7 Beauty Myths, Busted!

We’ve all cringed at those old wives’ tales our grandmothers wisely passed on to us, whilst still believing that there might be some truth to it. Whether it’s the age old natural remedies that they think will miraculously work on our face, or some pretty odd hacks to get rid off that acne — and guess what, people actually believed it! Like, remember when baking soda for your skin was a thing? *Cue eye roll*

Well to be entirely honest with you, I was one of those naive peeps who gave it a try, only because the aunties in my building backed it up with their “expertise”. Little did I know their expertise was based on the foundation of stupidity. Just so that you don’t face the same ridiculousness that I did at one point, we bring you the top 7 beauty myths that we’ve actually fallen for and bust out the actual truth behind them. Come on, I am pretty sure I am not the only one.

 

MYTH #1: If it’s tingling, it’s mingling!

Fact: No! That isn’t true. If it’s tingling your skin, that doesn’t mean it’s working. It actually means the product is irritating your skin. Usually, ingredients in a face cream or mask that cause that tingling sensation are counter-irritants that only substitute the current inflammation with another — a.k.a. extremely bad for your skin. This sort of blocks your skin’s ability to heal, and disrupts its immune system.

 

MYTH 2: Makeup equals acne

Fact: We’ve all heard people say, “May be you shouldn’t wear makeup — it’s probably causing your acne”. Ummm, sure. If you’re a stickler for correct makeup removal, this is the least of your acne problems. Foundations are formulated to stay on the surface of the skin and do not seep through. What can cause acne and breakouts is when you do not take off your makeup properly, leaving your pores blocked.

 

MYTH 3: Shaving means thicker, faster hair growth

Fact: Hell no. I bet you believed this when your mum told you off for using her razor, didn’t you? Your body hair grows at a steady rate and pace, which isn’t affected by your choice of hair removal. Nor does it grow thicker than usual. The difference in hair quality when waxing as opposed to shaving is what varies. When you wax, you pull the hair from the root, causing a new follicle to grow — hence pointy strands. When you shave, you chop off only the visible top layer of the hair, causing it to grow flat and table-top like! Not thicker and faster, at all.

 

MYTH 4: Pores no more!

Fact: More like pores CANNOT go. Yes, if a product promises you that it will shrink your pore size, think again before purchasing it. Much like the rest of your face, your pores are genetic — which means they cannot be altered entirely. The key lies in minimising the appearance of the pores, making them look smaller through a weekly exfoliation regime.

 

MYTH 5: By plucking a grey, you’re making way

Fact: Yes, I have heard this a million times — you’ve probably seen your mum almost throw a fit because you decided to chop off that one strand of “wisdom”. No, plucking your grey hairs does NOT anger its family and cause them to come back for revenge. Like your pores, greys are genetic and therefore pulling them out does not cause a million to grow back. So chill. Also, those ‘signs of wisdom’ will not go away entirely and will come back eventually.

 

MYTH 6: Scrub those blackheads away

Fact: Scrubbing is just another term for exfoliation. Do not take it literally. Blackheads have this weird stigma of being synonymous with dirt — but in fact, they have nothing to do with being dirty. The reason why blackheads develop are when your pores are clogged, preventing oil and cellular debris from excreting out of your pores. The mixture of the two builds-up and turns black. Using a scrub exfoliates and removes the top of the head, but leaves the underlying cause still inside. So ‘scrubbing’ away the dirt won’t really work.

 

MYTH 7: Conceal before you fill

Fact: We all use our concealer before foundation. However, the right way to use it is to apply foundation before your concealer and then touch up blemishes with it. By doing it in this order, you are able to tell perfectly which areas need more product and which needs to be left untouched. The application of foundation prior to concealer allows for better coverage and an even skin tone.