I’m almost ashamed to admit this, but throughout my life I never wore sunscreen.
I never felt the need to and if anyone asked me about it. I would boastfully respond with “black don’t crack!”
I grew up believing that black women don’t get skin-related issues until I suffered from a rare skin condition that caused some areas of my skin to be a different colour than the rest of my skin.
Also, now that I am a beauty intern I'm aware of the many skincare myths surrounding brown skin, and because of the unique skin properties we have, it’s so easy to believe most of these myths.
Here are 5 of the most common lies you need to unbelieve. like, now!
1. Dark skinned women don’t need sunscreen
This has to be one of the most common myths on dark skin. It is often said that we don’t need sunscreen because of the high amounts of melanin in our skin.
As much as melanin has the potential to prevent sunburns, sunscreen acts as a shield from the harmful sun rays and nothing replaces it.
According to Dermatologist, Dr. Maritza Perez, melanin does not protect you from harmful UV damage which can be harmful and not visible right away, so UV protection is recommended for all skin types.
2. No skin cancer for dark skin
As ridiculous as this may sound, it’s actually a common, harmful lie that has been going on for generations.
Due to the notion that we have a lot of melanin, many women believe that we aren’t susceptible to skin cancer.
The truth, however is if you don’t protect your skin from UV rays you are in danger of getting skin-related diseases- including skin cancer , regardless of your skin tone.
“Darker skin tends to have more of a pigment called melanin to protect from the sun’s harmful rays.
That doesn’t mean people with dark skin can’t get skin cancer, they can and they do, just not at as high rates as fair-skinned people.” warns Dermatologist, Angela Kyei.
3. Nude beauty products don’t work for dark skin
In all honesty, nude lipstick is number one on the list of black girl beauty struggles.
However, there are a lot of nude colours that are actually fitting for brown skin tones:
Revlon Colourstay foundation in Hazelnut, R249(shade depends on your skin colour).
Maybelline nude lipsticks, R66
In fact, there are different shades of nude makeup products that are made for all skin types, so it’s about finding the perfect shade for you.
We recently did a video tutorial on nude makeup for dark skin.
Read more: The nude makeup look every dark-skinned girl can slay
4. Anti-aging is optional for dark skin
Now that we have dispelled the myth that is “black don’t crack” it’s time for us to start employing anti-aging regimens and befriend sunscreens, eye creams and other skincare products because we aren’t anti-aging unicorns .
Black skin may be slower to show signs of aging but it is just as prone to wrinkles, dark spots, uneven tone, etc.
Read more: 5 things to do in your 20s to make you look younger in your 30s
5. Red lipstick is not our friend
Girl?, bye!
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