Beauty myths circulate the internet and the media daily, many with no scientific relevance and providing false and often negative options for skincare.

I’ve compiled a list of different myths and whether or not these myths are fact or fiction!  I’ll also be adding to this, so the link will be over with other important blogs in the sidebar

Fact or Fiction: What we ingest (eating and drinking) daily effects our skin’s natural balance, and whether or not we get acne.
Fiction: Let’s look at our body’s digestive system — bile is composed in our intestines and our gallbladder to break down food after the nutrients have been absorbed by our body.  Aside from our weight and fat content, what we eat has nothing to do with how clear our skin is going to be, or how good our skin is going to look — it’s physically impossible.  Of course, I do recommend drinking water; but not for clear skin.  Just to keep yourself hydrated.  Unfortunately, the only thing you’re going to get by drinking a lot of water is you’re going to pee more, and possibly get an upset stomach.  Acne is caused by environmental and genetic factors, irrelevant to water intake.

Fact or Fiction: Waxing/shaving makes hair grow back thicker.
Fiction: Of course not.  In fact, waxing over time makes hair grow back thinner, and can make the hair not come back at all (like those people who over-plucked their eyebrows for years, they’ll stay over-plucked!).  I barely even get underarm hair anymore since I wax, and only have to do so every few weeks since I don’t have much hair!  As for shaving, again, a myth.  Our hair follicle determines the thickness of our hair — aside from genetics, damage (waxing damages the hair follicle) or medications, nothing is going to change how thick our hair is.  It may feel thicker just because of the way the hair is cut from waxing, as it grows it feels very stubbly and uncomfortable — but it is the same thickness as it was before.

Fact or Fiction: My eyelashes can fall out if I don’t remove my mascara.
Fact: Unfortunately, leaving mascara on for too long will dry out your lashes and follicles, causing them to fall out.  Make sure you remove all make up before you go to bed.  No excuses that you can’t afford an eye make up remover — I use baby oil all over my face and for my eye make up.  (Baby oil is glorified mineral oil, and extremely cost efficient).  It will remove make up, and often has a lot of anti-oxidants in it which are great for your skin!  Just take a cotton ball saturated with mineral oil or another eye make up remover, and let it sit on your closed eye for a few moments before gently swiping away any traces of mascara.  Never rub!

Fact or Fiction: I can sleep in my mineral cosmetics.
Fiction: You should never sleep in any make up.  Throughout the day, pollution and skin irritants begin to rest on your skin, and on your make up.  Sleeping with your make up on will only push these more into your skin, making you more prone to break outs.  Always remove any and all make up prior to going to bed, and put on a nice rich antioxidant moisturizer (unless you use mineral oil, like me, which contains antioxidants already!).

Fact or Fiction: Sugar causes wrinkles.
Fiction: Nah.  But things like fad diets and fat free diets do!  Wrinkles begin to form due to environmental stresses (pollution and oxidizing agents), as well as the loss of fat from our skin.  Once the fat begins to deteriorate underneath the skin’s layers, the skin begins to wrinkle and sag.

Fact or Fiction: I have to throw my make up out after a certain period of time.
Fiction: Unless your make up has an expiration date, there’s no definitive time period to throw your make up out.  Powdered products especially last for a longer period of time (again, as long as there’s no expiration date).  Products without preservatives (like Bare Minerals) will not have the shelf life or products that do.

Fact or Fiction: Mineral powders are better for me than liquid foundation.
Fiction: Many minerals contain more irritating ingredients (like bismuth oxychloride) than liquid foundations.  Liquid foundations are designed to sit on the skin, not be buffed into pores like the minerals.  Some ingredients in minerals are good, but there’s no real evidence that they are better for you.  I know more people who have gotten cystic acne that had to be treated by Retin-A than users of liquid foundations (in fact, after getting put on Retin-A their dermatologists have told them to go to using a liquid foundation).

Fact or Fiction: I don’t have wrinkles yet, so I don’t have to worry about using anti-aging products.
Fiction: The best prevention for anything is to use it before you start having an issue.  Anti-oxidants are great and you should be using them from your mid-teens on.

Fact or Fiction: Organic skincare products are better for my skin.
?: Not necessarily.  Organic doesn’t mean better, and there are no regulations for it.  Personally, I won’t use a cosmetic that doesn’t contain preservatives — I want it to last as long as possible.  I don’t go through everything in a month or two.  I use very little foundation so I don’t replace it extremely frequently.  Presevatives save me money, and they’re not organic.  Plus, just because an ingredient may be organic, it may have gone through a very un-organic process to be in your cosmetic.

Fact or Fiction: I don’t need an eye cream, I can just use my facial moisturizer.
Fiction: The thinnest tissue on our bodies is the tissue surrounding our eyes.  Eye cream tends to be thicker, stronger, and is definitely necessary in the fight to prevent wrinkles.  Plus, not all facial creams are safe for use around the eyes.

Fact or Fiction: I don’t really need a toner.
Fact: You don’t, it’s true.  The basis of a toner is to safely reduce the skin’s pH, but there’s other ways to do it that are basically free (or less expensive) to you.  Like, after a hot shower, splash cool water on your face.  Voila, skin’s pH reduced safely.  Nothing you ingest will reduce your skin’s pH level, and you’ll want it reduced as soon as you can after washing.  I wash with luke-warm water anyway, so my pH is rarely aggrevated.  I say, screw toner.  For most people, toners contain aggrevating ingredients that can sensitize your skin.  Unless it serves some specific purpose to you, don’t worry about it.