10 things to leave in 2016

They were hot last year, but they’re not in 2017: 10 things to leave in 2016

Are you a victim of fads? With so many trends sweeping the nation each year, it’s difficult not to be tempted to take part even without all the evidence of their benefits. As we usher in another year, these are the top 10 trends you might want to avoid in 2017.

Overdone make-up 

This year, we’ll be seeing the rise of natural beauty. Ditch the overdrawn lips, eyebrows and extreme contouring favoured by celebrities such as Kylie Jenner. It’s great for photo shoots, but unless you’re in front of the camera a lot, the overdone make-up trend should be left in 2016. While wearing make-up is a great barrier for protecting your skin from pollution, this year try to tone down to a subtler look and embrace products that help improve the skin, such as Manuka Doctor ApiRefine CC Cream or Collection Primed & Ready Powered by Witch Mattifying Pore Minimiser for hydration and an even complexion.

Beauty products that include microbeads

Tiny balls of plastic, microbeads have largely replaced natural exfoliators in most of our beauty products, despite the damage they cause once they roll down the drain and into the sea. This year, do your part for the environment by switching to alternatives such as biodegradable jojoba beads, oats or salt, which are more gentle on skin while being just as effective.

Gluten-free weight-loss diets 

For many, a gluten-free diet isn’t a choice but a health necessity due to intolerances. As the range of products suited to the diet increased throughout 2016 as did the myth that it aids weight loss. If you’re hoping to drop the pounds this year, going gluten-free probably isn’t the most effective diet to follow. As a protein it is recommended to eat gluten in moderation to support your body rather than eliminate it completely. Looks like it’s time to order a pizza again.

Grey hair dye

Pastel hair colours were more popular than ever last year, with grey being the favourite. While there is nothing wrong with the shades, let 2017 be the year you avoid chemically treating your hair in favour of boosting its health. Bleaching first in order to achieve pastel colours often strips hair of its natural moisture, making it weak and easily damaged. While many deep conditioners have restorative qualities, prevention is better than cure.

Weight-loss teas 

In comparison to natural weight-loss teas such as green tea there has been a drastic rise in highly caffeinated slimming teas promoted across social media. Stimulants in herbal slimming teas can help boost weight-loss results, but studies have shown this only to be effective when consumed as part of a healthy diet. With unwanted side effects such as diarrhoea, dizziness and stomach cramps, we hope 2017 will be a year of natural weight loss.

Brazilian Blowout 

It always seems that we can never get our hair as straight at home as in the salon, which is why, in 2016, the Brazilian Blowout seemed like the answer to our prayers. Unfortunately, a number of salons were not being transparent in revealing the dangerous levels of formaldehyde the treatment contained. Causing irritation, nose bleeds and difficulty breathing, the treatment was soon banned and replaced with the less harsh ‘keratin soothing treatment’. While the lengths most of us will go for beauty probably isn’t life and health threatening, here’s hoping that natural hair textures will replace overtreated hair.

Squats

As with any exercise, moderation is key. However, last years’ squat challenges and celebrities pumped with butt implants had us all focussing on our glutes. Squats are the bodybuilders’ exercise of the decade, but we’ve been swept into overdoing it on the squatting front. Risking injury for minimal results, this is one trend that we need to get a better perspective of.

Using lemon juice to lighten spots

Placing anything acidic on your skin is likely to cause irritation, which is why we completely avoid skin-lightening creams. However, 2016 was the year we naively turned to the natural acid of lemons for lightening spots and dark patches. Rubbing lemons onto our skin may be more gentle than some creams, but they can be just as harmful when skin is exposed to the sun.

Waist training 

Waist training has become a phenomenon marketed as being the answer to sculpting the perfect body shape. While waist bands and corsets may portray a desired shape when worn, the long-term effects include damaged internal organs and breathing difficulty rather than a slimmer waist.

Wrapping yourself in plastic 

It sounds ridiculous, but being wrapped up in plastic to increase sweating for weight loss became a quick fix offering results akin to exercising or sitting in a sauna for hours, but it has detrimental consequences. While there are suits available that claim to be alternatives to wrapping with cling film, sweating too much can cause life-threatening health issues. With dizziness, coma and at worst death associated with this fitness fad, it’s definitely something we would rather leave behind.