Ancient Beauty Rituals
Beauty rituals have existed through the ages and over this time people have searched for the “fountain of youth”, the "holy grail"—the way to stay young forever.
Fortunately, thousands of years later, these rituals have made their way into the modern world of beauty and cosmetics, infusing their way into our hearts and homes. While beauty is recognised within many different cultures across the globe, various rituals and philosophy's vary from one culture to another, here's a little insight to the ancient rituals that continue to inspire us here at BARE.
Ancient Greece
There were many cultures who immersed themselves in the realm of beauty, in ancient Greece, Aphrodite, the olympian Greek goddess of love and beauty, created a quintessential beauty ideal among Greek women, symbolising true femininity and grace influencing particular rituals. Clay face masks, an extremely popular skincare ritual today, were common in Ancient Greece, due to clay’s mineral content and its cleansing and anti-inflammatory properties, as well as honey, milk baths for smoothing skin, dried herbs and botanicals in their baths also for detoxification purposes and of course olive oil for moisturising their skin.
It is said the Greeks favoured light complexions, which they maintained using white lead which was replaced by chalk for obvious reasons (high toxicity in lead causing death). For make up, crushed mulberries and pomegranate were a favourite for lip and cheek stain, charcoal and oil for eye make up.
Roman Rituals
The Romans are renowned for their bathing rituals and much like the Grecians they too favoured pale, blemish free skin using milk, honey and animal fat to name a few of the ingredients used through this time. Due to the rich and often foul smelling products often applied to the face and in baths women (and sometimes men) would drench themselves in perfume and oils, as a pleasant smell was synonymous with good health.
Perfumes were formulated using a variety of flowers and herbs like saffron, almonds, rose petals, lilies, myrtle, laurel and jasmine.
bathing therapy
Roman bathhouses are known for their mosaics, paintings and intricate ceilings flooded with natural light and are the inspiration for many spas these days. Bathers engaged in contrast bathing therapy, also known as hot/cold immersion therapy, a popular ritual we are now seeing pop up everywhere once again in our modern world for the many science backed health benefits.
Egyptian Rituals
Not only was ancient Egypt one of the most advanced civilisations to grace the earth, but also the creator of many sacred luxuries that are still used widely today. Egyptians were undeniably known for their exotic jewelry and fashion
Uncovered burials have provided us with artefacts and knowledge that beauty rituals were revered in Egypt more than in any other culture with burials and tombs discovered showing evidence of remnants of cosmetics inside, not to mention the many other health and wellness rituals discovered over time.
Cleopatra, the last active pharaoh of Egypt, was an iconic beauty, leaving behind timeless rituals with her legacy. Almond oils, dead sea salt scrubs, apple cider vinegar, honey and milk baths were among some of her anti-aging rituals. It is also said that sugaring for hair removal was also discovered by the Egyptians, a technique widely used today.
Perfumes were also prized in ancient Egypt, as they were valued for their positive health and wellness properties. Frankincense and myrrh were highly regarded as essential ingredients in perfumes and skin care treatments for both scent and health benefits and moisturisers a favourite with over 21 different vegetable oils for a range of beauty purposes!
Ancient India and Ayurveda
What is Ayurveda?
