If you are looking for something new to add to your beauty regimen, then it may be time to try some ancient cosmetics. They can be very beneficial in keeping your skin and hair looking and feeling great. Some of them include anti-wrinkle creams, eyebrow stainers and dried crocodile dung.
Anti-wrinkle creams
In ancient cosmetics, anti-wrinkle creams were used regularly to preserve healthy skin. It is believed that these creams were formulated with natural ingredients. These ingredients are still used in modern cosmetics.
One popular method of applying makeup was using eyeliner. Eye liner was made from kohl powder, soot, or ash. To reduce wrinkles, a special powder called fairy powder was applied. Another popular cosmetic effect was rubbing excrement of lizards into the skin.
Another anti-wrinkle cream included honey. Rose quartz crystals were often used to soothe and heal the skin. Other ingredients included frankincense, milk, aloe, and castor oil.
Ancient Greeks and Romans also used these same ingredients. Many of the same ingredients were also used in the Byzantine Empire.
Cosmetics were an important part of funerary rituals. The word cosmetic comes from the Latin cosmetae, meaning “skin care”. They were thought to contain medicinal properties, and were often employed to keep skin clean and young.
Ancient Egyptians used many of the same ingredients. Their skin was prone to dehydration during long hot days in the desert. To combat this, they used a soapy paste with clay and olive oil to cleanse their face. Also, they used ash and red ochre to remove freckles.
The last active pharaoh of Egypt, Cleopatra, followed a very similar beauty regimen. She used honey, almond oils, and baths to moisturize her skin. Her face was also scrubbed with dead sea salt and apple cider vinegar.
Eyebrow stainers
Eyebrows have always been a very important part of a woman’s cosmetic routine. Throughout history, women have experimented with different techniques for creating and shaping them. As the standard of beauty has evolved over the years, eyebrows have taken on a larger role as a defining attribute of a woman’s look. This is not to say that women do not have to be careful when it comes to the design of their brows.
Many ancient civilizations utilized weird and wonderful ingredients to create their makeup. Often times, they were actually successful. For example, the Chinese were known to have used gum arabic to polish their nails. But what exactly were they using in the name of the holy grail of beauty?
The most successful of these was a powder composed of metal powders, such as lead. It was used to make a whitening foundation that helped keep the wearer’s skin bright and white. Also, it was used in a few other products, such as eyeliner.
There were other similar-looking, but less potent, products on the market. Among the more elusive were a reddish-brown pigment, which was extracted from lichen, and a yellowish-green dye, which was derived from snail ash.
While these products were all well and good, they didn’t have the luster of the true miracle. They were a little bit more complicated, involving a combination of oils and metal powders.
Perfumes
Perfumes were a major part of daily life in ancient civilizations. They were used to purify the body and for religious ceremonies. The ancients also wore perfumes as amulets for good luck.
Ancient perfumes were made by steaming natural oils from plants. They were usually packaged in special ceramic containers. This process required time and a lot of pressure.
For instance, the Egyptians created perfumes for many purposes. For example, they used a combination of myrhh, cinnamon and honey to create Kyphi, a very popular perfume. Other ingredients included wine, saffron and terebinth resin.
During the Bronze Age, the Egyptians produced perfumes from woods and flowers. These scents were then burned as incense, bringing the believers closer to the gods.
Another early civilization was the Indus Valley. Their perfumes were similar to those of the Greeks and Romans. Some perfumes were even used as medicines.
Throughout the centuries, perfumes were used as an adornment to women. Aphrodite gave Phaon a scented ointment as a gift.
After the fall of Rome, perfumes became more refined. During this period, they were mostly produced in the Oriental region. There are five main families of perfumes: Fresh, Woody, Floral, Aromatic Fougere and Amber. Each type has different characteristics.
The history of perfumes has been documented in many ancient texts. One of these texts, Brihat-Samhita, deals with the manufacture of perfumes. It was written in Sanskrit slokas.
Dried crocodile dung
The use of crocodile dung for beauty treatment dates back as far as Egyptian civilization. Crocodile dung is a good source of triterpene saponins and alkalinity. This substance can be pressed to form a powder and used as a cosmetic. Among other uses it was known to help with jaundice, fever and sandboxing. A small dose would suffice.
Crocodile dung may not have been the fanciest product but it did have a few perks. One of its more laudable properties is its ability to produce a fine quality sandpaper. A woman could apply a little sandpaper to her face and thereby achieve a naturally pale hue. Other benefits include a hygienic and odor free skin. Moreover, it was a good antidote to all the other yucky things that plagued the ancients.
The ancients also made use of other nifty poop. For example, the Egyptians used it for cosmetic purposes like making your hair shine and shinier. Similarly, the Romans rubbed their skin with it. Not only did it have medical benefits, but it was also a good way to keep the sun out of the eyes. It is not advisable to go for it though. Nevertheless, crocodile dung has a long and lucrative history of being used for medicinal purposes. Several medieval compounds incorporated its components, e.g., the alkaline crocodile dung was a mainstay in the medicine cabinet.
Byzantine cosmetics
Cosmetics had been around for centuries. Ancients used a variety of products to improve their appearance, from liquids to powders to creams and lotions. As modern technology improved, more and more discoveries were made. Among the most exciting discoveries was the use of the tiniest jar ever conceived, which was fashioned in gold, ivory or glass.
Byzantines had their own version of the tiniest jar. Their shop for perfume making was called the myrepsikon ergasteron. It was located near the Gate of Kynegos on the Golden Horn. The shop was purchased by aristocratic entrepreneur Nicolas Sophianos for 200 hypera.
One of the more interesting features of this shop was the esoteric and aristocratic use of eye catching designs on the jars, a practice that continued into the Byzantine Empire. A large tavern in the same district sold for the same price as the perfumery.
There were also more mundane tidbits, such as the pyxis, a typical cosmetic storage container. Among other things, the pyxis was a good way to store scented oils and other opulent goods. During the early years of the Empire, a large number of artisans were employed in the manufacture of fine quality fragrances, which were sold in shops like this one.
The Book of the Prefect is a relic of the Byzantine era, detailing rules for spice shops, the rules for making fabric dyes and, yes, the rules for perfume selling. These rules were written in a tad more detail than some of the more modern books on the subject.