Beauty Myths on Trial by David Pollock, Global Safe Beauty Expert
Chances are we have all had a mother-figure in our lives who liked to dole out odd little snippets of advice here and there or had beauty “secrets” that she swore by. How many of those little myths or tips have any bearing in reality? In this article we are going to put five of those old adages on trial, starting with one that my grandmother (and Marilyn Monroe) swore by:
1. Petroleum Jelly (Vaseline) prevents wrinkles: It’s true that as skin ages it loses moisture, and it’s true that petroleum jelly is certainly not going to be letting any moisture out of your skin any time soon. The heavy gooey texture makes sure no oils or water will be lost through the skin. It can help skin stay hydrated, but it can’t prevent wrinkles. It can soften some wrinkles because it is adding moisture back to the skin – but it’s also adding oil and clogging pores and full of things you don’t want your skin absorbing, so it is likely to cause other issues like rashes and breakouts. I would skip this one.
2. Stretch marks? Just rub some cocoa butter on it: Stretch marks form in the deeper layers of skin where topical cocoa butter can’t reach. Stretch marks usually happen when skin has to expand quickly (like during pregnancy) and the collagen that supports your skin can’t quite keep up and breaks. There are some of us that are just genetically prone to them. If you start using cocoa butter before stretch marks start to form you may be able to help prevent a few, but there is little that can be done once the stretch marks are already there. Try my recipe for stretch mark cream to help reduce the chances of getting the more noticeable marks.
3. For every grey hair you pluck, 3 grow in its place: No. Just no. One hair pulled out at the root will always equal one hair that will grow back from the same follicle. One. Not two, not three, not five, not ten. Just one. That hair might be grey or it might not be – what it will definitely be is a hair that is immensely shorter than the rest of your hair and has a habit of sticking up out of your style. You should probably just dye those greys instead.
4. Wearing dark nail polish will turn your nails yellow: This one is true. Your nails are porous and do tend to absorb color. No worries, though. The discoloration is temporary and can be prevented with a good base coat before you apply those sensual deeper shades. For an alternative you can also try wearing no polish at all and just buffing your nail to a high natural shine, or an American manicure is always a timeless look that is not quite as noticeably “fake” as the French manicure. Lately I have seen a lot of women combining a French white with an American pink for a subtle, clean look.
5. Running a brush/comb through your hair 100 strokes a night will keep your mane glossy: This one is a whole lot of myth with just the tiniest bit of fact. Sure if you have hair that is very straight naturally and tends to collect oil at the root, running a brush through will help spread the oil over the entire shaft and make it look shinier. 100 strokes is a bit much and will likely lead to a lot of breakage and pulling, however. For those of you with wavy or curly hair this is an absolute no-no since the friction will build up frizz and encourage weaknesses in the shaft. Shiny hair can be achieved with store-bought shine serums, shampoos, and even treatments you can create at home.
Hopefully putting some of the more popular beauty myths on trial will help you to separate fact from fiction when it comes to keeping yourself looking and feeling your best. For more tips and tricks as well as recipes and advice, please visit us at www.JustAskDavid.com