In 2016 there are seemingly endless beauty hacks you can try. Some seem normal; others are downright bizarre.
We asked 10 college women to see what crazy things they’ve tried in the name of beauty — and more importantly, if they work!
“I’ve always envied Kylie Jenner’s full lips, so when I heard of the Kylie Jenner lip challenge I was definitely on board with trying it. I saw videos of people failing at it, but of course I thought it would never happen to me. When I tried it, it most definitely plumped my lips. I was actually happy with the results until my sister came in the room 10 minutes later with a terrified look on her face after looking at my lips. The whole area around my mouth was blue, purple, and swollen due to bruising. I tried everything to get rid of the horrid looking bruising, but it was there to stay. I missed my classes the next day and spent the whole day getting my mouth back to normal. Thankfully between all of the many methods I tried I got the swelling to go down and my mouth back to a semi-normal color I could cover up with make-up.”
-Hope, NOVA Class of 2019
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“After hearing countless YouTube beauty gurus raving about it, I went out and purchased Nivea Men’s After Shave Balm to use as a foundation primer. When you rub the balm onto your face, it gets slightly tacky and your foundation sticks to it all day long. No creasing, no oil, nothing. The best thing about it is the $10 price tag for a bottle that will last months. I can’t imagine what my life would be without it!”
-Kate, Fordham University Class of 2016
“The craziest thing I have done in the name of beauty, was go on a fruit and water diet. It sometime after the movie Dream Girls came out and I had read an article about Beyoncé’s secret to flawless skin. Her secret was fruit and water, so I decided to give it a try. To my surprise it actually worked, my skin was more radiant and I lost 5 pounds during my trial period. Although I know it works, I don’t currently follow this beauty routine. Mainly because I like food — pizza and cupcakes to be exact and I don’t think it’s 100 percent healthy to live off of fruit and water.”
-Tamiracle, University of South Florida St. Petersburg Class of 2017
“I Nair’ed my eyebrows and it actually turned out perfectly! Just use Nair in the shape that you want your brows to be in!”
-Dunya, Kent State University Class of 2016
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“I wanted a perm forever, and the moment I got one, I regretted it. It was a piggyback perm done on probably 18″ of hair and it was tight. I had an Afro. I was not happy. After a few months, it tamed down. But, it damaged my hair extensively. I am still growing out my hair and getting it trimmed. I probably have about 2-6 inches remaining of permed hair on my ends, and I hope once those are off I can get my hair back to it’s original state. Regardless, never get a perm. Even if you get a looser perm, it still damages your hair. I have used every deep-conditioning treatment out there and it has not worked. Learn from my mistake. Invest in sea salt spray or a great set of curled hair extensions. Perms are not the answer for curly hair.”
-Nicole, Winona State University Class of 2016
“I have pretty greasy hair, so I’ve tried pretty much everything the Internet suggested. Over the last five years I’ve tried washing my hair with baking soda, vinegar, tea, beer, honey, lemon juice and probably some other things that I’m not remembering. Never put honey in your hair, no matter what the Internet says. The others worked to some degree, but the only I stuck with for any amount of time was the vinegar. Turns out all I really needed to do was move somewhere with different water — now that I’m at school it fixed itself.”
-Paige, Kenyon College Class of 2018
“Honestly going on Accutane was the craziest thing I’ve done for beauty. It’s basically the cure for acne and not that uncommon, but the side effects are pretty insane. My skin was ridiculously dry and sensitive to sunlight and it peeled all of the time. My lips were so chapped that they became open wounds and got infected. I got dandruff and my hair was so dry. An absurd amount came out every time I brushed it. I don’t know if I regret it, but it’s definitely startling to realize what I put my body through because of acne.”
-Abby, University of Notre Dame Class of 2018
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“Threading — an alternative to eyebrow plucking or waxing — totally worked but was the most painful thing I’ve done in the name of beauty. Thanks, but I’ll keep my wax and tweezers!”
-Cieara, Boise State University Class of 2018
“I tried doing this cinnamon and toothpaste facial. I got it off of a website that had no credibility at all and tried it. All it did was make my face breakout even more.”
-Stephanie, NYU Class of 2017
“The craziest thing I’ve done was put mayonnaise and eggs in my hair (not at the same time though!). I was in my young teens and trying everything I could on Pinterest to get better hair. Unfortunately, mayonnaise is gross and eggs cook in hot water, so I was left with an awful mess. But, the best DIY beauty technique I’ve used is mixing olive oil and sugar as a body scrub. It’ll clog your pores so it’s not great for your face, but it makes arms and legs feel super smooth!”
-Caroline, St. Michael’s College Class of 2019