Dated ages back, in the famous fairy tale
of the snow white and Seven Dwarfs, the wish of the wicked step-mother
to be the most beautiful woman on earth, even today strikes the chord
that being beautiful irrespective of age, sex and color is not a thing
desired just today.
As ayurveda the concept of beauty has an age-old origin. Whether
in fairy tales it was the wicked mother or the fairy that beautified
Cinderella on the ball night, creating beauty by magic potions or
herbs proves that beauty, its concepts and cosmetics go hand in
hand. Especially for females, the desire to look beautiful, charming
and young by different beauty ways, using various herbs are things
known by the world since centuries.
Ancient scriptures like Abhijnana Shakuntalam and Meghadootam of
Kalidasa and many mythological epics encompass the reference of
cosmetics like: Tilak, Kajal, Alita and Agaru (Aquilaria agalbeha)
that were used as body decorative and to create beauty spots on
the chin and cheeks in the era ruled by gods and their deities.
In fact, the concept of beauty and cosmetics is as old as mankind
and civilization. The famous depictions in the Ajanta and Ellora
caves, Khajurao prove that not only women but men also adorned themselves
with jewelry, scents and cosmetics. Enscripted in history is the
Aryan period that witnessed the use of turmeric- haridra, (curcuma
long, linn), saffron, alkanet, agaru, chlorophyll green from nettle
plants and indigo for bodily-decorations apart from using Raktachandan
(Pterocarpus Santalinus Linn), Chandan (Santalum Album) for beautification.
Using Mehendi (henna) for dying hair in different colors and conditioning
was aslo practiced in the olden times.
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