Natural Beauty
Natural beauty care has played an important part in history, since the earliest civilization when man kind first used many of the plants and other elements provided by nature. the pioneers of natural beauty treatments were probably the cave people living in the Mesolithic period around 10,000 BC, who applied grease and castor oil to soften the skin, and tattooed their bodies with plant dyes as protection from sun. Recorded formulas for skin softening lotions date back to Biblical times , where women made lotions from olive oil and spices which were rubbed into sore feet to keep them smooth and supple. Scented barks and dried roots were finally ground to make talcum powders and precious aromatic oils were often rubbed into the hair to keep it smelling sweet.
EGYPTION LIPS :
The first lipstick were made in the ancient city of Ur, near Babylon, some 5000 years ago. Next door in Egypt, Cleopatra relied on several hundreds of natural beauty remedies to maintain her legendary powers of seduction. Her fragrances may have literally changed the face of history as Mark Anthony was intoxicated by the scent of rose and patchouli oils on her skin. Cleopatra's beauty routine including bathing in ass's milk and applying face packs made from crushed sesame seeds and barley. Like most Egyptian women she, also favored the use of henna and walnut oil to keep her hair dark and glossy and use black kohl crayons made from powdered antimony (a type of metal) around her eyes to dramatic effect. Her shimmering blue and green eyeshadows were made from finely ground semi-precious stones such as lapis lazuli and malachite, which has a practical as well as cosmetic purpose as they shielded the skin from sun strong rays. Less appealing were Cleopatra's lipsticks and rouge which came from the deep red pigment of finely crushed carmine beetles and powdered ant's eggs.
The women of Thebes who lived alongside the Nile were reputed to be the most beautiful in the world and they certainly made full use of many natural paints and powders for their face body and hairs. Egyptians queens and noblewomen were buried with the scores of alabaster jars filled with lotion and potions to use on every part of body. A cosmetic chest was also included for the after-life and contained sticks of kohl to out-line their eyes, bees wax mascara and mirrors made from highly polished copper set into highly craved ivory handles.
Compared to other cultures of that time, the Egyptians were extremely vain and prided themselves on their appearance. It is no coincidence that cosmetics were first developed by the Ancient Egyptians and drawings depicting the extensive use of elaborate eye make-up have been found in tombs built as far back as 5000 BC. Reddish brown face paints contain clays with a high iron content to give them their colour and there was even an anti-wrinkle remedy made from bullocks bile and ostrich eggs! Fortunately, these natural remedies have not stood the rest of time, although many others Egyptians innovations remain relevant.
ORIGNAL SKIN :
The Ancient Egyptian can probably take the credit for devising most of the earliest beauty preparations and they were fond of highly aromatic perfumes. Relics found in the pyramids includes precious perfumes flasks and essential oils carriers placed their owners smelling sweet in the after-life. We can learn a great deal of useful information from the beauty recipes that have been handed down from years gone by.
Photo by Miguel Á. Padriñán
In addition to cosmetics and perfumes, the ancient Egyptian were the first to develop soaps, made from natural cleansers called saponin, which is extracted from the soap root or soapwort plant. They also added animals fats oils to the soap formula and use them for household cleaning as well as bathing. The Assyrians in the Middle-East added precious perfumed oils too, to their washing water and were scrupulous about personal hygiene. Body-smoothing products were popular and skin scrubs first made their appearance around 1000 BC. These were made from powdered pumice stone and used by Assyrian women to buff the body and keep the skin smooth.
BRAIDS AND BEARDS :
Both the Assyrians men and women took a great pride in their hair and it was always worn elaborately braided, oiled and perfumed. Tiny balls of perfumed wax were tucked close to the scalp so that during long banquets the fragrance would be released by body heat and trickle down the neck to last throughout the evening. men kept their beards trimmed like topiary into exotic shapes, and facial hair was such an important symbol of strength and power that several Egyptians queens took to wearing a false gilded beard on ceremonial occasions.
The Ancient Greeks also knew a thing or two about cosmetics, although their mascara made from a mixture of gum and soot does seem a bit crude. Greek women painted their cheeks with the herbal paste made from crushed berries and seeds to give them a healthy looking glow. They also developed a more dangerous habit of using white lead and mercury on their faces to give a complexion a chalky appearance. Unbeknown to them, these heavy metals were absorbed through the skin and result in many untimely deaths an unfortunate trend which continued down the ages.
BEAUTY IN BRETAIN :
When the Romans invaded Britain they were appalled to find that the native inhabitants did not believe in bathing and quickly set about building communal baths, some of which still exist in spa towns such as Bath (hence its name). However once they departed Britain during the fourth century, the practice of regular bathing died out, expect for the occasional cold water plunge undertaken as a penance. Despite this lack of cleanliness, women during the Middle Ages did continue to wear some form of makeup, although rug was only worn by shady ladies if night. Noblewomen continued to use white lead on their faces; they plucked their eyebrows and strained their lips dark red with plant dyes.
