Myth 1: Rubbing lemon on your teeth makes them whiter without damaging them.
FALSE. The citric acid from lemons will make them whiter, but it also wears away the enamel. Don’t make this a habit!

Myth 2: Special shampoos can fix split ends.
FALSE. Special shampoos that rehydrate your hair will only work to prevent damage after you cut your split ends off.

Myth 3: Sunscreen is unnecessary on a cloudy day.
FALSE. Clouds are just made of water droplets. And just like you wouldn’t forget sunscreen coverage for playing in the pool, neither should you for an overcast day. UV rays are the problem-causing light frequency and can easily penetrate any amount of cloud cover. Cover up!

Myth 4: Eating chocolate causes breakouts.
FALSE. As long as you don’t overdo it, chocolate is part of a healthy diet. Diet plays a very distinct role in skin problems. The best way to promote a healthy complexion is to eat a diet rich with anti-oxidants, nutrients, Vitamin E and simple carbohydrates.

Myth 5: Wearing acrylic nails too often will destroy your real nails.
FALSE. They actually do a pretty good job of protecting your real nails. However, you can certainly do damage to your real nails if you try to get acrylic nails off improperly, like picking them off piece by piece. Treat your acrylic nails with the same respect you give your real nails, and everything will be fine.

Got any more beauty tips passed to you that turned out to be bunk? Let us know about them!

When Chris Rock’s daughter, Lola, came to him crying and asked, “Daddy, how come I don’t have good hair?” the bewildered comic committed himself to figuring out the complex answer to his daughter’s simple, but profound question.

In the documentary film, Good Hair, Rock takes us on a fascinating journey through the international business trade of hair weaves, the science behind relaxers and the surprising question of how much black women spend on their hair.

During a press junket for a film festival in Salt Lake City, Rock discussed with Salon Magazine journalist Andrew O’Hehir how the initial idea for the film expanded the further he investigated.

“It kind of blew my mind, the idea that in an African-American household you got this Porsche that nobody can see, these working-class and middle-class black women spending thousands of dollars… buying a Porsche that nobody sees.” He adds, “There is a whole economic realm to this that I didn’t know about at all.”

One unexpected turn in the economic story comes when Rock learns that much of the hair used for creating extensions for black women comes from India. Human hair is India’s single largest export. He also sees how the culture has adapted to make harvesting the hair easy and profitable for the industry. Many Hindu temples conduct “hair sacrifices” during religious ceremonies that allow members of the temple a few moments of cultural distinction (and no money) in exchange for hair that can later be worth thousands of dollars. This “sacrificed” hair is processed and sold to hair dealers around the world who, in turn, sell it to local dealers who, in turn, sell it to salons and hair vendors at a huge profit.

How does Rock view this suspicious economic angle? He tells O’Hehir a different cut of the movie exists where Rock treats the hair trade as a problem for black females. He later calls on women to reject this international cartel of exploitation. But, he says, in the end that version simply wasn’t as fun to watch. He said he would rather inform and entertain rather than divide and mobilize.

On that tip, Rock succeeds. The movie is a serious, yet non-confrontational look at how cultural norms can make us do and believe some crazy things. It’s entertaining, but not angry. Celebrities such as Ice-T, Nia Long, Paul Mooney, Raven Symoné, Maya Angelou, and Reverend Al Sharpton all candidly offer their stories and observations that add much more entertainment to what could have become a sobering, but impersonal look into the culture of beauty in the world.

For anyone involved in cosmetology, hairstyling or ethnic beauty marketing, this film is a must. Good Hair is playing in select cities right now. It opens nationally on October 23.

There are countless reasons cosmetology professionals attend beauty school to learn their trade – cutting, coloring and styling hair isn’t something that everyone can do. Well, at least … isn’t something that everyone should do. So here are five more great reasons to see a professional.

My own experience with self-styling started early. When I was little, my mom used to trim my bangs, and got the blunt, straight-across look by pulling a piece of Scotch tape across my fringe and then cutting under that. Seemed easy enough. Until I tried it myself, and ended up with at least an inch difference in length from the left to right side of my forehead. I remember my mom hiding a laugh behind her hand when I begged her not to tell Dad, and she replied, “Oh honey, I don’t think we’re going to have to!”

I also used to cut my own hair in college, when I was broke. I tried to fool myself into thinking it looked halfway decent, but I’m pretty sure that was the reason why every day of the week was a bad hair day and I wore ponytails for four years straight.

Thankfully, I’m not the only one. Some other misguided wannabe amateur hairstylists have provided their own hair horror stories here:

“Oh my, I am the hair disaster queen! I let my dad cut my hair in the 8th grade. He cut it way too short and uneven. I cried. The very next day was our holiday play and there was not enough time to go somewhere to get it fixed so I looked like an idiot! I also tried to touch up my roots once with a drugstore hair color kit and they turned bright orange. I called around and found a salon that could fix it the next afternoon, but I had to come to work in the morning with orange hair. I wore a hat. I had only worked here for a few months at the time and even with the hat I was super embarrassed. It has been a long road, but I have finally learned to leave my hair in the hands of professionals!” -Angie

“Sometimes, when I am between haircuts, I’ll do a little styling to delay paying the 15 bucks on a haircut for another week or so. Using what scissors happen to be in the kitchen junk drawer, I stand on my tippy-toes – like it helps – in the bathroom mirror and cut around my ears, thin out my sideburns, trim the bangs, and try my best to angle the blades to fade my hair on the sides. This means I do nothing to the back, which results in a strange effect in which I look relatively well-groomed straight on … for a few seconds. But if you spend any time looking at me, you can see the back come hulking around. I would compare this look to a batting helmet I wore in little league – minimalistic in front with excessive padding in the back.” -Kevin

