Ancient Greece Makeup

The ancient Greek women were known as well as praised for their beauty. As a matter of fact, Greek women often used make up to accentuate their beauty. There are also evidences which point to the fact that ancient Greek women used make up. Like for instance, the paintings on the walls and palaces Frescos in Knossos, the royal city of ancient Greece, the island of Crete which is as old as 1500BC stand as a testimony to the use of make up by the ancient Greek women. However, since make up was extremely expensive only rich, wealthy women could afford it.

The ancient Greek idea of beauty comprised of pale skin, gold locks and natural makeup which is pretty much similar to even todays modern age Greek women. Pale skin signified prestige and beauty. Hence, in order to lighten the shade of their skin, ancient Greek women used white lead. A white wrinkle-free skin could be obtained by applying a paste of white lead dissolved in water. This paste would then be applied on the face, neck, shoulders and arms.

Subsequently white chalk replaced white lead. One of the major advantages of using chalk was that it could easily as well as quickly be removed. Apart from this, ancient Greek women also used honey to moisturize their skin and olive oil to make the skin shinier.

Minimalistic makeup was the key to the beauty of the ancient Greek women. This was done in order to keep their look as natural as possible. Apart from this bright colored lipsticks were also popular and in vogue. Lipstick was basically a paste consisting of red iron oxide and ochre clays or olive oil with bees wax. Sometimes the red colored powder was also prepared from crushed mulberries, flowers or seaweed.

Another belief which was popular among the ancient Greeks was that connected eyebrows were considered to be a sign of beauty. Hence, the ancient Greek women would decorate their eyes with dark powder in order to make the eyebrows look joint or connected. Eye shadows were made up of olive oil properly mixed with ground charcoal. Noblewomen applied a somewhat bold makeup and so these noblewomen applied dark eyeliners, eyebrow colors and eye shadow which were produced from soot. Eyes and eyebrows were accentuated with the help of sweeping lines and dark outlines.

Ancient Greek women took special care of their hair. While the women slaves had short hair, free women had long tresses of hair. However, once a woman got married she would tie her hair in a bun. Different types of hair accessories like diadem, jeweled combs, hair pins and such other accessories were very much in vogue. During the Hellenistic period, women not only learnt but also mastered the technique of artificially waving and curling their hair.

Applying vinegar and standing under the sun were the two most commonly used remedies for lightening the shade of the hair. Additionally, olive oil was also used as a part of the conditioning treatment of the hair. This not only moisturized their hair but made them soft and shiny.

Apart from all these cosmetic, precious oils, perfumes, cosmetics, beauty unguents etc were also extremely popular. Sale and export of these constituted a major source of revenue for the ancient Greeks. Additionally, in the 7th and 8th century BC, the Corinthian, Rhodian as well as the East Greek traders dominated the markets with the export of perfume flasks and cosmetic containers. It was during the same period that Athens emerged as the cultural city state with the establishment of the mercantile center in which several perfume manufacturers set up their shops.

Ancient Greek Life History / Ancient Greece Facts for Kids

We owe a lot to Ancient Greek Civilization. History of ancient Greece is a fascinating. On this site, we have given information on various ancient Greek life aspects - Arts, Boys and Girls, Architecture, Dancing, Gods, Myths, Medicine, Inventions, Houses, Government, Religions, Wars, Politics, Weapons and ancient Greece Cities.