Craziest celebrity beauty rituals and hacks revealed, from blood-infused moisturisers to leech therapy

The craziest celebrity beauty rituals are certainly only for those with a strong stomach. From blood-infused moisturisers and leech therapy to a fish pedicure and 'penis facial', there are few things the A-list won't try in the pursuit of looking photo-ready at all times.

However, while famous faces like Victoria Beckham and Demi Moore may go to squeamish lengths to stay looking their best, other stars like Nicole Kidman and Margot Robbie take a surprising back-to-basics approach when it comes to their bathroom routines - including unlikely anti-ageing skincare and an unexpected alternative to lip balm.

Further still, go-to celebrity beauty hacks aren't just relegated to the clinic or salon. Indeed, many of their tips and tricks can easily be recreated at home - if you take a leaf out of Bella Hadid and Blake Lively's books. Without further ado, take a red-carpet-worthy approach to getting ready with a little inspiration from these glamorous women...

32 craziest celebrity beauty rituals revealed

Victoria Beckham's blood moisturiser

Victoria Beckham caused a stir in 2019 when she revealed on Instagram that she was using a Dr Barbara Sturm moisturiser made using her own blood. According to The Sun, the star explained that the result was a 'highly anti-inflammatory and regenerative' product that she was using on her skin morning and night.

Lady Gaga's bleached eyebrows

While most of us will be trying to remember to apply SPF daily, Lady Gaga revealed there's something else she does just as frequently in order to feel put together. 'I bleach my eyebrows every day,' the singer told Vogue in 2016. 'I like to keep them light. They're more versatile for a beauty look. You can draw [your eyebrows] any way you want when they're bleached.'

Kim Kardashian's 'vampire facial'

Kim Kardashian famously posted a rather alarming picture on Instagram of herself after having a 'vampire facial'. According to Elle Australia, the procedure involves having blood extracted from the arm, before a centrifuge is used to separate the platelets into a platelet-rich plasma - which is then injected into the face. It's all reportedly in the name of more youthful skin.

Hailey Bieber's double cleanse

While we all know we should wash our faces before getting into bed, Hailey Bieber has revealed she does it not once but twice. 'In the evening I double cleanse because you’ve got to get off all that sunscreen and make-up off,' she shared with Marie Claire in 2023. However, she doesn't use heavy-duty products to do so. 'I like things that are really gentle, that don’t make my skin feel sensitised or stripped,' she added.

Nicole Kidman's SPF 100+

Nicole Kidman goes to great extremes when it comes to sun protection and it's not just about anti-ageing. 'Being of Irish and English origin, skin cancer is a huge concern,' the actress told the LA Times in 2018. 'I use Neutrogena’s 100+ sunscreen because I can put it on and then put my make-up on and go out and work in the sun with no hat on.' Move over SPF 50+, it seems.

Suki Waterhouse's coconut oil

It turns out that Suki Waterhouse has a surprisingly down-to-earth approach to skincare. In 2014, she told Into The Gloss that she uses coconut oil as a remedy for dry skin. 'I will do crazy skincare things in the kitchen…I love coconut oil, so if I come home at night feeling all dry and like a fossil I'll put my hand in a jar of coconut oil and just mush it over my face,' she admitted.

Gwyneth Paltrow's 'bee sting facial'

Most people usually find themselves able to relax during a facial - but not Gwyneth Paltrow. The star revealed in 2016 that she's partial to a ‘bee sting facial’. 'I’ve been stung by bees,' she told the New York Times. 'It’s a thousands of years old treatment called apitherapy. People use it to get rid of inflammation and scarring. It’s actually pretty incredible if you research it.'

Scarlett Johansson's face shaving

For the uninitiated, 'dermaplaning' involves scraping off dead skin cells and peach fuzz - and Scarlett Johansson does it regularly at home. 'I wish I knew about [it] sooner,' the actress told The New York Times in 2024. 'I do it with a Tweezerman Facial Razor and my skin feels so soft after.' Each evening, she also uses a cleanser followed by a niacinamide-enriched night cream from her own The Outset range.

Elle Macpherson's beer 'shampoo'

Elle McPherson has revealed she uses an unlikely alcoholic drink in place of shampoo. 'Over the years, I’ve tried all kinds of different treatments like washing it in vinegar or beer for extra shine,' the model told Harper's Bazaar. 'I also went through a phase of using a light henna to keep it rich and glossy. But washing my hair in beer (very Aussie) lasted the longest. My mum was right — it really did work.'

