Each person has a unique experience when it comes to cleanliness and personal care. History tells us that bathing is the oldest and most traditional ritual in our personal hygiene and has undergone various innovations over time.
The Bath
The first humans already knew the vital importance of water in their lives. Therefore, they lived on the banks of rivers or by the sea, allowing them to discover the cleaning properties of water – even if it was just to wash the mud off their hands.
Researchers on the subject believe that all peoples throughout history practiced some form of personal hygiene. One of the earliest records of the custom of bathing individually belongs to ancient Egypt, around 3000 B.C. The Egyptians complemented their baths with some “products”: ashes, baking soda, and clay were part of the ritual.
For the Greco-Romans, bathing was a cherished hygiene ritual and was even part of the architecture of cities, where luxurious public baths were built. To remove the dirt accumulated on their skin, these peoples also developed their own techniques and cleaned their bodies with clay, sand, pumice stone, and ashes. Another common process was using the “strigil,” a type of metal spatula that was rubbed on the skin after the body was coated with a type of oil.
From Ashes to Soap
In the Middle Ages in Europe, hygiene techniques became more sophisticated, and soap making became a well-established activity. Vegetable and animal fats gained more importance and were mixed with plant ashes and fragrances, creating this well-known cleaning product.
Gradually, a greater variety of products resulting from saponification – the chemical reaction that produces soap – began to appear and be used for skin and hair hygiene, as well as for clothing and other materials.
Today, soap is considered essential for our daily hygiene. But besides it, what other products or technologies can we use in our personal care? How can we evolve our bathing rituals and even think about creating new cleaning systems?
With this in mind, Natura is promoting the Challenge Cleaning Technologies for Personal Care. Our goal is to develop cleaning systems that revolutionize personal care and enhance well-being through more sustainable processes.
Learn about the challenge and participate! Your idea could become a reality!
