It’s safe to say I’m a fan of self care. Relaxing after a long day, putting on some soothing music, working out, and more. What I’m not a fan of is self care gone wrong.
Some people on the internet promote their ideas of self care. As well-meaning as it may be, it also may be awful for you. Here’s 4 examples of what I mean.
Lip Plumping “Hacks”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BwVpmo8hZEq/
The “Kylie Jenner Challenge” went viral on the internet a couple of years ago, but using suction to plump your lips, along with DIY masks, or even worse, DIY injections, couldn’t be any worse for your health.
You could permanently damage your lips using one of these hacks. It’s not self care, it’s just plain dangerous.
Weight Loss Teas
When it comes to weight loss products, you can never be too careful. If they contain diuretics, unidentifiable chemicals, or things you know won’t agree with your body, then stay away at all costs.
Instagram models often promote “detox” teas to their followers. Some of them are full of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals. Others are made to react with your body chemistry to make you thinner.
If the tea claims to do the latter, then you should probably go with another brand. Tea can be great for you, but they should never be used for weight loss.
Homemade Face Masks
https://www.instagram.com/p/BcqyG4LHp5x/
Homemade face masks can often be great for your skin if you’re using the right ingredients, but certain ingredients are way too harsh on your skin. When it comes to those ingredients, you want to stay away.
Ingredients that are harsh on your skin include baking soda, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, and anything with harsh granules like sugar or walnut shells. If you’re unsure if the ingredients are good or bad for you, look it up!
The one above, believe it or not, is totally find for your skin, and it looks pretty cool too.
Internet Vitamins
Growing up, you were always told to take your vitamins, and that still applies. However, not all vitamins are created equally. Instagram brands try to sell vitamins to consumers, but there are a few things you need to keep in mind.
If a vitamin brand has outrageous claims (lose 10 pounds in 3 days, will cure a disease, can grow your hair double the length in 6 months,) then they may not be a good vitamin to take.
As good as those claims sound, they’re probably too good to be true. If you want to buy vitamins, do your own research on the ingredients and make sure none of them are harmful.
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What other “self care tips” do you stay away from like the plague?