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Beauty Myths Debunked

Beauty myths debunked will make you think twice before taking advice from your mother.

By Alicia SpringerPublished 8 years ago 12 min read
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Your mother isn't always right. That being said, most of the tips your mom told you while you were growing up were actually beauty myths. But this problem is a lot bigger than motherly advice. Classic beauty is tough to define because every culture has their own idea of beauty. Some countries favor the blonde, light skinned look; other countries are more likely to favor dark skin and dark hair. Big lips, thin lips, curly hair, straight hair. Stick thin, shapely, hairy, hairless. Beauty is really in the eye of the beholder and maybe that is why it is so darn confusing how we should make ourselves look. Fortunately, the best gift that we can be given as children is for our parents to tell us that we are beautiful. To instill that confidence in us, that makes us feel like we are something special. Whether it is true or not, it doesn't really matter because you cannot buy self-esteem in a jar. And you certainly cannot buy self-esteem by looking through a magazine of airbrushed, professionally made-up models that are definitely put on this Earth to make us mere mortals feel inadequate. These beauty myths debunked reveal a more accurate perspective on mom's advice, and might improve self esteem.

Facial Exercises Prevent Double Chins and Wrinkles

Photo via Candy Lipz

If you were/are lucky enough to have/had a grandmother or an over-involved great aunt, you probably have heard this beauty myth. By doing certain facial movements-like puffing your cheeks out, or tapping your chin with the flat, top part of your hand, you will help reduce wrinkles and a double, sagging chin. Wouldn't it be nice if this were true? Those lines you get around your mouth are called "laugh lines" for a reason! When you smile, you use those muscles around your mouth. And then you get those lines. You can choose to fill them so your face is completely smooth, but then you might look more cartoon than human. Laughing is good for you, so embrace lines that come from lots of happy and funny things in your life. As for your double chin...we have gravity and maybe too much ice cream to thank for that. There aren't many things we can do about gravity unless you want to stand on your head all day long, so either embrace the gentle, downward motion your skin takes or, find a really great plastic surgeon because these exercises, unfortunately, are FALSE.

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Moisturizer will clog your pores. 

You would think that this would be true. Some moisturizers are heavy and oily and then probably clog your pores, but this is FALSE, within certain guideline. Those with oily skin should stay away from moisturizers that contain isopropyl myristate and isopropyl palmitate and petrolatum. These are bad. Look for brands that have safflower oil, sunflower seed oil, soybean oil or any other healthy-sounding oil. These are good for your skin. Also important-wear a moisturizer with SPF of 30 during the day, but a lighter moisturizer without SPF at night. If you have sensitive skin, stay away from synthetic fragrances because those will irritate your skin. There are so many products out there that will suit your skin needs and leave you feeling silky smooth!

Laser Hair Removal Is Permanent

Then we get into laser hair removal and the promise of never having to shave again. Laser hair removal has become one of the biggest market deceptions in the upkeep of the womanly being. No one wants a beard or a mustache, unless, of course it doesn't bother you and then, by all means, wear it with pride, my friend. But, if facial hair has always bothered you, there are many methods to try. The easiest is waxing, but, ouch, it is painful and it doesn't last very long (and if you have a reaction to the wax, your mustache becomes a very angry red color.) You could always shave, but your mother probably told you that it grows back thicker. That isn't true, but it does grow back quicker! And then we have laser hair removal on the other end of the spectrum. They say that if you go between 3 and 6 times, the hair will never grow back. What they don't tell you if that the hair next to it, that has yet to back its red carpet appearance, will grow and then you will have to spend 3-6 treatments getting rid of that one. Your skin is your largest organ and your largest organ is covered with thousands of hair follicles. It is almost impossible to get to every single one of them. Now, the technicians do the best job they can, but once you think you are hair free, think again. So this beauty myth is also on the false side, to a certain extent.

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Wash Your Hands and Face Regularly

I am sure that if you grew up in a relatively functional house, one of your parents would say to you, "Brush your teeth, wash your face with soap and water and go to sleep." This might not have been the best advice. Soap has a tendency to dry out our skin, causing you to need a whole new regimen to take care of your face. Some of us, and don't hate me because the rest of me is a mess, never wash our face with soap and our skin is in pretty good shape. No breakouts, only the occasional dry patch or two in the dead of winter, but otherwise, all is good on the skin front. Find out if the soap you are using is doing something positive for your face. There are so many brands out there, so find out what is best for you. Or maybe, just stop washing your face and see what a difference that can make! This myth-FALSE.

Now that we’ve seen the myths that aren’t true, let’s talk about the ones that are. Yes, we said it, some of this stuff is true! Not everything your mother says is wrong. By acknowledging these myths as true we give ourself a leg up on taking care of our skin. These aren’t myths, they’re facts. So listen up!

