Kohl (cosmetics)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kohl is a mixture of soot and other ingredients used predominantly by Middle Eastern, North African, Sub-Saharan African, and South Asian women, and to a lesser extent men, to darken the eyelids and as mascara for the eyelashes. Kohl {from Arabic كحل kuḥl) is also sometimes spelled kol, kehal (in the Arab world), or kohal, and is known as surma or kajal in South Asia. It is the etymon of "alcohol."[1]
Kohl has been worn traditionally as far back as the Bronze Age (3500 B.C. onward). Kohl was originally used as protection against eye ailments. Darkening around the eyelids also provided relief from the glare of the sun. Mothers would also apply kohl to their infants' eyes soon after birth. Some did this to "strengthen the child's eyes," and others believed it could prevent the child from being cursed by an "evil eye".[2]
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[edit] Anthropology
Kohl was used in Egypt along with malachite and lipstick made from ochre oil.
[edit] Indian
Kohl is known by various names in Indian languages, like sirma or surma in Punjabi, kajal (Devanagari: काजल, kājal) in Hindi,"Katuka" in Telugu, "Kan Mai" in Tamil and "Kaadige" in Kannada.In India, it is used by women as a type of eyeliner that is put around the edge of the eyes. Even now in southern rural India, especially in Kerala, women of the household prepare the kajal. This home-made kajal is used even for infants. Local tradition considers it to be a very good coolant for the eyes and believes that it "protects the eyesight and vision".[citation needed]
[edit] Culture
In Punjabi Culture Kohl is known as Sirma or Surma it is a traditional ceremonial dye, which predominantly men of the Punjab apply to their eyes on special social or religious occasions. Usually the wife or the mother applies the dye onto the eyes of the male. The equivalent of the dye in western culture would be eyeliner.
Some women also add a dot of kajal on the left side of the foreheads of babies and children, to protect them from 'buri nazar'. 'Buri nazar' literally means 'bad glance' and is comparable to the 'evil eye', although it can be interpreted as ill-wishes of people or even lustful eyes, in the sense of men ogling women. It is also applied at the nape a baby or child's neck so that it is not visible; at the same time it protects the child from the evil eye.
[edit] Preparation
Preparation of kajal begins with dipping a clean, white, thin muslin cloth, about four by four inches square, in sandalwood paste or juice of Alstonia scholaris (Manjal karisilanganni), then dried in shade. This dip and dry process is done all day long. After sunset, a wick out of the cloth is made and used to light a mud lamp filled with castor oil. A brass vessel is kept over the lamp, leaving a little gap enough for the oxygen to aid the burning of the lamp. This is left burning overnight. Next day morning, one or two drops of pure ghee(clarified cow's butter) or castor oil is added to the soot on the brass vessel and it is then stored in a clean dry box.
All the ingredients used in this preparation (sandalwood/Manjal karsilanganni, castor oil, ghee) are believed to have medicinal properties and they are still used in Indian therapies like ayurveda and Siddha medicines.
[edit] Health concerns
The content of kohl and the recipes used to make it vary greatly. While some kohl is a harmless, "natural" cosmetic, certain varieties can pose a serious public health concern. Galena (lead sulfide)[2] used to be used in kohl preparations before the toxicity of lead became known, but now reputable manufacturers use amorphous carbon or organic charcoal instead of lead. Plant oils and the soot from various nuts, seeds and gum resins are often added to the carbon powder.
The drive to eliminate lead from kohl was sparked by studies in the early 1990s of preparations of kohl that found high levels of contaminants including lead.[3][4][5] Lead levels in commercial kohl preparations were as high as 84%. Kohl samples from Oman analyzed using X-ray powder diffraction and scanning electron microscopy, found galena,[2][3]. One decade later, a study of kohl manufactured in Egypt and India found that a third of the samples studied contained lead while the remaining two thirds contained amorphous carbon,[2] zincite,[2][3] cuprite,[2] goethite,[2] elemental silicon[2] or talc,[2] hematite, minium,[3] and organic compounds[2].
Lead Kohl use has been linked to increased levels of lead in the bloodstream, [6][7][8][9] putting its users at risk of lead poisoning and lead intoxication. Complications of lead poisoning include anemia, growth retardation, low IQ, convulsions, and in severe cases, death. Anemia from lead poisoning is of special concern in Middle Eastern and South Asian countries where other forms of anemia are prevalent — including iron deficiency anemia (from malnutrition) and hemoglobinopathy (sickle cell anemia, thalassemia).
