In 1950, Norma purchased herself a bottle of peroxide dye before heading to a screen test. Entering her bathroom a natural curly-haired redhead, Norma emerged as the most iconic blonde of all time: Marilyn Monroe. Yep, you read right, Marilyn Monroe's natural hair colour is red.
Her favourite shade of blonde
According to Vogue, the author Pamela Keogh noted that Monroe had her hair bleached every three weeks and swore by dry shampoo— baby powder on her roots.
The Cut. The Monroe bob is never too polished, and that's the magic that keeps it feeling modern. “To me, Marilyn Monroe's hairstyle has always resembled a more effortless, undone version of the Hollywood wave,” says Redken celebrity stylist Kiley Fitzgerald.
According to the author Pamela Keogh, Monroe had her hair bleached every three weeks with a roster of hairstylists including Pearl Porterfield (who also tended to Jean Harlow's pale blonde hair) and Kenneth Battelle.
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Monroe reached out to Battelle in 1958 when her hair was falling out because of excessive bleaching and perming, according to a Fox News report. The hairstylist to the stars helped restore her hair to its soft luster whenever she visited his Manhattan beauty parlor.
Monroe's intelligence carried over to her beauty regimen. When it comes to wellness, Monroe was often ahead of her time. She favored dry shampoo—baby powder on her roots every two days—and often spoke of her disdain for excessive sun-bathing, citing skin damage.
Many people do not know Monroe actually had naturally curly red hair. She realized early on the effect it had on men. 'I had this long walk to school, it was just sheer pleasure,' she told Life of her high school years.
To get her signature on-camera glow, Monroe would apply thick layers of Vaseline or white Nivea Creme under her makeup, while dermatologist Erno Laszlo kept her well stocked in his Phormula 3-9—a reparative botanical balm, specially created to heal a scar of hers—and Active Phelityl Cream, an all-purpose moisturizer.
Marilyn was buried in the green Pucci dress, which she had worn to a press conference in Mexico earlier on in the year. Agnes Flanagan arranged her hair and had to use a wig due to the damage caused by the autopsy.
A lock of Marilyn Monroe's is selling for $16,500 (£12,800) - 60 years after it was cut from the actress's head. The clipping of hair, estimated to be about 35 strands, comes from the collection of Monroe's hair stylist, Kenneth Battelle, TMZ first reported.
Monroe's natural eye color was most likely to be blue, as recorded in her sister's autobiography (48) – “but our eyes were different … Norma Jeane's were blue like our mother's” – and on her autopsy report (49), in addition to Capote's description of her “blue-grey eyes” while wearing glasses (46).
To avoid washing it too much (which can affect the colour) she swore by a makeshift dry shampoo – Johnson's baby powder– applying every two days to keep her hair looking fresh.
When thinking about beauty spots, Marilyn Monroe's famous cheek mark automatically pops to mind. Nearly sixty years after the actress' tragic death, her little mole is still legendary.
Marilyn Monroe was born Norma Jeane Mortenson on June 1, 1926, at the Los Angeles General Hospital in Los Angeles, California. Her mother, Gladys Pearl Baker (née Monroe; 1902–1984), was born in Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico to a poor Midwestern family who migrated to California at the turn of the century.
Marilyn Monroe who was born Norma Jeane Mortenson was an American model and actress. Although she was famous for playing “blonde bombshell” characters she was naturally a redhead.
A small container of Elizabeth Arden “Pat-A-Crème” Fashion Makeup, an Elizabeth Arden eyebrow pencil in black, and an Elizabeth Arden mascara wand in dark brown.
This condition is called lividity, and considering that many people die lying on their backs, the discoloration that occurs is seldom visible. "In Marilyn's case, she died face down, so there were purple blotches on her face, and her neck was very swollen.
Buried in a Green Pucci Dress: Marilyn is said to have been buried in the green Pucci dress she wore while in Mexico in February, 1962, shown below.
She reportedly called Marilyn's psychiatrist Ralph Greenson, who came to the house and broke a window to access Marilyn's room. Inside, Greenson found her lifeless, with one hand clutching a phone.
Marilyn Monroe: Floris Rose Geranium
Like millions of other women, Monroe was a fan of Chanel No 5. However, in 2002, it was revealed that she also had a secret penchant for Floris Rose Geranium.
Marilyn applied layers of Vaseline, hormone cream and Erno Laszlo Active pHelityl Cream or Nivea to give her a glow under studio lights, according to the The Daily Telegraph. "I'm personally opposed to a deep tan because I like to feel blonde all over," she famously said.
Monroe's face always seemed lit from within. Her secret: facial hair. For real. It was a thin layer of downy peach fuzz on her cheeks that caught the studio lights just so—and she refused to wax it off!
Does Marilyn have any children? No. Although Marilyn was married three times (first to James Dougherty, followed by baseball star Joe DiMaggio and playwright Arthur Miller), she did not have any children before her death in 1962. However, she really wanted to have a family and did have multiple documented pregnancies.
Monroe famously didn't wear clothes to bed, stating that pajamas and “creepy nightgowns” disturbed her sleep. What she did wear, however, was five drops of Chanel No. 5, a perfume that she is also said to have added into her ice baths.