Shaving with the grain of the beard

Biggest mistake? Not paying attention to the direction of how your hair grows.

When you go against the “grain” of your beard, you might be thinking all that friction is helping you get a closer shave. Unfortunately, what your doing on this first pass is simply irritating the hell out of your pores.

The trick:
The first swipe with your razor should go with the grain. If the hairs grows downward, follow this natural path with the razor. Now, after you’ve knocked the stubble off and you want a super close shave - try going across the grain. Never against it. This one-two punch gives you the close shave you need but doesn’t lead to ingrown hairs and irritation.

Being ghostly pale isn’t a good look for anybody but Casper the Friendly Ghost.  Typically, a guy’s face is particularly dry and ashen at the start of the day (or maybe red, depending on who he wakes up next to).

Here’s a few tips to help keep that skin moisturized and looking sharp.

Conserve water
Turns out if you take super hot long showers, you’re washing all your hard work down the drain.  Try and cut back on the time (and save water and energy too). This helps your skin hold on to those important moisturizers.

Get off the couch
Grabbing a run or lifting weights can actually have an added benefit for a man’s dry skin. Everyone knows exercise enhances circulation and blood flow but it can also refresh your skin. Turns out that perspiration stimulates the production of sebum, which is a natural skin moisturizer.

You are what you eat
Interestingly, dry skin can be caused by a slump in the skin’s natural moisturizers that are present in the body. These take the names of antioxidants and essential fatty acids and are two key chemicals to help skin rehydrate. So, how do you get these into your belly and ultimately your skin?  Try scarfing down antioxidant-rich foods such as spinach, broccoli, and fatty oil fish such as salmon.  Hate things that swim?  Go for fish tablets and take them before you go to bed to minimize the nasty burps. These foods can stimulate your cell’s oil production, while the natural fats help to revitalize skin cells.

Drink your 8 glasses a day
No rocket science here…staying well-hydrated helps keep moisture in your skin pores. If you live in a dry climate, consider firing up a humidifier at night to help you absorb more water. Cheapest prevention on the list.

These are a few simple lifestyle tips to help keep your skin looking great.  Any thing we missed?  Put your $.02 in the comments.