Hey everybody!!! Cierramgirl here!
I want to let you know how much we appreciate you guys' support of our blog. It's really encouraging!
I know it's been awhile since I've posted anything here, but I wanted to give you something real special this time and
kind of break away from the health-related content that
this blog is well-known for.
Although, I don't mention it a lot, I am also a beauty aficionado as well. I am so much an aficionado, I wrote an article series for you about the history of beauty....
This leads into a couple of questions though, how did the industry get this big and when did it start? When I say "when" I don't mean in modern times or even relatively recent history (circa 16th century or something like that). I mean much further back, like a few thousand years ago. Long before there was a "modern beauty industry".
There are many ancient cultures in the world that have their own beauty secrets and to go into detail on all of them would involve way more time that I'd like to spend on the subject. So, I'll just deal with some of the more commonly known ancient cultures....
The Egyptians
Hygiene and exterior appearance were vitally important to The Ancient Egyptians. They believed their appearance was in direct link with the health of the soul. Looking good and smelling pleasant were not just acceptable norms in their society, but a clear social expectation. Ancient Egyptians, being the innovative people they were, used cosmetics for reasons deeper than personal appearance.
Hygiene and exterior appearance were vitally important to The Ancient Egyptians. They believed their appearance was in direct link with the health of the soul. Looking good and smelling pleasant were not just acceptable norms in their society, but a clear social expectation. Ancient Egyptians, being the innovative people they were, used cosmetics for reasons deeper than personal appearance.
Mesdemet was the earliest kind of eye shadow- a substance made of copper and lead ore. The dark shades they believed would ward off evil eyes to their own. It was also a great disinfectant and insect repellant. Kohl was a dark powder that was also applied around the eyes in an oval shape. It was a combination of lead, ash, ochre, copper, and burnt almonds.
To further enhance their appearance, they would apply a mixture of water and red clay to the cheekbones.They would also paint their nails colors of orange and yellow with a substance called henna.
The Greeks and Romans
As time moved on and cultures were exposed to each other more and more, the Greeks began to pick up on the many practices of the Egyptian’s use of cosmetics. They would give themselves a pale color with a foundation that contained lead in it.
Lead's natural toxicity characteristics made this a an extremely deadly option. The practice was abandoned not long after the casualties started occurring.
As the Romans began to pick up the cosmetics practice, the pursuit of beauty became much less about functionality and took a turn into much more exotic routes.The Romans would paint their nails with a combination of sheep’s blood and cooked animal fat.
Think I'm done, here?
No way!!!
Stay tuned because Part Two is on the way!!!
To further enhance their appearance, they would apply a mixture of water and red clay to the cheekbones.They would also paint their nails colors of orange and yellow with a substance called henna.
The Greeks and Romans
As time moved on and cultures were exposed to each other more and more, the Greeks began to pick up on the many practices of the Egyptian’s use of cosmetics. They would give themselves a pale color with a foundation that contained lead in it.
Lead's natural toxicity characteristics made this a an extremely deadly option. The practice was abandoned not long after the casualties started occurring.
As the Romans began to pick up the cosmetics practice, the pursuit of beauty became much less about functionality and took a turn into much more exotic routes.The Romans would paint their nails with a combination of sheep’s blood and cooked animal fat.
Think I'm done, here?
No way!!!
Stay tuned because Part Two is on the way!!!
Love what you're looking at? We KNEW you would! Get instant access to all future KurtMIND updates! Join The Health Revolution!! Get FREE updates using our sign-up options in the "Comments" box under the articles! RSS FEED is available as well! Do not get left behind! Don't Forget to +1 us on Google Plus !!! "Your Health Is Your Wealth!!"
** KurtMIND's writers and owner(s) may receive compensation for content-applicable placement of certain products and/or services by your clicking on links posted on this blog.**