These banned products are different from lead-free cosmetics that only use the term "kohl" to describe its shade/color, rather than its actual ingredients. Some modern eye cosmetics are marketed as "kohl" but are prepared differently and in accordance with relevant health standards. Consumers should verify that any cosmetic product is lead free before usage.
[edit] Pop culture
- The film actress Theda Bara used kohl to rim her eyes throughout her career.
- Jack Sparrow, a character in Pirates of the Caribbean film trilogy, wears kohl (or "guy liner") around his eyes.
[edit] References
- ^ Andalusi Arabic kuḥul meant the antimonium or galena used as a cosmetic. It was alcohol in the Medioeval Castilian language In the 16thc entury it passed to French alcool and the Low Latin of chemists. Paracelsus took it as "an essence obtained by crushing, sublimation or distillation. In 1612 it already meant "wine spirit". With the new meaning, it came back to Spanish and other European languages. (Steiger, RLiR V, 266, 82, quoted in alcohol, Diccionario crítico etimológico castellano e hispánico, volume I, Joan Corominas, José A. Pascual, Editorial Gredos, 1987, ISBN 84-249-1361-2.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Hardy A, Walton R, Vaishnav R., Int J Environ Health Res. 2004 Feb;14(1):83-91. Composition of eye cosmetics (kohls) used in Cairo.
- ^ a b c d Hardy AD, Vaishnav R, Al-Kharusi SS, Sutherland HH, Worthing MA., J Ethnopharmacol. 1998 Apr;60(3):223-34. Composition of eye cosmetics (kohls) used in Oman.
- ^ al-Hazzaa SA, Krahn PM., Int Ophthalmol. 1995;19(2):83-8. Kohl: a hazardous eyeliner.
- ^ Parry C, Eaton J. , Environ Health Perspect. 1991 Aug;94:121-3. Kohl: a lead-hazardous eye makeup from the Third World to the First World.
- ^ Alkhawajah AM. "Alkohl use in Saudi Arabia: Extent of use and possible lead toxicity." Tropical Geographical Medicine, 1992 Oct; 44(4):373-7.
- ^ Al-Saleh I, Nester M. DeVol E, Shinwari N, Al-Shahria S. "Determinants of blood lead levels in Saudi Arabian schoolgirls." International Journal of Environmental Health, 1999 Apr-Jun; 5(2):107-14.
- ^ Nir A, Tamir A, Nelnik N, Iancu TC. "Is eye cosmetic a source of lead poisoning?" Israel Journal of Medical Science, 1992 Jul; 28(7):417-21.
- ^ # Rahbar MH, White F, Agboatwalla M, Hozhbari S, and Luby S. "Factors associated with elevated blood lead concentrations in children in Karachi, Pakistan." Bulletin of the World Health Organization. 2002, 80(10):769-775.
- Application of kohl - Natural Beauty at Taqwa Palace
- Introduction to Harquus: Part 2: Kohl - The Henna Page. Retrieved Apr. 22, 2005.
- Al-Ashban RM, Aslam M, Shah AH., Public Health. 2004 Jun;118(4):292-8. Kohl (surma): a toxic traditional eye cosmetic study in Saudi Arabia.
- Abdullah MA., J Trop Med Hyg. 1984 Apr;87(2):67-70. Lead poisoning among children in Saudi Arabia.
- Shaltout A, Yaish SA, Fernando N., Ann Trop Paediatr. 1981 Dec;1(4):209-15. Lead encephalopathy in infants in Kuwait. A study of 20 infants with particular reference to clinical presentation and source of lead poisoning.
- Hardy AD, Walton RI, Myers KA, Vaishnav R., J Cosmet Sci. 2006 Mar-Apr;57(2):107-25. Availability and chemical composition of traditional eye cosmetics ("kohls") used in the United Arab Emirates of Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al-Quwain, Ras Al-Khaimah, and Fujairah.
[edit] External links
- Egyptian: Kohl pot, Black steatite, click on picture.
- Egyptian: Bone kohl pot. Figurine design, click on picture.
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