Education

Excuse my ignorance, but I never really considered the lengths and pains that men go through to avoid five o’clock shadow- that is until I attended the launch of Dermalogica’s new Shave line.  

I’ve seen other brands bring out product lines for men, and to be honest, there really isn’t anything very innovative out there. They all seem to be blue- blue packaging, blue cream, blue gel, and they all have that exhausted cologne scent.  Not to mention that most of these products contain ingredients that create irritation for a process that’s irritating to begin with.  Traditional shaving products, although marketed to help with shaving are in fact a hinderance by causing razor burn and sensitivity. 

At the Dermalogica’s Shave launch, a shocking example how the ingredients in a product are so important, was a pH test that showed a common shave gel to have a pH of 8- the same level as a household cleaner. This is what men are putting on their faces almost everyday.  It’s no wonder they don’t look forward to shaving!

The Shave line from Dermalogica breaks down these hackneyed models of men’s skin care and stays true to their brand vision. Using refreshing essential oil blends, omitting alcohol, dyes and artificial fragrance, while creating products that make shaving better for men.

I was won over at the launch, but the true test was for the man in my life to try them.  The verdict- the best shave he’s had in years.  

Two products that I think are big winners from this new line are the Pre-Shave Guard, which softens and cushions the beard used in combination with the Soothing Shave Cream.  To quote one of the Dermalogica educator’s experience- “It’s like cutting through butter.”

Ladies don’t need to feel left out- the shave products, although targeted to men, are good for anyone to shave with.  I personally tried the Invigorating Shave Gel on my legs and found them looking and feeling smoother than with anything I’ve used previously as a shave medium.

Curious about the new shave products? Do you want to learn how to best take care of your skin? Book in for a Face Mapping or Skin Bar session and get introduced to a new way of shaving and better skin!

Featured Skin Care Product

The quality of the ingredients that are in a skin care product make a huge difference to the health of the skin. It’s easy to get caught up in following trends and being lured by big-brand marketing, but at the end of the day, it’s what’s inside the product that counts.

It’s very important to look at the list of ingredients on a product.  The ingredients are listed by their quantity within the product. The first ingredient is the most abundant last ingredient has the smallest concentration in the formulation.

Some ingredients that should be avoided are:

• mineral oil
• lanolin
• alcohol
• D&C Colorants
• Fragrance
• Sodium Lauryl Sulphate

I’ve seen marked improvements in client’s skin when they’ve moved away from drug-store brand skin care that contained dyes and fragrance.  Some indications that your skin care products are doing more harm than good are the presence of:

• milia: These are characterised as small white, pearl-like lumps under the skin’s surface.  Milia do not come to a head and can be present on the skin for long periods of time.  They’re usually the result of ingredients that are suffocating the skin, such as mineral oil and dyes from make up.
• comedones: While everyone is susceptible to comedones, more commonly known as blackheads, in the oilier regions of their skin, it’s not normal to have patches of them or lots of bumps and collections of blackheads which would be referred to as congestion.  This congestion is commonly caused by the ingredients listed above which do not encourage the skin the function normally, causing impactions of dead skin cells, dirt oil and debris.

Sometimes a simple change in routine can make a massive difference in the health of one’s skin, leading to a smoother, softer and brighter complexion.  It’s best to follow that advice of a Skin Therapist who can Face Map your skin and customize your skin care regime to bring about balance and health.