Ancient Egypt’s Beauty Trends

While makeup and skincare may seem like modern terms, ancient Egyptians were actually heavily interested in them. Their motive might be different, though; they took their beauty routines in a spiritual and religious manner, for example, women and men believed that makeup would bring them closer to God and that heavy eye makeup would protect them from the “Evil eye”.

Let’s have a look at their self-care routines.

The more clean and oiled someone is, the closer they are to the gods. They essentially believed, especially women, that makeup would give them a strong personality and inert power.

To be able to apply anything, they believed they would have to be completely clean first, to wash away any sand and sweat from the hot climate of the desert. Most Egyptians used the Nile to bathe, but there are reportedly ancient public bathtubs in the city of Tubtunis. Royals and well-lived families, of course, had their own bathing systems.

Cleopatra herself used to bathe in a tube filled with sour donkey’s milk, as the lactic acid ( which is used today in many exfoliating skincare products ) that milk has can exfoliate the skin.

Soaps were widely used back then, made out of clay or ash mixed with olive oil, and that paste would cleanse and nourish their skin. Egyptians also used to exfoliate their skin using dead sea sand to have a better base for the makeup they would use on their faces and for the oils they would put on their bodies.

Fun fact: Still present now on Cleopatra’s beach in Egypt, is a huge rock formation where it was claimed that Cleopatra took baths with her maids. This place is frequently visited by locals and foreigners.

Cleopatra’s bath, Marsa Matrouh

For high hydration of their skin, they used to moisturize themselves using a mixture of honey and milk; they also used oils like castor, almond, and moringa to have soft, wrinkle-free skin.

They prioritized hygiene, they considered having body hair a form of uncleanness and shame. They mixed sugar and lemon with hot water to make wax; this method is present nowadays, namely “sugaring”.

Using henna is proven to have been first done in Egypt, Egyptians back then used to paint their hands and nails using henna, or “Henu” which is henna in hieroglyphic. They created it from the crushed leaves of a small shrub (the Henna plant) that grows in very hot weather.

Cleopatra used to apply Henna herself. Also, it was very popular to apply henna to bodies in the mummification process, they probably did that as it was believed that the dead body should be in the best possible form for the afterlife. The mummy of the most powerful Pharaoh, Ramses II, was found with henna-dyed hair.

It’s known that they invented Kohl, perhaps this is the most noticeable thing one can see in their drawings and statutes. Men, women, and children from all social classes used to apply it, not only with the intent of enhancing their appearance but also to protect their eyes from the harsh sun, kohl also used to treat eye infections, and it was later proved to have an antimicrobial effect.

They used to create it by mixing soot and galena, which would produce a blue-colored natural form of lead sulfide. And to avoid lead toxicity, they used to filter it for up to thirty days before it was declared safe to be used. They then apply it with a stick to the upper and lower lids. Kohl was super popular and used by everyone, it had variable containers.

Fun fact: Not only modern Egyptians and Arabs in general still use kohl in its old form ( powder and stick ) but what may be surprising for you is that till now, some Egyptians apply kohl to their newborns and toddlers.

To complete the eye look, they burned almonds to darken their eyebrows. But eyebrows had a whole other significance to them, for them, it meant life. When a cat owner loses his cat, he shaves the eyebrows as a sign of mourning for their beloved cat (cats were one of the most appreciated animals in ancient Egypt). Along with almonds to paint their arches, they also used kohl and mesdemet( which is a pigment made from stibnite or galena).

They created a green eyeshadow by mixing the green malachite stone’ powder with vegetable oil or animal fat, they also favored glittery eyeshadows, which were made from the crushing of the shells of brightly colored beetles.

They used Red ochre to pigment their lips and cheeks, which was made from hydrated iron oxide. It was left in the sun and then mined into powder, and when they wanted to use it, they only had to mix it with water and apply it. Geese fat was added to increase the longevity of the tint on their faces.

Fun fact: They also used to apply makeup to their statues, as is apparent in many artifacts. I.e., Nefertiti’s bust and Tutankhamun’s mask

The famous bust of Nefertiti

Fragrances were really significant in ancient Egypt, the Egyptians were widely known for creating them and had control of their international trade.

Fun fact: Julius Caesar, to prove to the Romans that he was reigning in Egypt, threw perfume bottles at the crowds when he got back to Rome.

Perfume also held very deep spiritual and religious meaning to Egyptians, it had its own god, Nefertum. Perfumes were usually oil-based salves and had many depictions. The most popular ones were Susinum, which was made from cinnamon, lily, and myrrh. Cyprinum, which was made from henna, cardamom, cinnamon, southernwood, and myrrh. Stakte, which was made from Rhodinium (a type of rose) and myrrh. They usually stored the perfumes in alabaster bottles.

If you are interested in their scents, Susinum Cryprinum and another famous fragrance called Mendesian are recreated and sold by various retailers! Just Google it.

Women used almond and castor oils to keep their locks moisturized. And to distribute those oils evenly, they used hair combs made from fish bones.

Children of both genders shaved their heads, and men of all classes either shaved their heads or wore their hair short, but elite men had the privilege to wear wigs as it was expensive. Women wore their hair long, reaching their breasts, also, women of the upper class loved to wear wigs. Married women were known to have bangs.

Accessories included hair pins and fillets, and wigs were also decorated with gold and jewels.

Painting of musicians, Tomb of Nebamun, c. 1350 BCE (British Museum)

Ancient Egypt was extraordinary on all levels, their civility, science, and power are very intriguing, and it’s no surprise that their beauty standard and rituals were also fascinating.