Cleopatra beauty secrets are super simple and easy to make. Her natural beauty routine would have involved bathing in the milk of donkeys, locally sourced natural oils sprinkled with her choice essential oils, rosewater to cleanse the skin, and honey for a more youthful glow.  

Ancient Egyptian beauty secrets, specifically Cleopatra beauty secrets, have become highly sought after as more people become aware of the benefits of natural ingredients over synthetic ones. From milk baths, face masks, and rosewater, Cleopatra had a recipe for them all. If history is to be believed the Egyptian Queen even wrote a book about her very own beauty secrets. 

Roman philosopher, Dio Cassius described Cleopatra as a woman of surpassing beauty. Well-educated and clever, she became a dominant ruler during the Ptolemaic dynasty by overthrowing her brother, who, she originally shared the throne with. 

Her alliances and romantic affairs with Roman leaders Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, as well as her striking beauty and powers of persuasion, earned her an enduring place in history and Greek mythology.     

While she had a cunning ability to charm leaders, it is Cleopatra beauty secrets that are highly sought after today. 

She spent a great deal on personal grooming and using products with antimicrobial material. She preserved her youth with carrier oils, essential oils, salt, honey, milk, and herbs; all-natural products that you can make in your home or purchase from clean non-toxic beauty brands.  

 

Milk:

If you are looking for a quick beauty treatment, milk baths are the way to go. The fat in milk is nourishing and will leave your skin hydrated, with a radiant glow. 

Cleopatra secret beauty ingredient was donkeys’ milk. She used it to preserve her youthful skin. This unusual milk is filled with an abundance of nutrients and important fatty acids like linoleic acid. 

The linoleic acid in milk is an Omega-6 fatty acid (arachidonic acid) that plays a significant part in keeping our skin nourished. While Cleopatra was said to have 700 donkeys at her disposal, a quart of fresh donkeys’ milk or ½ cup powdered donkeys’ milk will still provide all the benefits to make your skin glow like an Egyptian Queen, or at least nourish that dry skin. 

Cleopatra Beauty Secrets – Milk Bath Recipe:

What you’ll need:

1 quart of donkey milk or ½ cup powdered

1/8 cup honey (preferably locally sourced honey).

You can add your preference of essential oils like jasmine, rose, or ylang ylang (one of Cleopatra’s favorite essential oils). 

Directions

  1. Combine warm milk and honey; add to warm bath
  2. Add 3 drops of preferred essential oil
  3. Enjoy!

G&G Tip: To make your milk bath extra special add fresh or dehydrated flowers

 

Honey:

A simple ingredient that is often used in natural beauty recipes. Honey is a go to beauty cleanser and commonly used ingredient in face masks. 

Since Honey contains antibacterial, antioxidants, and antiseptic properties (the big three), it is a great ingredient to use when you need to purge your skin of blackheads and toxins by removing dirt from pores. It then hydrates and tightens your skin giving you a flawless complexion – this would have been a necessity for Cleopatra to maintain that glowing skin in Ancient Egypt.

If you are looking for a simple three ingredient face mask with lots of benefits, try G&G’s milk and honey face mask using Cleopatras favored type of milk, donkey’s milk.

Cleopatra Beauty Secrets – Milk and Honey Face Mask, with aloe vera Recipe:

What you’ll need:

4 tablespoons powdered donkey’s milk

2 tablespoons warm water

½ tablespoon honey

2 tablespoons aloe vera gel

1 wash cloth

 

Directions

  1. Start with a clean dry face
  2. Add all ingredients until well combined (no lumps)
  3. Apply gently to the face, paying close attention to any dry areas
  4. Leave on for 10-15 minutes 
  5. Wash off face mask and pat dry.

G&G Tip: Apply a warm cloth over the mask to better open up your pores and hydrate the skin

Rose Water:

Roses are often attributed to Venus, the Roman goddess of love and beauty.

Legend has it, roses were originally white but stained red after a thorn pierced Venus’s foot in her haste to save her lover, Adonis – the god of love and desire. This testimony of love eternally altered the color of the flower. Perhaps this is why the white rose is a symbol of innocence and purity while, the red rose represents passion and desire.

Rose water has been used around the world for thousands of years. Ancient Egyptians, Persians, and Medieval Europeans used rosewater medicinally for its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. 

Rose water is often used as a tonic to cleanse the skin and extract impurities. Rose water is a common ingredient in moisturizers to calm redness, reduce acne, and even out skin tone – great for people with eczema and sensitive/dry skin. 

