Skin care has been around for thousands of years, and has been viewed throughout history as a compliment to beauty and hygene since the Ancient Egyptian and Ancient Greek times.
A large part of the Egyptian culture was dedicated to beauty and cleanliness through skin care. They were very conscious of body odours and believed, in order to be healthy, you must be clean. This also made you more attractive and protected you from evil. They were fastidious in their personal habits. Bathing was an enjoyable and social experience, sometimes performed as often as three times a day. They took elaborate baths, soaking in milk to soften their skin, and used a kind of soap made from crushed pumice stones, olive oil and water. They also created many scented creams and ointments to protect their skins from the drying effects of sun. Their most famous queen, Cleopatra, was well known for her anti-aging skin care regime. She bathed in sour milk, high in lactic acid, which turns out to be quite favourable for skin exfoliation.
In Ancient Greece, men and women used a mixture of honey and olive oil to moisturize and protect their skins, for good health and appearance. Greek Athletes used to bath in olive oil and dust their bodies in fine sand to regulate body temperature. This also made their skin more resistant to heat and the sun's rays, an ancient form of sun cream and anti ageing cream.
The Romans regarded cleanliness and smooth skin as a major constituent of being beautiful. Bathing was very important for the Romans, who spent large amounts of time in public baths. They used multiple rooms of various temperatures and steam, more like a sauna, as well as a plunge pool. Scented oils were also used instead of soap. These baths were used for relaxing and enjoyment as well as social gatherings. The Romans put large mounts of effort and money into building these baths, well known to be specatular. The baths of the Emperor Carcalla were the most famous. One room, called the 'unctuarium', had shelves with pots of ointments, jars of fragrant oils, and several essences in bottles of varyious sizes.
In the Middle Ages, Europeans used perfume to cover body odours, and women used to bath in wine in order to achieve the effect of smooth, silky skin.
The evolution of skin care has continued into our modern times. It is constantly introducing and developing new products to satisfy our desire for perfect beauty and eternal youth. We have kept the knowledge our ancestors showed us, with natural products like fruits, vegetables and oils that have been the secret ingredients behind sun protection and anti-aging treatments through the ages, and also bring new concepts and technologies to the fore in taking care of our skins.
