Old Hollywood Hair and Beauty Secrets Revealed

Using beer as a shampoo, ice cold water to keep your complexion firm and olive oil to moisturise skin are just some of the old Hollywood hair and beauty secrets in need of a revival. Online hair and beauty retailer Hairtrade.com have researched the beauty fads of days gone by and given them a 21^st century update. Some of the secrets were used by Hollywood icons like Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly. Here are the sites top old Hollywood hair and beauty secrets:

1. Separate Lashes With a Pin

Then: Audrey Hepburn inspired the ‘baby doll’ look, which she achieved using eyeliner and a super-fine layer of mascara on the upper lashes to enhance her eyes. Rumour has it that she separated every single one of her individual lashes with a pin after applying mascara, to keep them looking as natural as possible.

 Now: Thanks to modern-day mascara, we can achieve layered, fluttery eyelashes pin-free. One we recommend is the New CID I-Flutter Double Brush Volumising & Lengthening Mascara (8ml) – £15.99.

2. Subtly Enhance Natural Features

Then: Grace Kelly remains to this day as being one of the most beautiful women of all time, but even she used tricks to subtly enhance her features. One of her tips was to add a brown eye shadow along her eyebrows to a define them, a beauty trick that’s still used to this day. She also used two different blushes on her cheeks – a light one over the apples of her cheeks and a darker one in the hollows of her cheekbones.

 Now: Nowadays beauty lovers use the art of contouring and highlighting to create definition in the face. We love combining the Daniel Sandler Watercolour Crème Bronzer in Riviera – £13.99 paired with the New CID I-Glow Compact Shimmer Powder in Sirocco – £20.50. 

3. Hair Rinsing

Then: In order to achieve thick and luscious hair, celebrities and many other women in the 1940’s would use this rinsing trick. They would shampoo their hair with warm water, rinse it, then saturate the hair with olive or almond oil and wrap it tightly in a towel for 15 minutes. Then, they mixed a cleanser with lemon juice and warm water and rinsed the hair again to get rid of any residue.

 Now: Whilst olive and almond oils both work perfectly, a modern and mess-free product that achieves thick and luscious hair is the MoroccanOil Treatment (100ml) – £31.85. 

4. Olive Oil

Then: Italian actress Sophia Loren claims her beautiful, glossy complexion in the 60’s was all down to olive oil. She made sure she consumed at least two tablespoons a day by adding it to her food. She also rubbed it over her skin and occasionally added it to her baths for a nourishing soak.

 Now: Try adding a drop of your Moroccan Oil to a warm bath, for a moisturising soak. Like olive oil, you can also use it as a moisturiser or lotion.

5. Cucumbers and Petroleum Jelly

Then: A beauty secret that’s still popular to this day is using cucumber to protect against puffiness. Actresses would also use petroleum jelly for puffiness and dark circles. They also used to apply it all over their eyelids, before covering with a neutral powder for a natural, long lasting shadow look.

 Now: Cover your lids with a primer for long-lasting dramatic shadow looks. We recommend the Daniel Sandler Face Primer – £18.50.

6. Cold Water

Then: Hollywood actress Joan Crawford believed in washing her face 25 times a day with cold water to keep her complexion looking fresh and firm.

Now: If you can’t bear dousing yourself with freezing water, try using a modern-day cleanser, to help skin your skin feel fresh and clear. We recommend the Clinique Rinse Off Foaming Cleanser (150ml) – £14.50. 

7. Match Lipstick to Nail Polish

Then: Hollywood starlet Jane Russell’s signature look was to match her lipstick colour to her nail polish. This beauty concept was incredibly popular in the 1940’s.

Now: Still a wearable trend, but take it to modern times and combine colours like hot pink and bright purple. We love the New CID I-Gloss Light Up Lip Gloss in Cherry Pop – £14.50 with the Jessica Custom Nail Colour in Powerful (7.4ml)) – £3.92 

8. Single Product, Multiple Colours

Then: Marilyn Monroe’s makeup artist famously believed in using a single product in multiple colours to add dimension to the face – particularly with eyeliner, which he used in four colours. Black and brown colours were used on the actresses upper and lower waterlines, combined with a white pencil on the outer corners and red liner on the inner corners to give her that iconic ‘wide eyed’ look.

Now: The NEW CID eye liners come in a trio of colours. We love using the New CID I-Gel Long Wear Gel Eye Liner Trio with Brush in Granite Graphite Carbon – £18.99. 

9. Beer Shampoo

Then: Rinsing hair with beer is an old vintage hack that some still swear by to this day. After the liquid evaporates from the hair, a residue of hops and barley is left giving hair more body and weight.

Now: If you don’t fancy smelling like a brewery, try using a deep-conditioning treatment on your hair once a week to keep it thick and luscious. We recommend the Matrix Biolage Smooththerapie Deep Smoothing Conditioner (250ml) – £9.70. 

10. Homemade Rollers

Then: Lusciously thick curls were all the rage in the fifties, but hot rollers were expensive and uncomfortable to sleep in. Vintage beauties came up with the idea of rolling damp hair around pieces of fabric, tying off and leaving overnight.

Now: We don’t need overnight methods to make our hair thick and curly anymore. Instead, we could use electrical heated rollers, which achieve beautiful curls within minutes. Try using the Babyliss Pro 20 Piece Heated Ceramic Roller Set – £42.99. 

Danielle Mead