Would you try A VIRAL BEAUTY HACK?

In a bid to see what all the fuss is about, Natasha Harding puts some new trends to the test

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Like many women in their 50s, my bathroom cabinet looks like a shelf straight out of Superdrug. Skincare serums, collagen-boosting creams, hair oils - you name it, it's in my bathroom. I like to experiment to find what works best for me. So when I started seeing a number of beauty hacks pop up on my social media, naturally I was curious. Banana peels for glowing skin, oatmeal cleansers and vinegar conditioners - I was keen to try them. They all claimed to do wonders for your hair or skin and, better still, none of them used any plastic. In a world where a lot of us are trying to reduce our carbon footprint, I've made a real effort to cut the amount I use over the years, and this was a huge bonus. So, filling up my trolley on my next food shop, I decided to put the viral hacks to the test and see if any live up to the hype. Here's how I got on.

Banana peel for your skin

Rubbing banana peel on your face is supposed to include benefits like wrinkle reduction and skin brightening - well, according to TikTok, anyway. It's the combination of vitamin C and potassium that will apparently make me glow like no other, I'm told by a 20-something with plump, radiant skin. I'm a bit sceptical as I rub the waxy peel against my cheek. My daughter Lexi, 11, comes into the bathroom mid rub, looking appalled. 'What ARE you doing?' she says. Maybe I did it wrong, but I can't see any difference at all. I rub the peel all over my face, twice for good measure, and still I don't see any changes in the slightest. I'll stick to using a serum for skin-brightening qualities and eating bananas and composting their skin.

Salt exfoliator