ON OILY SKIN

There are five types of skin: oily, dry, normal, combination, and sensitive. Today I'm talking about oily skin. Well if you have oily skin, you obviously know it. I have oily skin. Oily-skin people have a greasy shine on their face, ususlly residing on the forehead and nose. The skin is also thick and dull in color. There are good and bad news for oily-skin folks. The bads news is that oily-skin people are more likely to get acne and other blemishes due to having enlarged pores and simply better ability to attract dirt and bacteria on their faces. They are also more likely to get blackheads, especially around the nose area. The good news is that oily-skin people tend to age slower than dry-skin people and less prone to wrinkles.

To care for your oily skin, you definitely need to buy cleansers dedicated to oily skin. There are bunch of products out there. What I have used in the past are cleansers by Murad and Benefit. Shiseido also have a cleanser for men with oily skin. As stated before, DO NOT USED SOAP OR ANYTHING THAT WILL CAUSE YOUR SKIN TO DRY AND FLAKE. This will generally just lead to an overproduction of oil, and you do not want that. Cleaning your face once a day is enough, but if you have extremely oily skin, twice a day will be good; once at night before you go to bed, and once every every morning when you wake up. Cleaning your face too much will just irriate your skin more. You should exfoliate once every 2-3 weeks and do a facial mask once every 2 months, but frequency should be according to how oily your skin is. Also, KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF YOUR FACE. The more you touch your face, the more bacteria will spread, thus the more likely to cause acne. Only use your hands when washing your face and always use facial tissue to dry your face after cleasning. Towels are always laden with bacteria and germs no matter how clean it is.

You should eat healthy and drink plenty of water to flush out toxins. Avoid junk food, fast food, fried food, excessive sugar and salt, and spicy food as much as possible. But eat plenty of fruits and vegetable and whole grains. Diet plays a huge role in skin complexion. If you can, use a blender and make your own natural fruit drink or smoothie daily and consume it.

TRIMMING YOUR EYEBROWS

Taking care of our eyebrows is more of a frequent task for women than it is for men. Removing eyebrow hair can be a difficult task and I would highly recommend you to just pay a professional to do it. This is one of the areas of the face where it's hard to groom. Removing eyebrow hair can be a risky task when doing it by yourself. You do not want to mess up your hair here. Plus, I don't think it's expensive just to remove some eyebrow hair.

For guys, if you do want to trim a little bit of your eyebrow hair, use a tweezer and a pair of small scissors. DO NOT EVER SHAVE YOUR EYEBROW HAIR THOUGH! Try to cut your the edges of your eyebrow hair linearly, giving them a bit more of a rigid shape and form. Cut the areas where the hair is more scatter apart, which around the edges. It is hard to describe on how to groom your eyebrow hair, but it should just be a little litttle bit shorter. In fact, forget about the little pair of scissors if you want, just use tweezers and pluck the hair out around the edges. Folks, just get your eyebrows threaded or cut by a professional. I do not know much about this. I do not feel comfortable giving you advice that might messed up your eyebrows. Remember to trim your eyelashes too if they're long.

FACIAL MASK

Facial mask is another one of those tasks that I do once in a long while. A facial will extract dirt, grease, and dead skin cells off your face. It is almost the same thing as exfoliation. This is another optional task that I'm recommending men and women to do. I would also recommend facial mask only for those with oily skin. This is simply because oily skin people attracts the most dirt on their faces than their dry-skin counterparts. Therefore oily-skin people need it more than dry and even normal skin people. If you are dry-skin, you wash your face daily, and exfoliate periodically, you don't really need a facial mask. Of course everyone can get a facial if desired. If you have time and money, go to a spa and spend a couple hundred bucks on a facial. But if you have time and do not want to spend that kind of money, there are of course always cheaper alternatives. Murad and DDF both have good facial mask products and they can last a long long time, depending on how frequent you use it. It costs about $40, but I think it's worth it for the amount of time it will last. You can literally use it for 2 years or longer if you only do a facial like once every 6 months.





Like exfoliation, wash and shave your face first before you apply on the mask. Then dry your face and hands with facial tissue. Now you apply on the mask, covering as much facial surface area as possible, like the picture shown above. Then you wait 15-20 minutes, the mask should be a bit more dry and hard by now. With lukewarm water, gently start rubbing and cleansing your face. It will take a while to completely wash away all the dirt and mask. But you will feel a difference on your face; it is cleaner, more bright, and more resilient.



