Beauty Myths that You Should Not Believe In

She wins who calls herself beautiful and challenges the world to change to truly see her.
~ Naomi Wolf

Over the years, we have all come to believe that a beauty regime depends on what we eat, when we eat, what we drink, how much we drink, how long we sleep, quality of sleep, and more routine activities we perform involuntarily throughout the day. However, if one began to measure every little act, living would be a big math problem.

All those magazines, websites, advertisements, and advice cannot be true. To put it simply, some work and some don't. And you have to know which one works for you. So, here we've listed down some of the beauty myths that you should not believe in for various reasons. Find out what these are, to avoid the unnecessary trouble they might cause later in life.

Fact: We would do everything in our capacity to have those spotless toned legs. A hint of a defacement and we would be stuck with paranoia. So when someone tells you that sitting with cross legs can give you varicose veins, you would definitely do everything to avoid sitting that way.

But, did you know that the most common reason for varicose veins is standing for long hours and not sitting? So, if anything else, sitting with crossed legs is definitely not giving you these spider veins on your legs. As you stand for long hours, the vascular network needs to work extra to pump blood from your legs to the heart.

At times, the valves that ensure flow of blood from the vessels get flooded with blood causing the veins to pop up. Genetic predisposition, pregnancy, injury to the affected area, obesity, and age, are some of the reasons for those unsightly veins. So ladies, do not forget your etiquette while sitting, because you have nothing to worry about!

Myth: Pulling out gray hair causes more to appear.
Fact: For some, graying occurs prematurely and to a few it happens at a later stage in life. Growing gray hair is a natural process which is bound to happen to all of us at some time or the other.

Many believe that pulling out a gray hair makes you grow two gray hair in the same spot. If this were true wouldn't baldness be cured by now? So, when you actually pull out a gray hair a new one grows. Its color purely depends on whether you have a premature graying tendency or not.

Fact: Drinking water does keep your body hydrated and healthy. It keeps your bodily functions in check and regularized. But that does not mean your skin is going to be hydrated. Skin requires some amount of oil too, to maintain its glow and smooth surface. So keep those creams handy for topical application to replenish the lost moisture.

Fact: With age your body lessens the production of collagen and elastin which keep your skin smooth. Thus, your skin begins to sag diminishing its once youthful appearance. Most creams and lotions which promise smooth wrinkle-free look only to improve the appearance of those lines on your skin.

The effect of the wrinkle cream depends on the type of active ingredient in it. However, the fact remains that there is no magic potion for getting rid of those wrinkles. Accept them with grace, for they are signs of wisdom!

Fact: Razors have a bad reputation amongst women. Although many would agree that they are convenient to use, the popular belief about them is that shaving makes hair grow thicker. Hair growth is always wider at the root and thinner towards its tip.

When a razor cuts the hair at the root, it cuts out the widest part. When the hair starts to grow back, the wider part grows, making it a bit coarser. The initial growth of the thicker shaft makes one feel as though the hair grows back thicker than normal. A useful tip while getting a clean shave would be to go against the hair growth and get a closer shave.

Fact: Several creams in the market promise you that they will erase your stretch marks. It is easy to believe in those advertisements, fall for their gimmicks and be terribly dismayed. Stretch marks are a result of skin expansion in a shorter time, for example during pregnancy or a phase of rapid weight gain.

This breaks down the elastin fibers and collagen, leaving marks on your skin. As stretch marks are formed below the top layer of the skin, most creams cannot reach there. Hence, the truth remains that stretch marks caused by weight loss or gain of weight, cannot generally be reversed.

Fact: No. Wearing nail paint is not going to turn your nails permanently yellow. When you wear a color on your nails for a long time the porous nature of your nails quickly absorbs the pigment, leaving a stain on them.

Also, your nails need oxygen to stay and grow healthy. Layering them with paint prevents them from getting any oxygen. Thus, they turn yellow. However, this is a temporary phenomenon.

Myth: A few skin care products can work like Botox.
Fact: Only Botox can work like Botox. No skin care product can reach the targeted area and hence, cannot work like Botox injections.

Myth: Your skin gets used to the products and eventually stops showing any results.
Fact: Your skin never adapts to any beauty product. In fact the tingling sensation you feel when you first apply certain products, it your skin's way of saying don't do it.

The effects of beauty products are very temporary. They may last from a few hours to a few days, or just till the time that you are using them. Much of your healthy skin can be attributed to components of your lifestyle, which are exercise, diet, sleep patterns and healthcare.

Your skin mirrors what happens inside your body and how well you treat it. Thus, to maintain the glow of a flawless complexion pay attention to what's happening with your body.