Just for Men

by karen macklin

Eye cream with that aftershave? What men need to know about proper skin care; brush your way to healthy hair.

Men, it’s time to drop the macho pose and admit to what the sales figures already reveal: You’re more interested than ever in improving your personal appearance and in keeping that youthful look. The reasons vary. You may want to retain an edge in the workplace against the more energetic but less-experienced young lions eyeing your job. Or perhaps you’re in the dating scene and want to give yourself every possible advantage.

Whatever it is, stop the denial: Your vanity index is rising. But in the pursuit of youthful skin, don’t forget the importance of choosing natural products that lack the potentially dangerous stabilizers, coloring agents, fragrance maskers, and preservatives often added to conventional products. Luckily, manufacturers have responded to the rising interest in natural men’s products. Companies such as Jason’s and Zia Natural Skincare, Tom’s of Maine, Burt’s Bees, MyChelle Dermaceuticals, and AnneMarie Borlind offer natural shaving and skin-care products—even an under-eye cream to combat wrinkles—all just for men.

In fact, antiaging products have seen the largest growth in the personal-care sector. It’s unclear what has spiked male interest in personal-care products—whether it’s shows like Queer Eye for the Straight Guy and the “metrosexual” trend or simply a growing desire to remain healthy and youthful for the long haul. Whatever the reason, the traditional mindset that sees beauty regimens as solely a woman’s domain definitely has shifted.

“I’ve never heard anybody say, ‘Under-eye cream for guys? That’s really sissy,’” says Mike Rapport, whole body coordinator for Whole Foods Market, based in Austin, Texas. “Three or four years ago, you would have heard that.”

Skin care fundamentals
So what sort of beauty regimen should men follow? To begin with, the most important step in skin protection doesn’t take place in front of a bathroom mirror but outdoors, under the sun. “Excessive sun exposure clearly correlates with skin cancer as well as rapid aging of the skin,” says Valori Treloar, MD, owner of Integrative Dermatology in Newton, Massachusetts. “Tanning booths are not a safe alternative either because you still get UV damage.” For sun protection, Treloar recommends always wearing a hat outside, as well as a sunblock that contains titanium dioxide or zinc oxide to protect against both UVA and UVB rays. So if you still think the bronzed-Adonis look is in, think again: Forego the tan, and keep your youthful skin for years to come.

Treloar’s second tip for skin care: Wash your face gently. “Don’t over-wash or harshly scrub the skin or overexpose it to irritating chemicals,” she says. “I encourage people, especially if they have irritable skin, to look for products with smaller lists of ingredients, no fragrances, and fewer preservatives, though you have to have one or two [to keep the product’s ingredients from spoiling].” Surprisingly, botanical cleansers, though natural, can also irritate people who have sensitive skin because of the myriad chemicals they contain.

If after washing, your skin feels tight or dry, either switch to a more gentle cleanser or use a light moisturizer when your skin is still damp. As for exfoliating (the current skin-care buzzword), Treloar thinks it’s rather overrated. Although treatments such as alpha-hydroxy acid, sponges, microdermabrasion, microbeads, and so on can help slough dead skin cells in older skin—where cells tend to clump together more—exfoliation isn’t for everyone. “In general, younger skin doesn’t need exfoliation, and in fact, over-exfoliating can erode the skin,” Treloar says.

The razor’s edge
One thing guys do need to worry about, however, is shaving. “Poor men, I feel sorry for them—scraping that blade or electric razor over their skin,” Treloar says. To minimize the irritation from shaving, opt for an electric razor, which creates less friction, and hence inflammation, on the skin. Before shaving, no matter how late you are for work, take time to wet your face with warm water and wait a few minutes for the whiskers to soften. If you use a blade razor or wet electric razor, apply a shaving cream, gel, or, better yet, powder stick (which usually comes in a twist-up applicator, making it easy for you to rub the powder onto your face). Any of these will further soften the beard, decrease friction, and help the razor glide smoothly. While shaving, make your strokes travel with the grain of the hair, and try not to repeat strokes on the same area. Aftershave toners can help moisturize the skin and close pores, but avoid the drying alcohol-based varieties.

