The archaeological excavation of the ancient Roman city never ceased to amaze the dozens of students, professors and experts who worked there every day to bring to light the remains of a story that was frozen in time, exactly in 79 AD. We are talking about Herculaneum, buried under layers of lapilli and ash due to the eruption of volcano Vesuvius, which took every inhabitant by surprise, in their sleep. As the archaeologists dug, dusted and removed material, roads, houses, but also furnishings and ornaments emerged. In fact, in Herculaneum the volcano spared these finds, covering them with almost twenty meters of ash but leaving them intact, without charring them as instead happened in Pompeii. And, among the many objects returned to the flow of time, there was a pot, in silver, which still had elaborate inlays, a marvelous work of craftsmanship. It was a pot that contained cosmetics. What we have reported is history but now, closing our eyes, we like to let our imagination run wild and recreate a fragment of life in our minds, a life dating back to 79 AD, before the great eruption of the volcano. We can see the owner of the pot, a girl with black hair gathered at the nape of her neck and wrapped in a long white dress who, every evening, jealously places in this container little boxes and ampoules that she has just used sparingly to take care of her beauty and skin of her face. The girl is reflected in a large mirror, also made of silver, while scents of jasmine fill the air. We like to believe that that vase contained creams, but also mixtures to dye the complexion and even a scrub, in fact the Romans used scrubs a lot, famous is the one based on lily root, honey and seeds! Gradually the image fades, it returns to the mists of history and gives way to stones consumed by time and lava, but it also leaves an ancient wisdom that inspires us to create the cosmetic for face and body skin we are talking about today, a honey-based scrub!
Honey scrub, properties
The ancient Romans possessed a wisdom, derived from centuries of studies and traditions, which science has only been able to demonstrate objectively today. The use of honey in scrubs, in fact, is of considerable importance. Honey, thanks to the acids it contains, such as citric and malic acids, is exfoliating and therefore capable of removing dead cells, giving the complexion softness and brightness. Not only that, honey helps detoxify tissues, is anti-wrinkle and improves skin elasticity (Kurek Gorecka et al, Molecules, 2020). In addition to this, honey soothes irritations (Kurek Gorecka et al, Molecules, 2020). Even the use of seeds, ground, is of considerable importance when it comes to skin care. For example, flax seeds, which were well known to the Romans, are healing, help remove dark spots on the skin and improve skin hydration and elasticity, while sesame seeds are antioxidant and anti-inflammatory (Goyal et al , J Food Sci Technol, 2014 - Lin et al, Int J Mol Sci, 2018).
Honey scrub, how to make it at home
The recipe for this scrub is inspired by the cosmetic of the ancient Romans, with some variations to be able to adapt it to the needs and possibilities of our times, where it is more difficult to obtain powdered lily root. Instead, we will use sugar, a source of glycolic acid with an exfoliating action and useful for counteracting spots and photoaging (Samargandy et al, StatPearls, 2022 - Soleymani et al, J Clin Aesthet Dermatol, 2018). In a small bowl mix four tablespoons of brown sugar, two teaspoons of flax and sesame seeds, ground with a coffee grinder, two tablespoons of jojoba oil and two tablespoons of honey. If you prefer a more creamy texture, you can add jojoba oil, which improves skin hydration and regulates sebum production (Lin et al, Int J Mol Sci, 2018). Massage with the scrub the skin of the face and body, preferably wet or in the shower. Then, you can also leave it on for five minutes like a mask, then rinse and continue with your treatment.
