You can find flawless beauty gurus all over social media sharing their favorite tips and tricks for looking great. It's satisfying to watch them master the art of contouring, applying winged eyeliner, and putting fake lashes on like pros.
(But really. How do they do it?)
We might try to recreate it, follow along, or dupe their look with similar inexpensive products. But before you copy your favorite Instagram model, Twitter idol, YouTuber, or celebrity, beware of these dangerous trends going around.
1. Fakeup
"Fakeup" is replica (fake) makeup. When you see a $70 eyeshadow palette being advertised as $5 on eBay, chances are high that the palette is fake. If it looks too good to be true, it probably is. Wearing fakeup is dangerous because the ingredients listing on the packaging are usually copied and pasted from the original product. Using the unknown contents can lead to serious irritation or infection.
2. Plastic Body Wraps
I don't care what the spammy Instagram posts say about wraps for weight loss. Frequent use of plastic body wraps doesn't kill fat cells or "detoxify" anything. It's dangerous because it can lead to dizziness from dehydration or worse, death. If you really want to lose weight, do it the right way through diet and exercise.
3. Shot Glass Lips
This became popular after the Kylie Jenner lip challenge. Just don't do it.
4. Cupping
I know so many people who have fallen for this ancient Chinese treatment, known as "cupping." Men and women try it out as a way to increase blood flow in the back, relieve pain, and improve posture. Firm believers in acupuncture and cupping therapy insist it is safe and healthy to do, despite the lack of scientific evidence to support it.
According to an article by Dan Satherley, cupping can have dangerous consequences. There are at least 20 confirmed cases of people who have been hospitalized as a result of cupping. It makes matters worse when athletes like Michael Phelps help popularize this bizarre, unproven treatment.
5. The Inversion Method
The inversion method is popular among men and women who want to grow out their hair. To perform this method, you put your entire body upside down so blood rushes to your head. This supposedly causes hair follicles to enter the anagen phase, making you grow one inch of hair in one week.
This method is dangerous because going against gravity can negatively alter the circulation in your body. It's especially risky for people with heart disease or a family history of heart disease.