Russian scientists from the Kurchatov Institute in Moscow made a remarkable discovery concerning the top-secret hair products that Ancient Egyptians used for centuries.
The hair of Ancient Egyptian mummies was found in perfectly preserved condition, despite being over 3,000 years old, in a startling new revelation.
Russian scientists unraveled the mystery behind Ancient Egypt’s hair fashion, leaving mummies with immaculate curls lasting thousands of years.
Using state-of-the-art technology, researchers were finally able to unveil the pharaohs’ secret hair balm serum.
The special formula contained ingredients like beef fat, castor oil, beeswax, and pine gum, with optional aromatic pistachio oil.
Scientists uncovered the secret hair balm of Ancient Egyptian mummies.
The Ancient Egyptians used this serum on their hair, resulting in perfectly preserved curls that lasted for over three centuries.
Scientists believe that the hair formula contained different ingredients than those used on their bodies.
Researchers found that the mummies had used beef fat, castor oil, and beeswax to preserve their locks.
Dr. Viktor Pozhidayev, a senior researcher at the institute’s biotechnology and bio-energy department, said: “We carried out research on three Ancient Egyptian mummies. All dated to the first millennium BC. It was astonishing to see their long hair being so meticulously styled, with not a lock out of place.”
“We had the idea that special embalming compositions were used for their processing and decided to find out their recipe,” explained Dr. Viktor Pozhidayev.
Researchers employed mass spectrometry to identify the ingredients that had dissolved over time, recording infrared spectra before and after treatment with solvents. The results revealed that the hair balm contained beef fat, castor oil, and beeswax.
Further studies indicated the presence of abietic and dehydroabietic acids, found in pine tree resin. Two out of three of the mummies had fragrant pistachio oil present in their hair balms.
This study was published in the Journal of Analytical Chemistry.
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The study was conducted at Moscow’s Kurchatov Institute.
Scientists had the opportunity to examine the skeleton of a mummy who had lived over 3,000 years ago and discovered that two of his feet were missing.
Sergey Kartashov, from the Kurchatov Institute, stated, “On the computer screen, we can see that some parts of the body are filled with objects that were inserted during the mummification process. These are likely to be fabric rolls and possibly some ritual accessories. The mummy has both feet missing.”