There is also another king of facial mask that is really cheap and effective too. It is using egg whites. So break an egg and carefully separate the egg white from the yolk into a small bowl. Wash and dry your hands. If you have a beauty brush, dip it into the egg white and spread it on your face. Do this in front of a mirror and next to your bathroom sink so you won't make a mess. Then you wait for at least an hour and simply rinse off with lukewarm water. Yes, the egg white will smell, but it's cheap and effective, so somewhat of a compromise. That is all.

TAKING A SHOWER

Okay guys, you should take a shower once everyday and try to spend at least 15 minutes in the shower. I just think that it's hard to get clean in the shower for only 15 minutes. Now that I had previously blogged about washing your hair, here's what you should do to wash your body. Whether you're using soap or bodywash it's fine. If using a bodywash, you obviously need a shower scrub. My favorite bodywash is Dove, but almost any bodywash will do. Soap is interesting, they come in all flavors and even caffeinated. But I would recommend a grainy feeling soap, because it sort of exfoliate your skin a bit. But pretty much any soap will do, my favorite is Lever 2000.

Now if you are one of those guys that just hate taking a shower and just want to get it over with, then I suggest you using shower scrub. It takes less than 5 minutes to scrub your entire body, rinse off all foam, and getting out of the shower. I would actually prefer this method because with a shower scrub, you are actually scubbing off most of your dead skin cells, which means newer skin. Plus, it saves you time. Normal soap wouldn't do nearly a great job at this. So bodywash or soap, just scrub your entire body away and rinse off.

Now make sure you scrub your crotch area and armpits a bit harder than the rest of your body, because these areas are extra dirty than the rest of your body. Also, if you took a dump for the day, scrub your anus with soap. You do not want your anus to be encrusted with shit crumbs, lol. Another thing to wash, your penis or vagina. Everyday we have an accumulation of dirt and dry flaky dead skin on it, rub and rinse it off with your fingers. Do not forget to wash your ears also, I have seen guys with encrusted earwax in their ears. Also, rub the back and sides of your feet, there is dirt there. If you do all these things, you will be clean.

Plus, taking a shower is a great time to shave off any hair that you do not want because it is easier to clean up the mess. Guys you should learn to enjoy taking a shower. Play or sing songs if it helps you. I love to take a bath but I rarely rarely do, because of water conservation. Don't you guys like the warmth of water splashing down your body? I do and sometimes I wish I can be in the shower forever.

HAIR CARE AND WASHING

Today's post is about washing hair, and from now on, I will try to attach a picture that correspond with each post topic. If you want to have clean and healthy hair, take good care of it. First, choose a shampoo with hair conditioning and with a good amount of zinc in it. Pantene Pro-V has a shampoo just for that. Pantene Pro-V is for guys and girls also, so don't be embrassased if you are a guy using it. I used Herbal Essences before, the shampoo is just really fragrant. You can use soap to wash your hair, but I wouldn't recommened it. Yes it will get your hair clean also, but not as much of a great job as shampoo. Pert Plus and Head and Shoulders are all great shampoos.

In order to be a thorough wash, you should wash your hair for a good 5 minutes at least. I know guys who wash their hair for only for like less than a minute. How do I know this? They come out of the shower in less than 10 minutes, which means they haven't spend much time washing their hair. Use a bit of strength to scratch your head a little, and all around your head. If you got your hair washed in a barber shop before, you should imitate what your hair washer is doing. I love their head massage techniques. Then you simply rinse it off the foam completely. Then you can dry your hair with a towel and blow dry it if you want. Of course if you are going to comb your hair, don't blow it.

EXFOLIATE FACE

I would say that you should exfoliate your face once every 2-3 weeks. Most beauty professionals or dermatologists would say at least once every week. But I think this just too much work to do, considering all the things we do everyday just to take care of ourselves. Plus if you exfoliate too much your facial skin is definitely more prone to sun damage. You want to give your facial skin some time to build another layer. This is another optional task that I'm recommending, but it's optional. I do not even do it that often because I admit it, just simply too lazy to do it sometimes.

