Cosmetics in ancient Egypt

The egyptians where the first civilisation known to first use make up. They used alot of make up on the eyes, but what did they use as make up?

Well, for a blue colour on the eye lids they used a paste made from azurite (hydrate copper carbonate). Azurite is a mineral popularly used in dying fabrics. It is a fairly soft mineral and is also used for decoration and jewlery. The name azurite is derived from the greek word kuanos meaning deep blue.

Not only did the men and women wear it but also the statues of their Gods, the make up did help protect them from sun damage and the higher the status of the person, the more make up, jewlery and clothing they wore.

Egyptians used Kohl for a black colour, the kohl came from Galena, a natural mineral form of lead sufide. Galena is a grey/blue colour.
The Kohl wasnt just used for fashion but also to reflect the suns rays from the eye area and to repel flys which carried many diseases.

Green which was also a popular colour used usually on the eyes came from a stone called Malachite. The stone was crushed and mixed to form a green paste. Malachite was mined in the eastern deserts of egypt and also the sinai desert which is between the mediterranian sea and the Red sea, acting as a land bridge between south west Asia and Africa.

For a red colour used on their lips and cheeks they used red ochre which was made from naturally tinted clay. The clay was mined and then washed to separate the sand from the ochre, it was then dried in the sun and sometimes burned to enhance the colour.

Egyptians used henna to dye their hair and nails, the condition and colour of the nails was and indication of their status. Henna comes from the leaves and roots of the henna tree. It is a native plant to tropical and subtropical places including Africa, south Asia and Australia.
The Egyptians dried and ground the leaves and roots and mixed with water to form a paste and applied it to their hair and nails.

Egyptians not only liked to look good but also to smell good too! They made perfumes and creams made of animal fats and caster oil. They used cinnamon and frankensense to scent their perfumes and creams. They also made soap from vegetable oils and alkaline salts.