3 Beauty Myths You Should Stop Believing

Welcome back to myth busters: beauty edition.

Sometimes debunking beauty myths we’ve believed for most of our lives can be overwhelming - how do we wrap our minds around a completely counterintuitive concept like cleansing oily skin with oils?

And other times, it can be extremely liberating - hello, more mood-boosting sunshine and facial massage and good-bye harmful ingredients and unhelpful products.

Ready to finally release old, outdated beliefs about how to actually achieve a clear, healthy complexion? Below are 3 beauty myths you should stop believing for gorgeous, glowing skin.

How many of you can remember your mom slapping your hand away from your face saying, “Don’t touch your face! You’ll get pimples.” While we love our moms so much, it’s time we get that voice (aka beauty myth) out of our head when it comes to caring for the skin.

Sure, you don’t want to touch your face with dirty hands (and please don’t pick active breakouts) but the truth is, true skin transformation and healing happens by touching your face with intention - and clean hands, of course. ;)

Facial massage is one of the most powerful ways to:

• Strengthen facial muscles: Repeated massage movements help to naturally lift and tighten.
• Promote lymphatic flow: Stagnant lymph can cause dullness, acne and puffiness.
• Melt away stress: Which is one of the biggest contributors to inflammation and signs of aging on the skin.

Nothing compares to the healing power of touch and your hands make the perfect tool to support your skin and sense of well-being.

Tip: Check out this tutorial video for a high-touch, transformative facial massage from yours truly. ;)

As an esthetician, this almost feels like blaspheme to list as a beauty myth. From day one of esthetics school, daily SPF was the golden rule of glowing skin. All of us have probably bought into this anti-sun hype at some point in our skincare journey - religiously slathering on sunscreen as the final step of our skincare routine, afraid to leave the house without it. Yet skin cancer rates continue to skyrocket.

We’ve been bombarded by this message: “avoid the sun at all costs.” But at what cost?

For years we’ve been covering our skin with harmful chemicals with the hopes of keeping our complexion healthy and wrinkle-free - while the conventional sunscreens we’ve been commanded to wear daily contain toxins, chemicals and even heavy metals that can contribute to hormone disruption, organ toxicity and cancer.

Not to mention, if we stick to this beauty myth and refuse to step outside without layers of SPF, it hinders our body’s ability to absorb beneficial vitamin D by blocking the UVB rays that are responsible for stimulating vitamin D production. Simply put, daily sunscreen = less vitamin D.

As we pursue holistic approaches to support the skin, one of nature’s greatest sources of healing medicine comes straight from the sun. It’s time to finally debunk this beauty myth and get your daily dose of sunshine (and much-needed vitamin D) to powerfully improve your mood, immune system and skin.

Truth Tip: If you are planning on spending a day in the sun, prioritize a natural approach to protect your skin from overexposure while still soaking in the sun’s healing benefits!

For a long time, oil was considered the enemy in skincare. This messaging saturated product labels, magazine ads and the minds of anyone wanting a clear complexion. Oil-free meant breakout-free - or so we thought.
 
The truth is, this oil-free obsession has led to an epidemic of the stripped epidermis and ongoing problematic breakouts. Soaps, sulfates and chemicals can do a number on your skin barrier and microbiome - throwing it way out of whack, only to leave you with sensitized skin or pores that are trying to overcompensate by producing even. more. oil.
 
Trust me when I say: oil-free is *not* your oil-rich skin savior. It’s most likely the very thing that’s continuing to keep your skin stuck in this vicious cycle of breakouts and oil blotting sheets. The oil-free philosophy is slowly being debunked, but for any one still struggling to get past the counterintuitive method of applying more oil to already oil-rich skin - this one’s for you. :)
 
The truth is, our skin needs oil and it naturally produces sebum (aka oil!) which acts as a natural moisturizer and protective barrier to keep harmful substances out and hydration in. Our skin is lipophilic, meaning it allows oils to be absorbed more easily. Oil is actually a positive thing and is essential for healthy, balanced and acne-free skin.

Truth Tips: Cleansing with oil clears out excess sebum and buildup - proven to leave pores free of impurities and a complexion that glows (not greasy). And steer clear of oil-free lotions and look for nourishing, nurtrient-dense oils that act as superfoods for the skin.

There’s a new wave of beauty and it begins here: loving on your skin with the healing power of touch, getting your daily dose of medicinal sunshine and feeding your skin with nourishing oils that rebuild at a cellular level.

As you adopt these new beauty truths rather than succumbing to fleeting beauty trends (that research has finally, officially disproven!), we hope you find so much more freedom, confidence and ease in your beauty rituals - and your results.

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