Ancient Egyptian Mummies Styled Their Hair with ‘Fat-Based’ Gel: Study

It is a known fact that the process of beautification is an important part of the ancient Egyptian mummification process. To prepare for their afterlife, they decked up in beautiful garments and jewels.

However, a study by archaeologists at the KNH Centre for Biomedical Egyptology at the University of Manchester, UK has suggested new facts that might lead the term mummy beautification to a whole new level.

Studying hair samples from a total of 18 mummies, both males and females between the age of 4-58 years, the researchers found that their hair was styled using a fat-based gel.

The research published in the recent edition of the journal Nature, reveals that the researchers found the hair of the mummies coated with mysterious gel-like substance. Upon further investigation using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, they found that the coating contained biological long-chain fatty acids, including palmitic acid and stearic acid.

May be they paid special attention to the hair because they realized that it didn't degrade as much as the rest of the body, Nature Natalie McCreesh from the KNH Centre for Biomedical Egyptology stating.

However, it was found that the embalming materials used during the process of mummification were not found in the hair samples. This indicated that the hair was protected during embalming and then styled separately.