Cleopatra Beauty Secret – Green Tea with Rose Water

What you’ll need:

1 cup spring water 

1 tablespoon loose-leaf green tea

½ teaspoon rose water

 ½ teaspoon honey (as needed for desired sweetness)

Tea infuser 

Directions (serves 2)

  1. Boil water
  2. Add loose leaf tea to infuser
  3. Steep 3 minutes
  4. Add rosewater and honey
  5. Enjoy!                        

Cleopatra Beauty Secret – Apple Cider Vinegar Bath with Rose Water 

What you’ll need:

½ cup calendula flowers

½ cup rose water

1 quart apple cider vinegar

1 saucepan

1 sterilized wide mouth jar

2 (8oz) amber glass jars

Cheese cloth or strainer

Directions

  1. Pour apple cider vinegar into saucepan
  2. Bring to a boil 
  3. Add calendula flowers to wide mouth jar
  4. Pour the vinegar and rose water over calendula flowers
  5. Cap jar with a nonmetal lid and let steep in a cool dark place for 2 weeks
  6. Strain and add into sterilized glass jars
  7. Each jar affords for 1 bath 

Oils:

The beauty industry and society in general has stigmatized oils to have negative connotations. What is the first thing that comes to mind when oil is brought up in conversation? Perhaps acne prone skin or maybe hair that has hasn’t been washed in awhile.

 

Oils are actually an instrumental ingredient when creating and developing natural beauty recipes. Scroll down a little further to learn why they are so important and what Cleopatra used them for…

Carrier Oils:

Carrier oils are found in the fatty portion of a plant, such as seeds and nuts. These oils are often used to dilute essential oils to act as “carriers” to the skin. 

Commonly used carrier oils are olive, almond, coconut, baobab, castor, sesame, avocado, and argan, to name a few.  

The favored oils of the Ancient Egyptians and Greeks would have been almond, castor, sesame, and olive; they were readably available and used in cosmetic and naturopathic medicine. 

Almond, sesame, and olive oils are great base oils that are packed with a rich array of fatty acids, which are needed for our skin to stay hydrated and healthy. 

Cleopatra would have used these carrier oils to blend her favorite essentials oils and maintain her legendary beauty.

Essential Oils: 

Essential oils are basically extracted by steaming and pressing various parts of a plant, such as the flowers, leaves, and even the bark. Unlike carrier oils, essential oils are ultra-concentrated hydrophobic liquids that should not be applied directly to the skin. They are primarily used in aromatherapy, candles, body oils, and immersions.   

Cleopatras favored essentials oils were sweet woodsy smelling such as, neroli, frankincense, rose, ylang ylang, and jasmine sambac – all aphrodisiacs that have a relaxing effect and feelings of euphoria. These oils are Cleopatra beauty routine staples. 

Cleopatra Beauty Secret – Body Oil to Hydrate and Recharge your Skin

What you’ll need:

1 (16oz) glass or non-BPA plastic bottle

Glass bowl

Glass or wooden stir stick (popsicle sticks work nicely)

1 cup almond oil

1 cup sesame seed oi

1 tsp ylang ylang essential oil

½ teaspoon Rose essential oil

20 drops Roman Chamomile

Directions

  1. In a glass bowl, stir together all carrier oils until fully incorporated 
  2. Add essential oils and continue stirring
  3. Transfer the mixture to sterilized containers and shake well (about 10-15 seconds)
  4. Keep in a cool dark area. Should last about 3-4 months depending on use.

Oils are considered moisturizers, meaning you can replace your boring old lotion for this super soothing golden elixer that will leave your skin naturally hydrated. It is best to apply oils on damp skin shortly after getting out of the shower. Just blot off any excess water with a towel and apply in a slow circular movement. We reccommend starting with your feet – or ankles – moving up towards your arms and chest to enhance circulation.

                                                                                Cleopatra, the legendary beauty

Philosophers have written about Cleopatra’s intoxicating beauty since ancient times. Ancient Roman philosopher, Dio Cassius described Cleopatra as a “woman of surpassing beauty”. 

While other philosophers like Plutarch believed Cleopatras beauty “was not, in and of itself, completely incomparable”. Instead, he considered, interaction with her captivating and her persuasiveness in discussion, stimulating.

These differing opinions describe the beauty and spirit that defines Cleopatra to this day. She was utterly stunning with the confidence to rule a country, and entice powerful rulers. If only we could get our hands on that natural beauty book she is said to have written.  

 

 

 

If you are interested in learning more about Ancient Egyptian beauty secrets and a core Cleopatra beauty routine check out G&G ‘s Milk recipes and learn why it became a core ingredient in Cleopatras beauty routine.

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