Natural remedies were also popular and the most noblewomen had their own favourite recipes for keeping the complexion smooth. Elaborated braided hair style were also popular and kind of hair gel was made from a mixture of swallow dropping and lizard tallow. During the Crusades, knights returned home with all kind of exotic preparations never before seen in Britain. Essential oils become popular as perfumes and were also used as antiseptic to ward off the plague. The technique of soap making was also imported from Italy, although foe centuries to come soap was mainly used for washing dishes, clothes, not bodies.
THE RENAISSANCE:
The next era to literally change the face of history was the Renaissance, a period of great learning and cultural development which saw many improvements in the world of natural beauty. Ladies in Venice including Catherine de Medici, even established their own society foe cosmetics testing and beauty training. However, their new-found knowledge did not stop them from continuing to use the destructive lead paint on their faces, neck and cleavage. One new invention was beauty spot, originally made from small circles of black velvet, used to hide blemishes, such as warts, pimples and pox scars.
The philosophy of personal hygiene was also gaining ground and the first commercial toothpowders appeared, usually made from a mixture of dried sage, nettles and powdered clay. In 1500s, Venetian noblewomen would also died their hairs by applying lotions derived from saffron flowers or Sulphur and baking them on to their heads by sitting in the hot summer sun.
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| Portrait from Renaissance period |
Image by Siggy NowakA FRAGRANT REIGN :
Queen Elizabeth I imported many Italians and French fragrances, including scented kid gloves which were made in the hillside village of Grasse in the south of France. Life in Grasse originally revolved around the tannery industry, but the perfume quickly become more popular then gloves and other lather goods, so the village turned into one of the leading fragrances centers in the world.
During the region of Charles I the first British toiletry company set up shop in London. A young Mr Yardley is recorded as paying a monarch a large sum to gain the concession to manufacture soaps for the whole of the capital. Unfortunately, the records of his activities were destroy in the Great Fire of London, in 1666, but we do know Yardley used lavender as the main perfume ingredient. From this time on skincare remedies become increasingly refined and ladies of the court of James II used moisturizers made from spices and vanilla pods infused in honey.
THE WIG REVOLUTION :
By the time of French revolution In 1789, natural cosmetics for both men and women of the court were the height of fashion. Elaborate powdered wigs, rouge and face powder were used extensively, with the men often wearing far more than the women.
Although shampoo had by now been invented, it was common for courtiers to keep their natural hair short and unwashed while wearing a wig on top. The wigs were extremely expensive and children were employed to sit on an adult's shoulders and snatch them from the heads of courtiers as they rode past in their open carriages.
HERB AND HERBBALISM :
Over the centuries, herbalism and the study of plants had developed into an important medical science. One of the first document the medicinal and beautifying properties of herbs was Master-Surgeon John Gerard, who was the enthusiastic botanist as well as respected physician. One of his great medical advances was to identify the herb called scurvy-grass Cochlearia officinalis, which is rich in vitamin C and an effective cure for scurvy.
In 1590 Gerard wrote a guide to herbalism which become a household bible throughout the country. Just like well-thumbed cookery book today, Gerard's work was referred to almost daily for homemade herbal health and beauty recipes.
Probably the best-known English herbalist was Nicholas Culpeper born in 1616 the son of Surrey rector, Culpeper studied Latin and medicine at Cambridge and might have gone on to become a doctor.
Culpeper believed that common herbs could be used to great effect in medicine and revived many of teachings of the Ancient Greeks physicians such as Hippocrates and Galen. One of his favourite Biblical quotes was from Ecclesiastes: "The Lord hath created medicine out of the earth; and he that is wise will not abhor them".
One of the most popular books was The ART of Beauty, written in 1825 by anonymous author who was likely to have been a doctor. Advice for ladies included erasing wrinkles by becoming overnight, applying powdered mint to reduce a large bosom and using belladonna juice from the deadly night shade plant to enlarge the pupil of the eyes. The author also advices us not to put stays on children and to avoid tight corset when pregnant.
A RIGID REGIME :
But the doctrine for 'beauty training' makes modern health farms look like a camp. Regency ladies were advised to observe the following regime:
- Rise at six a.m. : ( or five a.m. but not sooner) Briskly walk two or three miles examination the flora, fauna and clouds as you go. On returning home, change if you have perspired and dry your feet have all your skin particularly that of the stomach, well rubbed with the cloth or flesh brush. Wash hands and face in cold water.
- Breakfast : Plain biscuits(not bread), broiled under done beefsteak or mutton chop with no fat, and half a pint mild ale.
- Morning Occupation: Out of doors, walk, garden, romp etc.
- Dinner at two p.m. : As breakfast (no vegetables, boiled meat, fruit, sweet, or pastry) plus the occasional mealy potato or boiled rice.
- Afternoon Occupation : Out of doors, walk, garden, romp etc.
- Supper at seven p.m. : Much as breakfast as dinner
- vening : At least an hour active exercise
Bed Time : Ten p.m. or earlier. Bathe feet in tepid water and rub as before
Liz Earl is a popular television presenter and best selling author. Based on her book NEW NATURAL BEAUTY.
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