Weird Tip: Lemon juice really does work to naturally lighten your hair. -- Linda via Facebook
Expert answer: It absolutely does, says Fris. "Applying lemon juice to your hair before going out in the sun is a sure way to lighten your hair. The acid reacting with the sun's UV rays accelerates the highlighting process," he continues.
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Acne remedy
Weird Tip: Urine works as an astringent on your face to clear up acne. -- Patrice via Facebook
Expert answer: This is so "false," says Dr. Sadick. Urine "does not have any antibacterial agents or anti-inflammatory agents," he advises. So the only place your pee belongs is in the toilet.
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Hair health
Weird Tip: I read somewhere to let olive oil sit in your hair for 10 minutes before you wash your hair to condition it. I also heard it makes hair grow faster. True? -- Natalie via Facebook
Expert answer: "Olive oil does help improve hair health by adding nutrients and healthy fats to the root," says Fris, so using it as a deep conditioning treatment does work to make hair silkier, he continues. As for helping hair growth? Fris advises that "it doesn't speed up the process of hair growth enough to make it a useful solution."
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Oily skin
Weird Tip: Rubbing your face with a potato dries up oily skin. -- Michele via Facebook
Expert answer: "False, nothing in a potato reduces sebum content," which is part of the oil that coats the skin and causes acne, says Dr. Sadick.
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Hair growth
Weird Tip: Using hot pepper sauce on your roots will help hair grow. -- Seana via Facbook
Expert answer: This is a popular rumor, says Fris. "Cayenne pepper has been used in at-home remedies for centuries. They say that it helps improve blood circulation to the scalp, through oral ingestion or by applying at the root. If you are going to try this treatment, you need to apply the [pepper sauce] all over the scalp," he advises. But "the jury is still out on this one -- I have yet to come across anyone who has seen results from this treatment," he says. While Eugene Toye, stylist at the Rita Hazan Salon, says "hot pepper sauce is great for food, NOTHING ELSE!"
Throughout our lives we're constantly dished advice. We're told what to do, and not do in order to save money, lose weight, look younger, get a great job, find a husband etc., etc.
Once we hear advice, whether we actually heed it or not, we usually pass it on to someone else. Then, they do the same. Until suddenly, one day, everyone around you starts to believe that you have to swear off carbs to lose weight or apply toothpaste to a pimple in order for it to magically vanish overnight.
We as women hear tons of weird DIY beauty tips that have been passed down from our mothers, girlfriends or even from the woman sitting next to us at the nail salon. But, hearing so much advice leaves us beauty enthusiasts of the world wondering: Do these wacky beauty tips actually work? And even though I might have tried a tip to test its legitimacy, have I just convinced myself that I saw results because I've been told so many times that I should (much like the placebo effect)? Or is there verifiable evidence from beauty experts that confirms the effectiveness of that weird thing your Aunt Meryl told you to do to fight frizz?
To answer that last question -- yes, now there is. We compiled from our Facebook page some of the weirdest and most random beauty tips you've heard and asked beauty experts to weigh in on their legitimacy. Here they share whether these tips actually do work, or if they are totally bogus.
