Presently, the era that expected men to be hyper-masculine is dwindling into our past. The notion that a “real” man is rugged, tough, and should not concern themselves with “feminine” things such as hair and skin care has been proven false. Today, we know that people who practice good hygiene, whether it be hand, dental, sleep, or in this case skin hygiene, have lower rates of disease, more self-confidence, and typically live a higher quality life. As we evolve our “manly” culture from the uber-masculine to a smarter identity, we realize that as human beings, it’s a good idea to maintain our health. That’s all having good skin and hair hygiene is, it’s part of maintaining your health.
For us, low maintenance folks, skincare, and hygiene products can seem overwhelming. Every day we have bombarded with advertisements that a product is the best for this or the best for that. When you look for a “men's” brand product it sometimes seems you are paying more just to have a “man” brand. Especially nowadays, all sorts of products are labeled “all-natural,” organic,” or whatever, only to look at the item's ingredients and see a list of chemicals that might as well be a foreign language and proceed to scratch our heads wondering how ammonium lauryl sulfate could be natural.
Let me clarify a few things about all of this when it comes to picking out a hair or skin product. First, none of the outrageous advertisements, foreign language ingredients, and claims really matter that much. All you really need to pay attention to is its genre (body wash vs face wash, shampoo vs conditioner). Second, do not be afraid to try new products however, you can’t really go wrong with a tried and true product. Third, these are YOUR products so they should suit YOUR needs. Smell your shampoo to see if you like it before you buy it. You should also know things about yourself like if you have sensitivities, allergies, or dry skin. Lastly, this does not have to be expensive.
You don’t need to spend a fortune buying American Crew, Aveda, or Paul Mitchell.
Hopefully, most of you minimalists have figured out that conditioner is your friend, it goes hand in hand with shampoo, and have at least found yourself a great 2 in 1 shampoo and conditioner. Good skin and hair hygiene include two major components; using products that clean and products that moisturize. Generally speaking, they do a better job when they perform their jobs separately meaning, you buy a shampoo AND a conditioner, or body wash AND a body moisturizer.
For those of us who get out of the shower, dry off, and are left with a dry or itchy feeling, our moisturizing body wash or bar soap is definitely not enough. Get a good general skin moisturizing cream. Dove, Cetaphil, Nivea, and Goldbond are all great choices and reasonably priced. For those of us on a budget, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with using body lotion as a face moisturizer. If it leaves your face oily, try “diluting” it by putting some on a washcloth and wetting it with warm water before you apply.
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