Beauty Secrets
Tips For A Healthy, Glowing Skin
Each civilization has had it's own own definition
of what attributes are used to define beauty. Ancient Egyptian women
AND men used various natural pigments to color their bodies in an
attempt to appear more favorably to the “gods.” Roman,
Grecian, Arabic and Hindi women used henna to color their hair and
tattoo their bodies.
Interestingly, current trends toward body piercing
and tattooing are nothing new but merely a resurgence of historical
practices. Here are some specific tips, old and new, to help you meet
the current perception of our societal definition of beauty.
BEAUTY SECRETS DOWN THE AGES
If you think today's obsession with beauty is something
new, think again! Men AND women have been in touch with their bodies
and beauty dating back as far as the ancient Egyptians. The Egyptian's
concern was based as much on pleasing the “gods” of their
time as it was for personal adornment.
In fact, it could be said that they prepared their
bodies more for the “afterlife” than the current time.
All one need do is read about the tombs and mummies that have been
excavated and study what was found. Lavish pictorial examples reveal
how extravagantly the aristocracy lived their lives.
Just take a look at the detail the next time you have
an opportunity to view Egyptian archaeology reports. Gold and silver
bracelets, lapis and jade pendants, rings of gold studded with semi-precious
stones. All are evidence of just how deeply involved the human race
is with beauty and adornments.
Many wore wigs and false braids with jewels threaded
through them. Women wore elaborate combs and pins made of copper,
bronze and silver. Oddly enough, silver was considered a more precious
metal than gold and was widely used to decorate boxes and pots where
they stored their implements of beauty.
For all of their elaborate trappings, much of it was
not just an attempt at satisfying their vanity. They held the belief
that certain metals and elements were specifically tied to powers
that were bestowed upon them by the “gods,” so a great
deal of the adornment was steeped in spiritual belief.
Women and men both used a paste made from copper material
to paint their eyes a vivid green. Ochre, a red clay, was used to
tint their lips.
Ancient Grecians displayed their vanity through elaborate
hairdos. Each hairdo was a visual message letting you know their age,
if they were married and how far up the socio-economic scale their
class. The same practices were followed up by the Romans.
Eye makeup worn by the ancient Egyptians served more
than just a cosmetic purpose. It was worn by men and women alike.
It was decorative for certain but they also wore it for medicinal
purposes as well as magical reasons. The Egyptian word for eye-palette
is a derivative from their word for "protect."
An eye that wore no makeup was considered to be “unprotected.”
An unprotected eye was therefore at risk from the Evil Eye. The next
time you are standing in front of the mirror applying your eye makeup
just remember that it is a rite of protection passed along from Cleopatra
to Betty Boop!
Many ancient beauty treatments are still in use today.
An example is the East Indian art of painting the hands and feet with
Henna. It is known in India as Mendhi and is an ancient Indian art
form which has been performed for generations not only in India, but
the Middle East, Pakistan and in Africa as well.
Women in India traditionally painted henna on their
hands and feet, insides of their arms and up their shins most often
for a wedding, or other special occasion. The intricate patterns on
the hands are particularly beautiful.
