We got to see the Royal Mummies Parade last night, and we got to see several kings and queens walk down the streets of Cairo. One queen stood out, however, and it’s Queen Tiye. 

Admit it, you all thought how the hell is her hair still that good after thousands of years. We’ve all been thinking it; just very few have been able to admit it.

And just because we’re as petty as it gets, we left everything about the history and looked at Tiye’s hair care routine.

Yes! We’re bringing you the royal hair care routine by the queen herself, so when you die, your hair can remain fabulous!

First off, we need to know a bit about who Tiye is. 

She was the Great Royal Wife of the Egyptian pharaoh Amenhotep III, Akhenaten’s mother, and Tutankhamun’s grandmother.

So it’s safe to say that she was a powerful and wealthy woman. 

Tiye wasn’t just another queen, however. 

Historically, she was known to be a strong woman with solid and unconventional opinions. Let’s just say she was the OG BAD BITCH, and if she was alive today, we’d be spamming you with her news.

Egyptologists, however, have suggested that Tiye’s father, Yuya, maybe be of foreign origin, which might be why the queen had politically solid and unconventional religious views. 

Now that we got Tiye’s background story out of the way let’s talk about her hair.

Tiye was the type of woman who would do whatever she can to get to where she wants, and she wanted the perfect hair. 

She lived and died obsessing over her hair, and it obviously paid off. 

Famous archeologist Zahi Hawas said that she was described as the owner of the best hair in the ancient Pharaonic civilization, and she was constantly taking care of her hair.

Before getting into the actual routine itself, it’s important to note that the hair is one of the parts that is not subjected to significant damage after death. Additionally, because Tiye was obsessed with her hair, it was given more attention during the embalming process, which helped preserve it and keep it almost as it is.

The Haircut: 

Tiye did not have a Tyra Banks long forehead, nor did her hair fall off from the front. In fact, she shaved the front of her head, a very common style in ancient Egypt. This style was a symbol of power. 

The Hair Color:

Tiye’s mummy was referred to as “the elderly mummy” before they knew it was Tiye, and she was said to die at the age of 60. She must have had at least a few white hair, but her mummy is all dark red with no signs of white hair.

Additionally, the dark red color is not natural at all. So how did she get that color?

The pharaohs were historically known to use henna on their hair. Tiye took it to the next level and had them use special henna upon her death with the mummification mixture. 

They would mix this powder with water to form a paste, which they used to paint nails and dye grey hair.

Natural Color Pigments:

Ancient Egyptians would add natural pigments to create makeup, and they added color pigments to henna to give them a more intense color. 

Red ochre was also popular in cosmetics such as rouge and lip color. In fact, those pigments are still found in beauty products today due to their ready availability, stability, and non-toxicity. 

Another thing that the pharaohs used to add to their hair mix to keep its color looking vibrant was the animal’s blood…

Peta wouldn’t have been happy if they existed back then.

Good Old Hair Oil to Save the Day!

Ancient Egypt was as hot as it was today, without the luxury of an A.C. Hair moisturizers provided protection from the arid climate. 

Egyptian women would massage a healthy dose of castor oil and almond oil into their scalp, which they believed promoted hair growth.

Derma Rolling – kinda:

Did you know that ancient Egyptians invented the derma roller technique? We’re not joking! 

Baldness was a prevalent hairstyle for our ancestors; however, it was only acceptable if it was by choice.

This is why the pharaohs would make sure that they do all they can to prevent natural balding from a young age.

They did that using chopped lettuce and ground-up hedgehog spines on their heads. 

Yeah, trust us, we were as shocked by the randomness as you are. 

Tiye was a wig queen:

No, her hair is not a wig, but she was a queen who owned several wigs and would wear them most of the time. 

Why? Because they protected her natural hair like a hat.

Ancient Egyptians were known to be a nation of wigs and even extensions. They weaved the extensions into their hair and braided it or even attached them to their original hair using beeswax and resins. 

The wigs were to protect their hair and scalp from scorching sun and lice, whereas the extensions were for styling or lengthening their hair.

However, the main thing that kept Tiye’s hair intact was something we definitely do not recommend, and it’s animals fat…

Animal fats were a big part of their hair care routine, especially to counter baldness. 

Oils from crocodiles, hippopotamus, goats, snakes, and even lions were used to care for their hair. They also used hair oil with animal blood in them, believing it could darken graying hair – they thought the dark pigment from blood will transfer from hair when boiled with their oils.

A study of 18 mummies by the University of Manchester revealed that many had their hair coated with a fatty substance.