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An Introduction
Exfoliants, depilatories, anti-wrinkle cream. Methods for the
elimination of stretch-marks, halitosis and unpleasant body
odors. Hair extensions. This all sounds pretty modern, doesn't
it? It could perhaps be a list of advertisers from a fashion
magazine on the newsstand on the street today. Yet all of the
above were also concerns and creations of ancient Egypt.
 In
no other country or culture, was the concern with beautification
and body care so extensive. Their interest in beauty transcends
time- it is not restricted to a specific period. Cosmetic
implements, particularly eye-makeup palettes, have been
discovered in the earliest graves. Yet Cleopatra VII, last of
the Ptolemies, was herself credited with writing a book of
beauty secrets, an art that she was universally acknowledged as
mastering. Vestiges of the ancient Egyptians' concerns with
beauty and body care linger even today. Modern Egyptian glass
perfume vials may be as treasured and coveted today as were the
carved alabaster unguent pots of distant ages. American shampoo
manufacturers tout Egyptian henna and the virtues of Aloe. Every
few years, eye makeup styles based on those of ancient Egypt
reemerge once again in popularity.
Egyptian concerns with beauty and body care transcended
economic status. Although many of the artifacts that we are able
to analyze today derive from the upper classes- kohl tubes
bearing the names of Nefertiti and her daughters have been
found, for instance- body care was considered a prerequisite for
all Egyptians. Records show that sufficient body oil for
daily use was one of the basic supplied issued in the form of
wages paid to even the lowliest workers. Cosmetics and body care
were a common daily concern cutting across all society
divisions, just as they do today.
Body care was no triviality, but a central part of daily -
and economic- life. Egyptians used body scents and incense (for
fumigation of the body and clothing and medical as well as
temple use) in tremendous quantities. Most of it had to be
imported. After timber, the trade in cosmetics was perhaps the
chief reason for Egyptian foreign commerce. Modern interest is
piqued by Egyptian funerary practices and yes, many aromatic
substances were necessary for the after-life and for religious
practices, yet they also held many uses for the living.
Ancient Egyptian concerns with beauty and body care
transcended gender lines. Women and men both used cosmetics and
body oils. The need for skin protection and moisturizers in a
hot, arid climate was perceived as necessary for both genders.
Both sexes, of all classes, oiled their bodies regularly. Many
of their ancient formulae remain to us: while some were
obviously targeted towards women (there are several suggestions
for the removal of stretch marks following pregnancy), the many
suggestions for stimulating hair-growth and eliminating
bald-spots were probably directed largely towards men.
Ancient Egyptian concerns with beauty and body care transcend
their distance from us. The past may sometimes seem very
remote to us- oh, it's interesting all right, even
intellectually stimulating, yet we often feel removed from the
past, all too aware of the distance of years and history and
perceptions. It is hard to envision an area where history and
people come alive more than in the study of ancient body care
and beauty. No where is the bridge between humans more firm and
sure. Egyptian concerns mirror our own. They, too, worried about
weight gain and hair loss. An ancient manuscript is entitled The
Beginning of the Book on How to Make the Old Young. A title
like that could be a best-seller today. If we could time travel
and speak to the individuals of long ago, the subject of body
care would be easy common ground.
Our extensive knowledge of the Egyptians' beauty regime can
be credited to their burial customs and also to the arid climate
which preserves artifacts so well. The earliest graves contain
cosmetic implements, not only eye palettes but also tweezers and
razors. Later tombs contained sealed unguent pots. The perfume
industry of ancient Egypt was justifiably famous; the scents
contained in these pots lingered even when they were opened
thousands of years later. Wig boxes have been found in graves,
the remains of ancient wig factories located. We are now able to
scientifically analyze and catalog the contents of cosmetic and
perfume jars. We know, for instance, that the Egyptians had
access to and used some 21 different types of vegetable oils for
cosmetic purposes, a vast repertoire even by our standards. Many
are still in use today.
While the ancients might have some interest in hearing about
Rogaine and Glycolic Facials from us, I suspect that we are the
ones who would benefit from any possible interaction.
Aromatherapy, the art of manipulating fragrant, volatile,
essential oils for cosmetic and therapeutic use, was revived in
20th century France. Its roots lie in ancient
civilizations, particularly that of Egypt. The goal of
Aromatherapy is to provide "holistic" therapy.
Holistic indicates the belief that the body cannot be separated
from mind, soul and spirit. All must be approached
simultaneously. While we strive to achieve the ideals of a
holistic world-view, the Egyptians were such masters of the
holistic, they may as well have invented the concept. For the
ancient Egyptians, beauty, magic and medicine were inseparable.
