Allure Editors' 26 Best Beauty Hacks Ever
By Stephanie Saltzman
Sure, as Allure editors, we have access to the latest, greatest beauty products. But we still run out of shaving cream and long to create three-minute updos just like the next gal. We’ve learned how to get by in a pinch. Here, our best beauty shortcuts, money-saving cheats, and ingenious ways to use household items like coconut oil, baking soda, and spray starch (yes, spray starch!). MacGyver, eat your heart out.
HAIR
1. “If you are out of dry shampoo, spray starch—the kind you have in the laundry room—works just as well.”
—Patricia Tortolani, Beauty Director
2. “To create a three-minute updo, just gather dry hair back into a high ponytail and secure with an elastic. Next, twist the tail, wrap it round the elastic, and pin it into place. Shoot an aerosol hair spray all over, and gently rough up the bun with your fingers. Finish the look by sliding on a thin, stretchy headband to create a little bump behind it for a dressier finish.”
—Sophia Panych, Associate Editor
Related: 50 Beauty Products to Try Before You Die
3. “I create my own leave-in conditioner by pouring regular conditioner and water into a spray bottle (one part conditioner to three parts water). My hair is really fine and tangles throughout the day, so a few spritzes keep things under control and get rid of frizz.”
—Liana Schaffner, Senior Editor
4. “To fake a longer ponytail, I divide my hair into two ponytails: one with all of the hair above my ears and the other at the nape of my neck about three or four inches below it. The top ponytail falls over the bottom one, concealing the elastic, so it looks like one long, voluminous ponytail.”
—Catherine Q. O’Neill, Beauty News Editor
5. “You can curl your hair with a flatiron: Take a one- or two-inch section and begin to pull it through your straightener as you normally would. Once you get to about ear-level, flip the iron in the opposite direction by twisting your wrist so the strand is wrapping around the edge of the iron, and continue to pull it through the ends. This creates cool, bendy waves instead of barrel curls.”
—Stephanie Saltzman, Assistant Web Editor
See more: Celebrity Hairstyles That Will Make You Look 10 Years Younger
6. “If your hair starts to frizz and you haven’t got any smoothing serum with you, use hand cream. Just apply it to your hands as usual, then run your fingers lightly through your hair, starting in the back. Don’t overdo it, though, or your strands can get greasy fast.”
—Fiona Gibb, Web Editor
7. “In a rush, I wash my hair with conditioner. Just massage it into the scalp and through to the ends, and make sure to rinse the scalp well. It gets hair clean and conditions in one step. (Caveat: I have naturally wavy/thick hair; this probably wouldn’t work with fine/straight hair because it might make it greasy.)”
—Elizabeth Einstein, Contributing Editor
8. “I learned this one from hairstylist Kerrie Urban: If your hair is staticky, instead of loading it up with products, grab a dryer sheet and run it through your hair wherever there is static. Bonus: Your hair will smell amazing.”
—Stephanie Saltzman
9. “If I want beachy waves in two minutes without using a curling iron, I douse my hair with salt spray, put it into two Princess Leia-like buns, and blast with a blow-dryer. I’ll leave the buns in while I do my makeup or get ready and then take the bobby pins out before running out the door. Shake and go!”
—Britt Aboutaleb, Multimedia Director
Photo: CHRISTOPHER MELTO
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