He Moisturized Too: The Shocking Truth About Ancient Men’s Skincare Rituals

The idea that skincare is a “woman’s issue” — that moisturisers, face masks, hair oils, and grooming exercises belong solely to the female world — isn’t ancient know-how.

It’s actually a fairly recent invention. And ancient history — with all its warriors, emperors, gladiators, and kings — blows that idea completely apart.

Because here’s what the archaeological record shows: men have been obsessing over their skin, their hair, their appearance, and their grooming routines for at least five thousand years. Not reluctantly. Not secretly. Openly, proudly, and with a level of dedication that would put most modern men’s bathroom shelves to shame.

This is the story they didn’t tell you in history class.

Ancient Egypt: Where Male Grooming Was a Daily Religion

If you want to find ground zero of ancient male skincare, start in Egypt.

Egyptian men — from the pharaoh sitting on his golden throne to the labourer hauling stone blocks under the blazing sun — took personal care seriously. This wasn’t vanity. It was identity, spirituality, and practical survival rolled into one.

Kohl was perhaps the most iconic element. Both women and men coated their eyes with this dark mineral paste crafted from galena and stibnite. But here’s what most people pass over: kohl wasn’t simply cosmetic. Egyptian guys used it to reduce sun glare – the identical principle behind the black paint you notice present-day athletes wearing below their eyes. It also had antibacterial properties that protected against eye infections in a desert environment in which dirt and flies had been steady partners. Beauty and function, flawlessly combined.

Then there was the skin itself. Egyptian men applied oils and animal fats to their skin day by day — not once in a while, no longer once they remembered, but as a part of a morning ritual as automated as we take into account brushing our teeth nowadays. Castor oil, moringa oil, and sesame oil were the most unusual. Tomb artwork displays men with glowing, properly maintained skin. Analysis of residue determined in ancient Egyptian beauty jars has shown the presence of complex, oil-based combos designed specifically for skin hydration and protection.

Pharaohs took this several steps further. Tutankhamun’s tomb, when opened in 1922, contained dozens of alabaster jars, nonetheless preserving traces of skin lotions and perfumed oils. These were not ceremonial artefacts placed there for symbolic reasons. These were his actual grooming products — things he used in daily life and wanted available in the afterlife.

If that doesn’t tell you how seriously Egyptian men took their skincare, nothing will.

Ancient Greece: The Beautiful Male Body as a Form of Philosophy

Greek men had a concept referred to as “kalos kagathos” — roughly translated as “lovely and right”. The idea was that physical beauty and ethical virtue were linked. A guy who took care of his body, keeping it easy, well-oiled, and groomed, was displaying his area, his self-appreciation, and his person.

This wasn’t superficial. It was philosophical.

Greek athletes — the ones competing in the unique Olympics — rubbed their whole bodies with olive oil before competition. This wasn’t just for aesthetics, though in reality it made their appearance brilliant. Olive oil protected skin from solar harm, kept muscles supple, and created a layer of protection against the dust and dirt of athletic competition. After training, they used a curved metal tool called a ‘strigil’ to scrape the oil, sweat, and dirt from their bodies. This was their cleansing routine — systematic, deliberate, and performed after every serious training session.

Greek men also visited bathhouses not just for hygiene but as a social ritual. They soaked, scrubbed, applied oils, and discussed philosophy — all in the same afternoon. Clean skin and sharp thinking were considered equally important pursuits for a well-rounded man.

Hair care was taken just as seriously. Greek men used perfumed oils on their hair. They styled it carefully. Illustrations on ancient Greek pottery — which historians use as one of the most reliable visual records of daily life — consistently show men with well-maintained, intentionally styled hair. Long, short, curled, or cropped — whatever the style, it was clearly the result of effort and attention.

Ancient Rome: Grooming as Status and Power

If Greece elevated male grooming to philosophy, Rome turned it into an industry.

Roman men had access to bathhouses — the thermae — that were among the most sophisticated grooming facilities the ancient world ever produced. These weren’t just places to wash. They had rooms for cold baths, warm baths, and hot steam. There were areas for massage, for exercise, for applying oils and creams. Wealthy Romans had personal slaves whose sole job was to assist with their grooming routines.

Julius Caesar was famously obsessive about his appearance. Historical accounts describe him having all his body hair removed regularly, caring deeply about what little hair remained on his head as his baldness progressed, and spending considerable time on his daily grooming. This was the most powerful man in the world — and he absolutely cared how he looked.

Roman men used a product called ‘unctio’ — essentially a perfumed oil or ointment applied to the skin after bathing. Some versions contained substances like beeswax, rose water, and various plant extracts. Modern analysis of these ancient formulations suggests they were surely effective moisturising agents. The Romans had figured out emollients before they had a word for them.

