Common Beauty Myths

Beauty myths are often no more than old adages that are handed down to each generation. Some of these misconceptions are centuries old. While logic doesn't seem to play a big factor in beauty myths,they're still abundant.These common beauty myths are pure fiction and deserve to take their place in the "beauty myth hall of shame."

Soap is bad for your skin...Older formulas contained animal fat and vegetable oils.Newer soaps are formulated to be milder and some contain moisturizers that don't dry out your skin.Clean skin is better than dirty skin.

Shaving your legs will make your hair grow in thicker..You have as many hairs as is genetically determined,regardless of whether you shave them.However,shaving can make hairs appear "stubbier" and perhaps thicker.

Drinking a lot of water leads to beautiful skin...While drinking water is necessary for our bodies, too much will only result in bloating and too many trips to the bathroom.

Split ends can be repaired..The only way to rid of split ends is to cut them off and prevent them in the future with good hair care.

Dry skin causes wrinkles..Not true.Most wrinkles are caused from the sun.

You can wash acne and pimples away...Scrubbing too vigorously will increase oil production and only aggravate the condition.

The sun clears up blemishes..While the sun will temporarily dry out pimples,it interferes with healthy skin cells.This can cause a worse breakout a couple days after sun exposure.

Stick to one brand and line of products..This beauty myth was probably put out by cosmetic manufacturers who want to keep customers loyal to their brand.

Antiperspirants can cause cancer ..This theory makes its rounds on the internet and you may find this in your inbox. There is no evidence linking antiperspirants and breast cancer.

It's too late to start using sunscreen..It's never too late to start protecting skin from the sun.The cumulative effect of the sun is whats damaging,so by avoiding it,you could halt some of its progress.Furthermore there is clinical evidence that once you start protecting the skin,it has the ability to repair itself.This repair is not going to happen over night;its a gradual process that can take a couple of years to yield significant results.

Applying cocoa butter or olive oil will stop stretch marks..Sadly this isn't true. Stretch marks occur when skin expands quickly(as in pregnancy)breaking the collagen and elastic fibers that normally support it.Stretch marks are formed below the top layer of skin,where the cocoa butter and olive oil can't reach.The most either can do is quell the itching that occurs when skin expands.

Natural ingredients are non allergenic..Whether its natural or chemical ingredient,if you're allergic to it,you'll see a reaction.

Chocalate and greasy foods cause acne..No one food has been proven to cause breakouts.If you find a correlation,quit eating that particular food.

You can shrink the pores on your face..Your pore size is genectically determined.Pores may appear larger by bacteria and dead skin cells.Retin-A and alpha hydroxys are designed to break up these materials and bring the pores back to their original apperance.