Almost all of the fair sex at least once in their life painted lips with lipstick. Yes, and many of the men often use this product - a hygienic analogue, without coloring pigments. Lipstick firmly entered into the everyday life of modern man. But who invented it and when? And what was lipstick made of in antiquity? Probably, the composition of this cosmetic product was very different from the modern one. After all, synthetic substances are now being introduced into the lipstick, allowing you to fix the color pigment, create a film on the lips that protects against moisture loss, give shine and shine. In this article, we will describe how and from what lipstick is made in a factory way, and whether it is possible to repeat the process at home. We will also make a short historical excursion into the world of perfumes of antiquity and the Middle Ages.
Antique Lipsticks
This word itself goes back to the Latin pomum, which means "apple". But long before the era of Ancient Rome, women used this cosmetic product. After all, I really want to have sponges, like bulk apples. It is authentically known that the lipstick was used by the inhabitants of Ancient Assyria about five thousand years ago. Archaeologists find traces of lip color in the Egyptian pyramids. What was lipstick used to be made of? At the heart of this tool were animal fat, beeswax and red mineral pigment - carmine. In ancient times, the Egyptians and the inhabitants of Babylon, since they were swarthy brunettes, preferred lipstick to dark shades. In the Hellenistic era, the tool became known in Greece, and then in Rome. Brown-haired and blondes began to independently look for new shades of lipstick. The famous physician Claudius Galen passionately warned them against such experiments on themselves. After all, women of the ancient world also believed that “beauty requires sacrifice,” and therefore, poisonous substances such as cinnabar and minium were added to the lipstick as color pigments.
Interesting Facts
In the Middle Ages, the Church (both Roman Catholic and Orthodox) reacted extremely negatively to any unauthorized change in the appearance of a woman, since, in her opinion, it contradicts the divine creation. But despite the papal bulls and anathemas, women continued to paint their lips. Lipsticks until the end of the nineteenth century were produced in jars. Only in 1883, perfumers from France presented a product in the form of chalk, wrapped in paper. And in 1915, inventive Americans thought of hiding this “pencil” in a metal case with a piston mechanism. The composition of the product was almost the same what lipstick is made of now. And in the thirties of the last century, another revolutionary breakthrough occurred. Heza Bishop invented permanent lip color. The company "Guerlain" released the first lipstick in a tube. This made the product mass, as its price decreased and became available to any woman.
Structure
When we choose lipstick, the first thing we do is focus our attention on finding the right shade. And at the same time, we completely lose sight of what lipstick is made of. Each company has its own composition of this product. But there are three main components of each lipstick. These are wax, fats and color pigments. In hygienic lipstick, the last component is absent - because it is almost colorless. But, since this product is caring and even healing, an extract of herbs, vitamins and other substances useful for the skin of the lips are added to it. Despite the fact that this cosmetic product is solid, it is eighty percent liquid. But they have a low freezing point. Since the fats that make up the lipstick do not smell very good, manufacturers use perfume. It interrupts the smell of raw materials and gives its aroma. In the struggle for the buyer, manufacturers began to add various useful substances to cosmetic lipsticks - moisturizers, vitamins, collagen, sunscreens, etc. Some products even contain food grade polyethylene. This substance creates a film on the lips that prevents the dye from clogging into cracks or spreading to the edges of the mouth. But this polyethylene is absolutely harmless.
How to make lipstick in a factory
The first machines producing a cosmetic product in its modern form - in a plastic or metal case - were designed in the USA in 1949. Now, to the three classic components of lipstick add mother of pearl (for shine and optical lip enlargement) and oil. Wax, like any beekeeping products, can be an irritant for allergy sufferers. Therefore, it is not used in the factory production of lipstick. It is replaced by waxes of plant origin - Carnauba or Candelilla, less often roses. Of fats, lanolin is most often used - a substance secreted by the wool of sheep. To turn a solid mineral color pigment into a creamy mass, it is dissolved in oils (more often in castor oil). This mixture is ground in special “shakers”. The size of the mineral pigment then does not exceed fifteen microns, providing a uniform color without grains. Mica is washed, finely crushed, sprayed with dye. So it turns out "mother of pearl." And then comes the turn of liquid fats (isopropyl palmitate, butyl stearate and isopropyl myristate), structure-forming substances (paraffin and ceresin), solvents and perfume essential oils. The mass cools, it is cut into pencils, which are hidden in a case with a retractable piston.
