Popular for her YouTube channel abundant with creative DIY beauty solutions, vlogger Farah Dhukai has introduced us to some pretty outlandish solutions that can be found right at home like mouthwash to get rid of dandruff and papaya and turmeric to banish excess facial fuzz, but the most recent trick is equally as good, and surprising.
Her latest trick? Using wasabi—yes, the spicy green horseradish served with your sushi some of us avoid like the plague—as a natural lip filler. “Get soft, plump, full lips without needles or sucking on cups or objects,” she says in her Instagram post, explaining that her dry and now “very wrinkly lips” needed a makeover. “This one trick is a great way to get plump lips that look like you’ve had fillers—they’ll be extremely soft, wrinkles will be filled in, they’ll have a natural pink color and they’ll be so plump [people] will think you’ve had them done.”
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The technique seems extremely simple: All you need is a tube of wasabi (you can find it at the grocery store) and something to moisturize with afterward. “Take a tiny amount [of wasabi] and rub it all over your lips,” she says, stressing that you should leave it on for no longer than one minute before wiping it off with a damp cloth or baby wipe. Dhukai then says to moisturize immediately with whatever product or formulation you like best (she used an oil elixir) before revealing your perfect “pillow-soft lips” that she claims lasts her for an entire day (much longer than a traditional lip plumper).
And while the results are seriously impressive and we know that a plump, hydrated pout is the ultimate sign of youth and health, not everyone is sold on using this technique regularly. According to Washington, DC dermatologist Elizabeth Tanzi, MD, anything that stings or burns can be used on the lips to temporarily plump them up. “It’s fine to use them once in a while, but when used on a regular basis, the lips could develop irritation, and in the worst case scenario, a dermatitis that needs cortisone to treat it.”
