Makeup Guru

What is Gwyneth ­Paltrow’s secret to effortlessly glamorous locks? An expensive shampoo? A Brazilian blow dry? No, according to hairstylist David Babaii, it’s that little-known styling tool, the loofah brush.

For the cover shot of this month’s U.S. InStyle magazine, he rolled pieces of Gwynnie’s damp hair around the loofah before blasting with heat to add texture, and tamed ­flyaway hairs using a bathroom-cabinet tongue brush.

We quizzed a number of celebrity beauty experts about their quirky secrets and uncovered some surprising tips . . .

Beauty secrets: Gwyneth Paltrow, left, uses a loofah brush to style her hair while Sellotape is used to remove Lady Gaga's excess make-up

KETCHUP

If you’ve been swimming in a heavily chlorinated pool and your blonde hair has turned a nasty shade of green, then try using ketchup before your shampoo.

Apply it to your hair and leave in for a couple of minutes before rinsing with warm water. The red tone will help to ­neutralise the green, returning your hair to its former golden glory.

Darren Fowler, international ­artistic director of Clipso, has worked with ­Juliette Binoche and Tori Amos.

TIN FOIL

To create wavy hair without ­curling tongs, use sheets of tin foil. Twist 15 sheets of tin foil into three-inch long wands — the thinner they are, the tighter the curl.

Wind sections of hair around the wands and twist the ends of the foil together to secure. Blast hot air from your hairdryer for three to five minutes all over your head to ­activate curls — the tin foil will insulate heat and stay hot for about five minutes.

Once cool, unravel your hair for bouncy, voluminous locks.

Ben Cooke, co-founder of Lockonego, was responsible for Victoria ­Beckham’s ‘Pob’ hairdo.

CONDENSED MILK

Felicity Kendal’s hair colourist Lea Harrison often applies condensed milk to her scalp when doing her bleach highlights. ‘This ­prevents irritation and soothes the scalp, which can get sore if it comes into contact with ­peroxide,’ says Harrison.

Lea Harrison, of the Michaeljohn salon in Mayfair, London.

Surprising solution: Ketchup can help restore blonde hair that's gone green in chloride

FABRIC SOFTENER SHEETS

Those fabric softener sheets from Bounce are brilliant for removing static from hair after a blow-dry. Gently glide them over the hair from root to tip — the result is beautiful, static-free tresses.

Darren Fowler.

CLING FILM

If you struggle to do your back when you’re applying fake tan, get a long piece of cling film, lay it on the floor and apply some of your fake tan mousse or cream to the middle of it.

Stand in front of the cling film, take an end of each strip in each hand and apply it to your back using the same motion you use to dry your back with a towel.

James Read, fake tan ­therapist, has worked with Mariah Carey, Lady Gaga and ­Lindsay Lohan.

BABY SPOON

Make-up artist Kabuki always has a rubber-coated infant feeding spoon in his false eyelash kit. ‘It’s the perfect tool to tone down mascara,’ he says.

Hold the spoon under the lashes and use a clean brush to apply a non-oily make-up remover over the top of the lashes.

The remover and unwanted mascara runs into the spoon and away from the face, so the false lashes stay in place. The other eye make-up remains, too.

Kabuki, artistic director of myface.cosmetics, works with Kylie, Madonna and Gwen Stefani.

Tricks of the trade: Make-up artists use a baby spoon to tone down Kylie's mascara, left, while Tess Daly has her false eyelashes applied with a pencil

INGROWN HAIR REMOVER PADS

If you’ve made a mistake with your self-tan and have been left with patches, there are loads of remedies: from whitening toothpaste to cigarette ash.

According to tanning guru James ­Harknett, one of the most effective are Bliss Ingrown Hair Eliminating Peeling Pads. ‘At £27, they’re not cheap, but the ­salicylic acid and ­glycolic acid in them does the job,’ he says.

James Harknett has worked with Patsy Kensit and The X Factor’s Brian ­Friedman.

HAIR GEL AND SELLOTAPE

When make-up artist Kabuki did Lady Gaga’s face for the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, he used lots of black glitter around her eyes. The glitter was fixed with alcohol-free hair gel and Sellotape was used to clean up any stray flecks of glitter from her face.

Kabuki, myface.cosmetics.

FEMININE WASH

Make-up artist Issidora cleanses her face and takes off her make-up using FemFresh.

‘It might sound odd, but this ­gynaecologically approved product does not contains soap,’ she says. ‘It lathers ­beautifully and, if you use it with a loofah, it not only removes every trace of make-up but also ­exfoliates, too.’

Issidora works with Grace Jones and Sharleen Spiteri.

E45 CREAM

When you don’t have any serum, mousse or shine spray, but your hair needs to go from parched and frizzy to glossy and glamorous, reach for an unscented body butter. Massage a pea-sized amount into the ends of the hair for instantly soft and hydrated locks. E45 works a treat.

Jonathan Long, the co-founder of ­Lockonego, has worked with Yasmin Le Bon and Louise Redknapp.

PENCIL

One of make-up artist Ariane Poole’s best tips when it comes to the tricky matter of dealing with false eyelashes is to wrap them round a pencil before applying them.

They’ve often been sitting straight in their packaging for so long they’ve lost their curve, so they don’t fit the eyelid ­properly and can ping off.

Wrapping them round a pencil breaks their spine a bit, so they fit more closely to the lid.