Water Hydrates Your Skin

Photo via Shawn Poynter

water is an important ingredient that makes up for most of the human body system and as such it has been passed down as a beauty myth that the more you drink water, the more hydrated, firmer and softer your skin will become and this will in turn help to add to the level of moisture, hydration and the beauty of your skin. It is also a well known beauty myth that beauty is always skin deep which means that real and true beauty comes from deep within the skin because as the inner body system is nurtured, it starts taking care of itself and then it gradually shows on the skin hence the importance of water to the beauty of the skin as a myth but it is very necessary and important that you know the role of water with regards to the moisture and the hydration of your skin. You might have heard about it and you simply taught that it is a myth that is false just like some other beauty myths that are false that water plays a huge role in adding to the beauty of your skin by moisturizing and hydrating your skin but it will surprise you to learn that this myth can be classified as true because water is needed by your body to help it maintain a very good state of health. This it does by ensuring that all the internal organs of your body work at their optimum best. Drinking of water will always help give your skin all the needed nutrients that will make it hydrated. You can further add to the level of moisture on your skin simply by making use of moisturizing creams that will help make your skin be more hydrated, firmer and softer. To help your skin get its moisture and hydration from deep within the skin, you will need to drink a lot of water.

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Don't Rub Skin Around the Eyes

Rubbing of the skin around your eyes will likely cause wrinkles; this is definitely another unbelievable beauty myth that seems and sounds false but is actually true. Yeah, it seems absolutely impossible to believe but it is an absolute truth that can never be ignored or overruled if you ever have the intention of keeping those tiny wrinkles out of your skin for a very long time without the help of cosmetic surgery. It has been discovered that the skin that is located around the area of your eyes are tender and delicate skin and as such can be easily damaged. When you rub this tender and delicate skin on a very continuous basis over a long period of time, it will definitely lead to the outbreak of wrinkles on your face and I bet you don’t want that to happen for a very long time to come. The reason why this act of continuous rubbing of the skin area located close to your eyes will most likely lead to wrinkles is simply because the continuous act of rubbing the eyes usually leads to the deformity of the collagen that is present around the eye area and this further leads to the loss of all forms of elasticity and when the elasticity around the eyes is eventually lost completely, it will definitely lead to wrinkles appearing around the area of your eyes. Hey; this does not have to make you panic because rubbing the eyes every once in a while will not make the wrinkles pop out on your face but it takes a continuous rubbing which will have to be done over a long period of time. If you are in the habit of constantly rubbing your eyes even when there is no need for you to then you will need to desist from such a habit.

Lip Balm Is Addictive

Photo via Novelty Street

The addictive nature of the lip balm; you might have screamed that ‘this is absolutely impossible to be true’ but in as much as you might not want to believe this and you might even be tempted to classify it as one of the old wives fable about beauty myths that are false, it will however be surprising for you to know that it is not false but an absolute truth. Yes, the use of lip balm can definitely become addictive over a period of time or usage. This does not necessarily mean that there is a kind of drug that is used to manufacture lip balms which are addictive in nature because there is definitely no rehab center for those that are addictive to lip balm and before you rush off to start suing the manufacturers of lip balms, you will definitely want to read and understand the addictive nature of a lip balm. Lip balms are said to be addictive in nature because of the simple basic fact that the main ingredients of alcohol, menthol and camphor that are used in manufacturing lip balms are irritable to the lips and this makes lip balm prone to causing your skin to become dry and in order for you to avoid having a dry lip, you will discover that you will tend to apply more of the lip balm. This continuous cycle of making use of a lip balm and your lips becoming dry after a while which will further make you to apply more lip balm makes it seem addictive because you will always want to rely on the lip balm to have a soft and a moist lip. To avoid this cycle that makes the use of lip balm addictive, you will need to make use of a lip balm that is made solely with lanolin which is natural oil that is not irritable to the lips.

Nail Polish Turns Your Nails Yellow

Nail polish causing your nails to turn yellow; this is a beauty myth that can never be debunked because it is an absolute truth and not a false old wives beauty fables and this is so because a long continuous and constant usage of nail polish will make the color of your nails to turn yellow. Yes, it is the absolute truth. If you are used to not giving your nails any kind of break from nail polishes then you will definitely end up having the nails on your toes and fingers turning yellow in color. You however do not have to get frightened over this beauty myth that is true because there is a solution to it. If you discover that your nails are already yellowish in color then you will need to get a mixture of water and baking soda from the pantry of your kitchen and scrub your nails with it. This process of scrubbing your nails with the mixture will help in the rejuvenation of your nails and it will also help in the disappearance of the discoloration. If you are yet to discover any tint of yellow on your nails then you will need to prevent it from ever occurring by simply making use of a base coat as a kind of protection for your nails before you go ahead to apply your nail polish after which you ensure that you top it off with another coat that has a protection against UVB/UVA. These are the ingredients that will help in protecting your nails from the damaging and harsh rays that come directly from the sun.

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About the Creator

Alicia Springer

Mother of two. Personal trainer. Fitness is about determination, not age.

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