Mint leaves for dark circles, petroleum jelly as primer and BEER as shampoo: Vintage beauty hacks loved by Marilyn Monroe

Strawberries as a facial cleanser, petroleum jelly as a primer and washing hair with beer are just some of the vintage beauty hacks championed by old school Hollywood beauties such as Marilyn Monroe and Rita Hayworth.

Other tips included making the most of what women had in the past, like using rags instead of hot rollers and a dousing ice water bath instead of a facial.

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There are also handy make-up pointers from the past, such as applying white eyeliner on the waterline of the eye and using two shades of blusher to enhance cheekbones.

Along with the team at Hairtrade.com, FEMAIL have given the beauty fads of days gone by a twenty-first century update so you can channel that vintage style in your day-to-day look.

1. Sea salt in the bath

Sea salt is your skin’s best friend, it can flush away infections and leave skin silky soft. Ladies of the past used to bathe in the exfoliant to get a glowing complexion.

Update it: Try using scented bath salts with a sea salt base, this way you’ll get all the benefits without smelling like a pack of ready salted crisps. For brownie points, bathe in epsom salts, which are loved by celebrities for their detoxing properties.

2. Baking soda as teeth whitening

Back before we had super advanced toothpastes, baking soda was used to get sparkling pearly whites. Big in the 60’s and 70’s, vintage beauties would rub baking soda onto their teeth then rinse.

Update it: To make the taste a bit more bearable, try adding lemon and peppermint oil to create a paste then use once or twice a week.

3. Strawberries to clean face

Now we have access to an array of face washes but English roses in the swinging sixties would blitz strawberries in a blender then use as a cleanser. The pink colouring of the fruit acted as a natural glow as well as leaving their skin smelling sweet.

Update it: Try adding strawberries to a mixture of mashed banana and honey and apply as a facemask.

Using a white pencil to line the inner water line of the eye is a well-known trick of the trade from Marilyn Monroe, use Benefit's eye bright, left, to copy her look. Instead of rubbing rose petals together and dabbing onto cheeks and lips for a rosy glow, try Charlotte Tilbury's Beach Sticks. Women would apply a thin layer of petroleum jelly over eyelids and then cover with neutral skin-toned powder, use MakeUp Forever's eye prime from Debenhams

4. White eyeliner inside eye

Using a white pencil to line the inner water line of the eye is a well-known trick of the trade from Marilyn Monroe. The Hollywood starlet loved her signature sultry eye look to make her blue eyes pop.

Update it: Try using pastel coloured eyeliner with white undertones for a playful nod to this classic beauty tip.

5. Mint leaves for dark circles

Hollywood pin-ups like Rita Hayworth and Sophia Loren were all about having fresh, wide-awake skin so ladies of the time were desperate to get this flawless look. One tip was to crush mint leaves and leave them under the eyes to banish dark circles.

Update it: For a less messy version, dab a tiny amount of toothpaste under your eyes before going to bed to wake up bright-eyed and bushy tailed. If you're looking for a dedicated beauty product to target this, Codage Eye Contour Cream, which works miracles at reducing puffiness, or No. 7 Protect & Perfect Intense Advanced Eye Cream, will do the trick.

6. Spray perfume onto hairbrush

Coco Chanel famously said that women should wear perfume wherever they would like to be kissed. Having a feminine smell was extremely important in those days so women would spritz their hairbrushes with perfume to carry their scent with every swish of their locks.

Update it: Try investing in a perfume designed specifically for hair that will nourish it as well as smelling good. SHOW Beauty have a great version in the form of their Decadence Hair Fragrance.

Women would use parasols and wear huge hats to protect their skin from the sun's glare but Olay Regenerist Luminous Brightening & Protecting SPF20 Moisturiser, left, will do the job. Pantene Pro-V Hydra Intensify Velvet Crème Infusion will give you lustrous locks like Rita Hayworth. Coco Chanel famously said that women should wear perfume wherever they would like to be kissed so women sprayed their hairbrush with a fragrance. SHOW Beauty have a great version in the form of their Decadence Hair Fragrance

7. Use petroleum jelly on eyelids

The vintage look is all about having dramatic eye make-up. Women would apply a thin layer of petroleum jelly over eyelids and then cover with neutral skin-toned powder all the way up to the brow line and blend a darker shade into the crease for theatrical deep crease impact.

