Beauty is a hard thing to achieve and an even harder thing to upkeep. To keep up with the ever changing beauty standards of the world, we try any and every possible hack and trick known to man and even search throughout the internet.
Some of them do not work; some of them are just false rumors and gossip or in other words a myth. We all want to look beautiful, and to look our best we often fall victim to various gossips and myths about beauty. We do not even fact check these myths passed down from generation to generation.
In the past, these beauty myths not only affected a person emotionally but such myths and misconceptions gave way to a numbers of body centric diseases body dysmorphia, and anorexia. These beauty myths can be harmful in such a way that even the sanest of the sane could be driven to a point where they start to hate their very own face and body and turn towards ways to fix their face and body according to the beauty standards of that time.
These myths gave a boost to the booming Plastic surgery industry that is even flourishing today. People will do anything to look and be like their favorite celebrities and even go to extreme diets and workout routines believing in those myths than could destroy their bodies.
The myth about figure zero being the best and being skinny to fit clothes made a huge impact in society and gave rise to different diet plans, medications to become skinny and people becoming obsessed and falling ill to achieve the said skinny body.
Media, new articles are also one of the greatest contributors to boosting these said Myths. Praising a certain skin color while berating others, praising a certain makeup style, and undermining other styles have made a huge impact in today’s world and how it perceives beauty. This media has given rise to racism and undervalued cultural appropriation and its importance in the world.
India’s obsession towards fair skin and the rise in fairness cream products is also the result of believing in said Myths about the standard of beauty.
Common beauty myths you should never believe
Here are 5 of the most common beauty myths you should never believe in when it comes to beauty and skincare:-
Cucumber underneath eyes help reduce dark circles
It is a total myth our mothers and grandmothers have told us that putting cucumber slices on our eyes can reduce dark circles and make it fairer. Cucumber has no such properties than can help reduce dark spots and make it fairer. Instead, it can reduce swelling and puffiness underneath your eyes and make it look less tired. Cucumber containing about 96% water is good for hydrating your skin. So instead of using it as an eye mask, add it to make fresh juice for better benefits.
Shaving body hair can cause thicker hair to grow
You might have heard this myth from anyone and everyone. It is a complete misconception that shaving can cause thicker hair to grow back. That does not happen. The shaved hair when grows back ends up appearing more prominent in color and the blunt freshly shaven tip of the hair gives off the optical illusion of it being thicker than last time.
Opening and Closing Pores
Another one of the most common beauty myths is that of opening and closing pores of your skin. Whenever we read an article about skincare or any kind of face mask application, most of those articles mention the use of lukewarm water to open your skin pores and using cold water to close your pores. The temperature of water does not affect your skin’s pores in that way, instead, the temperature of water expands and contracts our skin giving off the illusion of it appearing open when in reality it is the skin’s contractions and expansions causing you to feel like your pores are open or your pores are closed.
Toothpaste on Acne
This is also a myth you might have heard from your parents and grandparents that applying toothpaste can make your acne disappear. The ingredients in toothpaste are not meant for your face, so you should definitely not use it on acne. Some toothpaste might have menthol used for cooling purposes and they may help in controlling inflamed acne, but you definitely should never use toothpaste as it can clog your pores and make your acne even worse. Some chemicals in toothpaste might even cause an allergic reaction on your skin and damage it.
Drink more Milk to reduce White spots on Nails
You might have experienced white spots on your nails, and someone you know might have even advised you to drink more milk as that is a sign of lack of calcium. It is a completely false fact. The white spot on your nail might be due to a mild trauma occurring on your nail due to a heavy manicure session or just simply a side effect of too much use of chemical nail polish. The spots have no connection to lack of calcium, but you should drink milk to stay healthy and keep your bones strong nonetheless.
Here are some more of the Myths you might have heard from people;-
Pumping mascara brush to get more product
You might think you are getting more product onto your brush if you pump it inside the tube, but pumping just makes more air bubbles get inside your mascara tube making your mascara dry more quickly than you might have imagined.
