Depending on how old we were when we first dabbled with a spot of lip balm or stood in front of the mirror holding the tweezers and looking at our bushy eyebrows in terror, the majority of us are beauty veterans at this stage.

We struggled through our awkward teenage years, we experimented with makeup and beauty techniques; some we loved, others we didn’t, some were on trend, others weren’t…

One thing is for certain, we were always inundated with beauty advice from our mums and grannies, even our friends in the same situation as us. Some of the advice was sensible, others just sounded bizarre.

But now the time has come. Her.ie is here to bust the beauty advice myths and prove the worthy advice correct. Your beauty regime may be about to change forever…

Myth: If you pluck a grey hair, two will grow back

False

This is definitely a myth. Our hair goes grey as a natural process of aging. Some of us go grey earlier than others. It only seems to us that two hairs grow back in the place of one because we’re probably subconsciously noticing them more.  

Myth: Shaving your hair makes it grow back thicker

False

Shaved hair seems to grow back thicker only because when we shave, the razor cuts the hair off only on the skin’s surface. They were not plucked off directly from the hair’s follicle. Therefore, when the hair grows back, the wide part of the strand grows out, making the hair appear thicker. If you were to wax or pluck, a new hair would grow from scratch again.

Myth: Mayonnaise is a great conditioner

True

Oh, thank God, says you! The oil and eggs in real mayonnaise is rich in fatty acids and protein that nourishes the hair.

Myth: Applying ice to the skin makes your pores smaller

False

Unfortunately, nothing can make your skin’s pores smaller. The size of our pores is the result of genetics, not of temperature applied on the skin, so some people just have smaller pores than others. Cold water can close up pores, but never shrink them.

Myth: A dab of toothpaste will get rid of a spot

True

Toothpaste has menthol and other active ingredients that can dry up a pimple and make it heal much quickly than if left alone. However, the same active ingredients in toothpaste that can heal a pimple can also dry up your skin so be sure to just apply toothpaste on the spot and not to get toothpaste-happy.

Myth: Crossing the legs leads to varicose veins

False

People are more prone to varicose veins because of factors like heredity, age and weight, not because of the way you sit. However, if you already have varicose veins, sitting with crossed legs can make them worse.