We’ve always kept an open mind towards interesting or even unusual hacks that vloggers and bloggers share. Some of these hacks, while a little bizarre, can be tempting to try, and those who have sometimes report back with positive results.
(For example, the hacks of removing blackheads with dental floss and clearing acne with vagina wash.)
But the most recent hack by a vlogger that pops up online recently made us cringed. Shared on Vice, an unnamed woman said in a video, which has been removed, that the secret to her naturally great complexion is… drinking her dog’s pee.
In the video, she demonstrated this by collecting the dog’s piss in a cup, and then gulping down its contents without missing a beat.
The woman continued in the video, sharing that she used to have bad acne, which made her very depressed. That’s until salvation came in the form of her dog’s pee, of course.
“Dog pee also has vitamin A in it, vitamin E in it, and it has 10 grams of calcium, and it’s also proven to help cure cancer.”
We’re not believing a single word of what she said – especially the curing cancer part. And we urge that you don’t too.
Picking up this story, Allure asked Joy McCarthy, a certified holistic nutritionist if what the woman shared held any water (sorry, we couldn’t resist this!)
McCarthy said that “urine therapy” has been practised for hundreds of years, particularly in ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome.
“Urine is mostly made up of water, lots of urea, creatinine, various electrolytes, uric acid, trace proteins, and low levels of antibodies and enzymes,” she explains.
While there seem to be some great “nutrients” to be found in urine, McCarthy told Allure there are better sources (than pee) we can go for to get healthier.
“For instance, drinking lemon and water to stimulate the gastric juices for better digestion or apple cider vinegar in water has been touted for everything from weight loss to detoxification effects. Both of these health habits are far tastier and safer than dog urine. Well, actually, I can’t confirm that dog urine is not tasty.”
Besides a possibly disgusting taste and the judgement that you might get from people who know about your “beauty secret”, McCarthy said there are also health concerns associated with drinking dog’s pee.
“Herbicides have been detected in dog’s urine, likely from herbicide-treated lawns, antibiotics, and hormones, so I really don’t know that it’s the safest choice,” she explains.
