Beauty in History

Beauty care has been important since the first civilizations. It is known that the cave people of the Mesolithic period ( around 10,000 bce) softened their skin with castor oil and grease, and also used plant dyes to tattoo their skin. Skin softening lotions go back to biblical times. Sore feet were rubbed with lotions made from olive oil and spices. Powders were made from finely ground barks and roots. To keep hair smelling sweet, aromatic oils were rubbed into the scalp.

Lipsticks first appeared in the ancient city of Ur, near Babylon, 5000 years age. The Egyptians also had beauty remedies. Henna and walnut rinses were used to keep dark hair shiny. It was common to bathe in ass's milk and to apply face packs made from barley and crushed sesame seeds. A type of metal known as antimony was ground to a powder and used in black kohl crayons. These were used to draw around the eyes. Semi-precious stones such as lapis lazuli and malachite were also ground to be used as eye shadows. It is said Cleopatra's lipsticks were made from finely crushed carmine beetles which made a deep red pigment. This was then mixed with ant's eggs as a base for the lipsticks.

Remains of make up found in tombs show the many of the materials used were harsh, such as lead sulphide and charcoal. These would have irritated the eyes.

Reddish brown paints for the face contained clays with a high iron content. This gave them their color.

Ancient Egyptians were the first to develop soap. These soaps were made from a natural cleanser called saponin, which is extracted from the soaproot or soapwort plant. Animal fats and fragrant oils were added to the formula. These soaps were used for cleaning the household as well as bathing.

In the Middle East, the Assyrians added perfumed oils to their water for bathing and were scrupulous about personal hygiene.

Skin scrubs first appeared around 1000 bce. These were made from powdered pumice stone. Before bathing, the Assyrians and Egyptians would rub themselves with handfuls of sand to buff the skin smooth.

Assyrian men and women wore their hair elaborately braided, oiled and perfumed. A trick used to perfume the body was to tuck tiny balls of wax that contained perfume close to the scalp. The fragrance would be released by body heat and trickle down the neck to last through an evening.

Men trimmed their beards into strange shapes that resembled topiary. Facial hair was a symbol of strength and power. Because of this, several Egyptian queens wore a false gilded beard on occasions of ceremonial importance.

Ancient Greek women painted their cheeks with herbal pastes made from crushed berries and seeds. A dangerous development of beauty treatments was the use of white lead and mercury on faces to achieve a chalky complexion. These heavy metals were absorbed through the skin and resulted in many deaths. This so- called beauty treatment remained in vogue down the ages.

Galen, the Greek physician recognized this as a problem and wrote, "women who often paint themselves with mercury, though they be very young, the presently turn old and withered and have wrinkled faces like an ape."

Galen is given credit for the original recipe for cold cream. The cream was based on beeswax, olive oil and rose water. He also recommended that finely ground garden snails made an effective moisturizer.

Henna was an early form of nail polish used by the Greeks. False eyebrows were made from dyed goat's hair which were attached to the skin with natural gums and resins.

The Romans introduced regular shaving for men. Razors were made from sharpened bronze.

Romans used many different types of natural hair dyes. Mineral quicklime gave their hair a lustrous, red-gold tinge. Walnut oil was made by steeping walnut shells in olive oil and used to keep hair dark brown when it began to turn grey. In ancient Rome blonde hair was initially considered to be a symbol of a prostitute. When slave girls were acquired from Scandinavia, noblewomen began to dye their hair lighter shade using a concentrated infusion of saffron flowers.

Beauty in Britain

The Romans brought with them to Britain the concept of daily bathing. They built communal baths, some of which still exist. However, once they departed Britain during the fourth century, the practice of regular bathing died out.

Women during the Middle Ages did continue to wear some form of make-up, although rouge was only worn by prostitutes. Noblewomen continued to use white lead on their faces. Eyebrows were plucked and lips stained with dark red with plant dyes.

Natural skin care was also popular. Most noblewomen had their own recipes for smooth complexions. To fight the destructive effects of the lead paste on the face, masks were made using ground asparagus roots and goat's milk. This was rubbed into the skin with pieces of warm bread. Elaborate braiding for hair was fashionable. A type of hair gel was made from a mixture of swallow droppings and lizard tallow by these noblewomen.

Knights returned home from the Crusades with all kinds of preparations never seen in Britain. Essential oils became popular as perfumes, and were used as antiseptics to ward off the plague. Soap making was brought from Italy. At this time soap was used mostly for washing dishes and clothes but not bodies.

The Renaissance

Women in Venice established their own society for cosmetic testing and beauty training. Although they were learning new things, they continued to use the destructive lead paint on their faces, neck and cleavage.

