Last year, Americans spent nearly $17 billion on spa services. A lot of that money went toward facials: treatments that claim to remove blemishes, combat wrinkles, moisturize, regenerate, tighten and otherwise beautify the skin so that your face looks fabulous.But is there evidence to support the claims (and costs) of these treatments? Experts say it depends on the type of facial, where you have it performed and the skin benefit you’re hoping to get out of it.

“I was at this beautiful spa in Santa Fe, and the esthetician giving me a facial said the next citrus emollient she was going to apply would help cleanse my liver,” recalls Ushma Neill, editor-at-large of the Journal of Clinical Investigation and vice president of scientific education and training at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. “I almost sat up in disbelief.”

That experience, Neill says, prompted her to investigate the existing science on spa facials. She published her findings in a 2012 report. Her conclusion? “I realized just how useless it all was,” she says. “I haven’t had a facial since I wrote that article.”

Neill says she doesn’t dispute claims that facials can temporarily revamp the skin by “moisturizing it to the max” and removing pimples and other blemishes. But when it comes to many of the fancier, pricier services that claim to combat aging or inflammation—everything from ozone and antioxidant treatments to stem-cell extract applications—most of that stuff is “complete malarkey,” she says.

Other experts reiterate that point. “As a dermatologist, I see a lot of patients with misperceptions about different creams and procedures and the whole concept of facials,” says Dr. Joel Cohen, an associate clinical professor of dermatology at the University of Colorado and director of AboutSkin Dermatology and DermSurgery near Denver.Apart from moisturizing the skin, Cohen says most topical creams are unlikely to provide much lasting benefit—especially if applied sporadically and only in a spa setting. And while some chemical peels that use substances like salicylic or glycolic acid can help stimulate skin cell turnover and repair, Cohen says proper daily skin care—regular cleansing and applying moisturizer and sunscreen—are a lot more likely to be helpful.

Keratin is a structural protein found in our hair, skin, and nails. It’s also commonly found in styling products to help strengthen hair—but the term keratin treatment is actually a misnomer. “Keratin treatments are a semi-permanent hair straightening treatment that smoothes and adds shine to frizzy hair,” says Fitzsimons. How the treatments work is not through the use of keratin, though.

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While similar to other hair straightening treatments, keratin treatments are still distinctively different. Japanese hair treatments and traditional relaxers permanently break your hair’s bonds using ammonium thioglycolate and sodium hydroxide—making them far more effective on coily hair and also more damaging. The growing-out phase will also be more intense than with a keratin treatments, since there will be a line of demarkation when your natural texture grows back in.

Part of the concern with keratin treatments revolve around one of the ingredients found in most traditional salon formulas: formaldehyde. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) defines it as a colorless, strong-smelling gas that is usually used to make building materials, household products like glue and fiberboard, and used as a preservative when dissolved in water. In keratin treatments, it’s responsible for locking the hair into that new straight and smooth position for months. But these treatments don’t actually contain formaldehyde, because, well, it’s a known carcinogen. What they contain instead is ingredients like methylene glycol, formalin, methanal, and methanediol, that release the carcinogenic compound when mixed with water during the treatment. So while the formula might technically be formaldehyde-free, it’s not once mixed with water.

Choose hair colors one to two shades darker than natural color for natural results. For more dramatic results, go for shades two to four shades darker. If this is your first time dyeing your hair, you may want to try using temporary or semi-permanent dye rather than permanent dye.

• Temporary dyes tend to wash out after one shampoo.^[1]
• Semi-permanent dyes will wash out after 20 to 26 shampoos.
• Permanent dyes may fade, but they usually stay in your hair until it grows out.

Highlights are essentially the opposite of lowlights. Highlight colors should be one to two shades lighter than your natural hair color. For more dramatic results, go for shades three to four shades darker.

• You may need to bleach your hair to highlight it, which is best done in a salon.

Divide your hair into five sections. Make sure your five sections are roughly even. There should be one section on the top of your head. Then, on either side of your head, separate the hair into two sections. When you’re done, you should be left with one section of hair on top and four sections on the sides. Use rubber bands or hair clips to secure your hair.^[2]

• In other words, you should have three sections in the front of your head, and two in the back.

Use the slicing method to separate hair for a more dramatic look. Let down one of the sections. Starting at the top of the section, insert the end of your comb through your hair. Only a very thin section of hair should be on top of the end of the comb. Remember that for both highlight and lowlights, you should apply dye to very thin chunks of hair.