The History of Cosmetics
Ever since the Egyptian era, cosmetics have been used quite commonly. They were usual in the Roman Empire and the Ancient Greece Empire, as well. The thought of putting on cosmetics in order to improve the facade of youth in ideal health is applicable right up to today. Colorful cosmetics conceal the appearance of pale lips and fingernails, whitish cheeks and dry hair. A lot of the cosmetics that were used in the past consisted of hazardous ingredients. Perhaps the dangers were unknown then, but there is no excuse for these same hazardous ingredients to continue to be used today. Frequently, there was more significance emphasized on the application of make up rather than cleaning and washing the skin.
In the history of cosmetics, whitening the face was actually one of the most usual cosmetic rituals from the 14th century onwards. This remained popular in the 18th century. A combination of hydroxide, lead oxide, and carbonate was frequently used. This could cause paralysis of the muscles or even death when being used repetitively. In the 18th century, it was substituted by zinc oxide.
Another method, in order to have whiter skin, was by bleeding yourself. This was completed by utilizing the general medical practice of making use of leeches. A more severe, but seldom used method was referred to as cupping. This consists of secreting blood by air heating in a glass cup whilst holding it closely against the skin. If the heat supply is removed, the cool air leads to a vacuum.
In the 1920s history of cosmetics, possessing tanned skin became in style when Coco Chanel was spotted sporting one on the yacht of the Duke of Westminster. The thought of having a tanned skin tone became more striking. Thus, products were created in order to achieve this artificial color.
The painting of the fingernails has been part of the history of cosmetics for a long period of time. The first evidences date from 3000 BC in the country of China. They made use of gum Arabic, gelatin and egg whites to produce a varnish. Silver and gold nail colors were used by the noble families in China. The colors red and black were also used in the 1st century AD. The lesser classes were only permitted to use pale colors. In Egypt, the color of the nail varnish was also used to represent social rank. Henna was also used to paint the nails. Now, nail varnish has an assortment of colors and is actually a variant of car paint.
Dressing hair and hair dye isn’t new. The Greeks, Romans and Ancient Egyptians all have a history of intricate forms of dyeing and hairdressing. The majority of the past hair dyes like henna, sage, chamomile and indigo, could only give the hair a darker color. Female Romans would boast their dark and shiny hair that has been colored with a combination of leeks and boiled walnuts. They also made use of blond-colored dyes made from ashes and goat fat.
It was in the year 1907 that the very first artificial dye was invented by Eugene Schueller, a French chemist. It was initially named Aureole, but was later changed to what is now known as L’Oreal.
