5 Cheap Wellness Hacks Celebrities Swear By — Including One Surprising Trick from Cameron Diaz

A screen goddess gave a cooking essential bathroom privileges, a royal went looking for the very conditions most people would flee, and a beloved actress found something to appreciate in beauty's longtime enemy. Their surprisingly affordable habits might have you reconsidering what was already sitting in your kitchen, or waiting outside your front door.

Sophia Loren, Catherine, Princess of Wales, and Cameron Diaz shared self-care preferences that sounded far more intriguing than another expensive cream.

With Catherine Zeta-Jones bringing a distinctly happy-hour ingredient into her routine and Salma Hayek starting hers before the shower even ran, there was plenty to borrow, although the royal's confession had her husband questioning her judgment, and Cameron's outdoor favorite came with a VERY important catch.

1. Sophia Loren Gave Her Pantry a Hollywood Assignment

Sophia made enjoying yourself sound like excellent beauty advice. And honestly, coming from a woman who posed in lingerie for the 2007 Pirelli calendar at 72, it was an approach worth hearing out.

The Italian actress began her screen career at 15 and became known for films including "Arabesque" and "Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow." She also became the first performer to win an acting Oscar for a foreign-language performance, then skipped the ceremony, which suggested she had never needed to do everything Hollywood's way.

Her answer to the inevitable beauty question was equally individual. As CBC recalled in 2018, she told the Sunday Times in 2005 that her secret was "a love of life, spaghetti and the odd bath in virgin olive oil."

SPAGHETTI AND AN OLIVE OIL BATH. Finally, a celebrity routine that made the grocery cupboard feel rather glamorous.

To borrow the bath idea, you can try around three and a half capfuls of extra virgin olive oil, added while the tub fills and mixed through the water. There is no elaborate preparation, and the oil can leave a light coating that makes your skin feel softer after the soak.

The appeal is that lovely, freshly moisturized feeling, potentially lasting beyond the bathroom, although the effect will vary with your skin. The oil's grassy aroma also gives the water a different character from your usual bubble bath, without requiring a cupboard full of specialty products.

If you already have a bottle, the initial investment is wonderfully modest. You can keep the ritual simple rather than buying extra ingredients to make a relaxing bath feel more official.

The downside is that quality olive oil can make repeated baths less economical, and the residue means the tub needs careful cleaning to avoid a slippery exit. An Old Hollywood bath is lovely; an accidental bathroom stunt is considerably less glamorous.

Still, there is a reason the ingredient has attracted attention for so long. As The File explained on January 16, 2025, olive oil contains unsaturated fats and compounds such as vitamin E and squalene, which help explain its enduring place in food and beauty traditions.

Its history stretches back more than 4,000 years through Europe and the Middle East. In Tuscany, Italy, olive growing expanded under the Medici family's agricultural policies in the 1400s, long before anyone could sell the idea as a celebrity wellness discovery.

If you want to be particular about the bottle, Tuscany's Protected Geographical Indication, recognized by the European Union in 1997, identifies oil grown and processed within that region. For the bathroom experiment, though, there is no established promise that a more expensive label will make wrinkles disappear.

Soft-feeling skin is a reasonable ambition; turning back the clock is a much bigger claim. Sophia's most appealing suggestion was the permission to enjoy a little comfort, with dinner still very much on the agenda.

And if sending a kitchen staple to the bathtub sounded unexpected, the next actress gave a familiar drink an even stranger destination.

2. Catherine Zeta-Jones Brought Happy Hour to Her Hair

Catherine's glossy hair came with a secret that sounded suspiciously like someone had wandered into the wrong aisle. Her reported treatment involved BEER AND HONEY.

L'Officiel USA highlighted the combination on Instagram, pointing to proteins in beer's malt and hops as the proposed explanation for its hair-care appeal. The idea was to give your strands some attention using familiar ingredients, although that did not establish a guaranteed repair treatment for damaged hair.

Yes, the beer went ON her head. Anyone hoping the secret involved ordering a drink and waiting for shinier hair had a slight change of plans.

For a straightforward beer rinse, the method demonstrated on Oz Wellness involved working the liquid through the hair, leaving it for about 20 minutes, then shampooing and conditioning as usual. The important preparation detail was to use beer that was WARM AND FLAT, rather than fresh from the refrigerator.

