Unbelievable Hygiene Habits Of The Ancient Egyptians To Make You Grateful You Live In The 21st Century
Thank goodness we live in a world where most of the population can access basic hygiene necessities. Getting to fresh water is often possible, and food is more than likely accessible. Something like brushing your teeth with a stick and strips of plants is something most of us will never have to know, but it is something the ancient Egyptians had to live with.
In that area of human life, hygiene innovations were things humans took pride in. The ancient Egyptians figured out all kinds of natural ways to keep their hygiene as efficient as possible. Read on to learn what their pillows were made of...
Specific Ingredients In Their Makeup
We touched on makeup a bit earlier but didn't dive in too deep. While they used makeup to help protect from the sun, and some of their cosmetics were from grounding natural elements (galena and malachite) into powder, they also had another base.
The men weren't shy about wearing makeup, either. They usually would wear eyeliner with a lead base. Even though it's now widely accepted that lead is toxic to humans, the research indicates that the lead makeup had a heavy concentration of nitric oxide. This was a component that boosted the immune system.
Forming Ancient Soaps
According to the Ebers Medical Papyrus (dating back to 1500 BC), the Egyptians again found a smart way to create something essential: soap. They used alkaline salts and fats from vegetables and animals to make a soap-like material.
Not only did they use this substance for cleaning, but it also helped with skin diseases. The skills of the Egyptians, when it came to medical areas, was world-renowned. Homer said in The Odyssey, "The Egyptians were skilled on medicine more than any other art."
Many Different Juices
It may not have been as popular as some of the other products like beer and wine, but fruit juice was something many enjoyed during this era. Citrus fruits were primarily used for fruit juices, thanks to their sweet taste.
The most cherished types were figs and grapes, which the ancient Egyptians would press until the last drop of juice came out. Honey would also help ferment the grape juice and others like dates, and raisins.
Being Overweight Was Common
It would appear that the ancient Egyptians had something in common with many in society today. Many of the pharaohs were overweight due to their diets. They would consume a lot of bread, honey, and alcohol.
Computer X-rays have shown signs of damaged arteries, bad teeth, and heart disease. The interesting part is that their drawings and sculptures portrayed their leaders as thin and trim. This was probably because thinness was a cultural norm at that time.
Dairy Products
Once agriculture came around, ancient Egyptian culture saw an increase in cattle farming. Bulls were exclusively for farming, but sheep, goats, and cows had been used for the milk inside them.
The size of your herd would represent your level of prestige as an owner. Other than milk, dairy products like whey, curd, and cream also became popular delicacies. The only down part is that depending on which temple you followed, certain types of dairy were off-limits.
They Loved To Eat Bread
Much like with beer, bread was another staple in their diet. The type they ate differed in many ways from the kind we enjoy today. Thanks to the untreated utensils used to make the products, there would often be unwanted things such as mica and quartz mixed into the flour.
After making the flour, they would mix the dough and knead it with their hands and feet! They added flavoring with spices, milk, yeast, and salt right before cutting the bread into baking pieces.
Indoor Bathing Wasn't For Everyone
Unless you had some money to your name, chances are you weren't going to bathe indoors. While average Egyptians would take a bath every day, how they did it was dependent on their social class.
If you had money, you had somewhere to clean yourself at your home. Those in the higher social class would have jugs of water carried from the Nile poured on them while standing on a stone slab. The less fortunate had to clean themselves in the Nile.
Perfumes Were Around
As we mentioned earlier, the ancient Egyptians valued the way they smell. That included their breath and their body, so they created different perfumes to help with this matter.
The base of the creation were oils and then they added fragrant spices and herbs ranging from mint and juniper to cardamom. Sometimes, they would have scents imported from foreign areas. The most prized scent became a fragrance called kyphi, as it was an indicator of wealth.
Cleaning Their Clothes In Suspect Water
You're probably going to scratch your head after reading this, but it's true. They might have worn very little clothing during the ancient Egyptian times, but those in the later periods started donning more extensive wardrobes.
They demanded their clothes be clean, and the material they used often was linen. They had to beat, rinse, twist, and soak by hand in order to eliminate dirt. The lower classes had to use the Nile River, a body of water others would dump garbage in and relieve themselves.
Keeping Their Teeth Cleaned
The ancient Egyptians were very resourceful when it came to creating things that kept them clean. For their teeth, they ground up mint, salt, and flowers into a powder. Using their fingers to rub this substance on their teeth, it would mix with their saliva and form a paste.
Soon enough, they stopped using their fingers and made a toothbrush from a stick bound with strips of plants as bristles. Keeping fresh was a big priority for them.
