The Truth Behind These Weird Celebrity Beauty Trends

The wellness industry has absolutely exploded in recent years and it seems that there’s a new trend every day. We keep hearing celebrities talking about their newest treatments and tricks to look amazing, and we want to know for ourselves which of these actually work.

Celebrities have the time, money, and resources to experiment with all of the latest wellness trends, so sometimes they overdo it a bit. So what do the experts have to say about these beauty tips? Should we try them ourselves? Or should we leave some of these trends exclusively for the rich and famous?

It’s Yoga… For the Face

Face yoga is a series of facial exercises and dramatized facial expressions, which are supposed to reduce stress, wrinkles and pigmentation. Celebrities like Zendaya, Jennifer Aniston, Rashida Jones, Gwenyth Paltrow, and Madonna swear by their daily face yoga routines. Honestly, we see the logic: we can work the muscles in our bodies, so why not the ones in our face?

But what does science say? According to the experts, face yoga does actually work! It’s important to make sure it’s done correctly, as incorrect face yoga can increase signs of aging, but proper face yoga does in fact make people look younger. This popular wellness trend is actually free, thanks to tons of YouTube videos on the subject. But be warned: it looks absolutely ridiculous, so make sure you’re home alone for this one.

This Looks Like a Gateway Drug

Celebrities like Chrissy Teigen, Justin Bieber, Adele, Rihanna, and Brad Pitt all use vitamin IV drips. Vitamin drips are supposed to aid weight loss, boost energy, and promote faster recovery after a workout. The idea is that since the vitamins aren’t taken in pill form, they don’t need to go through the digestive system, so they are effective much more quickly.

This extreme treatment starts at $100 per drip, and according to science, it’s a huge waste of money. According to clinical dietician, Sophie Medlin, maintaining a healthy diet and taking ingestible vitamins are just as effective and a lot less risky. We urge you to never get an IV, of any kind, outside of a medical environment.

You Can Drink This Bathwater

Vinotheray, or red wine baths, are a favorite amongst athletes like Amar’e Stoudemire. It’s exactly as it sounds: a bathtub filled with red wine. Red wine baths supposedly detoxify the skin and improve circulation. Many spas offer the treatments for anywhere between $75 and $550, depending on whether or not you want to mix the wine with water. Or you can DIY and just empty a bunch of wine bottles into your bathtub.

Unfortunately for wine lovers, bathing in your favorite beverage may not be a good idea. According to science, and logic, red wine is alcohol and alcohol dehydrates the skin. We think we’ll stick to the classic of having a glass of red wine while in the tub, instead.

Celebrities Really Like Soaking in Alcohol

In case you’re not a wine person, there’s also a wellness trend of taking beer baths. January Jones does this regularly and says that she got the idea from another beauty: Cleopatra. Beer baths cost around $89 in spas, but of course, you can always go the DIY route at home.

Beer baths claim to provide nutrients and proteins which are supposed to prevent wrinkles and flaccidity. It’s also supposed to relieve stress and toxins from the body and even help joint pain. Apparently, beer is better than wine because it does actually work! Bathing in beer has been popular way before wellness trends were a thing and modern science actually backs up this ancient ritual.

WWJAD? (What Would Jennifer Aniston Do?)

Jennifer Aniston, Kate Hudson, and Kourtney Kardashian all take collagen supplements, but should you? Our bodies naturally produce collagen anyway, but we produce less and less of it the more we age. Collagen supplements claim to help the growth of hair and nails and promote youthful-looking skin. 

Collagen became incredibly popular over the past few years, but unfortunately, science has not been able to catch up. The lack of time to conduct proper research, paired with pressure from companies that sell collagen,  result in scientists being unable to come to a consensus just yet. Personally, we’re gonna do whatever Jennifer Aniston does, just in case…

Can You Train Your Waist?

Pretty much all of the Kardashian sisters use waist trainers, but they also use liposuction and photoshop, so let’s not pretend their figures are 100% due to this product. A waist trainer is basically a modern-day girdle, as if women haven’t suffered enough for fashion. Waist trainers are meant to be pulled in as tight as possible to make the wearer look thinner, and many people claim that wearing one during a workout can aid in weight loss.

In case you were looking to the Kardashians for medical advice, well…. Don’t. Waist trainers do not work in the long term, they will only make the wearer appear slimmer while they are actually wearing it. Furthermore, if pulled too tight, waist trainers can cause serious health problems. And let’s be honest, they look super uncomfortable.

