Ingrown Hair Prevention

Causes

What causes these unsightly, painful, pimple-like bumps? Ingrown hairs can happen when a hair curls back into the follicle at the skins surface or when it is pushed under the skin after shaving. This irritates the skin and clogs the follicle. Sebum oil produced within the follicle will begin to build up, increasing inflammation, leading to the raised red bump you see.

Several issues contribute to these unruly hairs; incorrect shaving techniques, poor quality products, and dull razors are all factors that may lead to ingrown hairs, but don’t worry… follow our advice and you’ll have control of your face before you know it.

Prevention

• Shaving in the shower or right after you get out helps tremendously. The steam from the shower opens your pores and allows for a closer shave.

• Use a badger hair brush to apply your shaving product. The brush helps lift the beard, allowing the hair to be cut at a better angle.

• Change blades weekly (every 3 to 5 shaves is recommended).

• RELAX!!! Tensing up while you shave can cause you to shave too close, shaving off skin instead of hair…also known as razor burn, which increases the likelihood of ingrown hairs.

• Pat or dab on (rubbing increases irritation an is more likely to push a hair back in) an antiseptic shave balm after shaving to disinfect and reduce inflammation.

Treatment

• In the unfortunate instance you do get an ingrown hair, you don’t want to nick it during shaving, squeeze or pluck it, any one of these actions may re-infect the area, prolonging healing.

• Ready yourself a good ingrown hair tweezer (very sharp and pointy; also good for splinters) or ingrown hair kit, and lift the end of the hair out from the skin (DO NOT PLUCK). Cleanse the area afterward.

• Apply a treatment specifically made for ingrown hairs. This will expedite the healing process and nourish the skin.

Ingrown hairs are one of life’s unfortunate discomforts, but if you arm yourself with some knowledge and quality products, you can fight back!

Guy Gear – FuBar Utility Bar

It’s a hammer… no wait it’s a crow bar… NO it’s a FuBar, Stanley’s xtreme utility bar. Voted “Best of What’s New” by Popular Mechanics, the Stanley FuBar is the ultimate manly construction and demolition multi-tool. Here are some of it’s features:

• 4-in-1 tool for prying, splitting, board bending and striking jobs
• One piece forged steel bar for increased durability
• Two-tiered jaws for grabbing common dimensional lumber & decking
• Beveled nail slot for pulling & prying nails
• Textured grip for excellent comfort & control, even when wet
• Tempered steel that prevents chipping

But that’s not all! As you can see on their fun, interactive website, it is also a great toilet, sink and piano buster-upper. Oh, and don’t mind the taunting construction guys… they’re all talk

Out With The Old And In With The New!

You pride yourself on taking good care of your skin. You’ve found just the right cleanser, toner and moisturizer and you’re faithful to your skin care regimen. So why, suddenly, does your skin feel like sandpaper, look dehydrated and dry, and blackheads are more visible? Most likely you’re in need of a good exfoliation treatment.

What is it and why do you need it?

Basically, exfoliation is a technique for removing dead skin cells from your face and body. Scrubs containing granules (we like Jack Black’s Face Buff for the face and Anthony Logistics Sea Salt Body Scrub for the body) gently buff away the daily grime while getting the blood flowing. Removing the old dead cells kick starts the cell renewal process and revitalizes the complexion, leaving a smoother canvas.

A skin mask can quickly salvage winter-weary or over sunned skin, softening, brightening and smoothing it in one easy step. Men’s oily skin responds best to a mask that’s fortified with natural clay, which tightens, tones and clarifies as it dissolves dead cells and removes pore-clogging debris on the skin’s surface.

Exfoliation may sound a little less than “manly”, but it will keep your face cleaner, minimize ingrown hairs (ouch), and keep your skin looking fresh as it can be. So call it whatever you need to, if you want to manify it… face blasting, flake attack, oil obliteration, etc… just do it a couple times a week and you’ll look good as new.

Finish up with a moisturizer containing SPF protection because you don’t want that smooth, sensitive new layer of skin going out there with nothing on it!