Latina mamas have the best beauty knowledge! Often passed down from their own mothers and grandmothers, their get-gorgeous secretos are easy, cheap, and (best part!) you don’t need a passport to try them. Here, four women reveal the beauty secrets they learned while growing up:
1. Refreshing face mist
“My abuela used to make her own rose water face mist by steeping rose petals in water and mixing with witch hazel,” says Robyn Moreno, who is of Mexican descent. “The rose water hydrates and refreshes skin — and for many tejanas, like me, it was Godsend because it’s so damn HOT in Texas!”
How to: Boil 2 cups of water and pour the hot water over the rose petals in a bowl, allowing the rose petals to steep for 30 minutes. Then, transfer the water to a spray bottle and add witch hazel (about 2 ounces) and refrigerate.
2. Natural nail strengthener
“Coming from a woman who never needed acrylics to lengthen her nails, my mother taught me to use garlic to make my nails super strong,” says Maribel Rodriguez. Her family originates from the Dominican Republic.
How to: Chop up fresh garlic, add it to a bottle of a clear nail polish, and let it sit for several days. Don’t worry about the smell. The nail polish will mask the garlic-y scent after a few days.
3. Simple sugar scrub
“For soft, smooth skin, Puerto Rican women blend olive or coconut oil and brown sugar to create a face scrub that leaves your skin glowy—not greasy,” says Blanca Peñagaricano.
How to: Add 1 tsp of sugar to 2 tbsp of olive or coconut oil then gently rub the mixture on your skin for about 30 seconds, avoiding the eye area. Rinse face with warm water, making sure to get all the sugar off.
4. Clever lash curler
“To curl their lashes, Chilean women use the spoon-as-curler trick,” says Belén Aranda-Alvarado. “It’s the same principle as using the edge of scissors to curl the ribbon that goes on gift wrapping.”
How to: Use the edge of the spoon (facing outward on upper lashline) and gently run it from the root to the tip to create a bend. To hold the curl, apply mascara immediately after.
Photo: Getty