“When I was probably 13 or 14 I used that Sun-In stuff when I was at the lake. I didn’t think it was doing anything, so I kept spraying on more and more. I had used the whole bottle before I realized that my hair wasn’t turning platinum – it was turning orange.” -Lacey

“I tried to color my hair once with one of those box dyes. I went ahead and got the premium kind that included do-your-own highlights. Yeah, that was a bad idea. I freaked out halfway through letting the highlights sit and washed it all out. So first off, the color turned out dark red instead of light brown and I had these blonde patches were the color took. I looked like a sunburned leopard… or something like that. Red hair plus blonde spots equals not good.” -Chris

So what about you? Have you ever tried to color or cut your hair and ended up horrified by the results? Share your stories below – we’ll commiserate. And next time? Make sure to go to a licensed hairstylist who has legit training from a cosmetology school, eh?

Since New York Fashion Week came to an end Thursday, September 17, I thought we would share a few runway hairstyles we love. Whether you are an aspiring hairstylist or a long time professional hair designer, we think these Mercedes-Benz New York Fashion Week styles should provide some fashionable inspiration. Let us know what you think!

Andy and Debb. Dramatic up-do.

BCBG MaxAzria. Soft and pretty.

Charlotte Ronson. Buns and headbands!

Derek Lam. Glam hair and makeup.

Donna Karan New York. Sleek and simple.

Did you know that you no longer have to act professional to get paid? It’s true! You, too, can have unreasonable scheduling demands, vindictive behavior against low tippers and cut hair however you please without regard for your clients’ wishes! Isn’t that great? Well, it’s not true, but apparently this article on Shine – 14 Secrets Your Hairstylist Won’t Tell You – thinks all that is ok. Check out their suggestions:

• First, hair and nail clients shouldn’t schedule appointments on Saturday mornings, Friday evenings, the first of the day, the last of the day, or around lunch time. Apparently stylists don’t feel like working if they are tired, annoyed, ready to leave, not settled in or hungry. Nope, no good haircuts that way!
• Second, they have to tip well – at least an astronomical 20 percent! No matter what. If they don’t, you might ruin their hair next time, obviously!
• And finally, clients should never expect to get what they want. They bring in that darn picture of another A-list celebrity but should know the stylist is lying if they say they can make that look happen on them.

Does all this sound a little ridiculous? We thought so, and so did the people who responded to this article – both clients and stylists who are trained and educated from cosmetology school. Of course, as a hairstylist you have every right to expect polite customers that respect you and your time. But if all stylists acted the way this article suggests they would have very few clients, wouldn’t they?

The best stylists know that the way to get clients is to accommodate their schedules. If working Saturday mornings means you get more paying clients who are happy with the timing and keep coming back, then it’s a win-win situation. Every good hairstylist will find a schedule, pay scale, and so on that works for them and their clients. Most people have a hairstylist they like and trust, and they prefer to give that person their business.

All you hairstylists and cosmetology students, hopefully you have or will have some of these loyal clients on your roster. They appreciate the way you cut and style their hair. They enjoy talking to you and trust your opinions about their hair. Most of them probably expect you to do a good job, be friendly and prompt, listen to requests and respect them.

But then again, maybe we ought to follow Shine’s advice and switch things around. You know, ask not what you can do for your client, but what your client can do for you.

Weigh in! What do you think about scheduling appointments, tipping etiquette and style requests?

Have you ever had one of those days where your hair just doesn’t want to cooperate? (Duh. Who hasn’t had a bad hair day?) I have found one of the best ways to combat those nasty hair days is to check in with Makeup and Beauty blog. They‘ve posted 101 hair tutorials just right for the average woman who wants to spice up her look, try a celebrity hairdo or just receive some hair tips.

This blog maps out 101 different tips and hairdos through list format. All you have to do is simply click the link and it will take you to a different website or blog detailing the certain look or tip. It’s pure genius! Just think – you can look through the list when you have a big night out with the girls, the interview for your dream job or a date with that special someone – and find the perfect hair style for the occasion. Not to mention, if you are a current or future professional hairstylist, you can get inspired to give fresh, new ideas to your hair design clients.

Let’s see if you can make the cut in styling your own hair. We want to hear from you about your bad hair days and how you survive them! Or drop us a comment if you’ve tried any of the tutorials and if they worked for you.

I always wondered why it seemed like celebrities have full tresses of hair cascading in voluminous waves – ALL THE TIME. Surely, these women are not super-human hair-growth machines that wake up in the morning looking like they just paid up $300 at a salon, right?

Right. When I realized that celebrities used hair extensions, everything seemed to fall into place. (And, I sort of hit myself on the top of the head for not realizing sooner.) Of course they can always have gorgeous hair when they’re simply clipping, weaving or braiding in someone else’s hair!

So, I was doing a bit of research on this beauty method, and I stumbled across this bit of news: you can buy Jessica Simpson’s hair! Well, not her actual hair. But, Simpson, along with hair guru Ken Paves, has designed a whole line of extension systems.

Check out the Hair U Wear! The tagline for her new line of hairdo’s “Change your hair as often as you change your mind,” is true-blue Jessica Simpson. And now, thanks to Paves and Simpson’s line of locks, you can sport a whole range of Jessica-inspired looks.

At first, I thought that it was kind of silly that they would make a line of extensions just for blonde’s, but then I saw that they come in a lot of different colors. You can get human hair or synthetic, too. So, all in all, it looks like a pretty good, fun product.