Hair dye was also widely used by Roman men. Ageing senators and generals would use preparations made from plant extracts, minerals, and in some cases, lead-based compounds to darken grey hair. The desire to maintain a youthful appearance — particularly for men in positions of political power — was openly acknowledged and completely normalised.

Even Roman soldiers weren’t immune to the grooming culture. Military regulations actually required soldiers to be clean-shaven, and the Roman army had barbers as part of its standard camp infrastructure. Legionaries kept their hair short and neat. Cleanliness was considered part of military discipline.

Ancient India: Ayurveda and the Science of Male Self-Care

In ancient India, male grooming wasn’t just cultural — it was medical.

Ayurvedic texts dating back over 3,000 years describe distinct everyday routines for guys referred to as Dinacharya. These routines included oil massage (Abhyanga), facial cleaning with natural pastes, tongue scraping, nasal care, and hair oiling — all earlier than the day’s different sports began.

Oil massage for men was particularly detailed. Sesame oil was considered the foundation — warming, nourishing, and deeply penetrating. Coconut oil was used in coastal areas. Herbal infusions of neem, brahmi, and bhringraj were specifically formulated for scalp fitness and hair growth. These weren’t folk treatments cobbled together by guesswork. They were documented, refined, and passed down through written medical tradition.

Ancient Indian guys also used ubtan — a paste made from turmeric, gram flour, sandalwood, and milk — as a skin remedy. Modern beauty science has since demonstrated what Ayurvedic practitioners knew empirically: turmeric is anti-inflammatory, sandalwood soothes irritation, and the lactic acid in milk gently exfoliates the pores and skin.

The Arthashastra, an ancient Indian treatise on statecraft written around the 4th century BCE, even consists of references to the importance of a king’s private grooming as part of keeping his authority and public presence. Self-care, in ancient India, was literally considered part of true governance.

Ancient Mesopotamia and Persia: Perfume, Beards, and Power

In historic Mesopotamia — the civilisations of Sumer, Babylon, and Assyria — male grooming took on a deeply symbolic dimension.

Beards were power. Assyrian kings and nobles wore elaborate, carefully curled and oiled beards that were maintained with obsessive precision. Beard oil — made from sesame, olive, or almond oil infused with fragrant resins — was applied daily. Beard curling tools have been discovered in archaeological excavations. These kings spent considerable time and resources on their facial hair because a properly maintained beard was a right-away visible expression of fame and authority.

Persian kings and nobles took perfume extraordinarily seriously. Perfumed oils were applied to both skin and hair. Herodotus, the Greek historian, wrote with both admiration and slight bewilderment about the elaborate grooming habits of Persian men — the care they took with their appearance, the quality of their oils and preparations, and the sophistication of their personal care routines.

The Viking Surprise: Warriors Who Carried Combs Into Battle

Here’s the one that surprises people most.

Vikings — the fearsome Norse warriors that famous tradition has portrayed as unwashed, wild-haired, and indifferent to their appearance — were actually remarkably well-groomed by means of the requirements of their time.

Archaeological unearths from Viking Age sites have consistently uncovered private grooming kits. Combs made from antler bone. Tweezers. Ear cleaners. Razors. These items were found not just in domestic settings but also in warrior graves – buried alongside weapons because they were considered just as essential.

Historical accounts from the Arab traveller Ibn Fadlan, who encountered a group of Vikings along the Volga River in the 10th century, describe them washing their faces and combing their hair every morning. He noted that they used communal washing bowls — a habit he found less hygienic than his own customs — but the point is clear: these supposedly savage warriors had a daily grooming routine that they maintained even while travelling.

Soap-like substances have also been found at Viking sites. They used a mixture of animal fat and wood ash — a basic but functional cleansing agent. So yes, the Vikings made soap. And they used it.

What Changed — And Why It Matters Now

So if men across every ancient civilisation – Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Indian, Persian, and Norse – all maintained serious grooming and skincare routines, when did it become “unmasculine”?

The shift happened gradually, particularly in Western cultures during the 18th and 19th centuries. The Industrial Revolution created a sharp cultural divide between what was considered “productive” male behaviour and what was dismissed as “decorative” female behaviour. Grooming migrated to one side of that line. Men who cared about their appearance were increasingly viewed with suspicion.

But that was a cultural phase — not a timeless truth. And it’s a phase that’s actively unwinding right now. The men’s skincare industry has grown at a pace that no market analyst predicted. Men’s grooming products, once relegated to a sad half-shelf in drugstores, now occupy entire sections. Serums, SPF, moisturisers, hair masks — men are buying them, using them, and talking about them.

And in doing so, they’re not following a trend. They’re returning to something ancient. Something deeply human. Something that pharaohs, emperors, warriors, and philosophers all understood long before modern marketing got involved.

Taking care of yourself — your skin, your hair, your body — has never been a gendered act. It has always been a human one.

The ancient world knew that. It’s about time we remembered it.