LUCILLE BALL REVEALS HER BEAUTY TREATMENT

January 9, 1942

On January 9, 1942, Lucille Ball discussed her beauty regimen with Jacqueline Hunt. In an odd coincidence, Lucille Ball’s maternal grandfather Fred was also named Hunt. In an even odder coincidence, he died exactly two years after this article was published, January 9, 1944. 

In January 1942, Ball’s film Look Who’s Laughing was still in cinemas and her new film Valley of the Sun would be released a month later. 

THERE’S hardly an aspect of beauty on which slender, blue-eyed Lucille Ball isn’t an authority. The film star’s silky hair of reddish-gold and her long tapering fingernails are her favorite ‘assets,’ however, and get more pampering than everything else put together. Hair especially takes a lot of care because it is one of her nicest features. It is also her greatest liability, for it is inclined to be dry and to break off or get crimps to it from the least bit of rough handling. Lucille always carries a small but efficient hairbrush in her handbag and uses it constantly. Every time she removes her hat, she gives her locks a brisk brushing upward and out-ward, then back off the hairline, leaving the long ends attractively fluffy and free. 

When working on a picture, her hair must be shampooed daily. One light soaping followed by a thorough rinse is given and then her hair is set the same as it was on the previous day, dried and arranged. Because this tends to take so much of the life out of her hair, the minute her work is finished and she can get away from the studio for a few weeks, she shampoos as little as possible, depending on brushing alone to keep her hair bright and clean and to bring back the natural oils. Occasionally she dampens the ends slightly and rolls them on soft curlers to make the ends more fluffy, but mostly she depends on a loose permanent (in the ends only), repeated every four months or so. 

Omits Bobby Pins 

The actress insists that hair always should be left loose and free at night. She wouldn’t think of wearing a net or cap, and she never uses pins or bobby pins. as they put kinks in her fine hair and cause it to break off. 

Occasionally she has a henna rinse to accent the reddish tones of her naturally blond hair. This not only adds highlights, but also, she feels, is good for the hair, softens it, adds body and generally makes it more manageable. 

Her pretty nails are something of a problem, too. They are inclined to be dry and break easily, especially when she is in the East. Lucille’s greatest complaint, however, is that she rarely has time to stop for a complete manicure. Consequently, wherever she goes she carries a small kit which is equipped with manicure implements and the shades of polish she likes to wear. She has mastered the technique of removing old nail polish and putting on a fresh coat in no time flat. Cuticle softener worked around the nails every night simplifies her nail grooming problems. She is careful always to have the right polish for each costume and adores a rich mahogany.

One rarely meets a more color-conscious young lady. Lucille is careful to avoid all purplish colors in make-up or costume. Her favorite color is red – soft brownish reds or brick. Soft neutral shades like beige are good, too, as a foil for her reddish-gold hair.

Cleans With Cream

The treatment of her clear fair skin is both simple and drastic. Because the heavy screen makeup tends to clog pores and encourage oiliness, she cleanses with cream then steams her face with a hot wash cloth to relax the pores before she washes with hot soapsuds and rinses well. Away from the set, she uses very little makeup, often just a light film of pancake foundation which gives a nice finish to the skin, plus lipstick. 

Brushes and more brushes are another of Lucille’s beauty secrets. She uses them for nails, hands, elbows, feet and back, having a special kind for each purpose. She uses them briskly to remove dry flakes of skin and bring up the circulation. She adores hot baths, but since her doctor has forbidden her to take them, she settles for a hot shower, two or three times a day. This means she has had to give up such luxuries as bath salts and bubble baths, so she concentrates on scented soaps and has an eau de Cologne or toilet water to match each of her favorite perfumes. Favorite scents are many – pine, blue grass and other simple flowery fragrances and the exciting contrast of lush oriental perfumes all thrill her. She doesn’t care so much for the dry sophisticated types.