Men's Skin Care is as important as Skin Care for Women
You've probably made this observation several times before... A
couple walking along and you thinking: "he must be taking his
mother out to lunch" only to discover that the couple is
married...
This is because the skin of men ages differently to that of
women. Men have thicker skin because they have higher levels of
Testosterone and as a result, the skin tends to sag less and
produces fewer wrinkles. The thicker skin is also a more
effective barrier against adverse environmental impacts,
bacteria and other irritants. In addition, men's sebaceous
glands produce slightly more oil, which acts as a natural moisturiser.
The regular act of shaving exfoliates the skin, removing the dead cells and reducing the onset of wrinkles. However,
this process is very abrasive and can leave the skin rough and
sometimes dry around the jaw and cheek area.
Despite the advantages of men's skin, a daily, natural
skin care regime can and will maintain a vigorous, youthful looking skin. Men's skin care
regime should be identical to that of women, in that it should
follow the same principles of cleansing, toning and
moisturising. However, there are a few other considerations we
need to look at, when using a natural skin care regime.
Good nutrition: keep it simple, fresh and unprocessed.
That is the best nutritional advice I can give. The simpler the
food, the less processing and the fresher your food is, the
better it is for you. Fresh fruit and vegetables contain so many
of the nutrients we need to maintain our health. Sure have the
odd processed, high in fat meal when you're enjoying a meal out
or have to attend a Luncheon or what ever. But make sure you
have more natural foods than not. Keep the diet varied - don't
eat the same old, same old... risk a new veggie - one you
haven't tried before - you might like it ...
Adequate rest and relaxation: don't work yourself to an
early grave - it's not worth it. Make sure you get the sleep you
need. Did you know that a study in England showed that your IQ
(intelligence) drops if you do not have 8 hours sleep per night?
Think about it, do you get more work done if you feel well
rested? Can you concentrate better if you're not tired? - I bet
you can.
Well, why not invest some additional time into rest and
relaxation so that you gain an increase in energy and
concentration? I'm sure you will find you will get more work
done in less time if you've had sufficient rest.
Sufficient water intake: that's a biggie. Most people
(irrespective of were they live) will utilise around 3 litres of
water per day - hey, don't believe me, all the medical texts say
so. Our body simply needs water to function.
If you do not drink at least this amount, your body will either
not function well (on some level) or it will take it from where
ever it can. That is called dehydration. You know, dry lips, dry
flaky skin, parched mouth, cracks on you tongue, premature
wrinkles... the list goes on. So, drink up (water, mind you) or
shrivel up - it's up to you.
Fresh air and sunshine: well, what can I say? Taking a
deep breath of air and tell me it doesn't feel great... Well?
Oxygen is the stuff of life. Fill your lungs with it. Here I
could go into how most of us do not know how to breathe
properly, but I'll save this for another article.
So what does all this have to do with skin
care?
Well, that is the point of putting expensive, skin care products
on your skin, when you do not give it the stuff of life from the
inside? The cells that make up your skin need the right
nutrients for proper development, growth and all that... You can
help your skin by using good quality natural skin care products,
but you have to support this from the inside as well. Only in
that way can you expect to get good results from proper skin
care.
So what's proper skin care?
Well, for starters there are 3 basic steps.
* Cleanse and Condition
* Hydrate and Tone
* Moisturise and Revive.
Cleansing the skin seems obvious and I know, you do know
how to use soap - wrong, this is one sure way to make your skin
dry-out quicker. Most soaps remove the natural oils of the skin,
change the natural pH
levels and do nothing to remove the dead layers of skin,
which can block your pores and lead to blackheads. And, oh no,
not pimples! The skin produces oils and acids to help it
function, to protect it from loss of excessive moisture, to form
a barrier... etc. So please do not use soap or detergents unless
it is necessary.
Using a loofah or a gentle 'scrub' will remove the dead skin
cells and this in turn will promote better blood circulation and
help your skin to breath.
The next step is to hydrate and tone the skin. Say
what?
Well, you've just removed the dead skin layers, rubbing the skin
with a loofah and or a specially formulated cleanser, now it's
time to remove the residue, sooth the skin and prepare the skin
for getting a good feed of nutrients from the moisturiser.
Toners will close the opened pores and in doing so, prevent loss
of moisture.
Preparation of the skin prior to putting on the moisturiser is
not dissimilar to preparing a surface about to receive a new
coat of paint. You wouldn't just paint over a wall that hasn't
been cleaned and prepared for the new paint, would you? It would
be a waist of time and money... well, good skin care is the
same. You first get rid of the old layer of paint, or skin cells
in this case, than you give it a primer (Toning the skin) and
finally the top-coat (Moisturising it).
Moisturise and revive your skin. Ah, but I already
use a moisturiser...
Great, at least that's a step in the right direction. But, have
you looked at the ingredients? Are they natural, or are there
numbers and words you don't recognise on the label? Research has
shown alarming numbers of synthetic substances contained in skin
care products, which may be linked to causing serious health
problems including cancer!!! So why run the risk? Using natural,
herbal-based skin care products is definitely the preferred
option. Pure essential oils, or herbal extracts are usually good
ingredients to have in your skin care products.
So there you have it, natural skin care. These steps, if you
follow them, will help you to achieve the results you want and
your body will show its appreciation with healthy, vibrant
looking skin.