Whether for hygiene, smelling good, preventing wrinkles, aiding in healthy skin or trying a winged out eyeliner style the Egyptians certainly had a flare.
Whether for hygiene, smelling good, preventing wrinkles, aiding in healthy skin or trying a winged out eyeliner style, the Egyptians certainly had a flare for beauty. Women in ancient Egypt had their own recipes for creating their own blush and kohl eyeliner, and nourished their skin by bathing in luxurious milk baths.
Wrinkle Creams
In ancient Egypt, pure almond oil mixed with frankincense oil was used on the skin as an under eye cream and is thought to lessen the appearance of crows-feet and other lines around the eyes. You can get this mixture by combining two drops of frankincense oil and one teaspoon of almond oil and applying gently under the eyes.
Egyptian Milk Bath
Just as women today enjoy taking luxurious baths, women in ancient Egypt also had ways of making their bathing experience rich and nourishing. Back in the days of Cleopatra, women would take milk baths with the milk of a donkey for its exfoliating and conditioning qualities. The lactic acid found in milk helps remove dead skin from the body. To create your own milk bath, pour two to four cups of powdered or liquid milk into your bath water. You can perfume your milk bath by adding rose petals, honey, or mint oils to the bath.
Egyptian Perfume
A jar of solid perfume found in Tutankhamen’s tomb shows that perfume played no small part in the lives of ancient Egyptians. This particular perfume was scented like coconut oil and the perennial valerian. Perfumes were also associated with the gods and were used in mummification to impart life to the deceased. To replicate Tutankhamen’s perfume, mix six drops each of spikenard essential oil and frankincense with a quarter of a cup of coconut oil.
Benefits of the Dead Sea Salts
Egyptians also believed in the healing powers of the Dead Sea salts, which are still commonly used today in some cosmetics lines. The salts from the Dead Sea contain a large variation of salts up to 27 percent, as opposed to the three percent usually found in other seas. Some say Dead Sea salts were found to be beneficial in helping those with tendonitis, reducing the pain in joints and muscles: a study was conducted with 103 patients who were asked to take salt baths over a period of time. Potassium found in the Dead Sea salts can replenish the skin, while the magnesium found in the salts are good for slowing the aging process and are calming to the nervous system.
