Al Kohul Al Arabi

Al Kohul Al Araby is an ancient eye cosmetic, traditionally made by grinding a kind of stone called stibnite for use similar to that of charcoal in mascara. To prepare it women used to boil a stibnite stone in oil. Then, the stone is grounded in a mortar till it turns to powder. In another bowl, a wick made of white muslin cloth is dipped in a pot filled with sesame oil. The wick is set on fire and then covered with a lid. The bowl will be filled with black soot. The grounded stone will be mixed with the soot. A small amount of oil is added.
Finally, the mixture will be stored in Mokhila (a special brass bottle for Kohul). It has a special topper that screws into it. The topper has a stick that one use to remove Al kohul from the container and to apply it around the eyes much like eyeliner.
Women use Al Kohul for newborn babies because they believe that it widens the eyes and strengthens the sight. Some use it to have longer eyelashes. It is also used against some eye ailments