Mummies Had Hair Problems Too

We all have trouble getting our hair to do what we want it to, and it turns out the ancient Egyptians did too: they used hair gel.

It wasn’t anything we’d like to use, since it was mostly fat. Archeologists have found traces of this in mummy hair. When their bodies were mummified using embalming chemicals, Egyptian undertakers took special care to retain the deceased’s hairdo, and held it in place with gel. In LiveScience.com, Jennifer Welsh quotes archeologists in the UK as saying, "Personal appearance was important to the ancient Egyptians so much so that in cases where the hair was styled, the embalming process was adapted to preserve the hairstyle. This further ensured that the deceased’s individuality was retained in death, as it had been in life, and emphasizes the importance of the hair in ancient Egyptian society."

The mummies that have been found all have different kinds of hairstyles, depending on their age, sex and social status (not too different from hairstyles today!) Archeologists have also found what seem to be curling tongs in Egyptian tombs.

If you want to go see for yourself, mark your calendar (and if you order our beautiful crop circle calendar by Friday, Sept. 23 and use coupon 2010, you’ll get $3 off!)–William Henry is now taking reservations for his next Stargate trip to Egypt, February 14-27, 2012. To find out more, click here and scroll down. But if you can’t get to Egypt, travel to exotic places with unknowncountry.com every day, since we bring you the latest news of the edge that is happening all over the world. And if you want to keep ON traveling this way, be sure to support us and subscribe today!