Beauty treatments are of many kinds. While some prefer natural products, others choose products off the shelf. But these celebrities have gone further to satisfy their desire for gorgeous skin.
Editor's note: This article was originally published on August 7, 2020. It has since been updated.
Since ancient times, humans have been very particular about their skin and hair. Across the globe, people of all genders used homemade products to nourish their skin and pamper themselves. Items available in the kitchen often made for excellent scrubs, masks, toners, and moisturizers. Now even "organic" skincare involves buying products from the market.
Hollywood is known for trying the newest and often the craziest things. And when celebs endorse a new product or skin care routine, they often set a trend worldwide irrespective of how bizarre some of the trends might be. Here are 8 such skincare treatments no one knew existed.
The Miss Congeniality actress swears by hemorrhoid (you heard it right) cream and says that it helps her get rid of lines and puffiness around the eyes. During the premiere of Miss Congeniality 2 in 2005, she said, "My favorite beauty-pageant secret: I didn’t realize that putting hemorrhoid ointment on your face is acceptable in the beauty business. But apparently butt cream does help lines around the eyes." According to Insider, even Kim Kardashian's makeup artist recommends it even though not everyone can stand the smell. Would you give it try if it could help your eyes look brighter?
Demi Moore revealed on the David Letterman show in 2008 that she had gone to Austria for a detoxifying and cleansing session. Nothing wrong with that, right? But what if it involves blood-sucking leeches? According to Vogue, she said, "It detoxifies your blood and they have a little enzyme that when they're biting down on you, gets released into your blood and generally you bleed for quite a bit.” Sounds painful, but she did not stop here. She continued, “And your health is optimized. It detoxified the blood and I'm feeling detoxified right now.” Sure it does, Demi. But how many of you would have the courage to try this?
You must have heard about rose-water mists and cucumber toners, but actress Cindy Crawford prefers milk spray above everything else. According to Vogue, she hydrates her skin by spraying milk mixed with water. She credits her milk spray for softer and healthier skin as milk is protein-rich and high on calcium. It sure sounds more normal than the others, but wonder how it smells through the day. How many of you would risk smelling like a dairy-fed infant throughout your day?
Victoria Beckham is a fan of the traditional Japanese technique where the nightingale's poo is used to form a cleansing paste. The bird poo is dried under UV lights and then mixed with rice bran and water. It is then applied as a face mask. It is said to be effective in brightening skin tone, targeting anti-aging issues, and dulling acne scars. Beckham is not the only one who likes this treatment, even Tom Cruise and Harry Styles vouch for it.
Wonder how Angelina Jolie retains her youthful glow? It's not any high-end cream or lotion. It's fish eggs. Yes, you read that right. According to The Sun, the actress undergoes a three-hour treatment where she's wrapped up like a mummy and made to sweat so that all the toxins are sweated out. Then she is covered in a body cream made from extracted eggs of Baerii sturgeon, reared on farms in the South of France. Now how do you know you've made it super big? While most of us can't afford caviar for dinner, she can wrap herself in a tub full of it. The caviar contains high protein and rich oil, which is extremely moisturizing and nourishing for the skin. Since extracts of caviar are used instead of the whole roe, it is less smelly.
Gwyneth Paltrow is known for her bizarre beauty regimes but this might be one of the most painful ones. Talking about it, she said, “I’ve been stung by bees. It’s a thousands-of-years-old treatment called apitherapy. People use it to get rid of inflammation and scarring. It’s actually pretty incredible if you research it. But, man, it’s painful. I haven’t done cryotherapy [freeze therapy] yet, but I do want to try that,” reported Harpers Bazaar. Even the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, is a fan of this treatment. But, how far would you go?
Snail slime has been popular in Korea and Africa for a really long time, but when it did come to Hollywood, Katie Holmes was one of the first stars to become its fan. Hippocrates supposedly recommended crushing snails and using the slimey paste to soothe inflamed skin, and it became very popular among the Ancient Greeks. According to Harpers Bazaar, the snail gel contains the mucus of the slug, which is now retrieved without harming the snails. The skincare routines help to target pigmentation, scarrings, and wrinkles. There are also facials that involve live snails moving around on your face as they work their magic on your skin. What a slimy business to get glowing skin!
Kim Kardashian created a buzz in 2013 when she posted a blood-smeared selfie on her Instagram handle. It was quite unsettling for her fans, but she explained that the procedure was done to enhance her natural glow. This technique, known as platelet-rich Plasma facial, involves using blood for its abilities to produce new collagen and regeneration of cells.
References:
https://www.vogue.com.au/beauty/trends/20-of-the-craziest-celebrity-beauty-treatments/image-gallery/
https://www.mirror.co.uk/lifestyle/health/weirdest-hollywood-beauty-treatments-including-21925937
https://www.harpersbazaar.com.au/beauty/weirdest-celebrity-beauty-treatments-18994