Wearing Makeup every day will damage your skin
Although applying too much makeup might not be beneficial for your skin, but wearing makeup every day does not harm your skin. Wearing makeup might be harmful if you leave it on overnight when you sleep instead of taking it off. Invest in some good skin care and face cleansing product to clean your face every night after makeup application and see your face remain its healthy self.
Hair products can repair split ends
No matter what product you use, if you get split ends on your hair, they can never be fully repaired. Certain hair products might help reduce the signs of split ends and make your hair stronger to avoid split ends but they cannot guarantee to eliminate them fully. You should get a trim if you have a bad case of split end instead of wasting tons of money on hair care products promising to eliminate split ends.
Drying wet hair with T-shirt instead of a towel
It is also a myth that drying your hair with a Tshirt is better than drying it with a cotton towel. T-shirt made of cotton can also damage your hair cuticles and make them more prone to damage and frizzy like your normal hair towel. Buy a microfiber towel instead which causes less friction to hair and makes it easier to dry your hair.
Plucking white or Gray Hair will lead to more graying
Plucking your hair might be bad for your hair follicle but no other hair follicle gets damaged due to plucking. Graying of hair can be a sign of old age but in some cases, stress, food intake, change of habitat, hormonal and other changes might also be the cause of graying of hair at a younger age. Mental instability might also be a reason for gray hair.
Face scrub reduces acne
This is also a very harmful myth. Applying face scrub when you are experiencing acne or blemishes is a very bad idea. The abrasive content in face scrubs might tear your skin and layer surrounding the inflamed acne and make it more vulnerable to damage and redness. The damaged skin can easily get infected with bacteria and cause even more harm to your face. Instead, you should use a mild facial cleanser to clean your face and apply anti-inflammatory acne cream to your acne-prone face.
Acne will go away when you are older
The myth about acne is also very old. People may believe that their acne-prone skin or very bad acne might go away at an older age but that is not true. Acne depends on several hormonal and chemical changes in your body and people suffering from cystic acne and people who have acne prone skin might even get them at an older age. Just make sure to take care of your skin and use acne medication according to your age and consult a dermatologist for further help if you are suffering from a bad case of acne even at an older age.
Drink more water if you have dry skin
You might have been told to drink more water if you have dry and flaky skin. But your intake of water does little to nothing to help your dry skin. Your skin is dry as it lacks the oil to make it moisturize, instead of drinking loads of water, invest in a good hydrating moisturizer for your face or body so that the lack of oil secretion can be replaced with the hydration moisturizer. But do not forget to drink water at appropriate amounts as less water consumption might dehydrate your body internally.
Your hair or skin adapts to certain products you use and stop working
This is also a very bad myth heard from people. Your skin is not adapting to the moisturizer or your hair is not adapting to the anti-frizz effect of your shampoo, if the products are good for your skin, they will continue to work no matter how many times you apply. If you really think a product has stopped working or its effect has faded away, it might be due to your age, as the older you get your skin and hair also age, and certain products that used to work when you were younger might not work now.
Never apply oil on Oily skin
Your oily skin also needs hydration and moisturization and applying oil can help hydrate your skin. If you use a facial cleanser, it can remove natural oils of your face; this is where you should apply some hydrating oil on your skin.
Trimming your hair often can make it grow thicker and Longer
Cutting your hair often does not guarantee thick and long hair. Your hair has a natural growth process and will only grow in time. Trimming cannot ensure you thick and long hair. And trimming can often lead to slower hair growth as you are cutting off your hair often instead of letting it grow.
Facial Exercise makes your skin tighter
Although exercise might tighten and tone muscles in your body, but the skin around your face is completely different from your body does not have any effect to facial exercises meant for toning your face. Scientists say facial exercise has an adverse effect on your skin and can contribute more collagen breakage making your face age faster and forming wrinkles.
We must learn to appreciate who we are and love our own skin instead of believing these false myths that could take a toll on us not only mentally but also berate us physically. Always remember to consult with a professional instead of believing these Myths and finding out if it is myth or fact all by yourself instead of trusting an unknown source.