What’s Wrong With Taking a Normal Bath?

Celebrities really love taking weird baths. Nicole Scherzinger and Lady Gaga regularly take ice baths. Yup, those are baths in freezing cold water. What’s nice about this one is that it’s mostly free and you can easily DIY this at home. But does it actually live up to its claims? 

Ice baths claim to reduce muscle soreness, help with stress, boost circulation, and give a mood boost. Although it’s only become an official wellness trend in recent years, ice baths have been a longstanding tradition in many cultures. Ice baths really do work but the experts recommend caution: do not stay in the bath longer than 15 minutes and don’t go in if you have open wounds. Other than that, enjoy your tortuous bath!

This May Explain the Bee Shortage

Gwenyth Paltrow loves to promote the benefits of bee sting therapy, but she also has a company called Goop, so let’s look at what the experts say. Originally, bee sting therapy became popular for those suffering from joint pain, due to its anti-inflammatory effects. Quick to capitalize on the treatment, spas and beauty companies started promoting bee venom as a treatment for wrinkles.

Bee sting therapy involves receiving up to 40 stings per session, so we’re not sure that it’s worth a youthful look. That being said, it does really work! Luckily, it’s possible to buy topical beauty creams with bee venom, so you don’t actually have to get stung if you don’t want to.

Some People Pay to Get Bit

Kim Kardashian went viral when she freaked out over getting a fish pedicure. Fish pedicures are a spa treatment in which you put your feet in a bowl of fish, and the fish eat the dead skin off your feet. Yum. The purpose is to exfoliate your feet and have smooth skin in the end. And let’s be honest, it’s a nice way to not have to make small talk with the pedicurist. 

Fish pedicures are actually effective but the risks far outweigh the benefits, so much so that the treatment is actually illegal in 10 states. Some spas will swap out the fish for a cheaper breed which are more aggressive and can actually draw blood rather than just nibble, which can result in infection. Furthermore, fish pedicure spas are really inhumane to the fish. Would you want to eat someone’s feet all day?

Kim Kardashian Really Likes Gore

Not only does she like getting her feet bit, but apparently, Kim Kardashian also enjoys putting blood on her face. Is anyone else noticing a theme here? The reality star gets vampire facials, a process in which blood is drawn from your arm and put on your face. This sounds like something only the rich and famous could possibly want.

The treatment claims to give a youthful glow and reduce wrinkles, in a non-invasive way. It’s also said to reduce pigmentation, stretch marks, and scarring. As disgusting as it sounds, vampire facials do in fact work. They are also far safer than other treatments, but they’re also far grosser.

Speaking of Facials…

What do Victoria Beckham and Tom Cruise have in common? They both get a fancy $180 dollar treatment…. A bird poop facial. Yes, celebrities are actually paying for something that we regular people get on an unlucky day. This facial claims to whiten the skin, reduce hyperpigmentation, and provide an overall balanced skin tone.

Apparently, bird poop facials do really work but the disgusting procedure is completely unnecessary, as there are far more appealing facials that have the exact same effects. So the next time a bird poops on you, instead of getting upset, just consider yourself lucky that you got this luxurious treatment for free.

The Wellness Industry Is Trying to Get Us to Buy a Kids’ Accessory

Remember when we made fun of Gwenyth Paltrow’s company, Goop? Now you’ll see why… Goop sells energy stickers. At $64 for 12 packs of stickers, you can look like a child. Seriously, though, Goop claims that these stickers “rebalance energy” and relieve stress and anxiety. That’s a lot of credit to give to a sticker.

Goop also claims that the stickers are made from the same material NASA astronauts use in their spacesuits. NASA quickly denied Goop’s claims, with one of their former chief scientists stating: “Wow, what a load of BS that is.” Needless to say, studies have shown that energy stickers do not work and they should remain a childrens’ accessory and nothing more.

Would You Want a Massage From a Snake?

Victoria’s Secret Angel, Stella Maxwell, gets massages performed by snakes. Snake massages are supposed to offer the physical and mental benefits of a regular massage, as well as the added benefits of overcoming one’s fear and building confidence. The treatment begins at $100 per hour and it’s recommended to have five to seven treatments.

Snake massages are particularly popular amongst those with phobias, and it really does work! The wellness trend offers all of the benefits that it claims to, and it also gives clients an interesting story to tell. While this unique massage is great for humans, it is of course, abusive to the snakes. We’re sure they’d much rather be slithering through a forest than on our backs.

How About a Facial From a Leech?

