Scientists Refute Celebrity Beauty And Health Advice
We common folk always look at celebs for fashion and beauty tips since the elite forecasters of both worlds basically court them. They have the money and resources to sustain their incredibly demanding lifestyles and also maintain a beauty regimen that often makes us wonder whether we can implement some of those tips into our routine.
Looks like even high-profile celebs have the ability to fall victim to baseless beauty and health myths that keep circulating the blogosphere.
A non-profit organization, Sense About Science has made it their mission to debunk a lot of the myths that celebs proudly cling to without any supportive analysis.
The “It Girl” of 2011 whose “juicy” bum cast a spell on the world at large, Pippa Middleton, swears that rinsing her mane in cold water, opens up the pores which is responsible for the effortless shine and bounce that entice photogs to keep coming back for more. But senior scientist Dr. Frauke Neuser not only disagrees but points out that hair doesn’t have pores so dousing your hair in hot or cold water will more or less produce the same results and it may not necessarily be shiny bouncy hair.
Actress Juliette Lewis is hooked on coconut water and claims that it’s much better than sports drinks. But again that has been proven to be inaccurate. Coconut water is actually quite dehydrating thanks to the high concentration of salts and deceased amount of carbohydrates, so sports drinks are still your best bet when it comes to replenishing the fluids lost during a rigorous workout.
Sunscreen tends to get a bad rap because of the fact that they seem to be highly concentrated in synthetic materials that could be potentially harmful to the skin. Ubermodel Gisele Bundchen prefers not to apply that “poison” on her lithe frame. But pharmaceutical scientist Gary Moss put it all into perspective by explaining that “synthetic” doesn’t always have to be an alarming notion, because even “natural” products are not always as safe as you may think. We are exposed to both elements daily so as long as moderation is in play, you are better off relying on sunscreen than opting for zero protection.
The point is that celebs are public figures but they are not the authority when it comes to matters outside of their jurisdiction. If you want the facts do the research and put your curiosity to rest once and for all.
If celebrities were in the business of being honest about their beauty and wellness routines, I doubt they would continue to hold our attention. There is no incentive for them to be honest, so why should they? Just look at how Star Jones denied gastric bypass when she lost all that weight! She was over-weight her whole life then all of a sudden with diet and exercise, she loses half her girth. C’mon son!
I’m no scientist, but you gotta really do what works for you. For instance, many of the commercial skin lotions and hair conditioners do nothing for my skin and hair but shea butter, coconut oil (also great for preventing wrinkles and smoothing some out) and olive oil work wonders. I’ve even heard that shea butter has some mild sunscreening properties(nope, no scienctific research to back this up, at least that I’ve seen, just word of mouth, whatever happened to that?) and well, melanin works like a charm, too. Before I went natural, I used lots of pink oil on my hair which worked for the most part then it started to dry out my hair, a lot. It’s really just trial and error. The actresses mentioned in the article are doing what works for them just like many of us are and have been doing for years. What I have in my kitchen cabinet, behind the bathroom mirror and in the fridge helps me maintain a beauty regimen. But that’s me. Other people have a lot more success with commercial lotions, hair products etc. Are celebrity beauty regimens what scientists are putting the most attention on these days, hmmm. Someone probably wants to make sure more sunscreen and sports drinks gets sold and having high profile people talking about more natural ways of maintaining their beauty could be a threat to their profits.
Ditto on the shea butter and coconut oil for the hair! I make my own body and hair balms with those products as the base, and I add some essential oils such as rosemary, lavendar, ylang ylang, and the olive oil as well.
Only wanted to comment on the coconut water…….. Coconut water with no sugar added is as hydrating as water if not more so. I will go most of the day without drinking anything and then I load up at during the evening and night (dont know why I do this). A couple cups of water and 1 cup of coconut water definitely quinches the thirst.
Debunking celebrity myths?! Puhleez! Waste of research monies, if you ask me. Who believes these people?!
Why is there a photo of Tyra by the way??