Every day, we’re bombarded with seemingly contradictory beauty advice on everything from how to treat blemishes to whether we should cut down on sweets to limit breakouts. It seems like everyone has a remedy to solve our beauty woes. Whether you’re getting your info from friends, television or even old Aunt Mabel, it’s important to do some research to separate fact from fiction.
Today, we’ve saved you some time and checked out the truth behind 5 common beauty myths.
#1 Toothpaste is good for treating breakouts – Half True
This beauty myth has been around for just about as long as anyone can remember. In a pinch, applying a dab of toothpaste (not gel) to a pimple can help to dry it out and reduce the size. According to dermatologists, this is because most toothpaste contains ingredients such as baking powder, alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, menthol and triclosan. Some of these ingredients are also found in products made specifically for treating breakouts.
Of course, unlike specialised blemish treatments, toothpaste contains irritants that may cause redness, discolouration, peeling and even long term skin flare ups in some individuals. Yikes! So, while toothpaste CAN technically dry out a pimple in the short term, we really don’t recommend it as a zit zapper.
#2 Popping pimples can make a breakout worse – True
While we’re talking about breakouts, let’s discuss another common beauty dilemma. Is there any harm in popping your pimples? Unfortunately, yes! This beauty myth is true. Squeezing a pimple can force all that nasty stuff inside it (sebum, dirt, bacteria) deeper into the affected follicle. The follicle can then rupture, spilling the bacteria into your dermis. Even worse, popping pimples can create painful nodules and cysts that must in turn be treated by a physician or dermatologist.
When your mother told you not to squeeze pimples, she was right. It can also cause permanent scarring and spread a breakout. Don’t do it, ladies!
#3 Shaving your leg hair makes it grow back thicker – False
Most of us have been warned at some point in our lives that shaving our leg hair will make it grow back thicker. However, we can all breathe a sigh of relief, because it’s absolutely not true. In fact, scientists debunked this myth through extensive testing as far back as 1928.
“But it happens to me, I’ve seen it!” you may cry. This illusion of thicker hair actually occurs because our hair shafts taper off at the end. When we shave, we’re slicing off the thin end and exposing the thicker mid-shaft of the hair. This makes it appear as though the hair is taking up more space. Additionally, the hair feels coarser as it grows back because it’s cut straight across. As it grows out, it will become as soft as virgin leg hair (yeah, we went there).
#4 Nail polish remover is a good, cheap way to thin out goopy polishes – Mostly False
Every time nail polish enthusiasts hear this myth, we give a collective shudder. Please, please, PLEASE, do not use nail polish remover to thin out your polishes. As tempting as it can be to add just a few drops to one of nail polish remover to your old polishes that have turned goopy and thick, you’re generally going to do more harm than good. Mixing nail polish remover with polish can cause it to separate out, lose its lustre or apply bumpily on the nail.
In some cases, nail polish remover will work for as a quick fix on a bottle of polish you’re only looking to get one or two more uses out of, but definitely don’t use this technique on your favourite polishes! Renowned nail blogger Lab Muffin explains this myth in more detail here.
To bring your goopy polishes back to life, spend a little more and invest in a real nail polish thinning product. Several brands, including OPI and Seche Vite, have nail polish thinners on the market.
#5 Plucking a grey hair will cause more to grow back in its place – False
When we come across our first grey hair, whether we’re in our twenties or our forties, the natural reaction is to pluck it out. However, we’re often told that plucking one grey hair can encourage more grey hairs to grow back in its place. Some old wives tales even purport that you’ll earn SEVEN new grey hairs for each hair you remove. Rest assured, this is totally false. We cannot increase the amount of hair follicles we have.
Where did this myth come from? It’s most likely due to the fact that our hair tends to grey in clusters. Therefore, where there is one grey hair, the surrounding hairs are also beginning to lose pigment.
And there you have it: 5 Common Beauty Myths Busted. Most of them are harmless, but you should always be super wary of putting strange ingredients on your skin. So, next time you hear a strange beauty tale, be sure to check your sources to avoid any nasty mishaps!
What’s the weirdest beauty myth you’ve ever heard or tried?
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