Skin Health

The cluster of perfume bottles fanning across my vanity table represents a whole wardrobe of moods and treasured memories. As any fragrance lover can attest, a spritz of just the right scent at just the right moment provides unparalleled pleasure—precisely why I found synthetic perfumes so tough to quit cold turkey. But I did it.

At age 16, Dawn Montefusco developed a serious case of psoriasis that covered 85 percent of her body in itchy, red scales. Her doctor dashed her hopes of an easy cure, telling her she’d most likely have the autoimmune disease the rest of her life. “I was a sophomore in high school, so this was devastating,” recalls Montefusco, now 40.

Your skin’s natural pH level hovers around a slightly acidic 4.7, but most skincare products have a pH of 6 or higher. This means your skin actually has to work harder to bring pH levels back to normal after you cleanse and moisturize, says cosmetic science consultant Johann Wiechers, PhD. The result? Dry, scaly skin.

Unless you’re the rare man who fancies a full beard, the morning shave is one personal care routine you can’t escape. And whether you see it as a monotonous chore or an onerous task rife with nicks, cuts, and razor burn, you probably don’t think of shaving as a meditative ritual. But maybe it’s high time for an about-face.