7 Vintage Beauty Secrets We Swear By

Remember all those funny, sometimes strange, but almost always effective beauty “tips” your grandma passed down to you? Cucumbers on eyes and toothpaste on blemishes ring any bells? We thought so. Turns out these skin- and hair-care lessons are truly timeless, as is an efficient and effective primping routine. To kick off vintage week at TZR, here are 7 old-school beauty tips and the modern-day products that achieve the same glowing results. Because taking care of yourself never goes out of style.

A Classic Approach To Modern Beauty

Photo: Getty Images

Then: Chilled Cucumber To Soothe Puffy Eyes

Cucumbers naturally contain anti-inflammatory ingredients including vitamin C and caffeine, both of which help to reduce swelling.

Now: Eye Masks

Eye masks are infused with anti-inflammatory ingredients that specifically target dark, puffy circles. Throw them in the fridge for an extra-soothing experience.

Then: Ice Bath To Preserve Youthful Skin

In an effort to literally freeze the hands of time, women soaked their faces in ice water to maintain healthy, young-looking skin.

Now: Antiaging Serum

An effective and far less painful way to prevent wrinkles is to use a daily collagen-boosting serum.

Then: Baby Powder To Revive Dirty Hair

Applying baby powder to greasy roots improved the appearance of second-day hair.

Now: Dry Shampoo

A few spritzes of dry shampoo revives dirty hair. Truth be told, when we run out of it, we still break out the baby powder.

Then: An Iron To Straighten Hair

Back in the day, there weren’t many options for straightening hair so an actual iron and ironing board became the obvious (and often damaging) go-to.

Now: Flat Irons

Perhaps the greatest invention in modern beauty, the flatiron straightener makes pin-straight hair as easy as swipe and go.

Then: Straight Pin To Separate Lashes

The secret to full, fanned-out lashes is to separate them after you’ve applied mascara. There was a time when women used a pin to tediously pull apart stuck-together fringe.

Now: Lash Comb

A pin poking at our lashes is a bit too close for comfort. Luckily, a lash comb does the same thing but is faster and safer.

Then: Toothpaste To Get Rid Of Zits

Women relied on the peroxide, baking soda, menthol and alcohol in toothpaste to dry out unsightly acne.

Now: Spot Treatments

We reached for a tube of toothpaste all through high school, but now we rely on the salicylic acid in acne spot treatments to tackle our occasional breakouts.

Then: Vaseline For Parched Skin

A thick coat of Vaseline was all a woman needed to hydrate skin and prevent wrinkles back in the day.

Now: Face Oil

Face oil is just as effective at hydrating and combatting aging—it's also lighter and has more natural ingredients.