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There’s usually some truth to grandma’s beauty tips, or at least the reason she believed them can be easily comprehended. But a lot of beauty tips don’t hold up to tests by beauty specialists.

True or false? The following list contains a few common beliefs. Knowing their validity can help women improve their personal care habits and practices.

Mascara makes eyelashes brittle

This is nonsense, said Rene Koch, a makeup artist in Berlin. Mascara contains conditioners that protect the eyelashes, but proper use is important. “Use an eyelash curler before applying mascara,” Koch said. “The lashes are elastic only when they are not made up.”

Koch also strongly recommends removing mascara before going to bed. Otherwise, the eyelashes could break. But the reason they would is not the mascara, but rather contact with a pillow.

Frequent shaving makes hair grow faster

Stubby hair is undesirable just a day after shaving the legs or intimate areas. But regularly shaving over time does not mean the areas require more frequent shaving.

“A razor has no influence on the growth rate of hair,” said Dr. Madeleine Schunter, from Germany’s professional association for dermatologists in Berlin.

It may seem like hair grows faster after shaving because stubble isn’t smooth. Hair growth rates differ from person to person and hair grows somewhat faster in the summer than in the winter. Shaving, however, has not influence on the rate of one’s hair growth.

Nail polish damages the nails

It used to be that after removing nail polish fingernails were visibly stained. “The color penetrated into various layers of the nail,” said Brigitte Sterz, from Germany’s professional association of cosmeticians. But staining can be prevented by applying a base coat of clear polish.

Monika Ferdinand, another member of the association, recommends taking it easy on the fingernails by using an acetone-free nail polish remover.

Moisturizer should be applied under foundation

Sterz said she would never apply foundation without first using a moisturizer, giving several reasons. For one, moisturizer provides a base on the skin that helps the makeup go on more evenly. Another is pure makeup contains none of the ingredients that the skin desperately needs.

“A moisturizing cream applied to the skin binds the makeup,” Sterz said.

But it’s not necessary to apply a layer of moisturizing cream under a moisturizer that is tinted. Schunter said this could create an oily shine on the skin because both creams have moisturizers in them.

More than one facial peel a week damages the skin

A peeling is meant to cleanse the skin and get rid of dead skin cells. Schunter warns not to overdo it, though, because useful oils can be stripped away if the skin is peeled too frequently. Once a week is sufficient for normal skin.

Daily hair washing is bad

Printed on the label of many shampoos is the phrase: Suitable for daily use. It’s safe to believe this, said Franz-Josef Kueveler, art director of an association for hair stylists in Cologne.

“The products have become very mild, making daily washing no longer problematic,” Kueveler said.

Consumers, however, should be a little more cautious when using shampoos designed to treat oily hair or dandruff because they could affect the hair’s protective layer.

Shaved eyebrows don’t grow back

This concern is “completely unnecessary,” Schunter said. The hair root is unaffected by a razor, thus a hair that has been shaved can always grow back.

Lip balm is addictive

Rough and raw lips can be helped by applying lip balm. Lips do not have their own sebaceous glands, so they can’t release any oil.

“We recommend using a palatable lip balm,” Schunter said. It could turn out that a lip balm can create a feeling we want to repeat, but a physical addiction to lip balm can’t occur.

Brush strokes increase hair shine

It’s easy to comprehend that to look nice, hair has to be combed. But does brushing it make it shinier? Yes, it does, Kueveler said. “Hair should be brushed with a natural bristle brush in the direction it grows. Then the shine comes out,” he said, while warning that poorly made brushes with sharp edges can damage the hair. 

DPA