Beauty standards change with every generation. Today, we have ten-step skincare routines and contouring. Back in the day, things were a bit wilder.
Baby Boomers did some truly questionable things in the name of beauty. These trends range from dangerous to hilarious. You won’t believe people actually did this. Let’s look at the beauty fads that time thankfully forgot.
Ironing Hair with a Clothes Iron
Before ceramic straighteners, there was the clothing iron. Girls literally laid their heads on ironing boards. A friend would press their hair flat with the hot metal plate.
The heat damage was catastrophic to the hair shaft. Burns on the neck and ears were common occurrences. It was a high-risk way to get that sleek look.
Using Baby Oil for Tanning
Sunscreen was not the priority in the sixties. Boomers wanted to fry their skin dark. They slathered themselves in baby oil to attract the UV rays.
Some even used iodine or tin foil reflectors to intensify the burn. We now know the serious skin cancer risks involved. However, deep bronze was the only goal back then.
Sleeping in Juice Cans
Big hair required big rollers to achieve the height. When velcro rollers weren’t big enough, they used empty juice cans. They rolled their wet hair around the jagged metal tins.
Sleeping on sharp metal edges was absolute torture for the scalp. Yet, the volume the next morning was undeniable. Beauty truly was pain.
Mayonnaise Hair Masks
Conditioner was apparently optional for many. Many women slathered mayonnaise on their hair for shine. The kitchen staple was cheap, accessible, and very oily.
While it does moisturize, the smell is terrible and lingering. Rinsing it out with cold water was a greasy nightmare. No one wants to smell like a sandwich.
Frosting Lipstick
Lips weren’t just colored; they were metallic and icy. Frosted pink and white lipstick was everywhere in the disco era. It gave a chalky, robotic finish to the makeup look.
It often made lips look dry, cracked, and unhealthy. Thankfully, creamy and matte textures eventually took over. We left the frost in the freezer where it belongs.
Tape Face Lifts
Plastic surgery was expensive, but Scotch tape was cheap. Women used tape to pull back loose skin near their temples. They hid the adhesive strips under wigs or clever hairstyles.
It was a temporary and uncomfortable fix for aging. If the tape slipped during dinner, the jig was up. It was the original non-surgical facelift.
Blue Eyeshadow to the Brow Bone
Subtlety was not a thing in the 60s and 70s. Bright blue eyeshadow was applied thickly and liberally. It went from the lash line all the way up to the eyebrow.
It was bold, unapologetic, and very colorful. Today, we blend and contour carefully. Back then, it was just paint by numbers on the face.
Toothpaste on Zits
This acne remedy persisted for decades. The logic was that toothpaste dries out the pimple overnight. In reality, the menthol and fluoride burn the sensitive skin.
It often left a red, irritated chemical burn mark. It made the spot look worse, not better. Dermatologists cringe at this home hack today.
Shaving Eyebrows Off
At one-point, thin lines were the trend. Some women shaved their eyebrows off completely to start fresh. They then drew them back on with a thin pencil line.
Often, the pencil lines were too high or uneven. Regrowing them took years, if they ever grew back at all. The 90s revived this, sadly.
Beer for Body
Flat beer was used as a setting lotion for curls. It gave hair a stiff, crunchy hold that lasted. It was the ancestor of modern strong-hold hairspray.
The sugar in the beer acted as a strong glue. However, it attracted bugs and bees in the summer heat. Looking good came with a buzz in more ways than one.
A Wild Time for Beauty
These baby boomer beauty fads prove we will try anything once. We might laugh now, but we have our own weird trends. Who knows what Gen Alpha will mock us for in forty years?
Did your mom or grandma try any of these crazy hacks? Share the stories in the comments!
What to Read Next…
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- 10 Crazy Baby Boomer Beauty Trends You Won’t Believe
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The post 10 Baby Boomer Beauty Fads You’ll Swear Are Made Up appeared first on Budget and the Bees.
