Hey, guys. Let's be honest. When it comes to maintaining your appearance, things can be a bit complicated. Well, not really, actually; most of us are simply too embarrassed to make it look like we care about our appearance as much as our female counterparts do.
But really, there's nothing to be ashamed about. In fact, it probably wouldn't hurt if you took your appearance a bit more seriously. After all, no matter what our society states about keeping an open mind on appearances, it is a well known and studied fact that we judge people heavilybased on how they look.
On that note, let's get right into some beauty tips just for men.
Tip #1 - It's All In The Shave.
Choosing your shaving cream wisely can be crucial to not only maintaining good-looking skin but staying healthy overall as well. For example, did you know that in addition to hormone disruption, many popular shaving creams have ingredients linked to cancer? Non-profit group Environmental Defence released a study that gives away some of the gritty details of health risks associated with shaving cream.So what should you use instead?
Here's a recipe for shaving cream that won't cause any unwanted health effects:- 4 tablespoons of raw shea butter
- 4 tablespoons of coconut oil
- 3 tablespoons of almond or olive oil
- 6-7 drops of essential oils (your choice of flavor)
Tip #2 - Take Care Of That Dry Skin.
I am very much guilty of a very rough and rugged skin look at times. It doesn't help that I have a darker complexion which makes it very obvious when my skin is chapped. But let's be honest – health risks aside – having dry skin looks very tacky. The good news is that taking care of your dry skin is very simple – just use coconut oil! Believe it or not, you can also sprinkle a little baking soda into your usual body wash to remove the top layer of dead and dry skin cells. Follow that up with a little coconut oil and your skin will be good to go!Tip #3 - Brighten That Smile!
People will spend ridiculous amounts of money on whitening their teeth every now and again, not realizing there are actually some pretty great, simple, and most importantly, cheapways to brighten up those pearly yellows. Michelle Phan put together an awesome tutorial on whitening your teeth with strawberries. Here's the rundown:- Crush 1 strawberry to pulp consistency.
- Pour in 1/2 tablespoon baking soda until it's blended.
- Use a toothbrush to layer the mixture on your teeth.
- Leave it there for 3-5 minutes.
- Rinse thoroughly with toothpaste.
- Floss out stray strawberry seeds.
Tip #4 - Ditch The Baggage.
No, I'm not talking about your deadbeat friends or ungrateful girlfriends – that's for another article. The baggage I'm referring to is the type you'll commonly find under your eyes. A good way to get rid of them is to put cold spoons under your eyes first thing in the morning. You can also do the same with chilled potato slices, coffee grounds, or baking soda.Tip #5 - Lose The Pounds.
I saved the best for last. Have you developed a beer gut over the years? Or maybe that's not it at all – maybe you're just looking to do some refining of your physique. Whatever your reasoning behind trying to lose weight, it's a very valiant thing to attempt. While there are dozens of weight loss methods out there, what I'll cover briefly here is the alkaline diet. The aim of this diet is to essentially give your body what it needs to push out the toxins you'll undoubtedly gain if you partake in the standard American diet. You can go alkaline by eating the following foods regularly:- Leafy greens
- Ripe fruits
- Sprouts
- Quinoa
- Millet