Miranda Kerr and Demi Moore credit their youthful skin to blood-sucking leeches. Leech facials involve getting live leeches put on your face and then the blood they consume is spread across your facial skin. It sounds reminiscent of the vampire facial, the two treatments can easily compete for which is more disgusting.

Leech facials are supposed to improve circulation, treat acne, and retain a youthful appearance. Leech facials do, in fact, work but we’re not sure that’s a good enough reason to get them. Let’s put it this way: When Gwenyth Paltrow heard about leech facials, she said “Wow, I thought I was batsh** crazy!”

This Is a Whole New Take On the Smoothie Trend

Jesse McCartney, Shailene Woodley, Kim Kardashian, and Gwenyth Paltrow love to drink activated charcoal. Charcoal is extremely popular in the wellness industry right now, it’s in toothpaste, deodorant, and face creams, and now you can get it in a smoothie. Activated charcoal traps unwanted toxins in the gut, and flushes them out of the system before they’re absorbed into the body. 

The problem with activated charcoal is that it can’t differentiate between the good and bad in your body, it absorbs everything! Therefore, you could be flushing out important nutrients that your body really needs. Furthermore, activated charcoal can make any medications you’re taking get flushed out, as well. In short, activated charcoal is great for skincare, but it’s not meant to be ingested.

Remind Us to Never Eat With Shailene Woodley

Shailene Woodley doesn’t just stop with activated charcoal, she also eats clay! Zoe Kravitz is guilty of it too, and says that eating clay helped her lose 20 lbs. Clay soaks up fat from the gut and, therefore, it makes for a coveted weight loss aid. But is it worth the taste?

Eating clay does truly help with weight loss, but you may get sick in the process… Similar to charcoal smoothies (which Shailene Woodley also loves), clay attaches itself to nutrients that we actually want to keep in the body. Experts say that there’s no reason to try and “help the body out” with flushing unwanted toxins, our bodies are perfectly capable of doing that on their own.

20 Minutes Is Too Long to Keep Anything in One’s Mouth

Speaking of what we put in our mouths, Lauren Conrad is obsessed with oil pulling. Oil pulling is the process of putting a spoonful of oil into one’s mouth (Lauren Conrad uses coconut oil), swishing it around for 5 to 20 minutes, and then spitting it out. It’s basically a very exaggerated mouthwash.

Oil pulling is supposed to literally pull the toxins out of your mouth, whiten your teeth, and it also serves as a way to strengthen your jaw (face yoga, anyone?) According to the experts, there’s no evidence to say that oil pulling works but there’s no harm to trying it either. Basically, it’s a matter of how much you like the taste of oil.

Gold + Facial = A Rich Person’s Spa Day

A lot of models get liquid gold facials, including Bar Rafeali, Naomi Campbell, Alassandra Ambrosio, and Bella Hadid. A gold facial is just as luxurious as it sounds: it’s a face mask made of actual 24 – karat gold foil. Liquid gold facials claim to leave the skin rejuvenated, youthful, lighter, and even treat skin disorders.

So do they work? Yes and no. Gold facials work just as much as any other facial because the gold is mixed with other skincare ingredients. The liquid gold, itself, doesn’t actually add much besides a cool effect and a luxurious look. Liquid gold facials go for $100 to $200, so if you can afford it and you think it’s a fun gimmick, go for it!

Gwenyth Paltrow Will Try Pretty Much Anything

Back when she was married to Chris Martin, Gwenyth Paltrow concerned fans that her husband was hurting her when she showed up to a red carpet event with painful marks on her back. Thankfully, Chris was innocent, and the marks were due to a wellness trend called cupping.

Cupping is a therapy in which hot cups are placed on the skin to create suction and stimulate the flow of energy. It’s essentially supposed to serve as a deep-tissue massage but…. Painful. Research shows that cupping does help reduce pain but in a very small amount. And let’s not forget that the process itself hurts, so really, what’s the point?

Do Not Try This at Home

Supermodel, Alassandra Ambrosio, is far more trusting than we are…. She actually lets her hairdresser set fire to her hair! Velaterapia is a hair cutting technique that involves burning off the hair’s split ends. The idea is that you get rid of split ends without needing to cut any length off your hair.

Pretty much every hairdresser in the world (besides Alassanra Ambrosio’s hairdresser) all agree: do not try velaterapia! There is absolutely no reason whatsoever to burn off split ends rather than cut them. We hear the argument of “I don’t want to lose any length” but that will be the least of your worries if you accidentally get set on fire.