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Cutting your hair regularly makes it grow faster, you can mend split ends with products and wearing nail polish gives you yellow nails are all common hair and beauty myths. That’s according to the hair and beauty experts at online retailer Hairtrade.com, who have been picking out the truth from the lies among some of the most common hair and beauty beliefs. They want to spread the word that by knowing about these hair and beauty myths, you can be more clued up in being able to pick out those to believe. The 10 most common hair and beauty myths are… 

MYTH: Cutting your hair regularly makes it grow faster

TRUTH: Trimming your hair doesn’t affect the growth, as growth happens at the scalp. Your hair may grow a little more depending on the season, but usually, it will grow at similar speeds. Hairdressers do recommend regularly having haircuts, but this is because split ends make hair look a lot thinner and can cause breakage. Cutting off these ends will make for fuller looking hair that appears a lot thicker. 

MYTH: Once a blush or eye shadow shatters, it has to be thrown away

TRUTH: Don’t worry too much if you’ve smashed your favourite beauty product; simply rectify it with some rubbing alcohol. Mix the smashed product into a fine paste and stir it until it has a clay consistency. Then, leave it to set so that the alcohol has time to evaporate which leaves the pigments left. With this technique, you’ll never have to throw a smashed product away ever again.

MYTH: You can mend split ends

TRUTH:  Forget products that claim they can mend them, because once split ends split, there is no other option than to cut them.

MYTH: Wearing nail polish all the time will make your nails turn permanently yellow

TRUTH: Whilst this is true, there are many ways you can avoid nail discolouration. One trick is to always make sure you apply a clear base coat before painting. Applying a top coat with UV protection is also good to do, as this can shield your nails from sunlight, which is a common cause of yellow nails. Sometimes gel nail polish can leave your nails a little discoloured. One of the best solutions for this is to put tea tree oil on your nail beds and leave them for about two minutes before soaking in warm water. Another good trick is to squeeze a bit of orange or lemon juice on them.

MYTH: Switching shampoos can make hair look healthier

TRUTH: Whilst in your mind you may think that switching up your shampoos regularly makes your hair feel great, in reality, your hair does not know the difference between brands. Different shampoos can have different effects (such as purple toning and anti-dandruff), but it is perfectly fine to use the same regular shampoo every time you wash.

MYTH: Coloured hair is damaged hair

TRUTH: Going darker colours doesn’t necessarily damage your hair, in fact, darkening it can plump up the single strands, which will actually make the hair appear thicker. It’s also important to note that many colouring products nowadays are fairly gentle on the scalp, so won’t cause you much damage. It is important to remember that bleach is bad for your hair. Lightening it with bleach regularly can cause serious damage and is not recommended by professionals.

MYTH: You need to wash your hair every day or every other day

TRUTH: Everyone’s hair is different! Don’t listen to what people recommend and instead, go with what you feel is best for your hair. If your hair feels and looks greasy, wash it. If not, leave it.

MYTH: Wearing make-up every day is bad for your skin

TRUTH: It’s absolutely fine to wear makeup everyday just make sure you take it off before you go to bed. A makeup wipe will not properly get rid of all the excess makeup on your skin. To have a makeup-free face before you head to bed, wipe your makeup off with a makeup wipe then wash your skin with water. After washing, cleanse your skin to remove all the excess dirt.

MYTH: If you only use hot hair tools every once in a while, you don’t need heat protection spray

TRUTH: No matter how many times you use heated tools, you should always use heat protection spray. Heat can really damage your hair so it’s important to always stay protected.

MYTH: Pumping your mascara brush into the bottle gives you more product for application

TRUTH: Vigorously pumping the mascara brush into the bottle might make you think you’re picking up more product from the tube, but in fact, this is letting more air into the mascara. The result is that your mascara will dry out quicker than normal. A better way to get more product out is to gently swirl the brush around the tube.

Alicia Joy