The Weirdest Summer Beauty Hacks That Actually Work

Tired of summer disrupting your beauty game? These hacks sound kinda strange, but they may become your hot weather saviours.

Sophie Boyden

Wednesday, July 5, 2017 - 18:00

You were so looking forward to becoming a sun-kissed babe of a human this summer but instead you’ve found yourself sweating profusely with melty makeup, frizzy AF hair and 297566 bites by what feels like every mosquito to have ever graced the earth.

You don't want to be an ungrateful so-and-so but you forgot how all this glorious weather can mess with your beauty routine.

At this point, you'll try almost anything to look like a flawless Kardashian all summer long, right? Right?!

From potato pedicures to toilet seat covers as blotting paper, we’ve tracked down 21 totally-weird-but-genius hacks to be trying out ASAP. Yes some of them are weird af, but don’t knock ‘em ’till you’ve tried them because they may become your summer saviours.

Slam dunk your face in cold water

HOW TO "JAMSU (잠수) " YOUR FACE | Water Dipping Makeup Technique - Better than Baking?!

You might have seen this Korean hack floating around the internet recently (and probably thought it was slightly mental), but Bella Hadid is apparently a huge fan so that means it definitely works, right?

'Jamsu' involves applying your makeup before dunking your face into cold water to seal it. It may be a strangely soggy start to your morning but you’ll be laughing when you look in the mirror and see the flawless, matte face staring back at you.

Keep polish cool for the perfect mani

Nail polish left in the heat can form bubbles and even separate the coloured part from the nourishing oils, which makes your nail polish thick and bubbly.

To avoid your faves turning all gloopy and having to declare them useless, store them in the fridge. Not only will you get a perfectly smooth, profesh mani, it’ll also increase the shelf-life of your polishes too. GENIUS.

DIY your pedicure with a… potato?!

If you’re wanting to get your feet in flip flops ASAP but your feet are manky AF and you don’t have the time (or money) for a profesh pedicure, tune into this pro secret. To combat tough skin, use a potato which has been cut in half and coated in sea salt. Rub the potato along the bottom and sides of the feet for an instant exfoliating fix.

Banish fake tan fails with baking soda

Summer is time to bare those pins so you’ve probably panicked and gone IN on the fake tan. If you’ve gone slightly overboard and now regret those streaky, orange self-tan stains on your elbows and knees, there’s a simple way to solve it.

Mix some lemon juice with baking powder to make a thick paste and then massage it into the skin, and leave on for ten minutes. The lemon juice will lighten the stains, and the baking powder works as a handy exfoliator.

Toilet seat covers = the answer to oily skin

We’ve hit peak beauty hack with people using actual toilet seat covers as a way to combat oily skin. Take a (CLEAN) sheet and blot, blot, blot all over your face to soak up all the excess oil. Slightly icky, but we love it.

Keep frizz at bay with a toothbrush

Fed up with your hair frizzing and sticking up left, right and centre when you just want it to behave? Simply spray a toothbrush with hairspray and run it through the hairline, and then above the ears to smooth down any pesky flyaways. Bare in mind that you should probably use a spare toothbrush, because using your actual toothbrush would just be plain stupid.

Ditch dry hair with your fave brunch food

If the mixture of heat, sea, and swimming pools in the summer leaves your hair feeling drier than the Sahara desert, you can use a few ingredients from your kitchen to help save the day.

Simply crush a whole avocado and mix with half a cup of olive oil and a tablespoon of lemon juice to make a moisturising hair mask. Apply to the hair and leave for half an hour before rinsing to revive your locks.

Banish bikini rash with teabags

We’ve all been there - realising you’ve forgotten to maintain ‘down there’, rushing your pre-pool party prep, and then ending up with the dreaded bright red bikini rash.

To soothe it, put some chamomile teabags in hot water, before letting them cool in the freezer. Then place them onto the rash around the bikini line and leave for a few minutes to let the calming effects do their thang. It also works wonders on tired eyes too.

A genius way to keep the bugs away

Fed up of constantly getting bitten everytime you go outside? Rub a tumble dryer sheet all over your clothes - the scent will keep the mosquitoes away.

Double up your mouthwash as a foot soak

It may sound totally bonkers to put your mouthwash anywhere near your feet, but people are doing it and people are loving it.

Mix Listerine, vinegar and water before soaking your feet for 15 minutes and be amazed with the baby soft results.

Baby powder = your summer BFF

Load up on the ol' baby powder for summer because it’s going to be your multitasking holiday essential.

Not only is it an effective alternative to dry shampoo and prevents chafing in your short shorts, it works wonders at the beach. Once you’ve got your fill of sun and sand for the day, sprinkle baby powder on where the sand has stuck to you. The powder will absorb the moisture on your skin from sweat and salt water and you’ll be able to wipe it off easily.

It can even be used as a setting powder to keep make up in place. Now that is a bottle of genius.

Fast-track to bronzed goddess

If you want to add a summer glow to legs and arms but have no time for fake tan (because some of us are just impatient alright?!), then you can create your own bronzing lotion easily.

Simply add some shimmery copper or gold bronzer/eyeshadow to your body lotion, and you will be a bronzed babe in a matter of minutes.

Soothe that sunburn

As much as we try to prevent sunburn, sometimes we still get caught out and end up looking like a lobster. Aloe Vera is a really effective healer for sunburned skin, but freezing Aloe Vera into ice cube trays is an even more soothing way of going about it.

Keep a tray it in your freezer all summer long, then pop out a cube or two when you need some extra TLC.

Stop your razor from rusting

Razor rust means more chance of nicking yourself while shaving, not to mention the risk of infection.

Keep your razor alive for longer by storing it outside of the shower, and coat the blades in olive oil between uses to protect the metal from rusting. Olive oil can also double up as a shaving cream if you need a quick fix.

Dolphin legs for days

You know that amazing feeling when you shave your legs and they feel like slippery soft dolphins, but then you wake up the next morning and there’s already stubble? Yep, the constant upkeep of freshly shaved legs is probably the most annoying summer pet peeve.

Try mixing sugar, lemon and water which is a natural remedy to slow down hair growth, so you can stay smoother for longer.

Stay comfy in your new summer sandals

Want to wear those new fancy sandals but can’t deal with the pain of breaking them in? Keep blisters at bay by spraying your ankles and toes with deodorant, as this prevents the moisture and friction which causes blisters in the first place.

Banish sweat stains with lemon juice

Being stuck on any mode of transport and sweating profusely in your white top is a recipe for weird, dark sweat stains galore.

Before crying into a pile of your destroyed garms, spray the marks directly with lemon juice before chucking them in the washing machine and they should disappear. IT’S A MIRACLE.

Use deodorant to sweat-proof your blowdry

One of the worst things about styling your hair in the summer is the struggle of basically needing another cold shower after blowdrying because your neck is one big pool of sweat.

You’ll be glad to know that you can literally avoid horrific beauty moments like this by swiping some antiperspirant on the back or your neck around 10 minutes before heat styling to prevent sticky strands.

Vinegar = DIY hair brightener

Sun and salt water is a pretty wonderful combination, but if you’ve got coloured hair you may notice that it tends to make your fresh colour fade.

Spritz some apple cider vinegar all over your hair, leave it in for 10 minutes and rinse out - it’s a natural remedy that’ll brighten up your locks.

Use milk of magnesia as a primer for oily skin

Totally not what you'd think Milk Of Magnesia was for, but if you suffer from particularly oily skin in the summer you can avoid a melty makeup meltdown by using it as a primer. The result? A smooth, matte complexion.