Sheen Khaal

Sheen Khaal are blue-green permanent beauty marks in the form of dots and patterns that are usually tattooed between the eyebrows, on the chin and on the cheek of young Pashtun women. This custom was originally practiced as a way to protect ones-self from the evil eye. It used to be very common for Pashtun ladies to have sheen khaal but today it is mostly only seen on very old women or the nomads or kochi women. Sheen Khaal is still seen as very beautiful by many Pashtuns and Pashtun women nowadays sometimes make temporary sheen khaals on their faces on special occasions.

I have also been told that sheen khaal is also used as a medical treatment for pain in the muscles and body in rural areas where no medical facility is available. A skillful person takes some sewing needles and the person hits and strikes that pain spot multiple times and after it is bleeding they use ink upon that as an antiseptic and with the passage of time that spot becomes green.