Cleopatra’s bag of tricks: the secrets of love and beauty of ancient women

Speed ​​dating or online matchmaking: These may be the latest romantic trends, but the art of love is ancient and the desire for beauty is completely primitive. Seeking a mate or attempting to seduce a mate was once the work of potions and charms, animal sacrifices and amulets. While many of the ancient rituals may seem very out of whack to contemporary women, there are many ancient practices that may very well initiate attraction and captivate a partner today.

Donkey’s milk is not a fashionable product in today’s era, but it was once an elixir to preserve youth and beauty. Cleopatra is believed to have placed great importance on donkey’s milk and was known to bathe in it not only for its beauty, but because it seemed to have aphrodisiac properties. Ancient physicians such as Hippocrates prescribed donkey milk to treat poisoning, nosebleeds, and infectious diseases. Donkey milk was also the preferred food for infants until the 20th century. Considered closer to breast milk than any other animal, it was later given to frail babies because it seemed to hold them better in many cases. With its characteristic sweet flavor, donkey milk is most widely used in France, Italy and parts of Spain, but its health and beauty secrets date back to ancient times.

History also reports that Cleopatra added salt from the Dead Sea to her bath. This is not a far-fetched story as the ancient women of this region were known to use the salt and minerals from the Dead Sea for medicinal and general health purposes. Today’s mineral cosmetic industry, for example, owes much to ancient Dead Sea cosmetic practices. Dead Sea salt was believed to have restorative powers. Ten times saltier than the ocean, the Dead Sea is the lowest naturally occurring place on Earth. The extraordinary composition of its brine and the truly unique composition of its waters are said to work wonders for people suffering from various health and skin disorders. Tea Bible claims that King Solomon gave Dead Sea salts to the Queen of Sheba as a gift. It is also said that Antony gave Cleopatra a deed for the Dead Sea region after he conquered it.

Egyptian cosmetics are almost as old as civilization. Everyone from the poorest to royalty used them to varying degrees and of varying quality. Women, as Cleopatra denotes, used black kohl to line their eyes. Another variation of the eyeliner was to use ground green malachite. In Egypt, eye painting was a general practice and women, regardless of their status, probably practiced the application. To shade the eyes, studies have revealed that ancient Egyptian women painted their eyelids with a mixture of ground serpentine (a green mineral) and water. To paint their lips, women would combine animal fat and red ocher to create a cosmetic layer. The use of cosmetics in ancient Egypt is a testament to their ideals of beauty.

The women of ancient Egypt were also experts in the art of perfume. Cleanliness was an essential component of attractiveness for both sexes, but considering the climate, maintaining a pleasant fragrance must have been a challenge for those ancients. However, even without soap, the ancient Egyptians are revered for their perfumes. Oil, lime and perfume were generally the preferred cleaning ingredients. Barnacle oil, a botanical extract, was often chosen because it would not clash with the chosen perfume, which could have been a combination of flowers and spices. Lime was also used to treat acne and oily skin.

The ancient Greeks dabbled heavily in perfumes and incense to create an aura of seduction. The burning of resins or wood created pleasant fragrances that were considered attractive to lovers. Various scents were used for particular parts of the body. Roman baths contained shelves of oils and powders in jars used to perfume the body with pleasant scents. Some places were also synonymous with certain fragrances. For example, the ancient women of Crete were known for their enchanting scents made up of lilies. Middle Eastern women were noted for their fragrance of frankincense and myrrh. The smell was intrinsic to ancient sexuality and, of course, it does not play a minor role today either.

It is also said that myrrh, appreciated as a fragrance, was used by the Queen of Sheba to attract King Solomon. Its ability to enhance seduction was widely known, but it also had many attributes as a beauty tonic. It was used regularly to repair cracked skin and was prescribed to treat eczema-like rashes. It has been in beauty regimens for over four thousand years. Similarly, frankincense was also used in perfumes, but ancient women believed that it helped diminish wrinkles and slow down the aging process.

The use of skin creams composed of crushed and finely ground pearls was an ancient Chinese beauty ritual. Pearl cream is said to brighten the skin. Even today, Chinese manufacturers add ground pearls to some creams. Pearls may seem too expensive to turn into beauty paste today, but bird droppings are essentially free. Japanese women have long been accustomed to creating their own creams and cosmetics from natural elements, and nightingale droppings, for example, were a popular additive to face creams. And it worked to restore beauty due to an enzyme within the droppings that contains healing properties. Also, it was much safer than the lead that ancient Roman women used to whiten their faces.

In ancient India Vedic texts reveal that turmeric, a native herb, was an especially important plant for women’s beauty regimens. Turmeric would be made into a paste that women would spread on their bodies before bathing. The skin would benefit from deep cleansing and revitalization. Historically, turmeric has been associated with increased longevity, so it’s no surprise that it’s still a part of some Asian women’s beauty regimens today, who typically add sandalwood for added antioxidant power.

Olive oil was the standard hair care product for ancient Greek women. It rejuvenated sun damaged hair and added shine to the strands. Olive oil was also used to soften skin, beautify nails, and repair chapped lips. The olive tree had many culinary and healthy uses for the ancients, but Greek women highly appreciated it in their beauty rituals. Not surprisingly, Greece has many beauty products that contain olive oil today. The Egyptians were also concerned with hair care, although wigs were commonly worn. However, both women and men rubbed the resin of the fir trees on their scalps in the belief that it could promote hair growth. In ancient China, extracts from the beautiful butterfly pea, a climbing plant, were used to strengthen hair. Indian women preferred coconut oil to add shine and volume to their hair.

In addition, ornamentation was often added to enhance the beauty of the hair. Cleopatra, who certainly seemed to know all her beauty secrets, is said to have worn gems and jewels scattered through her hair. Women in other ancient cultures wore carved combs or natural items such as shells in their hair. Hairstyles can also be elaborate as depicted in Egyptian scrolls or other ancient texts. In many cultures, thick, healthy hair was associated with a woman’s overall health and fertility.

The use of aphrodisiacs appears in almost all cultures. Some foodstuffs were believed to enhance women’s sexuality or increase their fertility. Ginseng, horny goat weed, and vanilla were frequently used by women in many ancient cultures. However, an ancient aphrodisiac is of particular interest. Egyptian, Roman, and Greek women used to eat the seeds of the fenugreek plant in the belief that it increased the size of their breasts. These ancient women also believed that the plant could round their breasts to a more pleasing shape. Many aphrodisiacs associated with women were believed to make them more receptive and excited about sex.

The women of Morocco, Egypt and Persia discovered that jasmine was an extraordinary aphrodisiac. Bathing in a jasmine-scented bath was known to relieve stress and anger. It was said that women scented with jasmine aroused great passion in men. Jasmine was also used to treat dry or sensitive skin. While not as intoxicating, rose oil is said to be a similar type of aphrodisiac considered by the ancients. Women praised its calming effects. Rose oil was also used for skin care. Ancient Roman women were known to prefer lavender-scented baths.

While many seduction and beauty rituals of the ancients are considered obsolete today, there are striking similarities between past and present. Preferred scents, cosmetic needs, seduction issues are all components of contemporary sexuality just as they were for the ancients. Skin care, hair care, and many other beauty rituals were important aspects of women’s lives in ancient times, just as they are today. Beauty and sexuality often went hand in hand for the ancients; these aspects are also at the heart of today’s civilization.

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