Beauty advice is everywhere – on TikTok, in magazines, from your friends and family… but the truth is that not all of it is accurate and some if it might actually do more harm than good, and for every fantastic tip out there, there are many more myths that’ll leave you disappointed when you try them (or worse, they’ll leave you with damaged hair). So with that in mind, let’s take a look at some of these myths to give you a better idea of what’s true and what’s not – then you can focus on the right things and end up with gorgeous hair. Read on to find out more. 

You Should Wash Your Hair Every Day

Unless your hair gets greasy by the end of every day, washing your hair every day isn’t going to actually help you – and it can make your hair a lot more unhealthy as a result. The fact is that overwashing your hair strips it of its natural oils, leaving it dry and brittle and generally difficult to deal with. Or for some people, it can make your hair more oily because your scalp makes more oil to make up for what it’s lost through too much washing. 

Instead of washing your hair every day, do it two or three times a week (or whatever it is your hair needs, which might mean experimenting and some trial and error) and you’ll soon see the results and enjoy the more healthy, shiny hair you end up with. And remember, the less you wash, the less oil your scalp will make, so although it might seem as though your hair will get greasy, it really shouldn’t. 

Curling Irons Damage Your Hair

We’ve all heard about the problems that using heat tools like curling irons can cause for your hair, but did you know that if they’re used properly, curling irons won’t cause damage – you can use them quite safely and get some excellent results all while keeping your hair in fantastic condition. 

The problems come when you use these tools without any heat protectant, but if you apply that, your hair should stay nice and safe and the heat tools won’t do any damage. To give you some extra reassurance, it’s best to choose a curling iron with adjustable temperature settings and don’t turn it all the way up to the highest setting – stick to lower heat settings and don’t use the tools every day, and all should be fine. 

Split Ends Can Be Repaired

How many times have you seen ads that say if you use this or that product, your split ends will be fixed and you won’t have to worry about them again? Too many times is probably the answer. And the fact is that they can say what they want but it doesn’t make it true – once you’ve got split ends, that’s it – they can’t be repaired. 

Of course, that doesn’t mean you have to walk around with split ends for the rest of your life, and there are some easy things you can do that can solve the problem, the first being that you (or a professional) should cut off the split ends so you can start fresh. And then it’s wise to have regular trims (around every six to eight weeks or so) to keep things looking good. In between trims, use a nourishing leave-in conditioner or serum so your hair stays nice and hydrated and that should stop new split ends forming, helping you have healthy hair all the time. 

You Can Shrink Your Pores

Here’s yet another myth that you may well have seen in TV ads or magazines – you can shrink your pores. Well, that’s not quite accurate, and the truth is that your pores will stay the same size no matter what you do – the size is all about genetics, not about products or treatments. 

Although you can’t shrink them, you can definitely make them look smaller, and to be honest that’s often just as good. All you need to do is keep them clean and unclogged, so make sure you carry out regular exfoliation and use non-comedogenic skincare products because they help to minimise the appearance of your pores. And of course, as ever when we’re talking about your skin, always wear sunscreen no matter what time of year it is or what the weather’s doing – sun damage can make your pores look bigger, and protecting your skin will stop that (and keep it generally healthy and youthful as well).