Nowadays there's a special cream for every inch of your skin, hair conditioners that claim to stop just short of spinning your locks into actual strands of gold, and concoctions that can transform even the most parched patch of skin into a reasonable facsimile of a baby's bottom. But before all of these innovations, pioneering women with a penchant for glamour had to battle all of the same beauty troubles we currently have without the arsenal of products we enjoy today. So what can we learn from days gone by about looking great? A lot.

Take, for example, the humble lemon. Procured for as little as a quarter at the green grocer, this tart fruit can slough smooth even the most stubborn elbow roughness. Simply cut the lemon into two halves, rest your elbows in the halves, and relax there for 15 minutes or so. The acid in the juice will help unhinge built-up dead, dry skin cells (the elbow is virtually free of oil glands so it doesn't have much natural lubrication to work with) and help bleach the "dirty" look the build-up can cause. Once you're done, rinse the area and massage in petroleum jelly or another rich moisturizer to help soften the area. This technique can also help roughed up knees (place slices on your knees and relax with your feet up).

Should your hair require deep conditioning to bring back its luster, olive oil is an easy fix. Pour some olive oil into your cupped hand and then massage it into your scalp and hair (this is a great time to give yourself a scalp massage which will help perk up circulation and bring nutrients to the hair root). Pop on a shower cap and wrap your head in a warm-from-the-dryer towel. Sit for 20 minutes and then shampoo as usual. Your locks will be glossy and soft.

French moms have long known that blondes can perk up tired color with a champagne rinse. Mix a half-cup of champagne with an equal measure of warm water (you can use the cheap stuff or what's left over after a party, just not the pink version) and pour onto washed hair. Squeeze out the excess moisture and style as usual.

Brunettes and redheads can add depth and luster by pouring eight cups of warm (not hot), brewed coffee through their just washed hair. Do not rinse after, just style as usual.

Should product build-up be what is plaguing your coif (and mom's of the 50s, 60s and 70s can surely tell you tales of going through cans of shellac-like hairspray), add a few tablespoons of vinegar to a quart or so of warm water and use it to give your hair a final rinse after shampooing. It'll remove the last traces of shampoo (which can weigh hair down and make it look dull) and restore the proper Ph level to your hair. Don't rinse your hair again, just style as usual.

Before alpha hydroxy acids spiked every moisturizer on the market, women went right to the source and used common kitchen ingredients that have natural occurring acids. Smooth skin by creating a paste of buttermilk or plain yogurt (lactic acid powerhouses) and table sugar (a great source of glycolic acid). Gently massage into dry skin. The food acids will release dry, dead skin cells while the grit of the sugar helps sweep the debris away. Rinse completely and follow with a moisturizer.

Ever wonder why your mom kept a tube of Desitin on hand even after the kids in your house were out of diapers? Turns out the Desitin is 40% zinc oxide, which does double duty as a fix for winter or wind-chapped skin.

New moms can add this bit of information to their "Mother Knows Best" arsenal: seems that duct tape does an impressive job of eliminating unsightly warts according to a study published in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine. Wart sufferers were instructed to wear a patch of duct tape on the wart for six days and then remove the tape, soak the area in water, and then abrade the wart with an emery board or pumice stone before recovering the wart with a fresh patch of duct tape.

After a maximum of two months repeating this process, 85 percent of those who tried the duct tape cure got rid of their warts compared to just 60 percents of participants who went the painful, but traditional, route of having the wart frozen off with liquid nitrogen. Researchers speculate that the duct tape irritated the wart and prompted an immune system response, which went to work on the wart.

Dry, irritated skin was no match for veteran mothers. They knew that oatmeal was a cheap solution that really works. Tie a couple of cups of oatmeal loosely in a square of cheesecloth or a clean handkerchief and drop it into the tub before you start to soak. Once the oatmeal has hydrated, squeeze the package to release the oatmeal's natural emollients. Just remember not to soak too long as hot water saps the moisture from your skin.

Winter-dry skin can benefit from a break from soap, too. Fill a square of cheesecloth or a handkerchief with a cup of oatmeal, tie it up, wet it completely and squeeze out the excess water. You can use this in place of a washcloth and soap to keep from further drying out skin.

Believe it or not, exfoliating scrubs weren't a facial staple before those apricot scrubs made everyone want to (gently!) sand down their complexions. But ladies in the know had more than their washcloths to rely on -- they used aspirin. If you aren't allergic to aspirin, take about six tablets of regular aspirin and crush them completely in a cup using the back of a spoon (a ceramic pestle and mortar works, too). In the palm of your hand wet the aspirin dust with enough water to form a thin paste. Gently massage the paste into damp skin, avoiding the delicate eye area. The salicylic acid in the aspirin helps slough off dead skin cells and the paste whisks it away. Rinse completely with tepid water.

Karmen B. Saran
DERMAdoctor Staff Writer

(Any topic discussed in this article is not intended as medical advice. If you have a medical concern, please check with your doctor.)

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