Jennifer Aniston: Read her beauty tips here

Jennifer Aniston doesn’t give many interviews, but she was prepared to talk to Elaine Lipwort about her beauty life — and a little more in her own words.

Sat, 16 May, 2015 - 01:00

Elaine Lipwort

I chuckle when I hear people say I have great hair, because when I was a kid it was horrible. It was big and frizzy, thick and unmanageable – down to my butt with bangs.

“I remember going to Vidal Sassoon when I was about 13. I took a picture of the actress Valerie Bertinelli with me and asked the hairdresser for that style. I came out with a mullet – my first real hair trauma.

“As a teenager I didn’t pay much attention to the way I looked. My mother [Nancy Dow] was such a beauty, and my best friend in high school, Monique, had long blonde hair, big blue eyes and was tall and skinny. I just remember being not that.

“In my teens I would dye my hair crazy colours like boysenberry. I cut it really short and for a while kept it shaved at the sides and long on top. The 1980s was the worst decade ever for hair. After that I never had haircuts. I said to myself, “You’ve got to stop and just let it grow out.”

"I became the “normal” long-hair girl. When I first met Chris McMillan, my hairstylist, at his salon in LA, he sat me down and gave me a fantastic haircut. About a month later he gave me what became known through Friends as ‘The Rachel’.

“I had to see him every six weeks to keep this darn thing up, though, because it was a “hairdo”. It was a pain in the butt, to be honest, one of the hardest hairstyles to maintain, unless Chris did it.

“I’ve got very thick, full hair so it would take on a shape of its own that I didn’t always want. I don’t think I looked very good with it. Hairstyles require too much work.

"Me, the blow-drier and the hairbrush weren’t meant for each other. I look back on Farah Fawcett’s legendary [1970s] hairdo and think, that was beautiful. But ‘The Rachel’? Ugh, not so much.

“In my twenties I used to cut my own split ends. I kept a pair of eyebrow scissors in my car, and whenever I was stuck in traffic or at lights I would get them out and start cutting. When Chris started doing my hair he said, “No wonder your hair is a pile of Brillo, it’s horrible.”

“I don’t do that any more. Now I have a habit of twirling my hair. Long hair is more me. My mantra is “keep it simple”.

I feel an up-do looks more matronly on me, so I prefer loose, understated hair, even on the red carpet. In fact, if I’m wearing a fancy formal dress I like to go against what’s going on with the outfit. I think, let’s look as though I’ve just got out of bed. That’s so much more interesting.

“My beauty secrets? It’s the simple things: getting a full night’s sleep, eating right, drinking a lot of water. I drink so much water it’s painful. I always have and I think that helps. Those are the basics – if you’re not doing those things —there is not a miracle product that will help.

“I thought that my mother was overly concerned with looks – which is probably why I ended up shaving my head and doing some stupid things as a kid, as an act of rebellion. But one of the great things she taught me from a young age was to moisturise, using face and eye creams. I’ve always done that.

“Also, my father [John] gifted me with extremely good genes. I credit the Greek in my blood. He still has that twinkle in his eye and he has amazing skin. Self-confidence has a lot to do with beauty. If I don’t exercise, it affects my mood.

“I do a lot of yoga, and some days I will go for a hike. I also do interval training, circuit training, weight training and running. Even if I’m really busy I do at least something for 20 minutes to half an hour every day. It’s good to keep your body surprised.

“I like to get my blood pumping. If you do that and follow a healthy diet, you’ll be pretty good. My diet is simple. I have egg whites, half a grapefruit and a little cup of coffee for breakfast.

“Then I drink green tea throughout the day. Lunch is usually vegetables with protein of some kind.

“I indulge at weekends: that means a bowl of pasta with cheese, garlic and olive oil and a touch of cream. Or I will have Mexican food or pizza.

“I love Italian food and a glass of wine. A little red wine is good for you. Feeling good comes from within. Loving who you are and being kind to yourself are the keys to confidence. And meditation is helpful.

“One of the plus points about turning 40 is that you begin to realise that you worry too much about things that don’t matter. People love you because of who you are, not what you wear or what you look like. I am who I am and I’m proud of all of it.”