I recently stumbled upon an ad by a beauty brand featuring Kate Hudson. The opening shot was Kate with a few snails on her face saying, “Look, your skin doesn’t need another trend.” And you know what, if you’d asked me six months ago if I was willing to experiment with snail mucin on my face, I would have said no.
But now that it’s kind of my job to stay updated on all the latest skincare trends, I find myself more willing to try out weird skincare rituals celebs swear by. And while getting a vampire facial has always been on my list of ‘Things To Do Before You Die’, it’s a little basic. So, I’ve curated a short list of bizarre procedures that you can get this year, if you’re feeling kind of rich and crazy!
The Penis Facial
I really wanted this to be a fun, crazy read but wasn’t sure if my research would yield results that were interesting enough. But boy, was I wrong! The first facial on this list is the penis facial. Yes, you read that right. It’s easy to stay away from writing about penises since they very rarely surface as the main character in my line of work, but there’s no way I could have left this off the list.
“[We] saw this facialist in New York, and she gives what we call the penis facial,” said Ocean’s 8 star, Kate Blanchett, in an interview with Vogue Australia. “It’s something – I don’t know what it is, or whether it’s just cause it smells a bit like sperm – there’s some enzyme in it so Sandy (Sandra Bullock) refers to it as the penis facial.”
Also known as the Hollywood EGF facial, the penis facial involves a tediously long routine starting with a cleanse, a peel, micro-needling, an electrifying mask, and an FDA-approved Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF) serum. What is EGF, you ask? Well, according to their facialist, EGF is an ingredient created in a lab using the cells obtained from a newborn baby’s foreskin. I cannot make this up right now!
Basically, the EGF helps produce collagen and elastin and keeps you looking fresh and wrinkle-free. I mean, sounds good but would I do this? Would I willingly undergo a facial that involves micro-needling and a facial that smells like sperm? Probably not.
The Placenta Facial
I’m sure a few of you have already heard about this one, but I wanted to keep the ‘facials from body parts’ trend going. Now the placenta facial was one of the hottest skin rejuvenating trends around 2017, and the process mainly consisted of injecting stem cells harvested from newborn human or sheep placenta into areas of concern. Like a type of botox treatment, but without the loss of movement.
The facial is said to have antioxidant and anti-ageing benefits. In fact, the procedure has become so ridiculously popular that it’s pretty easy to find sheet masks, pills, or at-home face masks infused with placenta but I recommend you either get a dermat to recommend one for you. Or do your research thoroughly since it can be super expensive and have side effects like increased production of estrogen or premenopausal breast cancer.
To list a few celebrities who have tried this: Simon Cowell, Harry Styles and David Beckham.
The Thai Slap Facial
Now another unconventional beauty treatment I wanted to address is the Thai slap facial, which started in 2012 and sounds a bit too extreme. Also known as ‘face slapping therapy’, there’s no real scientific research behind this. Just a whimsical concept and a hefty price tag.
Practised by one masseuse in San Fransisco, the massage entails you just getting slapped and then paying $350 for it. The massage aims to firm your face and lessen your wrinkles with a series of precise slaps on your eyebrows, cheeks, or foreheads.
The premise behind the slap facial is rooted in traditional Thai medicine and holistic wellness. Advocates of this therapy claim that the slapping and tapping motions can stimulate blood flow, increase oxygenation of the skin, and promote lymphatic drainage. Some even say it provides a perceptible ‘lift’ to the face. Honestly, if this sounds like something you’re interested in I’m willing to do it for free! There’s a lot of pent-up emotion that’s looking for an outlet channel.
The Bird Poop Facial
You know, when I started writing this piece I didn’t think I would have so many random facials to pick from. But here’s another unbelievable facial – the bird poop facial. A big practitioner of this is Tom Cruise; no matter what you say about his acting, the man’s serving at 61 and apparently, his secret is nightingale droppings.
Bird poop is said to contain a specific enzyme that’s called guanine which essentially works as a natural bleaching agent – lightening dark circles and blemishes. It’s usually mixed with rice bran and followed by an extraction, laser treatment, and massage. People have said it does add a noticeable brightness to your face, so don’t poop all over this idea before you’ve tried it.
The Bee Sting Facial
The bee-sting facial is one of the more commonplace, less bizarre facials out there but has been significantly lauded by the Queen of Random Treatments – Gwyneth Paltrow.
Now the health benefits of bee-related products like honey, royal jelly, and pollen are well known, bee venom is another superpower ingredient that people have been experimenting with for a long time. For centuries, homeopaths have used live bees to treat a variety of skincare issues but with new technology, venom can be stored for strategic injections or more non-invasive treatments like a mask.
The bee venom basically tricks your body into thinking that you’ve been stung which causes your body to produce collagen that increases the elasticity of your skin and keeps it looking fresh and firm.
Out of all five facials on my list, this is one I’m least hesitant about trying.
Featured Images: Pexels
