The need for skin protection and moisturizers in a hot, arid climate was perceived as necessary for both genders. Both sexes, of all classes, oiled their bodies regularly. Ancient Egyptian concerns with beauty and body care transcend their distance from us. It is hard to envision an area where history and people come alive more than in the study of ancient body care and beauty. No where is the bridge between humans more firm and sure.
Egyptian concerns mirror our own.
They, too, worried about weight gain and hair loss. An ancient manuscript is entitled The Beginning of the Book on How to Make the Old Young. A title like that could be a best-seller today. If we could time travel and speak to the individuals of long ago, the subject of body care would be easy common ground. Our extensive knowledge of the Egyptians' beauty regime can be credited to their burial customs and also to the arid climate which preserves artifacts so well.