The first time I slept over at a friend’s house, around age 13 or so, I was shocked by the number of bottles on their bathroom counter — lotions, gels, foams, anti-aging products, perfumes and tubes of who knows what. In contrast, I’d grown up seeing my mother and grandmother — the most beautiful women I knew — use very few. They got their “glow” from sitting outside on sunny days, and their counters, purses and showers held hardly any products.
My family immigrated from a remote mountain village in Greece, which was the origin of my family’s eye toward natural beauty and fewer chemicals. There were no six-step skin treatment lines there. While my friends tried to blast their acne with numerous masks, creams and sprays, I was perplexed. They didn’t seem to be working, and their skin and hair didn’t look much different from mine at all.
Thinking back, that simplicity was a gift in my childhood and teen years. I never noticed face wrinkles until a commercial pointed out the need to eliminate them with Botox or Retinol cream. I didn’t see unmade-up faces as “not put together,” just typical faces. As I approach 40, wrinkles are coming through on my own face, and I realize how fortunate I was to have a lifetime of training in natural beauty.
In place of the numerous beauty items women think are must-haves today, the most beautiful women I know only used these:
Vaseline
Sure, it might be outdated, and the container isn’t cute enough for a Sephora shelf, but this stuff was slathered on almost anything that seemed dry, sore or cracked. From wintertime lips to less-than-smooth elbows, my grandmother kept this right by the couch where she watched Oprah every day at 4 p.m. You never know when you’ll need a dab. When I look at the extensive products made for everything Vaseline does, I realize what a multipurpose gem it is. She skipped expensive pedicures by slathering this on her feet and covering them with warm socks. Today, numerous petroleum-free products are available as alternatives, but for decades, this was a must-have.
Olive Oil
A bit of olive oil takes the place of numerous cuticle oils and even hair moisturizing treatments if yours is dry or brittle. Only years later did I learn the reason — the antioxidants and fatty acids in olive oil make it a perfect, chemical-free product for hair, skin, nails and more.
Plain Soap