We don’t mean to disrespect our forebears, but old-wives tales and beauty myths, can go and get effed.
We are done with being told how to shave, when to pluck, what to scrub, which moon cycle is best for tanning… We are making a stand against bogus beauty rules and calling BS on some of the most pervasive myths around.
Of course, we’re not going to just flip the bird—like the rebels we are—without unearthing the truth too.
To help us in our game of beauty bullsh*t, we chatted to Brisbane’s best beauty therapists, tanners, manicurists and hairdressers to get to the bottom of these beauty beliefs, and why they just ain’t so.
Myth #1 NEVER Remove Hair From The Top Of Your Eyebrows.
Why it’s bull…“We get a lot of people that come in with the idea that hair shouldn’t be removed from above the eyebrows because it will grow back thicker,” says Kerri Irving owner of Eyelure Beauty Parlour in Kelvin Grove.
“If this were the case women would be waxing their the whole brow off just to get Cara Delevigne eyebrows! Your artist needs to take hairs from the tops to even the height and define a messy brow leaving a clean finished look.”
Myth #2 Fake Tan Makes You Orange.
The truth… Sascha, owner of BRONZ'D Tanning + Nails in Teneriffe gave us the low down on this faux tan fake fact. “Tanning solutions come in two base tones: green and violet. Green base solutions develop into more warm honey tone tan, violet base solutions give a cooler, more chocolate-y colour.
“Violet base solutions are not usually recommended for very pale ‘English rose’ complexions, but I always encourage people to try a few different solutions to find the one that they like the best. Spray tanning is incredibly individual—one solution DOES NOT suit everyone.”
*A tan that has developed orange has more to do with the quality (and age) of the active tanning ingredient, dihydroxyacetone (DHA).
Myth #3 Colouring Your Hair Causes Damage!
Meg Johnson, colourist extraordinaire—owner of Mi Color Paddington and soon to open in Teneriffe—says we’ve come a long way since the old days; you’re locks are safe, if you leave it to the professionals of course!
“Products that are available today are about technology and performance. As long as they are in the right hands and used correctly your hair will feel healthier and shiner after some colour than it did before. Of course, it is always good to get professional advice,” she says.
Myth #4 Oil Is Bad To Use On Oily Skin.
One Wybelenna’s experienced therapists work with luxurious, healing oils in many of their Ayurvedic spa treatments. Spa director, Heather Sartain, says that it’s a ‘beauty myth’ that oil is bad to use on oily skin.
“Stripping the skin of natural oils causes the sebaceous glands to over-produce oil to replace the natural oil that has been removed,” Heather says.
“If the skin is constantly stripped of its natural oils, it can cause premature ageing, and cleansing the skin gently of bacteria and applying good oils to the skin keeps it supple and allows natural oils to spread across the skin. This prevents breakouts evenly. 'Good' oil also helps with the healing of the skin and is anti ageing.”
Myth #5 ‘Shellac’ Nails Are Different From Gel
The truth… “Shellac is a brand name and it is absolutely 100% a gel polish, just like Gelish, IBD, Artistic Colour Gloss, OPI Gel and any other gel polish brand on the market,” says Sascha from BRONZ’D.
The word Shellac (in reference to nail polish) has come to represent the whole category, much like Kleenex is a tissue and Band-Aid is a skin plaster. Let’s repeat it for clarity… Shellac IS a gel polish, and is actually not superior in any way to any of the other brands mentioned. Any inferiority will mostly come down to how it is applied, and not the product or brand of product.”
Image credit: Gallery Hip