Straight white teeth: a universal sign of beauty and good health. And thankfully both can be come by fairly easily if you aren't lucky enough to have them naturally, or if you've ruined them somehow in the process of living (smokers!). Of course you'll have to see your dentist to straighten out crooked teeth, and although you can go there for whitening too there are fairly effective ways to do it yourself at home. From cheap to expensive there quite a few options out there, like whitening toothpaste, whitening strips, and whitening gels -- and then of course the professional options available in the spa or dental office. What works for you? eDiets gives their opinions here, share yours in the comments!

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The HairMax LaserComb is a means of at-home hair loss treatment, and it's designed to help restore hair growth by delivering a very specific wavelength of light to the scalp that will stimulate the hair follicles. That's all well and good but what makes me laugh is the fact that it's marketed to people who "don't want to pay for hair restoration surgery but who also don't have high expectations."

Ha! Who is that going to be? The HairMax LaserComb costs $545 -- who is going to spend that kind of money and not have high expectations?

On the bright side, though, it is nice to see some work being done as far as home treatment options for hair thinning and hair loss. The technology has to start somewhere!

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Inventors and scientists are going crazy anymore inventing new technology for skin care, beauty, and anti-aging. And although devices like lasers are generally used first by doctors and dermatologists in a professional office setting, eventually the technology trickles its way down to us consumers in a "do it yourself in the comfort of your own home" version.

But are these at home versions just as safe and effective as the professional ones? The answers to those questions are usually, and of course not. They aren't going to be as effective because they're almost always a toned down and weaker version of what would be used in an office setting -- think OTC versus prescription medication. But the good news is that they are generally safe for that same reason, and if you only have a mild condition that you're trying to treat then a mildly effective product might be just what you need.

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At-home test kits used to be limited to blood sugars and pregnancies, but nowadays we have so many more options. There are now home tests that can tell you your cholesterol levels, tests for detecting symptoms of colon cancer, telling you your HIV status, and even for allergies. There are even tests becoming available for things like making sure your coffee really is decaffeinated (a simple dipstick into your cup), seeing if the glass of wine you had last night made its way into your breast milk (and if it did, when it's gone), and a way for testing food for salmonella and E. coli.

Some of these sound like really good ideas, but some of them are also a little expensive and possibly dangerous. For example, if you suspect you may have colon cancer do you really want to rely on a home-kit for completely accurate results?

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