You do not need to hunt down a particular variety for that version. There was, however, a catch that deserved its own warning label: THE SMELL. According to The Telegraph in 2014, Catherine had acknowledged the brewery-like scent that could accompany her beauty habit. Shiny hair sounded lovely; accidentally bringing the atmosphere of a pub to lunch was a more personal decision.

That same year, American brand Bröö offered beer-based shampoos and conditioners that claimed to sidestep the odor. Pale Ale targeted volume, IPA focused on smoothness, and Porter promised hydration, giving the shampoo shelf a distinctly drinks-menu personality.

For an inexpensive experiment, though, the appeal was using an ordinary ingredient rather than buying another entire routine. Just keep the expectations proportionate: a celebrity's enthusiasm does not guarantee the same finish on every hair type.

Beer-inspired pampering also extended to spas in Austria, Germany, and the Czech Republic, where baths and treatments gave the drink a different assignment. At home, a beer foot soak is much more accessible, but potential stickiness may reduce the fantasy of effortless luxury.

Even a closed can offered a simpler idea: rolling it gently underfoot as a makeshift massage tool. You could use another suitable can for that, leaving the question of brewery-scented hair entirely to your own judgment. If all of that sounded a little messy, Salma's bathroom favorite required no pouring at all.

3. Salma Hayek Started Before the Shower Was Running

Salma's routine asked for a brush and a few moments before washing. The surprising part was where the brush went: over her BODY, while her skin was still dry. Speaking to Us Weekly, she said, "I love dry-brushing before showers. It's a great way to stimulate blood circulation and get rid of dead skin cells."

She also enjoys Thai massage, with its combination of massage and yoga-like movement. But the brush was the part you could more easily bring into an ordinary morning without booking an appointment.

A small bathroom tool doing something pleasantly indulgent? VERY appealing. Surprisingly, the attraction goes beyond looking polished when you step out of the shower.

According to Cleveland Clinic, dry brushing can exfoliate flaky skin and feel invigorating through stimulation of the nervous system. Its November 2, 2021, guidance also discussed increased circulation and lymph flow, although the popular detox label should not be taken as proof that a brush flushes unspecified toxins from the body.

You can approach it as a gentle body massage that also removes dead skin. Smoother-feeling skin and a temporary glow are much more realistic goals than expecting a dramatic internal cleanse.

To try it, choose a natural-bristle body brush, preferably with a long handle so your back is easier to reach. The best brush is one your skin tolerates, rather than whichever one looks capable of scrubbing a kitchen floor.

Start at your feet or ankles and move upward along your limbs using long, light strokes. Over your torso and back, use circular movements, easing the pressure around more sensitive areas. A few overlapping passes over each area are enough. This is self-care, not a test of how much scrubbing you can endure.

For sensitive skin, a plain dry washcloth may be a gentler alternative. Skip your face, and avoid moles, raised bumps, and any skin that is broken, sunburned, infected, or already irritated.

Once you finish, shower to wash away the loosened skin, then apply lotion. Stop if brushing causes redness or inflammation, and ask a dermatologist about any concerning skin changes before introducing the routine.

There is also a limit to what that little brush can deliver: there is no scientific evidence that dry brushing gets rid of cellulite. Any apparent smoothing may be temporary, associated with circulation rather than a lasting change.

Still, a quick ritual that leaves you feeling refreshed can have its own appeal. Salma found hers beside the shower, while the next celebrity's preference involved conditions that might make you reach for a blanket.

4. Catherine, Princess of Wales, Had William Questioning Her Choice

Catherine's favorite sporting confession is so surprising that even Prince William apparently struggled to understand the appeal. During a 2023 conversation about passions beyond rugby on YouTube, she discussed her enthusiasm for sport before explaining her love of swimming. Then she specified the version that really delighted her: COLD-WATER SWIMMING.

"I absolutely love it," she said. And her enthusiasm extended to seeking out cold water when it was dark and raining, which prompted William's direct assessment: "Catherine, you're crazy."

DARK. RAINING. COLD WATER. Plenty of people would have considered any one of those an excellent reason to stay home. Catherine sounded thoroughly happy with her choice. Princess Anne, who joined the conversation, was much less taken with the freezing prospect.