No where is this seen better than with eye-makeup. Although
cosmetics were occasionally applied to lips and mouth, it is
difficult to envision an image of an ancient Egyptian lacking
the characteristic eye-make up. This make up was most typically
Mesdemet, deriving either from Galena (lead sulphide) or
from Stibnite (antimony sulphide.) This eye-make up had
magical uses: it protected against the evil eye and in fact, the
Egyptian word for eye-palette seems to derive from their word
for "protect". Yet it also had medicinal purposes.
Galena has disinfectant and fly-deterrent properties. Medical
papyri also prescribe Mesdemet for complaints of the eye.
Linking those two concerns, magical and medical, is beauty. We
have only to look at the images the Egyptians left, to see for
ourselves how stylish, meticulous and beautiful they were. The
images that they created were very often idealized rather than
realistic, very much like those of our own times. If thousands
of years from now, the only remaining images of our society were
fashion magazines and videos of couture shows, would an observer
think that all women from our time resembled super-models? The
writings of the Egyptians, their concerns with weight and
wrinkles indicate something of our own insecurities. They, too,
felt the pressure to embody an ideal. We can recognize ourselves
in each other. We can recognize many of their cosmetics formulas
too.
The ancient Egyptians recognized that body care and beauty
begin with cleanliness. They were very conscious of body odors
and associated unpleasant smells with impurity. Good smells
indicated the presence of the sacred. Once again, we run into
the unity of the holistic. To be healthy, attractive and
magically-protected, one must be clean. To begin her toilette,
the well-groomed Egyptian woman washed herself thoroughly with a
special cleansing paste made from water mixed with natron.
Natron is a naturally occurring compound of sodium carbonate and
sodium bicarbonate. It is most famous today as an integral
component of the mummification process yet it had many daily
uses in Egypt as well. They made a toothpaste from natron. You
can easily create a semblance of this toothpaste at home: mix a
little water into some baking soda, stir it with your toothbrush
and brush! It's clean, refreshing and effective. (Don't do it
too often, though- the baking soda will eventually damage your
teeth's enamel. It is often remarked upon that Egyptian mummies'
teeth are worn down, the enamel damaged, with the blame laid
upon diet. Perhaps some examination of their teeth cleansing
process should be considered as well?) To enhance the
experience, add one drop of Essential oil of Myrrh to the baking
soda/water paste. Myrrh was particularly beloved by the ancient
Egyptians, note Pharaoh Hatshepsut's expedition to Punt to bring
back actual botanic specimens. Myrrh had many uses, in ancient
Egypt and in modern aromatherapy. Then, as now, Myrrh was
indicated for healthy gums. (Check the ingredients on many tubes
of natural toothpaste: myrrh is a popular component.)
To be a modern student of aromatherapy and to read ancient
cosmetic papyri is to gasp with recognition. My first successful
foray into aromatherapy came some fifteen years ago, when I
sampled a formula that was reputed to diminish or remove scars.
The scars in question were removed completely, I was delighted
and hooked and embarked upon a new career path. The main
ingredient in my anti-scar cream? The ancient resin,
Frankincense. To this day, it remains perhaps my favorite
essential oil. An extremely gentle oil, it is used for various
health complaints but mainly for skin care. Used for scars and
stretch-marks, it is also reputed to slow down the proliferation
of wrinkles and perhaps diminish and/or remove existing ones.
Thus without trying it, I can recognize the potential
effectiveness of this ancient Egyptian anti-wrinkle cream:
Ingredients include a mixture of (yes!) Frankincense, Moringa
Oil, Grass and Fermented Fruit Juices, recommended to be applied
daily. Unfortunately this particularly formula has not yet been
tested as not all the ingredients have been positively
identified. (Also because of the devastation of native plant
species around the world, it may not be possible to perfectly
reproduce a formula.) However it is possible and fairly simple
to create a modern skin oil that recaptures something of the
essence of the older one.
Ancient Egyptian Anti- Wrinkle Cream Updated
One Teaspoon Sweet Almond Oil
Two Drops of Essential oil of Frankincense
Apply to the cleansed face nightly with a
gentle massage.
Almonds were a popular ingredient in ancient Egyptian
cosmetics. The Egyptians used oil from Bitter Almonds but Sweet
Almond Oil is perhaps the most popular base oil used in modern
aromatherapy and very readily available. It has a slight, mild
aroma, is light in texture and is absorbed into the skin very
quickly. Frankincense is still imported from Somalia and Oman,
trade routes the ancients would have found familiar. If the
aroma of Frankincense is too reminiscent of a church for you and
if expense is no deterrent, add one drop of Rose Attar, also a
very gentle oil reputed to heal and strengthen facial skin and
well known to the Egyptians.
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