any sort of skin pigmentation.
- Use of Indian gooseberry since ancient times with multitude of benefits like, boosting immune system, eye disorders, all sorts of gastric problem, delaying age, brighter/clear/clean skin, etc.