Kohl which in Arabic refers to any substance applied in or around the eyes has been an integral part of the Arabic culture and adornment rituals since time immemorial. In english, most people refer to kohl as the arabic eyeliner since kohl has the same effects on the look of the eyes.
The practice of applying natural substances in or around the eyes as kohl (eyeliner) has been in existent in many culture around the world. Since ancient times, people in different parts of the world have been making eyeliner from materials that are available in the environment around them, such as plants, herbs, and stones of different and varied specifications, both for cosmetic and medicinal benefits.
The references mention that the use of kohl spread in the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia, and its use dates back to the Bronze Age, around 3500 BC, and was used by several civilizations, the most famous of which was the ancient Egyptians. However kohl ingredients varied from one culture to another and within the same culture too.
However, the use of kohl eyeliner is associated more with the Arabic culture as it is use has continuously been an integral part of the arab men and women`s adornment for millennia. Arab women were particularly famous for the beauty of their eyes thanks to the use of kohl in their adornment, and despite the great development witnessed in the field of cosmetics, arabic kohl eyeliner is still one of the most important cosmetics that Arab women depend on.
Arab men also use the arabic eyeliner for its benefits for the eyes and vison , as part of cultural rituals in some places and for religious reasons -following the sunnah and emulating the prophet in his use of kohl eyeliner.
What is Arabic kohl made from ?
The ingredients used in making arabic kohl vary from region to region and even with the same culture and region, the composition of arabic kohl can be different. As well a common recipes, much like spices, there is often family recipes passed down from generation to generation.
In Palestine, some women make arabic kohl by burning a piece of natural olive-oil soaked cloth to ashes. In other places like Morocco arabic kohl is made by turning date pits and other herbs into a powder.
In Oman, women make arabic kohl from fish liver oil, sea shells, Ghee and other ingredients. In Syria, barley and buckwheat kernels are grounded and mixed together with ithmid powder (powdered stone) to make arabic kohl. In the UAE, women make the arabic kohl from dates, ghee and seashells.
Ithmid kohl
In the Arabian Peninsula, kohl eyeliner made from crushing natural stone called ithmid into a powder remained the most popular form of arabic kohl since ancient times.Its endorsem*nt by prophet Muhammad (May Allah`s peace and blessing be upon him) also made it popular amongst muslims worldwide.
Ithmid is a well known black to reddish type of stone found in the Hijaz region of Saudi Arabia, Iran, Morocco and Yemen. The stone is crushed and sifted until it becomes a fine powder which is then either mixed with other ingredients or used as is in its pure form as an arabic kohl eyeliner.
Is ithmid arabic eyeliner made from antimony ?
Ithmid is an Arabic word and it has been wrongly translated into Antimony in English, hence you will come across ithmid kohl eyeliner refererred to as antimony eyeliner, implying that antimony is the main or sole component of the the original arabic eyeliner,
The English translation of the word Ithmid is wrong because it implies that Ithmid kohl is pure antimony which is toxic and rarely found by itself in nature.Antimony in Arabic is called : الأنتيمون Which is just the word antimony itself written in Arabic alphabet. Whereas ithmid is totally different word in Arabic , written as إثمد , which has no relation to antimony in its meaning.
One possible reason for this error in translation is that Ithmid kohl is a compound of antimony ( it contains antimony plus other minerals and chemicals), it is NOT just antimony as pure antimony is actually toxic.
It appears that whoever coined this translation couldn’t find an equivalent word for `Ithmid` in English and called it antimony because Ithmid arabic eyeliner does contain traces of antimony. However this is wrong as it implies Ithmid is antimony and Antimony is ithmid.
Also, the word ithmid was used by Arabs in the arabian peninsuala thousands of years ago without any knowledge of chemical element names such as antimony. It was used to refer to specific type of stones that was known amongst them as being suitable for use as eyeliner. This knowledge has been passed down generations since and even today the trade and mining of ithmid arabic eyeliner is based more on this common knowledge rather than chemical names and analysis.
History of the Ithmid arabic eyeliner in Arabia
Ithmid kohl was the most famous type of Arabic kohl eyeliner amongst the inhabitants of Arabia whereby it was used for strengthening vision as well as an adornment. The story of a woman called Zarqa`a has popularized the use of ithmid kohl in the pre islamic arabian culture.
Zarqa was famous for its extraordinary vision and it is mentioned by some narrations in the books of history she could see from extremely big distances ( as much as 80 km according to some sources). It is said after her eyes were dissected following her capture and death at the hand of an enemy that traces of ithmid kohl were found along her optic nerve.
Zarqa has become a byword for good eyesight and the arabic saying goes: better eyesight than Zarqa ,which is used to express amazement at someone`s vision.
However,despite its reputation and fame, ithmid kohl was not the only type of Arabic eyeliner used by in Arabia. Other types of Arabic kohl (made from other ingredients) were used by the inhabitants of Arabia and were still in use by the time Islam has arrived.
Then prophet Muhammad (May Allah`s peace and blessings be upon him ) recommended the use of ithmid kohl emphasizing that it is better than the other types of arabic kohl eyeliner that were in use in terms of its benefits for the eyes. Furthermore, he himself (May Allah`s blessings be upon him) adopted the use of ithmid kohl.
Where to buy arabic Kohl eyeliner ?
The arabic kohl we are referring to here is the one made traditionally from natural ingredients such as ithmid stone or olive and date pits. Some commercial eyeliners from the big global brands are also called labelled kohl but as a marketing tactic to attract consumers but these are not made from natural ingredients and are not really an arabic kohl.
It is best to buy arabic kohl eyeliner, whether ithmid kohl or any of the different types of from small scale sellers that either make the kohl themselves or have other small scale suppliers that make it for them. Try to stay away from any mass manufactured products as often these tend to contain harmful substances.
Some products labelled as an arabic kohl eyeliner have been found to contain high amounts of lead. These often tend to be mass produced products which can be found stocked in mass quantities in Islamic book shops or oriental shops around the world as well as being sold on online marketplaces like eBay and Amazon. The packaging on these kinds of products often is made to be very attractive and to convey professionalism and trust whereas the actual product inside might be anything but that.
Arabic kohl eyeliner made by artisanal makers on the other hand comes in small batches and is not as widely available. Often the packaging might look unappealing or unprofessional, while the actual product inside is genuine arabic kohl eyeliner made with honesty and integrity.
This is not to say that there could be well packaged and genuine arabic kohl products on the market or vice versa but is just a general observation of the current market situation which is constantly evolving.
When Realithmidkohl.com was launched back in 2017 it was extremely difficult to find reliable websites selling arabic kohl eyeliner online – in fact Realithmidkohl.com was the first website dedicating to providing authenti arabic kohl eyeliner online.
Over the past several years consumer demand and awareness for genuine and authentic arabic kohl eyeliner has grown massively, especially for the ithmid type. As a result more and more entrepreneurs have been seeking to capitalise on it . This has made it a bit more easier to find more sellers stocking genuine and good quality arabic kohl eyeliner (in particular the ithmid type)