Update it: Use an eyelid primer instead of petroleum jelly for long-lasting vintage peepers. Urban Decay's eyshadow primer potion or MakeUp For Ever's Eye Prime will do the trick.

8. Cold water treatment

Joan Crawford famously told how she splashed her face with ice cold water 25 times every morning to keep her legendary face smooth and taut.

Update it: If you can’t bear dousing yourself with freezing water, try mixing together sugar, warm water and lemon juice to cleanse your face for a fresh complexion. Dr Hauschka's Lemon Lemongrass Vitalising Body Oil is perfect for an all-over fresh and zesty glow.

9. Olive oil on hair

A favourite trick of auburn-locked Rita Hayworth, to keep hair looking lustrous, she would shampoo hair then apply olive oil to the ends and wrap up in a towel for 15 minutes. She would rinse with hot water, cleanser and lemon juice to get rid of any residue.

Update it: If you haven’t got time for all this in the morning, try using an oil-based serum - like TRESemme Salon Smooth Serum, which is infused with argan oil - or Pantene Pro-V Hydra Intensify Velvet Crème Infusion on wet hair then leave it wrapped in a towel whilst you do your make-up. The serum will absorb into your hair without needing to rinse.

Codage Eye Contour Cream, which works miracles at reducing puffiness, will have the same effect as popping mint leaves on the eyes, Burberry's new Lip & Cheek Blooms give the same effect as crushed roses dabbed onto the skin and No. 7 Protect & Perfect Intense Advanced Eye Cream will soothe puffy eyes like mint leaves

10. Two shades of blusher

In the days of black and white photography before forgiving Instagram filters came into play, having high cheekbones was highly desirable. A trick credited to Grace Kelly was using two shades of blusher, a lighter shade on the bone and darker in the hollow.

Update it: Try using a highlighter on your cheekbones and dab above your brows for the ultimate minimalist chic. RMS Beauty's Living Luminizer is perfect for achieving the look (and Miranda Kerr is a fan) or even a spot of Neal's Yard Remedy's coconut oil.

11. Embracing porcelain skin

Before the days of fake tan, porcelain skin with a flawless complexion was seen as beautiful. Women would use parasols and wear huge hats to protect their skin from the sun’s glare.

Update it: Carrying a parasol on the bus to work might attract some strange looks so try investing a moisturiser with a high SPF to protect your skin from harmful UV rays. We love bareMinerals' Complexion Rescue - the best bits of a BB, CC, tinted moisturiser plus SPF 30 - and Clinique's Super City Block SPF 40 and Olay Regenerist Luminous Brightening & Protecting SPF20 Moisturiser.

A favourite trick of auburn-locked Rita Hayworth, to keep hair looking lustrous, she would shampoo hair then apply olive oil to the ends and wrap up in a towel for 15 minutes12. Crush rose petals or beetroot to tint cheeks

Back in the days of old school romance, a lady’s gentleman caller would always present her with a bouquet of roses. Before they withered, these blushing dames would rub the petals together until they produced liquid then dab this onto cheeks and lips for a rosy glow.

Update it: Try mixing the petal liquid with a clear lip gloss to create a natural colour with some extra shimmer to take you through the night. Or, Burberry's new Lip & Cheek Blooms or Charlotte Tilbury's Beach Stick will cheat the look.

13. Homemade rollers

In the fifties, having thick curly hair was all the rage but hot rollers were expensive and uncomfortable to sleep it. Pioneering vintage beauties worked around this by rolling damp hair around pieces of fabric, tying off and leaving overnight.

Update it: Use the same trick but spritz your hair with sea salt spray once in the ‘rollers’ for a more tousled, bedhead look. VO5 Give Me Texture Wave Creation Foam (£3.99) is infused with sea kelp extract to create a soft textural twist. Perfect for those looking to achieve that on trend LA heathy hair wave.

14. Beer shampoo

Rinsing hair with beer is an old wives’ tale that some still swear by today. After the liquid evaporates from the hair, a residue of hops and barley is left giving hair more body and weight.

Update it: 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 well maintained.

15. Talcum powder

Even retro beauties suffered from greasy roots! Their saviour came in form of talcum powder, which they shook onto hair then ruffled up.

Update it: This tip only works well for blonde-haired babes. Nowadays we have dry shampoo for locks in need of a boost. Batiste do a great range of dry shampoos for different hair colours.Read more from:prom dresses uk