There are lots of brilliant things about influencers. We get insights into beauty and fashion for people from a diverse variety of backgrounds, recommendations from real people and there's a sense of democracy because anyone can recommend a product that they enjoy.
But the downside is that there are also plenty of people with large followings who promote totally bonkers ideas. Case in point, Eleni, who goes by @KeepYourKefi and describes herself as a gut and hormone nutritionist.
Eleni posted a picture of herself holding a big bottle of Pantene, and captioned it: 'Is your shampoo making you gain weight?
'First it's calories, then it's hormones, then it's gut health... now it's my shampoo?!
'You count every calorie that passes your lips, but your weight won't budge... Managing your weight isn't only about calories in vs calories out.'
'Chemicals that disrupt HOW your body creates and stores fat — found in shampoo, toothpaste, grocery store receipts, shower curtains, makeup, perfume, and so. much. more.
'Even though you eat healthy and exercise every day, you still might battle the scale because of your SHAMPOO.'
To start with, lots of people don't count every calorie that passes their lips and that's quite all right. But, even if you do, the chances that what you wash your hair with could be making you gain weight are somewhere between zero and nothing.
The danger here is that Eleni uses lots of pseudoscience which makes her post sound somewhat convincing. And given how messed up many of us are about our weight, it's hard to resist the temptation to believe that by just switching to a different (probably more expensive) shampoo, pounds will suddenly melt away.
But realistically, that's just not true. In the vast majority of cases, the way that you can lose weight is by eating more than you consume in energy . The shampoo that you wash your hair in isn't going to have any bearing on it, unless you're eating it, at which point you've got some serious problems.
If you're still in any doubt, there's a huge choice of academic evidence which concludes that eating calorie-rich foods and sedentary lifestyles are the main cause of obesity. You can read one of them here, if you like.
If you're struggling to lose weight, the chances are that you need to understand how your body processes food better, or that you've got an underlying medical condition. If it bothers you, you can visit your GP to discuss it.
BEAT is a charity designed to support those who are struggled with disordered eating.