Cleopatra’s legendary youthful looks are claimed to be the result of her luxurious milk baths. Some reports claim 7,000 donkeys were needed to provide her with enough milk for her daily indulgence. Although bathing in donkey milk may be appealing to some, we were more interested in her less frequently reported camel milk baths. To this day, camel milk is known as the “white gold” of the desert. What secrets did our Cleo know that we’re only now discovering?
Science is unlocking these secrets. The rich alpha hydroxyl acids (AHA’s) dissolve the proteins that hold dead skin cells together, promoting healthy cell regeneration and softening the skin, keeping it supple and smooth.
The high vitamin and mineral content, especially tissue repairing vitamin C, are all amazing for skin health. Camel milk naturally contains protective proteins with anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-fungal properties.
So if camel milk has so many regenerative and healing properties, why didn’t our Cleo just bathe in camel milk every day?
The answer is simple biology and geography. Camels are well adapted to survive in extreme and harsh desert environments and their value was a means of transport rather than providing milk. But perhaps the main reason that the milk is so valuable is due to how much milk a camel can actually produce, a ¼ of that of goats and donkeys, making it a most nutrient-dense milk. The calf needs all those nutrients packed in a ¼ of the quantity.
This is not a milk you wish to spill, but if you do, make sure you spill it on your toes so at least they will look twenty years younger. Who knows, maybe that’s how Cleopatra discovered it.