What Did They Use To Cleanse Their Bodies?
The Egyptians cared a lot about the body and wanted to know as much as they could about it. The doctors not only helped in medicine, but they were priests as well.
Thanks to all this, the doctors would suggest using laxatives to help clean the intestines. Many Egyptians would use this product three days a month, as they believed laxatives would rid the body of disease. As a bonus move, they used castor oil to force waste from the body.
How Did They Prepare Their Food?
The Nile River was a major resource for the Egyptians. Not only was it important for bathing and drinking water, but it helped create fertile soil for growing their food.
Since others would use the Nile to go to the restroom, the soil would also become contaminated with disease. The lower class would further this contamination by having to prep their food on the floor. To make matters even worse, they would clean their dishes with the dirty Nile water.
Getting In Those Manicures
As it turns out, even the ancient Egyptians liked to keep their hands looking top-notch. That's why the wealthy hired others to come and keep their fingernails looking nice and clean.
The manicurists would use small knives and files to clean and trim fingernails and toenails. Manicurists secured a special place in this ancient society and even made sure they had their titles engraved on their tombs after they passed so others could show them respect.
Only The Rich Had Toilets
Unless you were wealthy during ancient Egyptian times, chances are you did your business outdoors. It doesn't sound like an ideal situation, especially if you had to go number two, but that's how it went.
Many of the rich had toilets made of limestone, and the stone would sit on top of a box full of sand. Sadly, it was a person's job to empty that box. If you didn't have the funds for this, you more than likely dug up holes and relieved yourself that way.
Moisturizing After Bathing
As you would imagine, Egypt is a sunny and hot place. The Egyptians had to take care of their skin, much like we do today. As a result, they applied animal products like tallow, something that helped keep the skin moisturized thanks to the fat in it.
They even managed to find a way to make their skin look younger when they used linseed or castor oil added with honey. Many of the ingredients in the creams worked as sunscreen as well.
Towers To Escape
No one appreciates mosquitoes. The Egyptians didn't like them so much that they had towers built just to escape them. That's next-level hatred, but an effective tactic if you think about it.
Mosquitoes plagued the area so the people had to take matters into their own hands to prevent the bites. Those in the "upper parts of the marshes" made towers around their sleeping rooms because the wind would stop the pesky bugs from flying that high to get inside.
Looking Their Best
The ancient Egyptians spent a lot of time working on their appearance. We've discussed some of their methods, but haven't touched on their grooming methods. When it came to their hair, they had ornate hairpins and wide-tooth combs constructed from silver and ivory.
They also had bronze tweezers to help shape their eyebrows. Researchers also found gold razors in abundance in the tombs. The ancient Egyptians wanted to look nice and there's nothing we see wrong with that.
How They Prevented Sickness
As much as appearance was a big deal, preventative medicine also a priority in their culture. Egyptians found ways to help ward off disease and maintain optimum health, like paying attention to what they ate.
Laborers ate a diet heavy in garlic, onion, and radish. These vegetables are rich in allicin, raphanin, and allistatin, which are powerful antibiotics that helped with the prevention of disease. They also ate powdered liver to help with night blindness. That's heavy in Vitamin A, a nutrient for vision.
Beetle Lips?
The dye called carmine is something that exists in plenty of products today like cosmetics, food coloring, and even candy. It's a red dye that's created by crushing up the shells of beetles.
It sounds gross to know that you've been potentially consuming that, but Cleopatra was one of the first women to use this tactic. She would use crushed shells and ants to make her lipstick. The ants were the base, and the carmine gave the pigmentation.
A Natural Dye That's Still Used Today
Not everything about ancient Egyptian hygiene is old-fashioned, dangerous, or just downright distasteful to our modern sensibilities. Back then, people would use Henna to dye their hair, skin, and nails -- something that many people around the world still do.
Henna is a mixture of natural extracts from shrubs and flowers that can be used to make a variety of different colors. It was about more than beauty. The Egyptians valued henna for its nutritious contents that helped to enhance healthy hair.
Keeping The Mice Away
In addition to keeping mosquitos away, ancient Egyptians also had a method to keep mice at bay. Would you ever consider using the fat from a cat for anything around the house? Probably not, but that's exactly what they used to do.
To keep mice from eating their clothing, people would smear the lard (or fat) from cats all over the place! Pictured is the mummy of a cat, dating back to 332-330 B.C.
The World's Oldest Toothpaste Recipe
If you're curious to see exactly what ancient Egyptian toothpaste was like, then you’re in luck. The National Library of Vienna, Austria possesses what is thought to be the oldest recipe for toothpaste in the world.
