Beauty History: Cosmetics in Ancient Greece

Cosmetics were an important part of the life and culture of the Ancient Greeks. Their idea of beauty was pale skin, golden locks and natural makeup and, just like it happens nowadays, they would try everything to achieve it. However, only rich women used to wear makeup in Ancient Greece, which was probably due to its expensive price. Here are their beauty secrets:

Skin

The Ancient Greeks considered pale skin to be a sign of prestige and beauty. To lighten their complexions, women would paint their face with white lead, which we now nowadays to be toxic and may probably have shortened their lives. In alternative to lead, women also used chalk, but that would wear off easily and quickly. In addition, they used to take care of their skin by moisturizing it with honey. Olive oil was also used on their skin to make it look shiny.

Makeup

Ancient Greek women used only minimal makeup because they wanted to look pale and natural. Their lipsticks were a paste made with red iron oxide and ochre clays or olive oil with beeswax. A red powder was also used on the cheeks. Eyeshadows were made with olive oil mixed with ground charcoal. Also, the Ancient Greeks liked connected eyebrows and to achieve them they would decorate their eyes with dark powder.

Hair

In Ancient Greece, only female slaves wore their hair short. Free women had long hair, but after they got married, they would wear it up, usually in a bun. Their hair was then decorated with a diadem, jeweled combs, hair pins, scarfs and other accessories. During Hellenistic times, Greek women also started to artificially wave and curl their hair.

In addition to lightening up their skin, Greek women, most of whom had dark hair, would lighten up their locks too.  To do that, they would apply vinegar on their hair and then spend time in the sun. Archaeologists have found broad-brimmed hats with a hole in the middle which were probably used to lighten hair while keeping skin in the shade so that it would remain pale.

To take care of their hair, Ancient Greek women used olive oil. They would apply it on their hair as a deep conditioning treatment: it would make their hair soft, moisturized and shiny.

Beauty History: Cosmetics in Ancient Egypt

Everyone in ancient Egypt used cosmetics: both men and women, the rich and the poor. Makeup was used for vanity reasons, to protect skin against the environment (boiling hot desert sun and insects bites for example) and for religious rituals. Cosmetics were so important to the Egyptians that even in their tombs, archaeologists have found makeup and ointments.

Curious to find out their beauty secrets? Read on:

Body Oils

The hot, torrid and windy climate of Egypt causes skin to become dry, cracked and burnt. Therefore, it was very important for the Ancient Egyptians to always keep their skin moisturized. So important, that even workers received body oils to keep their bodies hydrated as part of their wages. Apart from body oils, the Egyptians also applied honey, which has moisturizing properties, on their skin. Some lotions were also used by women to remove stretch marks while others were applied by men to stimulate hair growth and prevent baldness.

Soaps

Personal hygiene was very important for the Ancient Egyptians. They believed that an unclean and smelly body was impure and so they kept themselves clean and well groomed. They would wash themselves frequently using soaps there were a past made with clay or ash mixed with oils that were often scented.

Eyes

To decorate their eyes, the Ancient Egyptians used black and green paints. The black paint was derived from powdered galena (now known as kohl) and it was supposed to protect eyes from the hot sun. The green paint was derived from malachite powder (a green colored mineral) and was used because it would make eyes appear larger. In addition, green paint was believed to invoke the eye of Horus, the god of The Sky & Sun and also of healing. For this reason, the Egyptians thought green paint would protect those that wore it.

To make these paints, the Egyptians powdered the minerals on a palette and then, they mixed them with a substance (probably derived from animal fats) that would make them adhere to the eyes better. To apply these paints they used either their fingertips or little sticks made of wood, bone or ivory.

Red ochre

The Egyptians used red ochre mixed with fat or gum resin to color cheeks and lips. In addition, red ochre was mixed with kohl and sycamore juice to create a mixture that could help hear scars caused by burning.

Henna

Henna is a natural dye derived from the leaves of the Lawsonia Inermis shrub. Once its green leaves are crushed and dried, they create a reddish powder. The Egyptians would mix this powder with water to form a paste, which was used to paint nails and dye grey hair. In addition, it was also used by both men and women to stain their lips red.

Perfumes

The Egyptians loved strong scents and made lots of perfumes using ingredients like myrrh, cinnamon, cassia, chamomile, lavender, peppermint, lily, cedar, aloe, rosemary, rose, olive oil and almond oil blended with animal fats and oils.

The Egyptians knew several ways to make perfumes. A common method was enfleurage: flowers, roots or resins were soaked in layers of fat to create creams and pomades. These were worn in the shape of a cone on top of their heads and would melt throughout the day, running down their faces and necks, scenting them.

Another popular method was called maceration. Basically, they would heat fats or oils to a temperature of 65 degrees Celsius. Then, they would add flowers, herbs or fruits to it. Finally, the mixture was sieved and, once cooled, shaped into cones or balls.

Hair

On festive occasions, both men and women wore wings made of human hair. Archaeologists also found short fine tooth combs and hair pins used by Egyptians on their hair.

Containers

Although everyone, regardless of their social status wore makeup, the rich and the poor could be distinguished by the quality of the applicators and pots they used. Rich people kept their cosmetics in beautiful ornate and jeweled containers and used ivory applicators, while the poor had clay pots and small sticks.

History of Nail Polish

Nail polish is a lacquer used to paint nails to protect them and make them look more attractive. These days they come in liquid form packaged in cute bottles with brushes attached to the caps and are available in practically every color. But although nail polish as we know it today was an invention of the twentieth century, some forms of nail covering can be dated back to 3000 B.C. in ancient Egypt and China.

Ancient China
Nail varnish originated in China in 3000 B.C.. The Chinese used a mixture made with egg whites, beeswax, Arabic gum and gelatine to color their nails. Another recipe they used was created by mixing orchid, mashed rose, impatiens petals and alum. The mixture was then applied on nails for a few hours, leaving a stain on them. While the Chou Dynasty (600 B.C.) used gold and silver on their nails, for centuries before that royalty colors were red and black.

Ancient Egypt
Around the same time, the Egyptians started coloring their nails with reddish-brown stains derived from henna. In their society, nail color signified social order, money and prosperity. The upper classes wore shades of red (Cleopatra painted her nails with a deep rust red, while Nefertiti preferred ruby red), while the lower classes were instead allowed to wear only pale shades.

Later centuries
It is known that Incas used to paint images of eagles on their nails. Some Native Americans also sported colored nails as well although it’s not clear how this started.
In the 19th century, women used to polish their nails with a cloth and oil which would give them a shiny appearance and a red tint. In alternative, they could also use tinted powders and creams on their nails to color them, before buffing for a shiny look.

Modern Nail Polish
Modern nail polish is a by-product of car paint. Car paint was invented in the 1920’s and it inspired Michelle Menard, a French makeup artist who was working for the Charles Revson company, who wondered if nail polish could be created using the same technique. The Revson company, that had then changed its name to Revlon, started selling the first nail polish in hair and beauty salons in 1932 and in 1937 the product become available in department store and drugstores.

But up to the first part of the 20th centuries, women in America wouldn’t wear any makeup cos those that did were labelled with a bad reputation. It was only in the 1940’s that “average” women started emulating the actresses that sported painted nails in their movies and nail polishes sales began to increase. These days men have started wearing nail polishes too and companies like Man Glaze and BB Couture have released nail varnishes targeted to them!