If you are going to exfoliate, make sure you shave your beard and mustache first so you can exfoliate the most surface area of your face as much as possible. I use Murad's Exfoliating Fruit Enzyme Mask. They come in four little packets for $10. I would say you can exfoliate your face 12 times with it. It does a good job, but it also sting a little bit. The mask is a gooey moist substance like duck sauce. Also, make sure you cleanse your face already first. You spread it on your face like, making sure it does not touch your eyes and lips. Then you leave it on for 10 minutes and rinse off with lukewarm water. Your face will face more cleaner, renew, and refresh and easier to breathe. That's it.

ON LOTION

This is a no brainer. Simply put lotion on whereareas of dry skin on your body, especially during winter time. Vaseline works great and cheap, no need for expensive ones that does the same thing. Also remember to apply chapstick or lip balms if you have dry lips.

For facial lotion? It may or may not be a necessity depending on the skin type of the person. Obviously if you have dry and flaky skin, you definitely need it. Since I have oily skin, I do not apply it, even during winter time. Yes, they say that you should apply lotion on your face everyday and with a SPF of at least 30. Because if you don't, you are going to see more damage skin and age spots and other related skin conditions when you reach into your 30s and beyond. I do not find these facts to be completely true. Everyday we see people in their 30s and 40s with good and clear skin, and I highly doubt that all of them apply facial lotion everyday for decades already. Genetics and nutrition have to play a role in this. If you eat healthy and your parents have good skin, mostly likely you will also and vice versa. The fact should be stated as if you apply lotion with SPF everyday, you will less likely see age spots and other facial blemishes in your middle-age years and beyond.

So whether or not you want to apply facial lotion with SPF everyday, it is up to you. But kudos to you if you do. If you are going to apply, apply a lotion that contains NO OIL with SPF, especially if you have oily skin. More oil leads to more accumulation of dirt and bacteria, which leads to more acne, and you do not want that. Besides it is just double work to apply lotion with no oil, then a SPF. You want to get them done all together. Marc Anthony has a really nice lotion oil-less lotion with SPF, smells nice too. It is expensive though(I tried the sample). Bummer. But I'm sure there are much cheaper alternatives, just shop around.

FACIAL WASH

In general, you should wash or cleanse your face once a day, and this is pretty much sufficent for most men. Washing your face twice a day with any cleanser is just too much in my opinion and a waste of time. Yes I had washed my face twice a day for a period of time before, and I can honestly say that the difference in terms of cleanliness is hardly perceptible than washing your face twice a day. Washing your face twice a day, I think, is only recommended for the extremely oily skin people; in which case you should get a deep deep cleanser for oily skin.

I wash my face when I take a shower(another article in the future) because I just find it easier to wash everything all at once. You can do what I do, or simply wash your face in the morning, starting the day fresh and clean. I always splash my face with warm water in the morning, cleaning off a bit more of oil acculmated from the night's sleep.

I had tried many brands of cleansers in my life: Murad, Benefit, Shiseido for Men and Women(lol), Tea Tree Oil from Bath and Body Works, Neutrogena, Oil Olay, and others. Currently I'm using a Seaweed cleanser from Bath and Body Works for oily skin. I really like it, it gives your skin a clean and tingling feeling. So, if you have oily skin, I would recommend this product. If you have dry or average skin, the Benefit cleanser will do, but sadly it's expensive. For those of you that have a acne-sensitive skin, try a cleanser with salicylic acid or gyloclic acid. Murad has a cleanserthat is just dedicated to acne skin. So go to Sephora and ask them about it, and they will be more likely to address your skin problems. They will recommend you a good cleanser if you ask them.

NEVER wash your face with soap, it will make your skin very dry and flaky and you don't want that. Also, NEVER purchase any cleanser with a grainy or sandy feel to it, for these cleansers will more than likely spread bacteria on your face and might cause more acne. The general assumption is that these grainy or sandy cleansers will clean better than most other types of cleansers, but this is simply not true.

So in conclusion, wash your face once a day with a cleanser for your skin type.

SHAVING OUR MORE "INTIMATE PARTS"

I could've written this post in conjunction with the previous, but I felt that it deserved its own separate post and topic. This might seem like a private matter or personal task for a lot of men who would rather just keep it to themselves. But someone got to say it, and it might as well be me. We are all guys people, there is nothing to be ashamed or be shy about. Yes I'm talking about pubic hair, and all other surrounding hair.

