Jet black silky hair, colorful attires, and smokey eyes. From Bollywood to courts of Indian Palaces
and the open roads of Chandni Chowk, Indian women have acquired a distinct place as one of the most
beautiful women on earth. And most of these women will give you pretty much the same answer
if you ask the secret behind their fab look. Their grandmas’ beauty secrets!
And their grandmas will credit their own grandmothers for the amazing beauty tips that
have kept Indian women looking gorgeous over the generations. Welcome to Nutty History and let’s
explore the old but still gold beauty secrets of Ancient India that even you can use to glamour up!
The very first time Europeans visited India, they got so crazy about the
herbs and spices that their governments had to outlaw them for being addictive!
India is quite naturally rich and diverse when it comes to flora and that could be why organic
makeup originated in India. Some of these cosmetics were so important for the Vedic
period that the religious texts would consider them sacred and essential. Sindoor and Kumkum,
which are still used widely across India have always been important cosmetic powders to apply
on the forehead for Hindus. Sindoor traditionally was created from ground red sandalwood and Hindu
male would apply it as a ‘Tilak’ on their forehead after their daily prayers. Kumkum was created by
mixing saffron or turmeric with camphor or lime and applied as red dot or Bindi by womenfolk.
In modern times, Sindoor is more commonly made of cheap but toxic vermillion ores and Bindi are more
popular in the form of gum-laced stickers rather than organic Kumkum. Obviously, these substitutes
are not good for your skin so be careful of what you use. For the Vedic period as well as modern
Hinduism Red color of prosperity isn’t only for the forehead. Women of India love to dye their
hands and feet with red colorants made of beet and betel leaves. Just like henna which was introduced
by Mughals in medieval times, the red dye or Aalta has been used for thousands of years to decorate
hands with elegant and aesthetic art. The soles of the feet were dyed to look dazzling but there
also has been a religious purpose behind it. The freshly painted feet were meant to create
auspicious footprints in the house. It’s a belief in Hinduism that a pious woman's footprints bring
prosperity to the home. But red was not the only color that enhanced Indian beauty, to this day,
Indian women use black kajal to improve the look of their eyes by applying it to the waterline,
eyelashes, and outer rims of their eyes. Yes, we are talking about organic eyeliner.
Even men would rock Kajal in the old days but now it's way less popular. Kajal was made by
dipping muslin rag in a paste made of ground sandalwood burned in a lamp of castor oil.
Ghee was added later for easier application and for its natural quality of preserving eyesight.
India is a land of colors--- and not just because they celebrate a festival of color called Holi.
The colors come from the diversity in Indian looks, and culture, and the clothes they wear.
In fact, Indigo dying got its name because it originated in ancient India. The Indus valley
civilization was crafty with creating clothes out of cotton and silk and dying them in various
colors. Unlike the modern image of traditional clothing, where Indian women are covered from
head to toe, ancient Indian women dressed more conveniently to match the tropical weather.
Their Saris in ancient times were more like short skirts and they covered their torso with short
tunics or Odhnis. Woolen clothes were also popular in northern parts of Indus valley civilization and
Kashmir where the temperature was rather colder. There is a reason India was known as “The Golden
Bird” back in the days. The land was prospering and wealthy, and people couldn’t think of any
reason to not show it off. Males and females both wore gold or silver jewelry in their ears,
on their neck, on their fingers, and on their forearms. Anklets were quite popular among kids
and women as well. This wealth was also the reason why India got invaded by foreigners so many times!
Inhabitants of the Indus Valley civilization preferred to wear less but wear it in style.
The hot weather demanded for lack of layers but lots of experimentation. Woven cotton fabric
was the most common clothing fabric but the richer preferred to wear silk which was obtained from the
silkworm on the flax plants they grew. Knee-length clothing was common among women who wore their
skirts and blouses along with extensive jewelry. Bangles, earrings, beaded necklace and anklets
were expected on every female resident. With the dawn of the Vedic era, minimalistic fashion became
the trend. A single cloth draped around the body held by a pin on the shoulder and a belt on the
waist called Mekhala. Kings and nobility would fashion mekhala made of gold and silver to show
off their wealth. Some men and women preferred to wear Vasana only, a skirt like cloth draped around
the waist along with mekhala. During this period upper nudity wasn’t a matter of shame or ridicule
but encouraged. Common people would hardly cover their torso and carry a shawl like
garment Uttariya for wiping sweat or covering the head from harsh sunlight. Saree and dhoti are the
most recognized Indian attire in modern times, and they came into existence in Vedic Period as well.
As stitching became more common among northern India, ghagra choli and dupatta were invented
which are also quite common in modern India. Herbalism bloomed as legit medicine science back
in ancient India and it still exists by the name of Ayurveda. Even in present times, it is accepted
as a legal alternative medicine in India and some other parts of the world. Ancient Indians found
interesting uses for herbs and spices. They discovered medicinal uses of herbs for almost
all sorts of ailments and grooming including skincare. Even today modern skincare products goad
about these herbs to renovate their products in the market by adding aloe vera or mango pulp for
the 50th time in their creams and lotions. Ancient Indians had their own makeshift creams and pastes
to enrich their skin and get rid of skin-related issues. They even knew how to exfoliate!
Cosmetic Surgery is one of the modern medicine marvels which are hard to imagine to exist even
two centuries ago. Just ask the elephant man! So, it is understandable if you lose it if somebody
tells you that ancient Indians knew how to perform cosmetic surgery. Are you done laughing?
Well here’s the thing… it was real… at least theoretically. A 6th century BC book called
“Sushrut Sanhita”, written by ancient Indian physician Sushrut in the Sanskrit language
depicts in detail how to perform rhinoplasty, the cosmetic surgery to reconstruct a nose.
It also has drawings and descriptions of surgical instruments that the physician should use for such
delicate surgeries. And the book does check out the accuracy of the procedure according to the
modern science of osteopathy. Was there actual rhinoplasty happening back in ancient India?
That is quite debatable, but if it was true, would you go under the knife of an Ayurvedic
physician? Tell us in the comments and thanks for watching Nutty History.