Cosmetics

Cosmetics in Ancient Egypt

**Plants Used in Cosmetics:**

Almond

Carob

Moringa

Sycamore

Olive

Fir

Natron

Cinnamon

Fennel

Fenugreek

Honey

Juniper

Sesame

Flax

Egyptians used cosmetics regardless of sex and social status for both aesthetic and therapeutic reasons. Both sexes and all classes oiled their bodies regularly: scented body oil was one of the basic supplies issued in the form of wages to even the lowliest workers, rubbed into the skin to protect it from the sun and the hot, dry air. Most often imported from Punt, cosmetics were, next to timber, the chief Egyptian import.

Cosmetics containers have been depicted since the 1st Dynasty and are among the earliest archaeological finds. At Saqqara fragments of a salve chest with thirty compartments for unguents and oil jars was uncovered. Cosmetic jars were made of granite, basalt, alabaster, or ivory, and had a pronounced lip. They were covered with a piece of leather which was tied around the neck of the jar underneath the lip.

It was believed that the makeup had magical and even healing powers. Kohl, made from ground-up carbon, lead sulfide (galena), or manganese oxide (pyrolusite) mixed with oil or tallow, was believed to protect the eyes against diseases and the harsh sun. Kept in a small cosmetic tube made of wood, stone, papyrus, or ivory, kohl was applied to the eyes with a small stick. Both the upper and lower eyelids were painted and a line was added extending from the corner of the eye to the sides of the face. Kohl came in black (//msdm't//), silver, blue-grey, or green (//wad'w//, made from malachite and other copper based minerals.)

Egyptian mothers applied kohl to the eyes of their infants shortly after birth, believing that its application would strengthen the child's vision and ward off the evil eye. Many historians think that the Egyptians believed that outlining their own eyes would help them carry the protection of the gods with them. It is virtually impossible to find a portrait of an ancient Egyptian whose eyes are not decorated. During all periods and dynasties, eye makeup was a daily prerequisite for both men and women.

The eyebrows were often plucked with bronze tweezers, then painted on using black pigment. Red ochre, used as a rouge, was ground up and mixed with water, and applied to the lips and cheeks, painted on with a brush. Henna was used to dye hair, fingernails, toenails, and sometimes nipples red, yellow, and orange. Tattoos or body paint were popular with women, especially dancers. These designs, located on the arms, legs, belly, or breasts, were of dashes, dots, and the god Bes.

Wooden and ivory toilet spoons, often carved in the shape of a duck head or shell, were used to scoop perfumed cream from jars or to pour scented oils over the body. Most people applied makeup themselves, but for those who could afford it, there was the professional cosmetician, the //zxa'yt//, or "face painter." Because of their importance in the afterworld, cosmetics were among the offerings left in tombs. Seshat-Hetep lists among the offerings in his mastaba at Giza "incense, green makeup, black eye-paint, and the best of ointments."

For soap the Egyptians used natron or //swabu// (derived from //swab,// meaning "to clean"), a paste containing ash or clay, which was often scented, and could be worked into a lather. This soap-like material was used for treating skin diseases, as well as for washing. The Ebers Medical Papyrus, dating from about 1500 B.C.E., describes mixing animal and vegetable oils with alkaline salts. The Egyptians had wash basins and filled them with a natron and salt solution from Nemset vases, and used sand as a scouring agent. They washed after rising and both before and after the main meals. As a religious requirement, priests had to bathe several times a day, and shave off all body hair. As a mouth wash the Egyptians used natron or fennel, and chewed frankincense for bad breath. Pellets of ground carob were rubbed on the body as a type of deodorant.

The milky sap of the sycamore - referred to as //jrt-tnh-t -// was collected and used for hair removal. Wrinkling of the skin was treated by applying a wax-based remedy containing frankincense, moringa oil, and fermented plant juice. Fir lotion was also used to treat wrinkles, as well as baldness. Burn marks were hidden by an ointment made of red ochre, kohl, and sycamore juice. Honey was also used in makeup and as a base for medical ointments (it has an antibacterial effect.)

Perfume and Cosmetics in Ancient Egypt