I would say you should shave your pubic hair every 4-5 months, and I'm always giving a rough estimate because hair growth varies greatly for every individual guy. As stated in the previous, you should have a separate shaver for body hair(for hygenic reasons); a electronic double-foil one to be more precise and recommended. Why? Because with the single foil ones, or if you are using small scissors or knives(lol), I think you will run into the risks of experimenting many nicks. I guess a triple-head shaver will do also.

Obviously in these areas, it's not require of you to shave until you're penis and balls until it is squeaky clean and smooth, lol. Some guys like a little "bush" down there. So guys, cut and shave to the length you desire. And do not forget the hair surrounding your ass, ass crack, anus, and tighs; yeah you need to shave those areas too. You don't want an amazon forest down there, lol. Of course, you definitely need to wash your hands after you are done. Also, clean up your pubic mess.

SHAVING BODY HAIR

I'm asian and in general, asians usually have less body hair than other races. My father is like almost hairless. He has no hair on his legs, arms, hands, stomach, chest, etc..... The only places with hair are the armpits, a mustache, and a few tiny hairlines on the chin. Hell, he doesn't even shave and I rarely see him trim his mustache. While I, on the other hand have hair on all of the aforementioned places. I probably inherited some hair genes from my maternal uncles, who are pretty hairy. But thank god that I have unnoticeable hair on my chest and back.

If you have back hair, chest, and stomach hair; just go to a spa and have it waxed. Yeah it hurts alright, but you'll have clear, smooth, and open skin. But depending on the length and location of your hair, you can easily shave it off. For instance, I shave the hair around my stomach like once every 2 months, when the strands are like around an inch long. Thank god in this area the hair doesn't grow as fast. I had never shave the hair on my legs, but some of them are getting pretty long. For guys, shaving the hair on the legs is fine. Plus it's okay to have hair on the legs for guys, makes us looks a bit more manly, lol.

Armpit hair, I usually shave it once every 6 months. Yeah, they grow super slow for me on that area. Hair on most guys arms and hands are so miniscule that there's really nothing to shave at. The hair on these areas are baby-like.

The only hair removal product I had tried is Nair brought in Duane Reade. All I can say is that it gets the job done, but you really have to work at it. The product came in lotion form. You spread the lotion evenly on the hairy area and wait for like 4-6 minutes, then you wipe it off with a damp cloth. It doesn't completely wipe all the hair off, and I always have to pluck off some of the hair. I wouldn't recommend it at all. Plus your skin will experience redness and a tiny bit of scrapes. It does an okay job at best. It's sad that there is not that many hair removal products out there for men. Therefore, I simply advocate regular shaving.

If you are using an electronic shaver, I would highly recommend having two of them; one for your beard, and one for your body. All in all, just remember to shave your hair when you think is long enough already, NOT when it's long due for one. Plus, don't forget to shave the hair on your knuckles of your fingers and toes for those that have it, and the feet too.

SHAVING AND NOSTRILS

I wonder how much I can write about this topic, hahaha. In general, men shave once a day, everyday. For me, thank god I have slow-growth facial hair, and thus can get away with shaving once a week. I own and shave with a double-foil or "dual-action" electronic shaver, and sadly have no experience with the single foil shaver and the triple head electronic shaver. This is because I had own my double-foil electronic shaver for well over 3 years now, and miraculously I still do not have to replace it. It is still in good working condition. I own a Panasonic ES4026, so yeah, maybe you should go buy that one. I like the brand, and their products(at least this shaver) are of good quality in my opinion.

The double-foil shaver is for those that have sensitive skin and coarser beard growth. It also gives a more thorough, closer shave, and also ensures a faster shave overall. While the single-foil shaver is designed for those with average skin and medium hair growth. Finally, the triple head is for those with really rough or coarse beards, but sensitive skin. Yes, this is what my research tells me, and of course I could be all wrong. Just like fingerprints, there seems to be an unique shaver of some brand, color, design, type, and model number for everyone. The permutations seem endless. Of course with each shave, you want your skin to result as smooth and hairless as possible, with the least number/amount of cuts, bleeding, and redness. After you are done, I would highly reccommend putting on some good after shave lotion to soothen the skin. I use Kenneth Cole Black after shave lotion, smells great too.

About nostrils? For me, I only trim my nostril once in a long while, but I know it varies greatly for every guy or girl(lol). For the intrepid and courageous, you can use your strong fingers and just pull those hair out of your nose. I tried it, it's painful at first, but it will become second-nature. It actually also makes your nostrils grow slower. I guess risker attempts at removing nostrils equals better rewards.

