Men Skin Awareness
Men tend to ignore their skin appearance and use only water and soap for daily maintenance. Beauty routine has always been related to women, hence men have avoided proper cleansing and daily hydration due to old conception that men don't do beauty routine.
Winter time damages skin due to the cold air, low air humidity, temperature variations indoors/outdoors, continuous running heaters so epidermal water loss level increases in winter time and skin becomes drier, tighter and squamous.
Dry skin feels rough or sandy at touch, it looks scaly or powdery, with large open pores, dull and unhealthy. Dry skin is not only unattractive, but also feels uncomfortable as well. Dry skin is more prone to deeper wrinkles and tends to itch more.
To help your skin function up to an optimal level, there are several things you can do internally and externally.
Drink plenty of water. Avoid tap water as this usually has a high level of heavy metals and cells do not get proper level of hydration: you may drink 2 litres of water but your body is still dehydrated. Clean Natural Spring Water or Reverse-Osmosis are best options for good cell hydration.
Exfoliate. Use either chemical exfoliation or mechanic exfoliation. Removing dead dry cells from the top of your epidermal layer leaves behind healthier cells exposed for a longer periods of time. Chemical exfoliation based on glycolic acid dissolves the bond between the dead cells and make it easier to remove with a simple face wash. Mechanical exfoliation can be used for body, hands and feet using rougher elements like sugar, salt, grounded nutshell, coffee grounds, ground rice. For face you should chose softer exfoliating grounds like almond meal or other nuts, to limit skin tear damage Limit exfoliation to once a week.
Moisturise. Oily skin types tend to require a lighter moisturizer, while severely dry skin may need more heavy duty creams with wax and butters. You want to try and cleanse your skin twice a day, morning and night, but be careful not to irritate the skin as this will lead to more oil production. It’s also not a bad idea to find an eye cream with hyaluronic acid or vitamin E to keep those crow’s feet at bay.
Take fewer, quicker and cooler showers. One shower a day should be enough (unless you go to gym and you need an extra), use soft soap and cooler water as hot water dries out your skin.
Use SPF to protect your skin from harmful UV rays that damage your skin. Use natural protection from approved and SPF tested products to avoid harmful ingredients.
Shave carefully. Recommended best time to shave is after a shower when pores are opened. You may want to use a hot cloth prior shaving. Massage a shaving cream onto your skin and rinse your razor after every stroke. Use a type of razor that fits your hair coarseness and skin type. Don't go cheap on razor. A perfect fit razor will pay off on long run.
Your skin will improve and maintain its glow and health if it is properly cared for, specially in winter skin care presents its own unique set of challenges. Use above tips to make small but continuous changes until they become good habits.
