<p>Researchers based at the University of Manchester, who studied 18 Egyptian mummies dated back to 300 BC, found that nine of them had an unknown substance coating their hair.<br /><br />Chemical analyses of the coating showed it was made up of fatty acids from plants and animals.<br /><br />The researchers believe that this fat-based hair gel was used by the Egyptians to mould and hold the hair in position to enhance appearance, since some of the deceased that had been mummified naturally in the desert also had fats in their hair.<br /><br />During mummification process using embalming chemicals, the undertakers seem to have taken special care to retain the deceased’s hairdos. “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,” they wrote in the Journal of Archaeological Science.<br /><br />“This further ensured that the deceased’s individuality was retained in death, as it had been in life, and emphasises the importance of hair in ancient Egyptian society.”<br />The researchers believe that different materials were used for different areas of the mummified bodies.</p>.<p>“The hair samples from the Dakhleh Oasis were not coated with resin/bitumen-based embalming materials, but were coated with a fat-based substance,” they said. The mummies — 15 found from a cemetery called Dakhleh Oasis and 3 from museum samples — had all different kinds of hairstyles depending on age, sex and social status.<br /></p>
<p>Researchers based at the University of Manchester, who studied 18 Egyptian mummies dated back to 300 BC, found that nine of them had an unknown substance coating their hair.<br /><br />Chemical analyses of the coating showed it was made up of fatty acids from plants and animals.<br /><br />The researchers believe that this fat-based hair gel was used by the Egyptians to mould and hold the hair in position to enhance appearance, since some of the deceased that had been mummified naturally in the desert also had fats in their hair.<br /><br />During mummification process using embalming chemicals, the undertakers seem to have taken special care to retain the deceased’s hairdos. “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,” they wrote in the Journal of Archaeological Science.<br /><br />“This further ensured that the deceased’s individuality was retained in death, as it had been in life, and emphasises the importance of hair in ancient Egyptian society.”<br />The researchers believe that different materials were used for different areas of the mummified bodies.</p>.<p>“The hair samples from the Dakhleh Oasis were not coated with resin/bitumen-based embalming materials, but were coated with a fat-based substance,” they said. The mummies — 15 found from a cemetery called Dakhleh Oasis and 3 from museum samples — had all different kinds of hairstyles depending on age, sex and social status.<br /></p>