Natural Born Groomers - [ be irresistably magnetic ]

Do men really believe that having a face resembling a “dried raisin” is a result of “living life” thus outwardly expressing their true inner character? Or a result of all those years of joke telling at the pub, dutifully creating those incredible “laughter lines”. Or are we simply too scared to ‘fess up that we actually know bugger all about our own skin, thus through our own ignorance, try and convince both ourselves and others that it’s a natural sign of being a real “macho” man to look 10 years older than we actually are and to have skin that would make a crocodile proud.

This then leads to an interesting question. Do men really have different skin to females? Or is our weathered leather look a result of basically just not giving a rats arse about our skin compared to  women  have being doing so for as long as beers’ been brewed.

Here’s my take on the matter…basically all skin is the same, male, or female. However, it seems as boys become men, and again in later life, our skin (mainly face/neck/back areas) changes. Great!  Now what (feel free to pass this “Secret Men’s business” on down to any sons you have. You know, ‘father to son’ talk!)  Ok. Lets continue… As teenage males, apart from being attracted to warm apple pies, our newly developed male hormones also drastically affect our facial skin, resulting in facial hair growth and an increase of production of the skins natural oil or sebum. This is without doubt a real bummer timing for any young guy, especially just as the school’s cheerleader happens to move in next door! Anyway, this excess oil is the culprit responsible for that sudden appearance of acne & blackheads, cruelly stuffing up any chances “next door!” Most young guys “grow out of this hormone acne skin problems, however, a small minority unfortunately continue to experience this increase of oil production into early 20’s even 30’s.

Moving into adulthood, guy’s skin generally becomes slightly thicker than females due to having slightly more elastin and collagen. Then we need to add the environmental effects caused by the outdoors (sun, surf, and working outside) as surveys state that guys normally spend 40% more time outdoors than females. So this extra exposure causes the added skin damage and deeper wrinkles in men’s faces later in life (probably not laughing too much now I would presume).

Don’t despair! There is an upside as men enter mid life is, which is that our skin still continues to produce more oil (sebum) than females. Therefore we potentially can maintain younger looking skin than them at similar ages, however there’s one last catch! We men need to learn what women have learned and that’s how best to look after our skin, as early as possible. So forget the ‘Character lines’. You’re not an actor! Get in the know and get some good quality men’s skin care products on your face and stay looking the best you can for as long as you can!

P.S I am talking decent face scrubs, moisturisers, eye gels & anti-aging serums here, not make-up! You can leave that to them.

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Sounds like a recipe book, but alas, the subject today is ‘what is the best product to shave with?’ OK, let’s start with what’s not best to use. Although multi million dollar advertising campaigns will try and convince you otherwise, I argue that the use of foaming shave gels and crèmes are not in your skin’s best interest. If you suffer shaving rash or have sensitive skin or dry skin, stay well clear from shaving foams.

Why is this so? Because they contain alcohol (amongst other harsh chemicals) and this only further dehydrates your skin, making it feel dry. They also contain artificial fragrances and colours that inflame your shaved skin, causing shave rash and redness. They do not provide enough of a barrier to the skin’s surface, hence after a few strokes, you end up dragging your blade across unprotected skin, again causing irritation and inflammation!

Foams feel and look great, but do not offer you the smoothest and razor -burn free shave we all want and deserve! The answer to this is to use any of the following options:

Shave Oil
Usually 100% natural and provides excellent lubrication and protection. Shave oils soften the beard growth before shaving, as they usually contain skin warming ingredients. Shave oils are normally water soluble so easily rinse out of your razor. They can also be used under a gel or crème for more comfort if you have a coarser thicker beard growth.

Shave Crème
Easy to apply, provides a better protection barrier on skin, rinses out easy and moisturises the skin at the same time.

Shave Gel
Clear coverage is suited for those who may have acne, moles or skin problems where it helps to see where you need to shave around. Perfect also for those who want to design their own Beards, Goatees or side boards.

So my recommendation is to leave the ‘foam’ for your glass of beer and try any of the others for a rash free and smoother shave, improved looking skin, and before you know it, your face will be smoother than a baby’s bottom! Cheers.

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For many guys it is definitely right up there. However, it shouldn’t need to be the daily dreaded chore. Nor should we have to race out the door with pieces of toilet paper stuck to our face, or looking like we have spilled our morning cup of coffee over our neck. If we can put Mankind on the moon, surely we can remove our morning facial hair without creating world war 3 on ourselves!

As boys growing into men, no one teaches us or tells us how to do the one thing that after sleeping would be required almost everyday of our lives. The following pearls of wisdom may not save the planet, but may possible save you a lifetime of facial torture. Take note!

Shave after you shower: Apply a Shave oil first for extra lubrication: Only use a sharp razor: Rinse your blade in hot water only: First Shave with the direction then across your hair follicles, which do vary , so analyse your whole facial beard growth: Use a clear Gel if you have problem skin or cream if normal. Do not use alcohol based foaming gels. Do not shave backwards against hair growth. As this only causes ingrown hairs. Use a Face scrub once a week to exfoliate and prevent blackheads or ingrown hairs. Rinse face after shaving with cold water. Apply a soothing natural Shave Balm to soothe and calm irritated skin. Do not apply an Alcohol Cologne to any recently shaved skin area (face or neck) Make these changes and you may actually find shaving becomes an enjoyable experience rather than a X-Men nightmare. Just to keep you motivated, recent surveys’ stated that 99.8% of females preferred their man to be clean and smoothly shaven, so forget any ideas about the Miami Vice look!

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