'Wash your hair with Fairy Liquid and scrub your skin with dishwasher salt,' says ex-model JILLY JOHNSON. 'At 60, I'm proof you should forget pricey products'

  • Ditch facials - scrub your skin with a good flannel instead
  • Use lemon on elbows to soften and brighten the skin
  • Don't wash your hair daily - it's completely unnecessary

By Jilly Johnson

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Expert: Ex-model Jilly Johnson swears by her home-made exfoliating leg scrub

Expert: Ex-model Jilly Johnson swears by her home-made exfoliating leg scrub

Last weekend, I decided it was time to give my dull winter skin some well-deserved pampering. After 40 years as a model, you can bet I know what works.

So, where do you think I went? To a spa? To a department store to hand over hundreds of pounds for the latest science-based, advertising-backed, high-end beauty products?

No, I went rummaging under my kitchen sink for dishwasher salt. Mixed with a squirt of baby oil, it makes an excellent home-made exfoliating leg scrub that's the equal of anything that comes in an expensive jar.

If you had told me when I was young that I'd end up a budget beauty queen, I'd have laughed in your face.

I used to be a skincare junkie. I haunted Harrods beauty floor and was an expert on all the luxury brands. I spent a fortune on products, convinced I was getting the best that money could buy.

I once spent £100 on a tub of goo - and that was back in the Seventies, when it was equivalent to a month's rent.  

But even back then, I was beginning to work out that I was being had. On countless occasions, I'd be doing a campaign for a top brand of hairspray, but my hair would be lacquered into place with a different - often much cheaper - brand because the stylist preferred it.

My face and body were my fortune in those days. I hate to think how much time and money I spent chasing the elixir of youth.

If I went abroad on a modelling assignment, I'd have to travel with three enormous suitcases full of rollers, professional hair-dryers, skin preparations and cosmetics.

If only I could have looked into a crystal ball so my older, wiser self could have told me that the only beauty product I needed was a high-quality sunblock.

I did a lot of swimwear shoots in the Seventies when you were expected to have a deep tan. So, the moment I arrived on an exotic shoot, I'd lie down on a sheet of tin foil, rub myself with olive oil and fry myself in the sun.

I've got my fair share of skin damage as a result, and no amount of cleverly marketed, expensive or fashionable beauty products can ever make up for that.

 

Just over a decade ago, I realised that I'd had enough of high- maintenance beauty. I'd turned 50 and was fed up with spending hours on maintaining my look. And, no longer at the peak of my modelling career, I couldn't justify the expense either.

So I walked away from Harrods and started hunting out cosmetics in Tesco and M&S instead.  

I've found that with rare exception - I don't think budget foundation is a good idea on mature skin - cheaper products work just as well as the most expensive.

Low-maintenance: Cheaper, even household items, work just as well as the most expensive

Low-maintenance: Cheap, even household items, work just as well as the most expensive

You might not get the lovely packaging or delicious fragrance, but they are just as reliable and effective - and a tenth of the price. And you can do your food shopping at the same time.

And while I've been wandering the supermarket aisles, I've also discovered you can buy a variety of household products and everyday toiletries that, with a tiny bit of effort, are just as effective.

I don't think I scrub up too badly for a grandmother of 60, do you?  

I'd be hard-pushed to spend more than a few pounds a month on my hair, face and body these days - I used to fork out £200 a month in the Seventies. I also have much more time to spend on things I enjoy.

A brisk hour-long walk with my dog in the fresh air leaves my skin feeling as bright and invigorated as any professional treatment. I just wish I'd discovered this 40 years ago.

So, here are my tips on how to be a budget beauty queen . . .

NO FRILLS FACIAL

I haven't had a facial for 12 years. In fact, my husband has had more facials than I've had.

A good face flannel is all you need to keep your skin bright; exfoliating agents are mimicking the action of gentle scrubbing, which removes dead cells from the skin's top layer.

Every night before bed, I give my face a gentle going over with a warm, wet muslin cloth (£4.25 for a pack of two from John Lewis). They can be washed in the machine and last for years.

DISHWASHER PICK-ME-UP

Though I use plain dishwasher salt on my legs to prevent dry skin, I've adapted my budget trick for my delicate decolletage and arms.

Instead of the coarse dishwasher stuff, I take a handful of flaky sea salt from the kitchen cupboard (a 250g bag costs about £1.65 from the supermarket).

Mix in a bowl with a squirt of baby oil and rub gently into the skin around your breasts, before rinsing with cold water.

The coarseness of the salt lifts dead skin cells, while the baby oil instantly softens. Who needs laser treatment? This will make skin plump, pink and baby soft.

I do this every ten days for an instant pick-me-up if I'm feeling tired or low.

USE LEMON ON ELBOWS

Who doesn't have dry elbows? Me, that's who - and it's all thanks to one of my mother's favourite beauty tricks.

