Santa’s Beauty Secrets, Revealed

Santa Claus at the Plaza Hotel in New York City, 2013

Ever wonder how the big red guy stays looking his best all season long? Santa Claus, that is. Imagine hundreds of children passing over your knee, looking for a friendly word or at least a kind ear, "ho ho ho"-ing to passersby, and getting up close and personal with holiday revelers of all ages. And remember this doesn't include his stint at the North Pole, watching over those diligent elves. If you think your own dealing-with-the-public-all-day job presents a major beauty challenge, try being Santa Claus!

He's a hard one to catch but we managed to sit down with him last week at the glamorous Plaza Hotel in New York City (where the holiday classic Home Alone 2 was set, mind you) to find out what exactly goes into the beauty routine of Old Saint Nicholas.

Do you keep your beard all year?

After Christmas, I shave it all off and keep it that way for a couple of weeks. I buzz my hair off, too—I get tired of having it all! Then I usually wear my beard short for about six months. And once June rolls around, I get it trimmed for the last time, and when I finally let it grow again it just blossoms in to this!

How do you keep your famous beard so flossy and white?

I bleach it—I bleach everything to get out the greys! I wish I didn’t have to. Have you smelled that stuff before? Now imagine it around your nose and mouth. I have to plug my nose and breathe through a straw! And the hair on my face takes longer to whiten than the hair on my head. It's still not as white as I'd like it to be, but it looks good.

Do you wear any foundation, blush, or other cosmetics to look your best for the photos?

The only cosmetic I wear is a bit of white paint on my eyebrows, the clown costume stuff. I've got all this hair on my face but I have no brows. The makeup highlights them and helps them show up in pictures.

Do you overheat in your suit? How do you stay fresh through all your visits with kids?

I keep a fan running all the time to stay comfortable—it's hot in this fur suit! I always have Altoids in my mouth and people say, "You smell just like Santa!” Which is just the peppermint. My hair stylist [yes Santa has a stylist] gave me a product to make my beard glisten, and it also makes it smell great!