Beyoncé's grime-blitzing facial

According to Body + Soul, Beyoncé is a fan of a particular kind of facial that it is claimed is behind her flawless glow - however, it's not for the squeamish. The HydraFacial involves using a tool that carries out a kind of dermabrasion or skin-resurfacing exfoliation, which has the result of 'sucking out' dirt and oil from pores. At the same time, the skin is infused with a nourishing serum.

Catherine Zeta-Jones' homemade scrub

While Catherine Zeta-Jones presumably has the funds for a professionally formulated body scrub, it seems she prefers her own DIY version - using ingredients from the kitchen. 'I rub a mixture of honey and salt all over my body to moisturise and exfoliate,' she said, as reported by the Daily Mail. 'You wash it off and your skin is gorgeous.'

Demi Moore's leech therapy

Demi Moore revealed previously that she lets leeches suck her blood in the name of youth. 'Just a week ago I was in Austria doing a cleanse and part of the treatment was leech therapy,' the actress shared on The Late Show With David Letterman in 2008, according to The Sun. She explained that they'd been placed on her belly button and several other areas and were said to provide anti-inflammatory properties.

Cindy Crawford's tongue scraping

Want to freshen up your dental care routine like Cindy Crawford? The model told The New York Times about a less-than-glamorous habit she has. 'Someone got me on to tongue scraping; you have to do it first thing in the morning, don’t even drink water,' she explained in 2023. The hack is believed to help remove harmful bacteria and improve hygiene.

Sandra Bullock's 'penis facial'

Sandra Bullock's go-to anti-ageing treatment probably isn't for everyone. The actress told Ellen Degeneres on The Ellen Show in 2018 that she has something called the Hollywood Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF) Facial - which has been nicknamed the 'penis facial'. She explained that after her face has had some 'microneedling' a serum is applied that contains cells from newborn babies' foreskins.

Jennifer Lopez's 'one layer' technique

While most people layer up their skincare and make-up as part of their routine, Jennifer Lopez has a rather clever way of applying successive products. In a video post on Instagram in 2023, the star was seen dabbing dots of moisturiser throughout her face, without rubbing anything in, before dabbing on eye cream, liquid contour and liquid highlighter. It is only then that she rubs everything together as though it was a single layer.

Salma Hayek's zero-wash mornings

Salma Hayek is adamant that we're all cleansing our faces too much. 'I don’t wash my face in the morning - never, never, never,' she told The New York Times in 2015. 'I never wash my face in the morning, I think it’s bad for your skin - I just moisturise. I really wash my face at night.' She even added: 'I think that people tell you to wash your face in the morning because they want to sell more creams.'

Alessandra Ambrosio's 'candle cutting'

This is most definitely not a hair hack to try at home. Alessandra Ambrosio was reported by Hello! in 2014 to be a fan of an ancient Brazilian beauty technique called Velaterapia, which involves getting rid of fly-aways and split ends with the use of a naked flame - which is usually a candle, leading it to also be known as 'candle cutting'. While it takes several hours to complete, the result is said to be a much healthier mane.

Blake Lively's conditioner rule

Blake Lively skips a popular step when she washes her hair. 'I don't know anyone who uses conditioner in my industry,' the actress told Vogue in 2024. 'It’s not that people in the entertainment industry are gifted with better hair. We’re using a different hair system than the process promoted to the mass market.' This includes using shampoo followed by a hair mask for at least 30 seconds.

Halle Berry's sleeping bra

According to Halle Berry, wearing a bra at night helps ward off sagging. 'I never take it off and even sleep in it,' the actress told Glamour in 2021. 'I gotta keep these ta-tas looking good. And it’s what I tell my daughter now. I go into her room and say, "where’s your sleeping bra?!" I’m going to drill this into her, because it’s the best advice my mother gave me.'

Eva Longoria's facial massager

Eva Longoria claims that a handy device is behind her glowing complexion. 'Right now I'm very much into the Facify Beauty Wand, which is this face massager,' the actress told Glamour in 2023. 'It has these rotating balls, you turn it on, and it vibrates, rotates, heats up and cools. It's this great little machine. I use it every day, especially when I'm shooting, and it just gets the blood flowing.'

Julia Roberts' olive oil 'hack'

According to Vogue Italia, the product behind Julia Roberts' radiant complexion is none other than a trusty kitchen staple. The actress reportedly mixes up a few drops of extra virgin olive oil with warm water, before applying it as a face 'mask' and leaving it on her skin for around half an hour. She is also said to use straight olive oil on her feet, before pulling on a pair of socks and letting them soak overnight.

