The Ancient Oils: Why Cleopatra, Queens, and Healers Chose Them First
Before glass jars of cream lined bathroom shelves, before the term “skincare routine” even existed, there were oils. Pressed from seeds, nuts, and flowers, oils were the first beauty elixirs — coveted, traded, and revered. They weren’t just cosmetic. They were sacred.
From Egypt to India to Greece, queens, healers, and everyday women turned to oils not only to protect the skin but to mark moments of ritual, healing, and power. Their wisdom still feels startlingly relevant today.
Oils as Medicine
For ancient healers, oils were medicine. In Ayurveda, sesame and neem oils were massaged into the body to draw out toxins and restore balance. In Mayan tradition, herbal oils were used to ease pain, calm the spirit, and connect with the divine. Oils were carriers of plant intelligence — a way to deliver the healing force of nature directly into the body.
Even science agrees: oils are naturally rich in antioxidants, fatty acids, and compounds that repair skin. What our ancestors knew intuitively, modern research continues to prove.
Oils as Ritual
Cleopatra, the most famous beauty icon of antiquity, bathed in oils like moringa to keep her skin supple under the harsh desert sun. Greek athletes anointed themselves with olive oil before competing, believing it granted both physical strength and divine favor.
Across cultures, the act of anointing — rubbing oil into the skin with intention — was a form of ceremony. It marked transitions: morning into day, day into rest, childhood into adulthood, illness into healing. Oil was not rushed. It was touched, breathed in, absorbed.
Oils as Sovereignty
For queens and priestesses, oils were also a form of power. To care for one’s body was to declare sovereignty over it. To smell of frankincense, myrrh, or rose was to be recognized as someone sacred, someone set apart. Oils carried identity, lineage, and status.
This is why they remain so resonant today. Using oil is more than moisturizing — it’s reclaiming a practice that has always symbolized worthiness.
Why We Return to Oils Now
In a world of fast fixes and synthetic creams, oils feel like rebellion. They invite us to slow down, to touch our skin with reverence, to remember that beauty is not manufactured — it’s cultivated.
At House of Alchemy, every oil blend continues this lineage: a fusion of ancient wisdom and modern alchemy, crafted to remind you that beauty is ritual, skincare is medicine, and self-care is your sovereignty.
House Of Alchemy :)
