A Brief History of Beauty Part 1

Often times I find myself romanticizing an era. I watch too many old movies, read way too many Austen-type novels and then make declarations like, "I was born in the wrong century." (sigh) There are times when even the 40' s and 50's call my name....maybe there is therapy for this, yes?
Actually there is something better than therapy: facts. If you have ever found yourself in a similar romantic boat, please continue reading. You will be kissing the current ground you walk on!

It all starts with the Egyptians. Of course the most famous slave to beauty was Cleopatra. (Stories of her beauty regime are legend!) She is credited with the famous milk and honey bath that is still popular in spas today. Cleopatra, like many Eygptians, spent plenty of time bathing (often several times a day) and removing body hair. Being hairless was considered attractive but it was also entirely necessary to keep the fleas and lice away. Tweezing and shaving were the most popular forms of hair removal but they also had a type of wax. Boiled and crushed bird bones were mixed with fly dung, oil, sycamore juice, gum and cucumber. The mixture was heated, applied to the skin and removed after it cooled (when the mixture had securely adhered to the hair).
Egyptians are known for their use of human hair wigs but they also tried to maintain their natural hair. I found several recipes for treating grey hair...they make me appreciate the little box at the super market that tames the greys in 10 minutes. For one treatment, they would boil in oil the blood of a black ox or calf. This was to transfer the blackness of the animal to the grey hair. They would also use the putrid liver of a donkey seeped in oil...I honestly cannot imagine how delicious that one smelled!
Perhaps the most widely known beauty practice is that of eye makeup. They used khol (a form of lead) to line the eye and paint the lid. Soot from oil lamps was used to darken eye lashes and brows and the men would use a mixture of fat and oil to protect their eyes from the sun.
(Are you happy with your makeup yet? I am!)

The Greeks and Romans are also famous for their dedication to bathing but slightly less known about them, is their practice of painting the face with white lead and/or chalk. Sometime between 131 and 199 A.D. the first cold cream was invented by Claudius Galenus. It was created by mixing 50% olive oil with 12.5% beeswax and various other oils.

Bathing and bath houses continued to be popular into medieval times but by the 1300's, due to the depletion of forests and firewood, only the very wealthy could afford a hot bath. Perfumes became the popular choice for covering up...smells. By 1399, however, King Henry IV could take it no longer and instituted, "The Order of the Bath," requiring all noblemen and women to bathe frequently.
Plucking the hairline to heighten the forehead was all the rage.
Being very fair was considered perfection and when cosmetics could not be afforded, women would actually "bleed" themselves. (Ouch!)

Hopefully, by this point, you are feeling more and more content with what you have. It is fun to think that one day, someone might read the labels of our cosmetic bottles and cringe. Its all a part of the learning process. Its all a part of the price we pay to be the drop dead gorgeous people that we are. (And the majority of us will agree that it is worth it!)

In an upcoming post, we will continue our little journey through time. You will want to stay tuned to find out how hedgehog grease was used in the sixteenth century, trust me, its fun stuff!

XO-Nanette

Published with permission of Nanette Semon