Mariah Carey's cold milk baths

Mariah Carey has revealed that she likes to bathe in a rather unusual liquid, which reportedly keeps her skin feeling moisturised. In a 2018 interview with The Guardian, the singer was asked if it was true that she likes to soak in French mineral water. She replied: 'No, I bathe in milk. Sometimes I use milk as a beauty treatment...cold milk.'

Angelina Jolie's make-up-free days

Angelina Jolie's unusual beauty habit is that she is usually make-up-free. Unusual because the actress is one of the most famous - and therefore most photographed - women on the planet. 'The thing about [Jolie] is she never wears makeup unless she’s working - it’s probably another reason her skin looks good,' her dermatologist Rhonda Rand told Refinery29 in 2018 while reeling off a list of how she maintains her flawless complexion.

Jessica Simpson's fish 'pedicure'

It seems that a regular nail salon experience doesn't quite cut it for Jessica Simpson. While filming an episode of her reality TV show The Price of Beauty, the star was seen having a fish 'pedicure' in Japan. As reported by Women's Health, it saw her place her feet into a tank, where little fish 'sucked' off the dead skin on her soles through gentle exfoliation.

Bella Hadid's 'skin icing'

Bella Hadid has revealed a daily skincare hack that - while weird - is pretty accessible for the rest of us. In a post on Instagram filmed by her friend, the make-up artist Isamaya Ffrench, she could be seen plunging her face into a bowl of ice-cold water. 'It's called ice bath by Bella Hadid,' the model joked. According to Elle, the method of 'cryortherapy' can boost blood flow and brighten up the skin.

Jennifer Aniston's 'salmon sperm facial'

There are few things that A-listers won't try in the name of incredible skin it seems. Jennifer Aniston was asked on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in 2024 if it was true she had enjoyed a 'salmon sperm facial', which is injected into the skin using 'microneedling'. According to Newsweek, the actress confirmed that she had, but added: 'It's not like, how do you get sperm out of salmon? It was sort of unclear. I just took the woman's word that's what it was, and I was like, "Sure!"'

Kourtney Kardashian's anti-acne mask

Kourtney Kardashian turns to some unusual space-age tech to keep her complexion clear. According to her lifestyle platform Poosh, one of her writers revealed: 'Since working with Kourt I now own and use an amazing selection of skincare devices. There’s the LED anti-acne mask, to prevent and treat breakouts.' A product which looks like something out of a sci-fi film.

Sienna Miller's beanie hat 'trick'

It's possible that Sienna Miller is one of the few women in the world trying to reduce volume in her hair, rather than add it - and she's got an unlikely solution. 'I have too much hair,' the actress told Coveteur in 2016. 'Which sounds annoying to people who don’t have enough hair, but I’ve spent my life trying to squash my hair down and make it hang. I’ll wash my hair and put a beanie hat on.'

Kendall Jenner's gua sha

Make like Kendall Jenner when you wake up by slathering face oil on and stimulating blood flow with a gua sha - the smooth tool that's traditionally used in Chinese medicine. In a TikTok for Vogue in 2024, the model showed off her one-minute routine. 'The reason I do it before I wash my face is because I'm using a lot of heavy oils,' she told the camera. 'To make sure all the oils come off of my face, I cleanse after.'

Reese Witherspoon's coconut conditioner

Reese Witherspoon is never without a healthy mane - and the secret may be an unlikely kitchen ingredient. As reported by Red in 2021, the actress was asked what her favourite haircare treatment was. 'Take a big spoonful of coconut oil and massage it from mid-strand to ends, avoiding roots,' she answered. 'Shampoo it out.'

Miranda Kerr's dry body brushing

If you've got a sunny holiday coming up, then Miranda Kerr might just have the perfect beauty hack. The model told PopSugar in 2023 that she is a fan of 'dry brushing' - which involves using a brush with stiff bristles across dry skin in upward sweeping motions. ''I love dry body brushing - anything that kind of gets the circulation going,' she explained.

Margot Robbie's nappy rash cream

Margot Robbie is known for her flawless complexion - however, it turns out she has a rather unusual beauty go-to. She told Elle in 2017 that she enlists a nappy rash cream to prevent her lips from drying out. 'I use Bepanthen, which is actually a nipple cream for breastfeeding mothers or diaper rash cream for babies,' she explained. 'It's what I've used my whole life.'