It's a mixture of salt, pepper granules, mint, and dried iris flower. Surprisingly, modern researchers have discovered that iris is very helpful in combating gum disease! The Egyptians were onto something here, as they were in many areas.
They Had Dentists On Deck
Some might find this surprising, but it shouldn't be at all. The ancient Egyptians had surprisingly advanced medicine, including specialized fields such as dentistry and surgery. Religious ceremonies usually accompanied medical treatments.
Something that should be a shocker is that everyone had access to healthcare -- even slaves could get treated. This evidence comes from the Edwin Smith and Ebers Papyrus, dating back to 3000 BCE. Researchers found early mentions of them having dentists.
How Else Would They Keep Their Breath Fresh?
Thankfully, we have gum or Altoids to rely on when it comes to keeping our breath as fresh as it can be. The Egyptians didn't have those luxuries, so they discovered something to chew on to keep their mouths fresh.
The ancient Egyptians took pride in having clean breath, so they made sure they had ways to relieve bad breath. One of their tactics was to chew herbs like parsley after meals or anytime during the day.
They Used A Special Deodorant
Forgetting to put on deodorant can ruin anyone's day. Who wants to walk around with sweaty and smelly underarms? The ancient Egyptians didn't want to, that's for sure. As a result, they came up with their own deodorant.
These wise people would ground flowers, herbs, and roots to make a paste, which they mixed with oil that would turn it into a cream. That cream would then get applied to their underarms. Some of them would use this formula all over their bodies.
Cleopatra Had An Interesting Beauty Regimen...
It isn't easy to stay looking young and beautiful for as long as possible. Cleopatra knew this, so she had an interesting way to go about this that many wouldn't dare to try today.
To keep herself looking young and glowing, rumors have it that she regularly took baths in donkey milk! The wild part is that she would need about 700 of the beasts milked to provide enough for her daily baths. How did she have so many?!
Living The Vegetarian Life
The ancient Egyptians might've lived on the Nile River, but that didn't mean they ate a ton of fish. According to scientific studies published in the Journal of Archaeological Science, they mainly had a vegetarian diet.
After testing carbon isotopes in a decent amount of mummies, researchers found that their meals were heavy in barley and wheat. Fruits and vegetables were a part of their diets as well, including garlic, pomegranates, dates, and celery. They would still have meat every once in a while.
Cooling Linen Made From Flax
Flax plants weren't hard to find in Egypt thanks to them growing naturally along the Nile. It only takes about 100 days to mature from seed to full-grown plant, so that was a bonus as well.
After harvesting the fibers, they would spin them into thread and weave them into cloth. The whiter the fabric and the more precise the weave indicated a higher social status of whoever donned the look. The linen would help out in the desert climate as well.
Pillows Made Of Stone
How does resting your head on a stone or wooden pillow sound? Toss out your memory foam one and give this a try. The ancient Egyptians made the stone headrests popular with dead bodies.
Since they figured the head was the essence of life and it was sacred, these specific pillows had various benefits. They thought they would uphold body vigor, ward away demons, and keep blood circulating. Now, do you want to give them a try?
Shaving Eyebrows?
Some people have interesting traditions when it comes to eyebrows. There are cultures that have brides shave them off before getting married, which sounds very unlucky for those poor ladies.
In ancient Egypt, they had obsessions with cats. Whenever one died, people would shave off their eyebrows to mourn the death. The mourning would continue until all of the hair above their eyes grew back. That is a long time to be sad over a cat.
The Poultry
Both the peasants and the rich enjoyed poultry in ancient Egypt. The most common included ducks, quails, pigeons, cranes, and geese. The most popular poultry among the rich were ducks, geese, and pigeons. The poor wound up having eating birds such as swans and cranes.
Goose, duck, and swan eggs were also widely consumed. The Egyptians would season these goods to preserve them if they didn't eat it right away.
Sipping On Adult Beverages
One of the most popular staples during ancient Egyptian times was beer. They would drink it on a daily basis, as it was the preferred beverage among the rich, the powerful, and the children as well.
With so much of it in their diet, they lived life on a high. Whether it was with the first meal or with the last, you can bet beer was added into the mix. What a time to be alive!
Shaving Their Heads
These days, we don't have to rely on losing all of our hair to prevent lice. Some products can do that for us, but during ancient times, they had to go another way.
Lice used to torment the Egyptians a ton, so they took drastic measures to get rid of them. They would remove all their hair using knives, tweezers, and razors. In return, they would sport wigs made from real human hair or horsehair.
