A minimum security prison commissary stocks generic eyeliner, but it's an expensive luxury. Many inmates make do with colored pencils, and no, they don't run sharpened pencils across their lash line (*cringe*). According to Bigger, prisoners soak the pencil in water for two minutes to soften it up, then line their eyes as you would with your prestige liner. If you're more into that bold, liquid-liner look, you could also pull a Taylor Swift and line your eyes with a Sharpie ... but even T-Swift doesn't recommend it (and neither do we.)
A quality lip and cheek stain is a true makeup bag gem, but if you're still riding the Crystal Light train, you're already a step closer to having the best backup. Although the show features a quick shot of Kool-Aid being used for lip color, Bigger and DeAngelis note that other powdered drink mixes, like Crystal Light, achieve a more subtle look. Half a packet poured onto some petroleum jelly will get you glossy lips and flushed cheeks in a range of pinks. The upside: This prison hack is so delicious you'll want to eat your lip gloss. The downside: You'll eat all of your lip gloss.
DeAngelis says the monotony of prison life is a major catalyst for inmates to get radical ... with their hair. "Everybody enjoys the change. I just read an interview about a woman who said 'Well, hell, I'm just going to cut my hair off, because why not? It grows back and I want to look different. Guys like long hair, but I'm in a female prison now. Might as well do something different!'"
But inmates don't always have the funds to make it to the prison beauty salon for a new cut. The next logical option? Switching up hair color. DeAngelis says the old-fashioned "Sun-In" technique is popular: streaking hair with lemon juice and soaking up the sun for highlights or concentrating the juice on the ends for a more ambitious ombre look. For all-over color, blondes darken their shade with black tea, and brunettes can enrich their color's tone with the same strong brew.
For temporary color, DeAngelis says prisoners use cherry juice, Kool-Aid -- even erasers. "Any kind of waxy product that you can melt down will stain," she notes. In this case, that stain will be of the pink variety and won't leave your hair feeling the smoothest, but it is a great alternative for women with darker hair.
But inmates don't always have the funds to make it to the prison beauty salon for a new cut. The next logical option? Switching up hair color. DeAngelis says the old-fashioned "Sun-In" technique is popular: streaking hair with lemon juice and soaking up the sun for highlights or concentrating the juice on the ends for a more ambitious ombre look. For all-over color, blondes darken their shade with black tea, and brunettes can enrich their color's tone with the same strong brew.
For temporary color, DeAngelis says prisoners use cherry juice, Kool-Aid -- even erasers. "Any kind of waxy product that you can melt down will stain," she notes. In this case, that stain will be of the pink variety and won't leave your hair feeling the smoothest, but it is a great alternative for women with darker hair.
If they haven't saved up enough to earn a trip to the prison beauty salon, DeAngelis says inmates use pencils to bring out their natural curls, winding small sections of damp hair around the writing utensil. For prisoners with stick-straight hair, beachy waves can be achieved behind bars by simply braiding damp hair and letting it dry overnight. Remove the braid and voila!
Considering how terrible prison coffee allegedly is, kudos to the inmates who discovered this hack. Instead of soaking various colored pencils and scribbling all over their eyelids, some inmates turn to coffee grounds to create their own version of a smoky eye. Simply moisten one teaspoon of coffee grounds with a little water and apply to lids to add some dimension to the eyes. For more staying power, dip your finger or a Q-Tip in petroleum jelly before you apply the coffee grounds.