On Viking Grooming and Hygiene
To answer whether the Vikings wore makeup, we must first explore the broader topic of personal hygiene among Scandinavians of the time. In general terms, we know hygiene played an important role in the daily life of Viking Age Scandinavians; so much so that various sagas allude to a bathing day, which stands in stark contrast to the Christian cultures of the West at the time (an anonymous medieval cleric once wrote ‘the smellier we are, the holier we are’). Christian chroniclers in close contact with the Danes in England also allude to their cleanliness practices. John of Wallingford, prior to Saint Fridswise, expressed discontentment in his writings about how the Danes combed their hair, bathed every Saturday, and regularly changed their clothes. Some historians have pointed to evidence suggesting that St. Bryce’s massacre may have been motivated by Anglo-Saxon men’s resentment of their ‘prettier’ Danish neighbors.
Testimony on Makeup from Ibn Fadlan
On the other side of the European continent, the Arab chronicler Ibn Fadlan, who met the Rus (Swedish Vikings) on the Volga River, made a variety of interesting albeit odd observations about their hygiene habits:
“Every day they must wash their faces and heads and this they do in the dirtiest and filthiest fashion possible: to wit, every morning a girl servant brings a great basin of water; she offers this to her master and he washes his hands and face and his hair — he washes it and combs it out with a comb in the water; then he blows his nose and spits into the basin. When he has finished, the servant carries the basin to the next person, who does likewise. She carries the basin thus to all the household in turn, and each blows his nose, spits, and washes his face and hair in it.”
Historians generally discount the testimony at least in part due to the apparent negative bias infused by the author. However, the account does show that even on a long voyage so far from home, the Vikings still practiced some form of self-care and grooming.
Here is where Ibn Fadlan’s account gets interesting: he mentions men wearing eye makeup to make themselves appear more fearsome. If left alone, the detail might not inform us of much, but as luck would have it, it accompanies another element. Ibn Fadlan claimed they also wore blue tattoos. The topic of tattoos is controversial because, like makeup, skin does not preserve well in the archeological record. However, another chronicle from a wholly separate time, place, and culture may confirm the observation. The Annals of Fulda describe Viking warriors who attempted an invasion of Aachen as having tattoos from head to toe.
Testimony on Makeup from Ibrahim ibn Ya‘qub al-Isrd’ili al-Turtushi
Ibrahim ibn Ya‘qub al-Isrd’ili al-Turtushi was a 10th-century Sephardic Jewish merchant and traveler whose chronicles provide a rare, firsthand window into medieval Europe. Originally from Tortosa in Muslim-governed Spain, Ibrahim ventured deep into northern and central Europe around 965, a pivotal year marked by the collapse of the Khazar Empire. His detailed accounts, gathered while on a diplomatic or commercial mission for the Caliphate of Córdoba, offer some of the earliest and most significant descriptions of the emerging West Slavic states, the Vikings, and the burgeoning city of Prague. On Viking makeup, he made the following observations:
“Both men and women use a kind of indelible cosmetic to enhance the beauty of their eyes.”
Within the historical record, Ibn Fadlan and Ibrahim ibn Ya‘qub al-Isrd’ili al-Turtushi’s testimony are the best evidence we have. They allude to the use of eye shadow in both men and women, and in Rus populations as much as Danish ones.
And thankfully, the historical record is not all we have.
Archeological Evidence for Viking Makeup
Among the items uncovered in the considerable breadth of ship burials across Scandinavia and Western Europe, archeologists have found numerous household items we would recognize today but might not think of as ancient inventions: scissors, tweezers, brass washbowls, combs, ear spoons (not quite as comfortable as a Q-tip), among other personal grooming tools. In fact, the assortment of personal grooming items suggests that Viking Age Scandinavians spent a great deal of time grooming and decorating themselves.
The Swedish National Museum’s collection includes some of the more intriguing artifacts related to the makeup question. The “grooming kit” is a collection of personal grooming items that, though indirectly, point to the use of makeup.
This grooming kit from the Swedish History Museum (Historiska museet) in Stockholm is a fantastic example of Viking hygiene standards, which were actually quite high compared to many of their contemporaries.
Here is a breakdown of the artifacts in the display, from the large items to the fine tools:
- Large Bronze Basin (Right)
- This large, shallow bowl was used for washing the face, hands, and hair. In the 10th century, the Arab traveler Ibn Fadlanfamously described a group of Vikings sharing a single basin of water each morning (though he was quite repulsed by the communal nature of it!).
- Bone and Antler Combs (Center)
- These are some of the most common personal items found in Viking graves.
- Material: Usually crafted from red deer or reindeer antler because it is flexible and durable.
- Design: These are “composite” combs, meaning multiple thin plates of antler were riveted together between two long “connecting plates” (the horizontal bars you see).
- Importance: Vikings were known for their well-groomed hair and beards. In many European accounts, Vikings were noted for “bathing every Saturday” and combing their hair daily to attract women.
- Ceramic/Stone Bowls & Pestle (Top Left)
- The small orange-toned ceramic bowl and the stone pieces were likely used for mixing soaps, ointments, or medicinal pastes. The stone “pestle” inside the bowl suggests they were grinding materials—potentially pigments for makeup or herbs for skin care.
- Metal Toiletry Tools (Bottom Left)
- The smaller metal objects (mostly bronze or iron) are the “precision” instruments of the kit:
- Tweezers: The U-shaped metal tool was used for plucking eyebrows or removing splinters.
- Ear Scoop (Ear Spoon): The long, thin tool with a tiny cup at the end (looks like a miniature spoon) was used for cleaning out earwax.
- Nail Cleaner/Awl: Some of the pointed tools were likely used for cleaning under fingernails.
- Bone/Ivory Applicators (Bottom Right)
- The small, white, flat objects are likely applicators or spatulas for salves or cosmetics. One of them has a small loop at the end, suggesting it was once hung on a chain or a leather thong as part of a “chatelaine” (a set of tools worn on a woman’s brooch). These are the tools that would have been used to apply the kind of makeup described by the chroniclers.
So, did the Vikings wear makeup?
When making statements about the Viking Age, one must tread with caution. In this case, however, we have a convergence of evidence that yields a pretty definitive answer in this field. That makeup is documented in two sources, far apart geographically and temporally, both supported by archeological evidence. I think it’s safe to say that the Vikings — both men and women — wore makeup. Did they all wear it? We cannot know. But, at least some of them did, and (we think) mostly eyeshadow.