The “Water Bottle Challenge” Is Trending On Instagram, Even Though It Sounds Unsafe AF

Another day, another viral internet challenge. While some of them help raise money and awareness to important causes — like the ice bucket challenge did for ALS — others are just a little more confusing. For example, the water bottle challenge. It has nothing to do with water itself, but can leave you feeling a little burned. Literally.

Much like the failed Kylie Jenner lip challenge back in 2015, the water bottle challenge — which is also being called the “blow the bottle challenge” — is all about beauty. But this time, it’s about having the perfect barrel curl. Curling hair is a lot harder than you may think — and getting it consistently right (and having it still look good two hours later) is a struggle. The water bottle challenge offers to change up the game, but as expected, it comes with plenty of warnings.

In order to partake, you need to cut a hole into the side of a water bottle that’s big enough to fit the nozzle of your hair dryer. You’ll want to create another hole on top of the bottle that’ll allow you to feed a good portion of your hair into. When everything’s set, all you need to do is turn your hairdryer on.

It seems unbelievable, but instant curls are possible with this strange method.

Here are some more videos demonstrating this unlikely beauty hack:

Interested, but also terrified of having your hair burn off? It’s a legit fear, especially if you’re not overly familiar with heat tools.

There are a few ways you can make this challenge a little bit safer. For one, a larger, thicker water bottle will work best. The thinner it is, the more likely you may burn your hair. Second, a heat protection spray is always good with the use of any hot tool. And third, don’t try to go viral with it, especially on the first attempt. The more focused you are on making the video, the less attention you’ll be paying to your hair. That could lead to frying it more than intended.