Elyse Hauser
Always remove your makeup at the end of the day, don’t wash your hair too often, slather yourself in coconut oil—these are the beauty tips we all know and love. But some of our favorite beauty tips are a little bit stranger.
Taking care of your skin, hair, and face is a highly personal process. And in that process, you might sometimes try something totally unheard of. We’ve all got our secret hacks and habits that we invented out of necessity. But some of those secrets deserve to be shared with the world.
We’ve gathered our favorite weird beauty secrets just for you, from skincare to haircare to makeup and more. Here are some of the most surprising ways to get more out of your beauty routine.
Replace Hand Cream with Sunscreen
From winter’s drying cold to constant handwashing at work, lots of things can leave you in need of hand cream. But to do your hands an even bigger favor, swap that hand cream for a rich, moisturizing sunscreen.
The hands are one of the first places aging shows up because they’re almost always exposed to the sun. Unless you’re wearing gloves, your hands are getting aged by UV rays every time you step outside. (Yes, even when it’s cloudy.) While most anti-aging products are made for the face, your hands deserve the same level of attention.
A creamy sunscreen doesn’t cost much more than ordinary hand cream, but it helps slow down the telltale signs of aging on your hands. And, of course, it reduces your risk of skin cancer. If you don’t love the typical sunscreen smell, opt for an unscented formula.
Wear Hair Conditioner All Day
If you have long hair, you almost certainly have those days where you just throw it in a bun. It might be messy or unwashed, but buns and similar updos keep it tame and out of the way until you have time to style it.
On those days, try coating your strands with ordinary hair conditioner before you put it up. The conditioner will help keep frizz and flyaways from popping out of your bun. It will also function as a mask, pumping your hair with moisture while you go about your day. When you wash it next, it will be so soft and shiny that you may not need to condition it again afterward.
Apply Conditioner Before Shampoo
Even if you don’t try the above trick, there are still benefits to using conditioner before shampoo.
If you have very long or very thick hair, rinsing out conditioner at the end of your shower can become a monumental task. And if you leave a residue of conditioner behind, it can weigh down your hair and make it look limp or greasy.
So, if you have a large volume of hair to work with, try conditioning it first. Apply conditioner at the start of your shower (or even before you get in), so it penetrates while you cleanse, exfoliate, and shave. Then, rinse it out and follow it with shampoo. The shampoo will ensure there’s no conditioner residue left behind, and you can add a leave-in conditioning product for added moisture afterward.
Use Facial Products on Your Neck and Chest
The delicate skin on your face tends to need the most love: that’s where dry skin, acne, and other issues often show up. But your neck and chest can also benefit from a little skincare TLC.
Just like your hands, your neck and chest get more sun exposure than other parts of your body, so they definitely should get a daily dose of sunscreen. But you can also use your facial toners, serums, masks, and moisturizers to give the skin there an ultra-healthy glow. When your décolletage is well cared for, it boosts your entire look.
This is also a great place to use skincare products that didn’t quite work for your face. If you have sensitive or acne-prone skin, new products often result in redness, breakouts, and other issues. But before you toss or return that product you were so excited about, try it on your neck and chest. The skin there tends to be a bit less sensitive, while still benefiting from quality skincare ingredients.
Save on Designer Perfume by Changing the Formula
This tip comes courtesy of Into the Gloss: if you love an expensive perfume, you can save money by buying it in a different formula. Just look for a room spray, hair perfume, or another product in the same scent—it’s probably much cheaper than the standard Eau de Parfum or toilette.
The product you get might be less concentrated, but it will still feature the same scent you love. You may need to spray a bit more of it to get the same effect, but the savings will be well worth the compromise.
Don’t Toss “Empty” Lipsticks
If you wear lipstick, you know there’s always a point when the tube is worn down so far that you can no longer swipe it on your lips. Most of the time, you’ll toss that old lipstick and pick up a new one.
But when the color is worn down to the edge of the tube, there’s usually still lots of product inside. Instead of throwing out the lipstick, start using a lip brush to paint the color on. You’ll get many more wears out of it before the tube is really empty.
You can also get more life out of a near-empty lip gloss with a similar trick. But instead of a lip brush, buy a flexible makeup wand to pull the rest of the product out.
Shop Brushes at the Art Supply Store
If buying new makeup brushes is breaking your budget, try checking out the brushes at the art supply store.
You’ll still need to buy some brushes from cosmetics brands, like your blush and contour brushes. But art supply companies typically have fan brushes that work well for highlighting, tiny brushes you can use for spot concealing, and a variety of other small brushes that work well for eyeshadow and liner. Art brushes are typically much cheaper than makeup brushes, and the quality is often just as good.
Repurpose Coffee Grounds as Body Scrubs
Ground coffee doesn’t last all that long. If you have old, unused coffee grounds, the taste might have gone off. But you can still use them—as a body scrub.
Just mix coffee grounds with body wash, olive oil, or even hair conditioner, and you’ve got a cheap DIY scrub for the shower. Staying in a hotel? Use the free coffee grounds for a quick, easy scrub that will get your whole body glowing.
Use Salt to Fake Beachy Hair
Have you ever noticed that your hair always has the perfect loose, wavy, voluminous look after a day at the beach? You can get a similar effect at home by putting salt in your hair.
Fair warning: salt will dry out your hair and make the texture a bit crunchy, just like it feels after going to the beach. But it will also give you that California-glam texture you’re looking for.
Just add a couple of tablespoons of sea salt or Epsom salts to a spray bottle, then fill it with warm water. Shake well until the salt is completely dissolved. You can also shake in a bit of almond, jojoba, or avocado oil, or leave-in conditioner, to make it more moisturizing. The mixture will separate with time, so always shake it up before you apply it.
Looking for more surprising beauty hacks? Check out these DIY hair masks next—some of the ingredients may surprise you!