Do you know that by shaving so often, we are also exfoilating our skin? This leads to less wrinkles around the neck as we age, which means a sexier neck, lol.

HAIRCUTS

The frequency in which men get a haircut varies greatly. In general, it is safe to say that a haircut should be once a month. For me, it's once every 2 months or even 2 and a half months. I always cut my hair very short and it would take at least four weeks before I can gel my hair again. Yes, I admit it, I hate haircuts, and this hatred contributes to my infrequency of trips to the barber shop, even though my hair grows pretty fast. There is no style to my haircut, just make it really short.

My advice for getting a great haircut is to develop a great relationship with your barber. This is very important. Because in time, your barber will know what your style is when he experiments with your hair. If you do know, then your barber do not need to do any guesswork. If you are unsatisfied with something, tell your barber to fix it. Besides, you do not want leave the barber shop with a bad haircut and live up with that for a month or two until your next visit. After a few visits, hopefully you and your barber are like friends now, know each others' names and having great conversations. By this time, he will know what style you like, be in tune with it, and knows what to do without you telling him. Just make sure to tip your barber well and he will pay extra attention to your hair every single time.

FINGERNAILS AND TOENAILS

Fingernails should be clipped and trimmed once every 2 weeks while toenails should once every 2 months. You must be thinking, "isn't this obvious?" Well, it's obvious but I see a lot of guys(even old men) do not do it. I'd seen some guys where every finger is roughly well-clipped except the thumb, in which it growed out looking like a damn claw used as a weapon or something. A very few guys I had seen where their fingernails had not been clipped in ages and dirt is piling up in the recesses of the fingernails. I cut my fingernails once every week and I enjoy doing it, but I don't really trimmed it. So guys, this is a simple task; go buy yourself a nail clipper and trimmer(optional) and take care of your nails frequently.

Plus, if you have minor calluses on your palms, on your fingertips, on your toetips, etc.. they should be cut off also. If you want, you can also buy some kind of acid for which the purpose is to remove calluses. After you are done cutting your callus(es), put a tiny dab of lotion on the area(s). You want the area to remain smooth and moist, not rough and dry. I know that it takes a long time for the calluses to go away, but it will eventually, just make sure to keep putting on lotion. This seem like it should be written in a separate article, but I think it goes hand in hand with fingernails and toenails.

TRY not to bite your fingernails and toenails(if you have the ability, lol). I know they're delicious and addictive to a lot of people. I even do it once in a while. But, let's admit it, it's a bit disgusting and you're really not doing your nails a favor. Your teeth will never be sharper and cut better than your nail clipper. You're simply making your fingernails look jagged and might bite too much of the fingernails off that will lead to bleeding. AND PLEASE DO NOT EVER, EVER BITE OR CLIP YOUR NAILS IN PUBLIC. This is just having simple manners. Then again I mostly see middle-aged women clipping their fingernails and toenails in the subway trains. It is just disgusting and it seems like they do not feel an ounce of disgrace in them. Maybe I will write an article about manners in the future.

I guess that's it for now.

ABOUT THIS BLOG

First and foremost, I would like to introduced myself. My name is Lin, male, and in my twenties. Yes, you got that right, I am MALE and writing a blog about general health and beauty; subjects that in a male-dominated society deemed be written by a female. Since I am male, and just starting out this blog, it is safe to say that this blog is more for the male viewers than it is for female viewers, but welcome comments from both parties.

Why do I want to create this blog? Honestly, a lot of guys just simply don't take good care of themselves. Don't be ashamed, EVERY GUY WAS OR STILL IS ONE OF THEM! Do you have male companions that smell bad or don't shave often? Boys that let their hair grow out for months without a haircut? Those unclipped fingernails and toenails? Well this blog is about taking good care of yourself as a man so you can look good and smell good and be healthy. We will be talking about all sorts of topics from acne to pubic hair to excerising and dieting. And yes you will find out more about my health and beauty problems and how I took care of them. So in general, this blog is about addressing health and beauty problems and ways to correct them.

Some of you may think "Oh it's just so gay to take care of yourself as a guy?" You people need to change that view, because everybody care about theirs looks at some level no matter how much they tried to deny it. It's not gay, it's simply call taking care of yourself.

So that's it and in the coming days, more posts will be added for your viewing pleasure. Later