7 Beauty Urban Legends—Fact or Fiction?

Whether you first heard them from your mother or at your first slumber party, beauty urban legends cause us to buy promising skin creams and follow off-the-wall regimens. Here, we've listed seven of the most common beauty myths out there—and their answers.

1. Myth: I pluck one gray hair, multiple gray hairs will grow back in it's place.
Fiction. This isn't true — which is good because some of us were starting to worry! While plucking gray hairs won't make more grow back in its place, it's not a good habit to get into since it can damage the root.

2. Myth: Cocoa butter will help get rid of stretch marks.
Fiction. There are plenty of creams and lotions that claim to eliminate or at least minimize stretch marks. While we would love for all of these to work, stretch marks are caused by weight gain or loss, and usually can't be reversed.

3. Myth: Split ends can be reversed.
Fiction. Unfortunately, once split ends happen, the only way to get rid of them is by getting a haircut. The good news is that the right hair products can definitely make them less noticeable. Try a pomade like John Frieda's Frizz-Ease Creme Serum Overnight Repair Formula. Also, try to limit the use of heated tools and appliances (hair dryers, flat irons, etc) for shinier, healthier locks.

4. Myth: Certain cleansers can make your pores smaller.
Fiction. Pore size is genetic, so although there are tons of products out there claiming to shrink the size of your pores, they don't work to minimize pores permanently. What they can do is temporarily make your pores appear smaller. Hey — we'll take what we can get!

5. Myth: Crossing your legs causes varicose veins.
Fiction. There are plenty of ways to potentially develop varicose veins, but none of them are related to crossing your legs (sigh of relief). Some examples of what could causes varicose veins include genetics, obesity, trauma to the skin, etc.

6. Myth: Teeth whiteners can damage tooth enamel.
Fact. Make sure you follow the directions line by line when using teeth whitening products. If these products are used improperly or too frequently, it can result in permanent damage to your teeth.

7. Myth: Sleeping on your back may prevent wrinkles.
Fact. After hearing this, we're never sleeping on our sides again! The American Academy of Dermatology says that sleeping in certain positions may result in "sleep lines." After time, these lines can turn into deep-set wrinkles, so flip over and get your shut-eye on your back.

Reference: http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/beauty/7-beauty-urban-legends-fact-or-fiction-713003/