Beauty Secrets from Ancient Egypt
Monday, June 11, 2007
No other country or culture was so concerned with beautification as was Egypt. Cleopatra the VII has also written a book of beauty secrets. Ancient Egypt was known for its magnificent beauty, exotic perfumes, beautiful clothes, flamboyant style and vivacious hairstyles. They used soaps, creams, and oils for skin care. Aromatic perfumes and dramatic hairstyles to fight eerie heat. They unearthed the art and importance of birth controls and spas.
Egyptian Anti-wrinke cream recipe
1 tsp sweet almond oil. 2 drops of Frankincense essential oil or Rose Attar. Mix these ingredients together and you have an excellent anti-wrinkle cream. Cleanse your face and apply this to your face at night. Massage it in your skin gently for about 5 minutes, and wash off the next morning.
Aloe Vera
Aloe Vera was the other most important factor that Egyptian queens treasured and used for smoothening skin, healing wounds and minor burns.
Almonds
Bitter or sweet almond oil were the most common ingredients of Egyptian cosmetics, and are excellent for the skin. Use pure almond oil as an under-eye cream and keep crows-feet at bay. Almond oil is also excellent for your hair. Mix almond and coconut oil to your hair and wash it off after an hour, for excellent results.
Stressed ?
Sometimes I get sad or depressed. Believe me it sucks. I have actually gotten this herbal tea in the flavour of "Egyptian Licorice" and I opened the tea bag, put it in some water in an oil distiller. Licorice is good for depression, so you could drink it too. Catnip tea also helps stress. Boil water with catnip leaves for that.
Ancient Egyptian Art of Body Sugaring
Body sugaring is a method for removing body hair that is a cheap, homemade alternative to waxing (or shaving). The theory behind body sugaring is that the hair is removed by the root, and when it grows back there will be less of it, and it will be softer and not stubbly as it is if a razor had been used.
SIMPLE SOLUTION: Body sugaring is done by making a paste of sugar, water, and lemon juice that has been heated to the softball candy stage.
After you have let the paste cool enough so that it won't burn, you spread it on your skin, cover it with cotton strips of cloth, and then rip the cloth off like one does a bandaid. Most find sugaring less painful than waxing.
Due to many requests from readers for this recipe, I have looked hard for what I have finally found and give you here, what I think is the best formula:
After you have let the paste cool enough so that it won't burn, you spread it on your skin, cover it with cotton strips of cloth, and then rip the cloth off like one does a bandaid. Most find sugaring less painful than waxing.
Due to many requests from readers for this recipe, I have looked hard for what I have finally found and give you here, what I think is the best formula:
INGREDIENTS
2 cups sugar 1/4 cup lemon juice ¼ cup water
Equipment: Candy thermometer
Equipment: Candy thermometer
Combine the ingredients in a heavy saucepan, and heat on low using a candy thermometer. Watch the mixture very carefully so that it doesn't boil over. Heat the mixture to 250 F on the candy thermometer; this is the hardball candy stage.
Remove from the heat and let cool enough to pour into a jar without breaking or melting the jar. (Note that this jar will be reheated in the future. Make sure it is safe for whatever for of reheating you plan to do -- in the microwave, or in a pan of water. Rip clean cotton fabric in 1" inch strips. Make sure the cotton isn't too coarsely woven.
Remove from the heat and let cool enough to pour into a jar without breaking or melting the jar. (Note that this jar will be reheated in the future. Make sure it is safe for whatever for of reheating you plan to do -- in the microwave, or in a pan of water. Rip clean cotton fabric in 1" inch strips. Make sure the cotton isn't too coarsely woven.
This next step is very critical: let the mixture cool enough so that it won't burn your skin. The first time I did this I didn't let the blend cool enough and I burned myself! Test the mixture on the palm of your hand, knowing that is much tougher than the sensitive skin under your arms.
Using a dull knife or Popsicle stick, spread the cooled sugar onto your skin. Cover with the cloth strips, let set for a few minutes, and then rip off quickly as you would a bandaid.
In the future you can reheat the mixture to a warm and not hot temperature (see above), and reuse. Note that reheating will thicken the paste.
Using a dull knife or Popsicle stick, spread the cooled sugar onto your skin. Cover with the cloth strips, let set for a few minutes, and then rip off quickly as you would a bandaid.
In the future you can reheat the mixture to a warm and not hot temperature (see above), and reuse. Note that reheating will thicken the paste.