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Centuries ago, ‘Solah Shringar’ laid down the guidelines for beauty. The sixteen ways of adornment and beauty advised in Solah Shringar were as follows:
In India, during ancient times, women used colour to decorate themselves, but such ingredients were linked to their medicinal usage. For example, henna has its basis in Ayurvedic usage, where henna was applied as a cooling paste, to bring down fevers, or cure heat rashes. Gradually, it began to be used to colour the hair and paint intricate patterns on the hands and feet, a tradition that remains till today. Similarly, sandalwood paste was applied on the forehead for its cooling properties. For skin and hair care too, natural ingredients were used, whether it was to maintain beauty, or to cure skin and hair problems.
Indian herbs and natural beauty aids go back thousands of years. Our ancient paintings, sculptures and epics are eloquent testimony to the fact that Indian women have even used oils of roses and jasmine as perfumes. They used reetha, shikakai and musk in their bath water, like the “bubble baths” of the modern age.
The discovery of the oil of rose is credited to India and Empress Nur Jehan. It is said that the palace reservoirs and tanks were filled with rose petals to perfume the water. One hot summer day, the Empress noticed an oily substance floating on the water, around the rose petals. It was found that the oil was very aromatic and had a concentrated perfume of roses. This prompted the collection and making of oil of rose, which is used in many creams and lotions today.
Indian women also knew the rare rehydrate value of silt and underwater weeds from running brooks. They combined this with oil of rose and turmeric and used it as a face or body pack. It was washed off with milk or water. It is these translucent and flawless skins that come alive in the famous miniatures and glass paintings of India.
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