Hygienic lipstick
There is no coloring pigment in this product. If there is a slightly pronounced color in the hygienic lipstick , then this is achieved exclusively through the use of oils (sea buckthorn, pink). This product does not apply to decorative, but to caring cosmetics. Therefore, her composition is more “sparing”. What is hygienic lipstick made of? Its basis is natural plant waxes, because the skin of our lips is devoid of sebaceous glands. Various oils are used for softening - first of all, healthy castor oil, but also sea buckthorn, shea butter, avocado, jojoba, apricot. To give the product an anti-inflammatory and wound healing effect, extracts of aloe vera, chamomile, and other herbs are added to it. Vitamins A, groups B, C and E, sunscreens are widely used.
Is it possible to make lipstick at home
Sometimes, when you read the composition of a cosmetic product, you involuntarily ask yourself: are all these polymers, isopropyl palmitates, ceresins, and the like substances harmful to the body? We already learned how to make lipstick in a factory. And now the question arises: can we repeat the process at home, and without these dubious substances? Sure! After all, before setting up the factory production of lipsticks, our great-grandmothers prepared lip paint themselves. Of course, we will not use poisonous cinnabar or meerk as color pigments. We will use eye shadow. Since they are intended for application to sensitive eyelid skin, this product is tested for toxicity. And if we want to use exclusively natural dyes, we can limit ourselves to cinnamon, beet root powder, cocoa, and turmeric. By mixing them, you can choose the right shade.
The composition of homemade lipstick
We have already decided on the color pigment. It remains to supplement the composition of the product with fats, oils and, if desired, flavorings. What is lipstick made for individual use? If you are not allergic to bee products, take one part of regular wax. It is easy to purchase in stores selling honey. In order for the lipstick to lie evenly on the lips, we take the second part - shea butter. This component is harder to get. But it can be replaced with colorless cocoa butter, almond, avocado or mango. And for the shine and texture you want, let's take another component. This is coconut oil (allowed to be replaced with olive or jojoba). If, instead of dye, we add all kinds of healing, moisturizing and nourishing mixtures, we get a healing lip balm.
Factory lipstick making process
It can be compared to cooking in a slow cooker. How to make lipstick in a cosmetic factory? First, the components are placed in a “bead mill”. First, waxes with fragmented color pigment, then oils, and last of all volatile components - perfume essential oils. When the mass in this mixer becomes completely homogeneous, it is boiled at a temperature of eighty degrees for about six hours. Then the lipstick is allowed to cool slightly. But she still goes semi-solid to the packing workshop, where the special briquettes are distributed by special presses into tubes or cases. Then the lipstick is quickly cooled.
Making lipstick at home. Stage one
Make the color. We already said that you can use exclusively natural dyes, such as powder from dried beets, cocoa, turmeric. The disadvantage of these tools is the difficulty in choosing the right shade. Therefore, you can use eye shadow. Also among this cosmetic product you rarely see shades of red. Therefore, the best alternative is ... children's crayons for drawing on a wax basis. As a rule, they are tested for food suitability (babies often pull everything in their mouths), and therefore will be absolutely harmless to lipstick. Grind crayons into a powder. Mixing different colors, we achieve the desired shade.
Second phase. Preparing the foundation
We already know what lipstick is made from at the factory. In a similar way, we will cook it at home. We will prepare two containers for a water bath. In a smaller bowl, we need to heat the wax and oil. This must be done very carefully. If even a drop of water gets into the bowl with the oils, a mini-explosion will occur, since the boiling point of the liquid and the oils are different. You also need to constantly mix wax and fats. And in no case bring them to a boil. We achieve only a fluid and homogeneous mass.
The final stage
Remove the bowl from the water bath. Quickly add crushed color pigment and other to hot wax and fats, which make lipstick: perfume, perfume, additional healing and caring substances. Vanilla is a good flavor. Without perfume, the lipstick will give away a candle. At this stage, it is important for us to mix the coloring pigment with fats until the mass has hardened. We add the color component gradually, achieving the desired shade. Then we transfer the mass to the prepared jar and leave to cool. Lipstick is ready.