It's often said that beauty is pain--and for a few adventurous souls, the pursuit of beauty can be weird, wacky, and downright dangerous. The unconventional tips they follow? Some may be familiar (dabbing toothpaste on a pimple), while others are simply disturbing (plumping lips via vacuum cleaner). Read on as we reveal the 10 most shocking beauty tips of all time.
Enthusiasts claim this drugstore staple is more effective at blasting blemishes than pricey face masks. Although their claims remain debatable, the pink liquid does contain salicylic acid, an ingredient found in many popular acne treatments.
1. Use Pepto-Bismol to clear up your complexion.
Some women wrap their bodies in plastic to increase their body temperature and sweat away a few ounces, but they gain it all back after their next drink. In Bonnie Downing's Peculiar Beauty, Mary Tyler Moore admitted to wrapping her thighs in Saran Wrap to remove her water weight.
2. Use Saran Wrap to remove water weight.
According to dermatologists, there's no evidence that toothpaste can shrink or eliminate blemishes. In fact, it may cause more harm than good, since several of its ingredients may irritate skin and make breakouts worse.
3. Put toothpaste on a pimple to make it disappear.
4. Turn back time with baby foreskin creams.
Some women go to extreme lengths to turn back the clock, like slathering their skin with $150 creams made from baby foreskins. Devotees, including Oprah Winfrey and Barbara Walters, say these formulas are like a virtual face-lift, but there's still no clinical research to support their claims.
5. Use Elmer's Glue to remove blackheads.
It's simple, in theory: Coat your face with a thin layer of adhesive, let dry, and peel off. But according to experts, Elmer's isn't an ideal solution, since it removes the skin's outer layer without replenishing it with blackhead-fighting ingredients.
6. Use a vacuum cleaner attachment to plump lips.
Believe it or not, some women have actually resorted to their vacuum cleaner attachments in an effort to achieve a temporarily plumper pout. Be warned: The risks of achieving fleeting fullness via Hoover may include bruising, discoloration, and broken blood vessels.
Fans of kitty-litter exfoliation claim the substance is basically clay, but bear in mind that clay represents only a certain percentage of the mix. Most of the formulas on store shelves contain a host of odor-controlling chemicals that could be harmful for skin.
7. Scrub your face with kitty litter.
It might be tempting to think you can smooth dimpled thighs with friction, but dermatologists say this is a myth. The caffeine may also sound promising (it's the "active ingredient" in most anti-cellulite creams), but a 2000 report in the European Journal of Dermatology revealed that there's still no independent research that proves caffeine actually reduces cellulite.
8. Rub used coffee grounds on cellulite.
9. Hang upside down to make your hair grow faster.
Are they serious? Sadly, yes. According to Internet reports, more than a few women have resorted to hanging upside down in an effort to grow long, flowing tresses. Not surprisingly, they're wasting their time: Gravity doesn't make hair grow any faster.
10. Soothe puffy eyes with Preparation H.
Fans of this method claim that the hemorrhoidal formula reduces undereye baggage by temporarily restricting the blood vessels, but most experts remain skeptical. What's more, if you accidentally get Prep H in your eye, it could result in permanent damage.
