Photo 3/9
Laxative as a face primer?
There's a trend going around the beauty vlogger world that involves using milk of magnesia laxative as a face primer. Apparently milk of magnesia has been used for years to help control oily skin -- but I've got to admit, slapping laxative on my face kind of weirds me out.
I put it to the test by applying the laxative to the right side of my face and my usual Laura Mercier primer to the left side. The laxative felt a little sticky at first but it dried after a few seconds. The shocker, though, was when I applied foundation on top. The laxative side looked smoother than the traditional primer side and my pores completely disappeared. Very impressive.
Over the course of the day, I'd say the two primers worked about the same in terms of oil-control and helping my makeup stay put. I'm still not totally sure I want to add a bottle of laxative to my makeup bag, but if you've got some lying around or don't want to spend money on a traditional primer, it's worth a try.
Photo 4/9
Preparation H as an eye cream?
First things first: Don't start a conversation with a stranger in line at the drugstore when you have hemorrhoid cream in your basket. It makes for a very awkward, please-pretend-you-didn't-see-it moment when you're checking out. Now, about using Preparation H as a poor girl's cure for puffy eyes: In the name of research, I stayed out late and drank waaaay too much so the skin under my eyes would look properly swollen and overworked.
In the a.m., I smeared a baby pea-sized dab of the anti-inflammatory hemorrhoid cream under my eyes. It contains 1 percent hydrocortisone, which should reduce some of the swelling, and it did. I guess. But I've gotten the same results from a cold compress or pair of cucumber slices on my eyes. And when you're sleep-deprived, trying to put hemorrhoid cream near your eyes is a really terrible idea -- some of those ingredients will cause worse problems than puffiness if they get in your eyes.
Final verdict: From now on, I'll buy embarrassing products online. And eat more fiber. And get more sleep. But I'll never put hemorrhoid cream on my face again.
Photo 5/9
Listerine for pedicures?
Soaking your feet in Listerine is rumored to soften calluses and freshen your worn-out feet. We'll see about that. I used a bottle of Cool Mint Listerine and soaked my feet in a small basin for about 10 minutes. After soaking, I noticed my feet felt refreshed and well, like I had soaked them in Listerine, but as far as softening goes, I didn't notice too much of a difference. I probably could have been more patient and soaked them a little longer, but if I need a fast fix for rough feet, I'll just reach for a pumice stone.
Photo 6/9
Mayonnaise as a hair mask?
I usually hold the mayo on my sandwiches and burgers, but I decided to give the condiment a go on my hair. Mayo is full of egg yolk and oils, which promise to moisturize extremely dry hair (like mine). After opening a jar and slathering mayo on from roots to tips, I let it sit for half an hour in a shower cap, then rinsed it out. My hair did feel much more moisturized, my ends look much less fried, and my hair looked a good deal shinier. The only downside -- the smell. For that reason alone, I'll probably stick to my usual deep conditioners to keep me (and my bathroom) from smelling like a deli, but I'd give an old-fashioned mayo hair mask another go in a pinch!�
Photo 7/9
Toothpaste for zits?
As a long-time acne sufferer, I was interested to find out whether this trick would work. Had I been wasting my time all these years with benzoyl peroxide and Proactiv? I used Colgate Total Advanced in my test because a) it's what I had on hand and b) my Internet research informed me that for this tip to be effective it's important not to use a gel-style toothpaste.
While I understand the science that backs up this tip -- toothpaste kills bacteria, which are a leading cause of zits -- I'm sad to report that this at-home trick was not overwhelmingly effective. It didn't cause a breakout, but it didn't make my acne better, either. Plus, the strong mint smell made my eyes water. My recommendation? Keep the toothpaste in your mouth where it belongs.
You know the State Farm commercial where the woman says "You can't say anything on the Internet that isn't true"? We laugh, because obviously there's an infinite amount of baloney circulating online. We take everything we read on the interwebs with a boulder of salt.
Of course, that doesn't seem to stop people from believing -- and passing around -- such timeless beauty treatment myths as "toothpaste is great for zits" and "beer will make your hair shiny." A few have enough science to at least somewhat back them up, but others ... not so much.
Out of curiosity (and service to our dear, faithful audience), we tried out some of the most outrageous at-home beauty treatments we've ever heard of: laxative face primer, mouthwash pedicures, and more. See our final word on whether these at-home beauty remedies work ... or if they're just another load of Internet hooey.
Of course, that doesn't seem to stop people from believing -- and passing around -- such timeless beauty treatment myths as "toothpaste is great for zits" and "beer will make your hair shiny." A few have enough science to at least somewhat back them up, but others ... not so much.
Out of curiosity (and service to our dear, faithful audience), we tried out some of the most outrageous at-home beauty treatments we've ever heard of: laxative face primer, mouthwash pedicures, and more. See our final word on whether these at-home beauty remedies work ... or if they're just another load of Internet hooey.