Throughout our lives, we have been told “facts” about our bodies, or how to properly care for ourselves. Without question, we often believe what we are told. We’ve been told not to swallow gum, and we need a full 8 glasses of water a day to stay healthy, but what if all of this weren’t true. Here is a list of some common myths we have been told, that turned out not to be correct:

Hair grows back thicker after you shave

If you have ever struggled with unwanted hair, this theory has been a nightmare of yours. Luckily for you, it was disproven a while ago. The confusion is simply due to the fact, that the new hair that grows back has not yet been exposed to sunlight. The shaven hair does not grow back thicker, but it will appear darker. If you are wanting to do away with some of that undesirable hair patches, don’t be afraid to pick up the razor now and then.

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When your skin is dry, the body will assume it needs to hydrate your skin by generating more oil. So while the theory stating that if your skin is super oily, you want to dry it out seems logical, it will only make matters worse. It is true that you should not use products that contain oil to oily skin, so look for a moisturizer that has an oil-free formula instead. If you struggle with oily skin, this article has 9 myths that may be ruining your complexion.

Eating late will cause you to gain weight

If you have ever tried to lose weight, you have been told this is one of the biggest issues to stay away from. Well, that is no longer the truth. The problem with this theory is not that people are eating before bed, but what people are tending to snack on before they go to sleep. If you think about it, someone is a lot more likely to choose a bag of chips or ice cream, than they are to make a chicken salad. If you are truly hungry before bed, do not be afraid to eat something, just watch what it is you’re eating. If you are snacking just to snack, however, it may be best to curb that urge.

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Urine is sterile

This is a myth that has been played up to be true even in movies. If you find yourself out on the beach and get stung by a jellyfish, the first thing you want to do is pee on it. Or let’s say you are biking in the woods and fall, only to get a dirt-filled gash on your leg, you want to pee on the wound to disinfect it. This is wrong. Urine is not sterile, even while it is in your bladder. There are always low levels of bacteria in your urinary tract, even if you are healthy. This is not necessarily a bad thing, however, because good forms of bacteria do exist.

A healthy 8 cups of water a day

The truth is, how much water you actually need to consume in a day depends on who you are and what you’re doing. Yes, water is vital to our diets and important for our health, but someone sitting at a desk for 8 hours will not need to drink as much water as someone working outside in the heat. 8 cups is a good goal to strive for, but not necessary. It is recommended to start with a liter a day and go from there as needed.

Gum takes 7 years to digest

At some point in our lives, we have all been told not to swallow a piece of gum, for it would take 7 years to digest. This theory is not true, gum will be excreted just like anything else we eat. There are ingredients that our bodies do have a problem with digesting, but will still not stay in our stomachs for long. The truth of the matter, there is not a whole lot of food like substances that can not be digested in our stomachs. I would not recommend swallowing your gum, but if you accidentally do so, there is no need to panic.

This content was inspired by the amazing article found here.

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*Article originally appeared at Earth. We are one.