The royal's sporting interests were broad enough to include tennis and a newer enthusiasm for padel. Anne even wondered whether she could try the latter, giving the discussion a much more approachable alternative for anyone unmoved by the idea of a chilly swim.

But for readers still curious about her water habit, the possible attraction includes mood and general well-being, alongside the satisfaction of taking part in an outdoor activity. A 2020 review, published on December 2, examined those possibilities and research into immune-related changes, while stressing that experience and gradual adaptation mattered.

The review drew on clinically relevant research gathered through searches conducted from August 3 to 14, 2020. Its encouraging findings concerned healthy people who built up exposure regularly and progressively, which is rather different from deciding to copy a royal on a whim.

This is the habit that needs the most preparation. Cold shock can affect breathing and swimming ability, while hypothermia and cardiovascular complications can make the activity dangerous or fatal.

Competitive ice swimming takes the idea further still, with water at or below roughly 41°F, or 5°C. That is an extreme sporting setting, and certainly no target a beginner needs to chase.

If you are interested, start by discussing your suitability with a healthcare professional, particularly if you have a heart condition, and seek an organized, supervised introduction. Gradual acclimatization and experienced support belong ahead of bravado.

You can appreciate Catherine's enthusiasm without borrowing the darkness or the rain. And if the cold is not for you, Cameron's preferred outdoor pleasure was much warmer, although it brought a different set of precautions.

5. Cameron Diaz Found Something to Love in Beauty's Familiar Enemy

Cameron's pick is available without an appointment, and you could find it simply by stepping outside. SUNLIGHT was her complicated health hack, with plenty to enjoy and plenty to respect.

In advice published by The Chalkboard on August 5, 2014, drawing on her Our Body Book blog, she captured the relationship neatly: "The Sun! Our friend. Our enemy."

With her guide, "The Body Book," attracting attention, Cameron offered a summer routine that made room for outdoor enjoyment while acknowledging skin-cancer risk. Her most useful suggestions were reassuringly ordinary, including a sunscreen move that could spare you a VERY awkward beach maneuver.

Apply it BEFORE putting on your swimsuit. That makes it easier to cover the skin around bikini edges properly, rather than trying to reach underneath them once you are already dressed.

She recommended at least SPF 30, applied before exposure, with renewed attention whenever clothing or other material might rub it away. Swimming and sweating also meant keeping up with reapplication, rather than assuming one morning coating would carry you through the day.

For your own outing, have water ready and eat beforehand. Cameron suggested a meal containing protein and complex carbohydrates, plus vegetables or greens, so you were not heading into the heat running on empty.

Bring an easy snack such as watermelon or grapes, and make use of shade and protective clothing. Her advice also favored limiting alcohol and excessive caffeine during time in the sun.

And she had another simple suggestion for when you returned indoors. After a gentle shower using warm water and mild soap, apply an oil such as jojoba or coconut while your skin is still damp. The TIMING was the trick, helping you work a moisturizing step into a routine you were already doing.

Avoid exfoliating immediately before or after sun exposure, when it could irritate your skin. And keep the oil off the bathroom floor, because Sophia's bath was quite enough slippery glamour for one household.

There were reasons to appreciate daylight beyond enjoying the season. According to WebMD, morning light helps regulate your internal clock, while sunlight plays a role in vitamin D production and can influence mood.

Vitamin D supports bone health and the body's use of minerals such as calcium. Those benefits do not mean you need to chase a tan, and there is no single amount of sun exposure that suits every skin tone, health history, or location.

The catch is UV DAMAGE. Too much exposure raises skin-cancer risk and contributes to premature skin aging, while your eyes need protection too.

Use broad-spectrum sunscreen of SPF 30 or higher, wear UV-blocking sunglasses and a broad-brimmed hat, and avoid prolonged direct exposure during the strongest hours, generally 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tanning beds add risk rather than offering a safer route to a glow.

Keep an eye on new or changing skin marks, and have anything unusual checked. Cameron's affection for the outdoors worked best alongside the care she emphasized, rather than as permission to spend hours baking in the sun.

A little affordable indulgence can make an ordinary day feel rather fabulous. Just give the slippery tub, brewery scent, and royal-level enthusiasm the practical attention they deserve. Which one of these tricks will you try?