Anybody who’s into beauty will know that a hack or two can save you time and improve your technique.
Whether it’s mixing two foundations together or using tape for your eyeliner there are some handy tips and tricks out there.
Video app TikTok is the latest social media outlet to take off and now almost everyone is using it to try out new fashion, beauty and lifestyle tricks.
But, as we all know, not everybody on the internet is an expert.
And, sometimes this means that viral beauty hacks and shortcuts can go very, very wrong.
Some have even caused extreme scarring and temporary blindness, required surgery or may lead to cancer.
Here are four TikTok hacks which went wrong – and why you shouldn’t ever try them.
(Image: TikTok / @haydenphobia)
1. Hair dye disaster
Earlier this year, TikTok user @haydenphobia posted a clip where he joked: “I’ll dye my hair without a patch test, it’s fine.”
A patch test is usually required at all hairdressers before applying dye to your hair.
This is because people can have sudden allergic reactions to the ingredients – even if they’ve had their hair dyed before.
The instructions in most at-home hair dyes recommend applying some of the dye to your arm or ear for 24 hours before dying your hair to check for a reaction.
But, a lot of people don’t bother – just like Hayden.
The clip then cuts to his face red and swollen, with his eyelids several times bigger than they ought to be and so puffed up he can’t seem to open his eyes.
While people roasted him in the comments, the situation could have become very serious very quickly.
2. Fake freckles
(Image: tillywhitfeld/Instagram)
Tilly Whitdeld decided to give herself faux freckles using a trick she saw others do on TikTok.
It required her to use a sterilised needle and tattoo ink to stab semi-permanent dots onto her face mimicking a sun kissed look.
The 21-year-old ordered some brown tattoo ink from eBay and try the trick, but soon regretted it.
Posting on TikTok, she said: “It didn’t hurt at all, so I didn’t think I should stop.”
It turned out that the ink contained high levels of toxic lead – and Tilly has spend £8,500 trying to fix her painful scars.
She also reports being temporarily blinded in one eye thanks to the dangerous procedure.
3. Sunscreen contouring
(Image: @stopiteli/TikTok)
“Sunscreen contouring” is the latest tactic some young women are using to get their perfect summer look.
On TikTok, an LA model, Eli Withrow, 24, posted a video about her tip for “feeling snatched all summer”.
To do this, she applied different layers and levels of suncream to her face so that different areas tanned at different rates.
She places less or no UV protection where she wanted her face to go darker – under her cheekbones, the sides of her nose and on her forehead.
But, the trick could cause pigmentation or worse.
(Image: @teachermclane/TikTok)
Dr Ross Perry, a GP and Medical Director of Cosmedics skin clinics, added: “A tan is a response to DNA damage, whether you get it on the beach, on a sunbed, or through incidental exposure.
“Tans are caused by harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun, and if you have one, you’ve sustained skin cell damage.
“Such damage is instrumental in the development of skin cancer, and it also accelerates skin ageing.”
4. Gorilla Glue hairdo
This one is not so much a hack, but a warning…
(Image: @im_d_ollady/TikTok)
In February, Tessica Brown had to visit the hospital to get Gorilla Glue removed from her hair after it had remained stuck for over a month.
Tessica uploaded a video to TikTok explaining what happened and applying something to her hair which she received from the doctors.
She explained: “When I do my hair, I like to finish it off with a little Göt2b Glued Spray, you know, just to keep it in place.
“Well, I didn’t have any more Göt2b Glued Spray, so I used this: Gorilla Glue spray.”
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Tessica added: “Bad, bad, bad idea.
“My hair, it don’t move.”
In the end, the young woman had to have a £9,000 procedure performed to separate her hair from her scalp.
Ouch!
Remember everyone – not everyone on TikTok knows what they’re doing…
A TikTok spokesperson told the Daily Star: “Keeping people on TikTok safe is a top priority.
“Our Community Guidelines make clear that we will remove content promoting dangerous behaviour or activities that might lead to serious injury or physical harm.
“We are continuously evaluating our policies and processes to ensure we are doing everything we can to keep our users safe.”