One new idea was the imitation of beauty mark, called beauty spots. These were originally made from small circles of black velvet and were used to hide blemishes, such as warts, pimples and pox scars.

The first commercial toothpowders appeared, made from a mixture of dried sage, nettles and powdered clay. Venetian noblewomen in the 1500s would dye their hair by applying lotions derived from saffron flowers or sulphur. The color was set by by the hot summer sun, then the hair was rinsed.

Europeans in general still did not bathe regularly. They believed bathing weakened the body. A great deal of perfume was used to cover body odor. One of the first European perfumeries was set up by monks of the Dominican Brotherhood in Florence in 1508. Fragrances produced included rhubarb elixir and molasses water. Scented orris powder made from ground iris roots was used to perfume clothes and household linen.

Many Italian and French fragrances were imported by Queen Elizabeth I. The queen was one of Britain's most celebrated users of natural beauty preparations and her many portraits show her passion for cosmetics and red wigs.

Elizabethan women still used white lead face paint and mercury sulphide for rouge. The lead was mixed with vinegar to form a paste called ceruse. The white lead made hair fall out and the extensive use of ceruse through the Elizabethan era explains the fashion for high foreheads, as hairlines receded.

The corrosive oil of vitrol (sulphuric acid) mixed with rhubarb juice was used as a hair tonic and lightener. It also resulted in hair loss.

Lipsticks were a blend of cochineal and beeswax. An iridescent eye shadow was made of ground mother of pearl. Red wine, ass's milk, rain water and even urine were used as facial cleaners. Bathing was still not fashionable.

Hair was dry shampooed using fine powdered clays. These were combed through to absorb the grease and dirt in the hair. Whisked egg whites were used to tighten and glaze the skin. Beauty spots remained a ploy for concealing blemishes.

Freckles were not appreciated. One remedy for their removal was an infusion of elder leaves mixed with birch sap and sulphur. This was applied to the skin by moonlight and removed in the morning with fresh butter.

A popular base for rouge and skin creams was bear's grease. Make up pencils were made by mixing plaster of Paris with plant pigments to form sticks which were dried in the sun.

Skin care remedies became increasingly refined after the set up of the first British toiletry company, Yardley, during the reign of Charles I. However, the use of lead based ceruse on complexions continued. High foreheads and absence of eyebrows were still fashionable. Children's brows were covered in walnut oil to decrease hair growth. Eyebrows were shaved and replaced with fake ones made with mouse skin.

Wigs

For men and women of the court during the time of the French revolution, cosmetics were the top of fashion. Rouge, elaborate, powdered wigs, and powders for the face were extremely popular, more with men than women.

It was common for people to keep their natural hair short and unwashed under the wig, even though shampoo had been invented. The wigs were made from a mass of wool and animal grease and were highly combustible. It was best to stay away from candles.

Herbs and Herbalism

English herbalist Nicholas Culpeper published Culpeper's Complete Herbal in the early 1600's and has been reprinted many times. The latest edition was in 1979. Included in the book are many skin care remedies, such as broom stalks to cleanse the skin, and oatmeal boiled with vinegar to treat spots and pimples. He also recommended woodbine ointment for sunburn, wheat bread soaked in rose water to soothe tired eyes, and thistle juice for hair loss.

Written in 1825, The Art of Beauty was one of the most popular books of the time. Advice included erasing wrinkles by becoming overweight, and using belladonna juice from the deadly nightshade plant to enlarge the pupils of the eyes.

Regular bathing became popular at the time of George IV. Baths were a mixture of hot water and milk with herbs such as flax seeds to soften the skin. No skin creams or cosmetic were used in polite society. Only a dot of eau de cologne was respectable.

Complexions were protected by green veils when outside and wearing big brimmed bonnets.

Victorians viewed cleanliness as being "next to godliness." Soap was widely available but still a bit pricey.

It was not till the middle of the century that indoor bathrooms were built in homes. Up till then baths were taken in tin tubs that were usually placed in front of a sitting room fire. Soap was affordable to all.

Commercial soap brands such as Lever, Lux, Lifebouy and Shield appeared at this time. And cleanliness was fashionable.

At the turn of the 19th century, zinc oxide was discovered to make a good face powder that did not harm the skin.

A man named Max Factor worked on the stars of Hollywood. Elizabeth Arden developed a range of natural based skin care products at this time.

Browning gravy or strong tea was used to dye legs if no silk stockings were available because of rationing.

Max Factor's Pan Cake make up was recommended "particularly for women in the Forces or on other National work as it is very quick and easy to use...in six lovely shades from a pale flesh tint to a deep warm tan, in keeping with the colouring of the Woman's Service Uniforms."

Special shades were also made for the Ministry of Defence to darken the faces of commandoes for night excursions.