Beauty Tips Gone Wrong

(image from hudabeauty.com)

Last week, I posted a Facebook status asking my friends what topics they want me to cover for my beauty column. One of them said that I should write about top beauty practices and how they should be debunked because they consist wrong information. Here are some of them round up:

1. Warm water to open up pores, cold water to close. –  First things first: pores do not “close or open”. Technically, they enlarge when your skin produces too much sebum (natural oil). There are certain products that tighten pores, making them appear smaller , but the effect is really temporary. Water temperature does  not play any contribution to this.

2. Chocolates and oily food causes pimples. – Pimples are caused by bacteria + your skin’s natural oils + dead skin cells. This is why you should clean your face with a facial wash that’s suited to your skin type and you should exfoliate (mildly) at least every other day. These three proponents of pimples are not in any way connected to the food we eat. So yes, now you can get back to your French fries and chocolates.

3. Pluck grey and white hairs and it will multiply faster. – There is absolutely no correlation between hair plucking and the speed of how your hair color changes from dark to grey and/ or white. Plucking, on the other hand, damages your hair follicle though, which makes the hair growing back frizzier and coarser. If you want to hide your graying hair, your best bet is still a nice brand of hair dye and color-maintaining shampoo and conditioner.

4. Apply toothpaste to dry out pimples. – The first time I heard this advice, it came out of KC Concepcion’s mouth. I did it all throughout high school and found out that it was a hit-or-miss situation. Sometimes it works; sometimes it doesn’t. Here’s the legit info: toothpaste “dries out” pimples because it contains baking soda, alcohol, menthol, triclosan and hydrogen peroxide. These things dry out anything—even your skin. However, because these ingredients are meant for your teeth and not for your delicate facial skin, it might lead to worse breakouts in the long run. Sometimes, it can even contribute to burning! Try out other overnight over-the-counter remedies like Panoxyl, Clean and Clear, Garnier or United Home’s Sulfur cream. I tried all of them and they work well. The ingredients that you should look for are benzoyl peroxide and/ or salicylic acid.

5. Shaving will make your hair grow darker and thicker. Hair volume is gene-dependent. Also, whatever you’re born with (referring to hair volume on skin), you cannot alter that. Except for laser hair removal, of course. When you shave off your hair, you are cutting it from the base, where hair is thickest. When it grows out, the thick part will then be at the topmost portion of the hair so it will appear to be “thicker”. That is all. As for density, width and color of the hair, shaving doesn’t contribute to this. Also, I advise waxing. Your skin will feel smoother for longer.

I hope this article cleared out a few things for you. The next time you try a new technique/ product, always do your research because your skin is your biggest organ and oftentimes, people really judge by the cover.