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Beauty

Rita Hayworth’s Secret to Luscious Locks Is In Your Kitchen

The Hollywood starlet, Rita Hayworth, turned many heads in her day — and one of her most defining features was her auburn tresses. But surprisingly, the actress had a relatively simple beauty routine. The two items she used to keep her (famously dyed) hair looking shiny and radiant are actually sitting in your kitchen. 

According to Cosmopolitan UK, Rita followed a three-step hair routine after washing it. First, she applied olive oil to the ends of her clean locks. Next, she wrapped her hair up in a towel and let it sit for about 15 minutes. Finally, she rinsed her hair with hot water and lemon juice to get rid of any residue left over from the oil. That’s it! According to Glamour UK, this trick was quite common back in the 1940s. In fact, people have been using olive oil as a beauty product for centuries in countries like Greece and Italy. 

Olive oil is usually praised for its health benefits (it is a main component in the Mediterranean diet), but it can also be quite nourishing to the hair when applied topically. According to Olive Oil Source, massaging your hair with olive oil can make it look especially vibrant during the summer months. (It’s up to you if you want to shampoo it out afterward.) Olive oil also has a moisturizing effect that may help protect the hair, and even the scalp, from damage, according to Medical News Today.

As for lemon juice, it can work as a natural method to make your hair lighter and shinier, especially if you have light brown or blonde locks. But before trying this hack, it’s best to do a patch test with lemon juice first elsewhere on your skin (like your arm); according to Healthline, some folks with sensitive skin might risk irritation. It’s also a good idea to avoid prolonged exposure to the sun after putting lemon juice in your hair.

These days, you also have the option of trying out lemon shampoo ($7.55, Amazon) or olive oil shampoo ($12.04, Amazon), or even an olive oil hair conditioning spray oil ($8.78, Amazon) if you don’t want go full on Rita. And if your hair starts glowing and feels most moisturized after trying these tricks, you’ll have the actress to thank! 

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