She rubbed a squeezed lemon half on her elbows to soften and brighten the skin.

Now when I'm cooking fish I automatically give my elbows a little rub before throwing away the lemon halves.

The lemon juice acts as a mild bleach, which brightens those tough, nobbly bits of skin, and it's as astringent as an expensive glycolic acid cream.

DON'T WASH HAIR DAILY

I used to wash my hair every day. It was years before I realised this is completely unnecessary.

I must save myself at least four hours a week and countless bottles of shampoo.

I wash my hair every two or three days instead and it looks so much better for it.

I prefer a baby shampoo, such as Johnson's No More Tangles (£3.20), and I haven't been able to find a conditioner to top good old Timotei (£2.99).

Top beauty budget trick: Wash your hair once in a month in washing-up liquid

Beauty budget trick: Wash your hair once a month in washing-up liquid

... BUT DO USE FAIRY LIQUID

Forget expensive weekly hair treatments. My top budget beauty trick is to wash my hair once a month in washing-up liquid. Yes, really.

I found this out by accident a few years ago when I ran out of shampoo one day and, in desperation, headed for the kitchen sink.

Astonishingly, it made my hair magnificently shiny and full of body.

My hairdresser told me the washing-up liquid had removed the build-up of hairspray and conditioner that was weighing down my hair.

AVOCADO CONDITIONER

Once a month, I treat my hair to an intensive conditioning treatment that I swear works just as well as an expensive hot oil or serum.

If an avocado is a bit over-ripe, I mix it with olive oil, coat my hair and wrap my head in clingfilm for half an hour, before washing off.

Avoid the roots if you have greasy hair. It leaves even coarse, highlighted hair shiny and soft.

SWITCH MOISTURISER

Skincare is important to me and the right moisturiser is vital.

I switch every six weeks or so, as I find products become less effective the longer you use them. And my golden rule is that a moisturiser should not cost me more than £25. Today, I'm using Olay Total Effects day moisturiser from Tesco (£7.49) with Garnier Nutritionist Youth Radiance tinted eye roll-on (£7). I defy anyone to tell the difference between these and high-end face cream.

A DAB OF VASELINE

My nightly beauty regime is straightforward. I use Simple remover make-up pads (£4) and wash my face with Neutrogena cleanser (£3).

Then I put M&S's Formula Advanced Illumin-ATP Radiance Intense serum (£19.50) all over my face and neck (separate neck and eye creams are a con, I think).

It's plumped my skin without clogging up the pores.

I'm religious about moisturising my body at night. My husband says I'm like a cross-Channel swimmer because I'm slathered in grease when I go to bed.

I like Astral, Nivea, Neutrogena or E45 - anything I can get in a big tub from the supermarket.

And I put a slick of Vaseline on my lips before I close my eyes. It seems to do the trick!

 

The comments below have not been moderated.

CODSWALLOP ............. household cleaning products and stuff * especially all kinds of salt *is very errosive on the skin and can cause so many skin problems ... and washing up liquid is designed to clean grease from plates and cutlery and therefore will clean and dry out all natural oils needed for healthy hair ...... WHAT A STUPID AND DANGEROUS ARTICLE .......... DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME KIDS .....

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Dm get your pictures right. The picture shows dishwasher detergent tabs and these are caustic and would be dangerous to put on your skin. Dishwasher salt as she mentions is just corse harmless salt. Huge misteke to get them mixed up.

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I wash my hair once a week - it isn't necessary to wash it every day - you are just destroying your hair! I also let it dry naturally and do not use straigteners

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I don't wash my hair every day either. In fact I haven't washed anything for years. I've saved lots of money, but strangely I have no friends and even the cat won't sit on me.

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Don't forget to eat a Toilet Duck a day for a Colonic irrigation.

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No reason not to believe this. I rarely use anything on my face unless I'm going out. Every morning I shower & just wash my face with a flannel & water & at night, splash water on my face & rub with a towel. I'm in my mid 50' & have no wrinkles, unless you call laughter lines around my eyes, wrinkles, when I smile. I have done this all my life, so what does it prove ? Am I just lucky or does it prove all the cleansing in the world makes little difference at the end of the day.

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Can't tell whether or not she looks young for her age with that faraway posed photo.

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Drink thick bleach for a colonic lemon is my favourite, electric sanders will sort out your wrinkles and sand your bookshelf and don't forget eating potpourri will make your farts smell nice

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So funny, thanks for the laugh and the free advice, just munching PotPourri while I type this.

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hehe

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I use cillit bang for a good skin peel, wash my hair with toilet duck and use lard for face cream. I also find vinegar perfect for underarm freshness

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Lol :))

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BAby Shampoo is non-alkaline and very drying on your hair. What rubbish.

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