Men's Daily Skin Care

Okay men...I know most you don't want to think about it but

YES YOU HAVE DAILY SKIN CARE NEEDS.

Especially with; oil control, men have larger pores and oil glands...meaning oilier skin that can become clogged. Then there are the razor bumps, ingrown hairs, and the occasional mishap with shaving...you know the toilet paper on the cut trick that you soon forget about, walk out of the house into the office or business meeting and whoops someone reminders you about the cute white and red TP you have stuck to your chin. Lastly one that most men over look completely...protecting your skin from the sun!

FACT - Men have thicker tougher skin than women,

they have larger pores, larger oil glands, and courser facial hair.

FACT - Men having larger pores and oilier skin means they

need to exfoliate more often than women.

FACT - Men think less about caring for their skin than women.

FICTION - A man who takes care of his skin is a sissy!

So men...here is the best way to have healthy, clean, clear skin that women will love;

Keep in mind that the goal to skin care is to keep your skin at its natural hydration level and to not strip away the acid mantel that helps to protect the skin and us from disease.

There are just a few items you need for daily skin care:

1. wash cloth
2. facial soap (not the soap you use on your body)
3. antiseptic (either an after shave lotion or toner)
4. facial moisturizer with SPF for sun protection

Contrary to popular belief, shaving in the shower is not saving you time or water. I recommend taking a warm shower...men can take a little warmer shower than women because of their thicker skin. But I don't recommend super hot showers because too much heat and steam can dehydrate the skin. Oily skin can become dehydrated and only makes drier skin types worse. Taking a shower before shaving will help to open pores and soften facial hair.

Buy a cleanser made specially for a man's face. The soap used for the body is too harsh for even a man's face. Use the wash cloth with your face cleanser either in the shower or at the skin just prior to shaving. The wash cloth will help with daily exfoliation. This accomplishes a few things; helping to raise the beard hair so you get a closer shave, helps to decrease razor irritation and ingrown hairs, lastly the exfoliation helps with cell turnover to help with minimizing clogged pores.

Buy either an after shave lotion or toner. Both are antiseptic, they help to keep cuts you may have after shaving clean from bacteria, and also close pores that were more open from the warm water. Watch for ingredient labels that list alcohol, this will only cause further dehydration to the skin and could burn when applying to freshly shaved skin.

Lastly, the moisturizer with SPF. Men should find a moisturizer that works for their skin type. Like I stated previously, men tend to have oilier skin but there are the drier skin types as well. So find one you like. Most men don't care for a heavy lotion the key is to find one that works for your skin type but most importantly has a sunscreen (SPF) of at least 15. Even men don't want those dark brown age spots all over their face as they age. The key to stopping those spots...SUNSCREEN! I recommend a sunscreen by Saian, the skincare line I use in my facial treatments. It is oil-free with a SPF of 29 and comes in a great easy to use spray. Perfect size for men to take with them anywhere.

So men...now you know. Trust me when I say women do pay attention to men who have good skincare hygiene. Send any questions you may have my way...I will be happy to help!

XO's ~ LG

lghealthnbeauty@aol.com

Proper face hygiene & washing for healthy skin...

Everyone remembers their mom telling them to wash their face.

But not many of us understood the importance.

Except that it was annoying to hear.

Well I am here to tell you the very same thing..."Wash your face"!

The difference is I am going to explain why it is important.

And I promise not to be annoying.

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Washing your face is a refreshing way to start your day

and a great way to calm down at the end of your day.

It has great health benefits over and above the emotional ones I just stated.

By washing your face morning and night you are removing...dirt, oils, pollution, makeup, and sweat.

Cleanser just 1 time per day is not enough.

The 1st cleanse will take off, makeup, some of the other items

but the 2nd cleanse will go deeper into pores to help lift out dirt, oils, sweat,

and makeup that the 1st cleanse could not reach.

~~~

Remember...this is a morning & night ritual.

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Most people don't realize that their oil glands are most active at night.

People who suffer from especially oil skin should

make sure they are cleansing 2x morning and night as well as

change their pillow cased more often.

~~~

So...always use warm to slightly cooler water.

There is a time and place to use hot water...this isn't it.

Most people stand over their sinks letting the water run down the drain.

I am always looking for ways to help the environment and have great skin care.

So going forward learn to be best friends with a wash cloth.

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Wet your cloth with the water and leave on the side of the sink.

Take your face cleaner...remember in my past blog about having

a cleanser especially for your face, not just regular old hand soap....

Wet your hands and cleaner, then make sure the water is turned off.

Work the cleanser all over your face,

taking special care to be gentle around the eyes.

Use the wash cloth to remove the cleanser, rinse the cloth and repeat a 2nd time.

~~~

Using the wash cloth not only saves on water but it is a manual exfoliant

that skin needs to help sluff off dead skin cells and helps promote new cell growth.

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Don't scrub too hard...a light touch is all you really need.

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The other benefit to using a wash cloth is they are small,

can be easily stored near your sink,

and you are more likely to launder the wash cloth instead of...

reusing like I am sure most people do...using a hand towel 15 times before laundering.

~~~

Guys...using the wash cloth has an added bonus for you when it comes time to shave.

Wash your face as I describe above and then shave.

The wash cloth helps to lift the hair from just below the skin and

will create a closer better shave for you.

~~~

After cleansing...tone (optional) and moisturize.

Cleansers no matter how gentle can still leave your skin dry.

So if you tend to have a drier skin type you may opt to use a toner.

Toners are made to help bring skin back to it's correct PH and moisture balance.

After toning, use your eye cream and face moisturizer.

Your face moisturizer should be correct for your skin type.

Dry ~ Normal ~ Oily

And for day time be sure your moisturizer has SPF 15 or higher.

~~~

There you go...Oh one side note...

try to avoid washing your face in the shower.

Most people think if they do as much as they can in the

shower they are saving water. Actually you are wasting.

Wash your face and brush your teeth...guys, shave, at the sink.

By washing your face 2x/morning and 2x/night you will see

healthier skin in days. Really...it is that simple.

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Contact me for help to you pick the correct face cleanser, toner, and moisturizer for your skin type.

lghealthnbeauty@aol.com

XO's ~ LG