We’ve Reached Peak DIY and It’s Officially Gone Too Far

Photo: Stocksy/Katarina Radovic
Well+Good is all about some DIY action. If you can grab two ingredients from your pantry and whip up a fabric softener, dry shampoo, or face mask without schlepping to a store and spending your well-earned money, all the power to you. Plus, what's more rewarding than knowing you're totally capable of creating a product with your very own precious hands?

But I digress. I've waxed poetic before about why making your own things is a cool feat-slash-something fun and productive to add to your list of hygge activities. Despite this, there's always a point where it can be taken too far. Case in point? This DIY video in which a girl makes a makeup brush out of her own hair and a pencil.

Let me attempt to explain the totally bizarre stunt: First of all—and I'm shuddering even thinking about this—the DIY aficionado literally chops off a chunk of her hair. This isn't minor—it's a hefty portion of her strands, and they're not even pulled from the back of her head or underneath her front layers in a discrete manner. Nope, she just went for it right in the very front. That's gonna leave a mark (I mean half an inch takes a full month of growth).

But hey, what's the small annoyance of absolutely ruining your perfect hair when it's for the do-good purpose of creating a single makeup brush? Anyways. Once you see her chop away, the craft pro removes an eraser from a pencil, puts some glue in the hole, and sticks her hair in. Turns out it's a good thing she took off enough of her strands, because then she snips away even more so that the hair length matches that which you'd see on an eyeshadow brush. You know what they say: better safe than sorry!

Just kidding. It's hard to tell whether this is a serious instructional video, or merely posing as one. But it is labeled as "5-minute crafts," so one can't be too sure. What I do know is that, while DIY has its place, this certainly isn't it. I'm chocking it up to one of those unfortunate cases of DIY that may have good intentions but actually does more harm than you'd want. See also: using lemon juice on your acne, facial cupping (if you don't know how to do it), using baking soda as an exfoliant, and applying hydrogen peroxide to your skin.

Also, some things are just better and easier to purchase!! Makeup brushes like the one created in the video above probably run a solid 10 dollars or less. Sometimes buying the actual turmeric face mask so that you don't dye your skin orange is much simpler than attempting to make it yourself. My point being: You're nobody's hero if you have to suffer in the name of DIY. Because then the only thing you're DIY-ing is regret. (Also, just. buy. a. makeup brush.)

To get crafty with things that are actually tried-and-true, this is how to DIY your own dishwasher detergent. And here's a cute DIY nail art manicure you can copy.  

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