Epilation and world cultures

Where and when did hair removal first appear? Let us go back in history. For the first time, women began to remove unwanted hair in Ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome. It was considered a luxury, and was available only to the rich. Excessive hair growth was a sign of plebeians. Servants removed unwanted hair on the body of their masters with a help of tweezers, the procedure lasted for several hours and was accompanied by severe pain. The hair was also shaved off with sharpened objects. South America, is a birthplace of "Brazilian epilation" - the removal of hair from the private parts. In Brazil, where girls' swimsuits are just narrow strips, the skin should be perfect. In 1987 seven sisters opened the very first salon Manhattan.

In Europe, hair was shaved off. Soft hairs were removed by rolling over them balls of wax with soaked bread crumb.

Egypt, Alexandria is the birthplace of sugaring

Nefertiti, the spouse of the Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt from 1351-1334 BC. , was considered an example of beauty, her portraits adorned all the churches of the country. It was Nefertiti who invented the paste for epilation, it consisted of honey, bee wax and herbs. Hair removal became more pleasant, and the result lasted several weeks. Later, Cleopatra began using a sugar mixture to remove hair. This method was adopted by women of ancient Greece.

Epilation in Ancient Rome

In ancient Rome traditionally hair was removed in saunas where the skin was steam treated and the pores are opened. This helped to make the procedure less painful. The method of removal was very surprising: the maids wound the hairs on their masters’ on a thread and jerked sharply. Tweezers were also used. Later they invented a method where tar, similar to modern hair removal wax, was applied on the skin.

How was hair removed on the East?

Muslim women had to remove hair all over the body below the neck. To do this, they used a thick caramel and a special thread, which was scraped the mixture of caramel and unwanted hair off. To slow the hair growth, ointments with turmeric were used. The women of Japan and China were luckier, thanks to the Asian nature, their skin was less covered with undesirable hair. Epilation was done only in intimate areas and armpits. To do this, a hot wax or an expensive litter of the nightingale was used.

In India, hair removal was a ritual. In this process, all the courtiers participated. The skin was prepared in advance by ointments with herbs. The hair was removed with tweezers. For anesthesia, a narcotic brew was cooked. Epilation was done not only by women, but also by men.

Women fight unwanted hairs since ancient times, despite the pain and inconvenience. Sugaring is also known since ancient times. No wonder that modern girls choose it out of all existing hair removal methods - the secret of queens and pharaohs’ beauty is worth it!