Skin Care From The Ancient Egyptians
While traveling I have seen some incredible natural ways in which you can look after yourself, one of these is skin care. Here is more from Randa Zaid, Hayaty Natural on summer skin care from the ancient Egyptians.
SUMMER SKIN CARE TIPS COURTESY OF ANCIENT EGYPT
By Randa Zaid, Hayaty Natural
Recently, we had a taste of just how fierce sunshine can be. Hopefully, the rest of the summer will be much more bearable than July’s heatwave, but we still need to look after our skin: always use a high factor SPF on your face; have a night ritual, maybe something spiritual to help the body relax before bed, such as a few minutes meditation; get enough sleep; and look for skincare products that are wholly natural, organic, cruelty-free and contain some of the wonderful ingredients favoured by the ancient Egyptians.
The ancient Egyptians were obsessed with health and beauty—many of the skin care rituals we practice today are thought to have originated in Egypt more than 5,000 years ago—and here are a few summer skincare tips based on the knowledge of people who knew a thing or two about protecting skin from the sun.
Cleanse
Egyptian queens Cleopatra and Nefertiti were known for their love of milk and honey baths and the combination does make a great cleanser, leaving the skin soft and silky. However, that’s not practical, or environmentally sound in today’s world. You could use a substitute like coconut milk mixed with warm water but better still check out cleansing products containing hydroxy and lactic acid. Milk is rich in lactic acid and listed in many skin care products (AHA). It helps remove dead skin cells and stimulates new cell growth.
Olive oil was also a favourite of the ancient Egyptians who spread it all over their skin to stick to the dirt before scraping it off. The Ebers Papyrus instructed people to mix animal and vegetable oils with alkaline salts for washing and the olive oil soap we buy today is known for its lower pH than mainstream soaps that can dry and irritate the skin. It’s deeply nourishing, moisturising and anti-oxidant rich. A very gentle cleanser that can be used on the face without stripping out its natural oils.
Exfoliate
Credited with the first exfoliation techniques, the Egyptians used a combination of pumice stones and scrubs made from sand or plants such as aloe vera. Natron (sodium carbonate) mixed with water was used as a scrub. A gentle substitute for Natron is modern baking soda. It’s a mild exfoliator but shouldn’t be done more than once a week. You could also try many of the mineral sea salt scrubs on the market or alternatively, look out for a good Egyptian organic loofah. It’s not too hard or soft, the perfect texture for a good scrub. Be warned, it has an earthy, muddy smell but you get used to it and those who use them for the first time say they feel like they have never showered before. They are sold by men with carts on the street all over Egypt, but they are just as easily found online or in good, organic health shops.
Hair removal
Summer is the time for exposing our bodies and one of the first things on the self-care list is a good de-fuzz of our winter coat. The natural method of hair removal, sugaring, was invented by the ancient Egyptians. For them being hairless was the gold standard of cleanliness as they had no access to hygiene products such as deodorants, So, living in the soaring temperatures of the hot desert made hair removal a must for comfort. Alexander the Great always charged into battle clean-shaven and hairless.