The big picture
Once you’ve established a washing and shaving regimen that works for you, the rest of skin care involves broader lifestyle adjustments. Foremost, get eight to nine hours of sleep a night so your body can heal any damage to the skin. “They don’t call it beauty sleep for nothing,” Treloar says. Also, eat nutrient-dense foods such as fruit, veggies, lean protein, and whole grains, which can benefit the skin as well as the body. Finally, take a deep breath and relax. Emotional stress takes its toll on the skin and can prematurely age it. In fact, research has shown that conditions such as psoriasis, eczema, and acne worsen with stress. So in addition to not fretting too much over your job, love life, or the mortgage, don’t worry about a wrinkle here or a blemish there either. Stressing about every imperfection may just cause more to crop up. Besides, aren’t wrinkles really just roadmaps of your life experiences?

That said, there’s nothing wrong with trying to keep your skin as radiant as you can. Protecting yourself from the sun, washing and shaving as gently as possible, and choosing a lifestyle that includes plenty of sleep and good food can help toward that end. While most of these tips apply to women also, guys do have special preferences that men’s personal-care products are tailored to meet.

“Men are looking for these kinds of products with a more masculine basis, a more masculine scent,” Whole Foods’ Rapport says. “Scent is really important to men; the guys really smell the stuff before making any choice.”

The forecast for men’s grooming products? Continued growth. Though men could use women’s natural products, they’re happier passing up the floral scents in favor of their own product lines.

Happy Head, Happy Hair

Most daily beauty routines have a few basic components to them: washing the face, shaving, brushing the hair. Hair care may seem simply a matter of looking good, but in fact a good brushing is an integral part of good hair health.

Loving those locks
Besides detangling the hair, brushing exfoliates, massages, and cleanses the scalp and conditions the hair by spreading natural oils from the roots to the tips. All of these actions help keep hair follicles open and healthy. “If your hair follicles are congested with debris, oil, and dead scalp, it’s going to be of detriment to the growth of your hair,” says Melanie Rehfeld, a New York stylist. “Healthy hair follicles grow healthy hair.”

To get the most from hair brushing, choose the right brush. The basic options are natural brushes, usually made with boar bristles and wood or cork handles, and synthetic ones, usually made from plastic, nylon, or metal. With most hair types, boar-bristle brushes perform better than synthetics for a few reasons:
• They won’t break the hair because they are softer, glide more easily, and won’t get hair-snagging nicks in them over time.
• They’re biodegradable and they last longer. Plastic bristles will break or bend,shortening the life of the brush.
• They do a better job of spreading natural oils than their synthetic counterparts.

Wood and cork handles, also biodegradable, have advantages over the synthetic varieties: They don’t catch hair like rubber grips can and they’re less likely than metal handles to burn hair during blow-drying.

Better than boar?
Of course, all rules have exceptions. Boar bristle brushes aren’t that great for ultra-thick hair, which prevents the soft bristles from fully penetrating to the scalp. Many stylists prefer combining the best of both worlds—brushes with both boar and nylon bristles. Rehfeld recommends a Mason Pearson (high-end) or Denman (more affordable) boar/nylon bristle blend. These, she says, work especially well for blow-drying all hair types and brushing fine, tangled hair when it’s dry. Another favorite alternative to boar is Aveda’s gentle, nylon-bristle Wooden Paddle Brush, made from sustainably sourced Chinese honeywood. A multipurpose wonder, this paddle brush suits almost all hair types and tasks—even removing tangles in wet hair.

Some hair types, such as tight curly hair, shouldn’t be brushed at all because it can make the hair frizzy. Instead, Rehfeld says, “Use a wide-tooth comb, put product in, and let it dry.” The curly-haired can reap the benefits of brushing by gently scrubbing their scalp for at least two minutes while shampooing to stimulate and exfoliate.