I never really take care of what goes on my head or my body...meaning what products I use in the shower. After doing some research (scientific type stuff) I thought...are other guys out there feeling the same? If you don't want to read the whole thing...scroll to the bottom and get the "nitty gritty"
Feeling like you are walking into "no man's land" aka the beauty department. You walk slowly towards it and realize that you are the only one not wearing a hair tie or smell of watermelon hibiscus island splash...kinda makes you feel like you walked in the women's bathroom (this happened once to me while walking into the gym at 6am...more about this later).
Anyways....I am sure I am not the only guy feeling like this out there.
That's why I put together a list of what's hanging on my shower wall.
Ever since I decided to grow my hair (and donate it to charity) I had to well...take care of it. Like most guys, I just had a 2 in 1 shampoo and conditioner combo. I had to rethink what I put in it now, which means doing a little research and learn about hair. So I went straight to my "hair beast," Cassandra Celestin aka the Beauty Chemist. In this whole process I started to learn how to take care of my hair and skin...and it starts in the shower. After meeting with Cassandra, I had my hair evaluation and she told me that the hair at my hairline was thinning way too much...almost like I have an inflammation in that area. She pretty much told me I needed this shampoo.
It tends to give you volume but also strengthens your hair. I did notice right away, that my hair got fuller and it is way thicker compared to how it was 2 months ago. I tend to have thin hair but I did get worried that it might fall off. I was excited to know that my hair is really strong and healthy in the rest of my head. woo hoo! I can't wait to go to my follow up evaluation with Cassandra to see how much my hair improved.
This happens to me all the time, I buy a new product to spike up my hair (oh those were the days) and at the end of the day, my shirt collar is full of white flakes. Well no...it was dandruff, but I thought...wait a minute, I use that dandruff shampoo 2 in 1! Obviously that wasn't working, Nizoral shampoo did the trick!
It not only removed any flakes I could have in my head there is no other shampoo out there that can really take care of your scalp - trust me I've used them all. I only use it twice a week and my inflammation completely cleared up. Which ultimately can allow the growth of the hair follicle into a healthy and strong hair strand.
Woah. Amazing and great for the muscles. After a long week of hitting the gym. Hard. This Dr. Teal's Pure Epsom salt bath is pretty much crucial. Remember how the football players soak? I did that this week...I had a hard leg workout. The kind that you can't walk downtime stairs in the gym...yea those. So I came home and decided to do an Epson salt bath. I let the hot water run and added a nice amount of the salt (about a cup).
This muscle relaxant salt can do wonders. They tell you to soak for 20 minutes. I do it for 40. Trust me. You won’t have a sore muscle again. Just what the doctor ordered!
Science: It breaks down into magnesium and sulfate when added to water. Relieve muscle cramps, pain and inflammation due to the magnesium...according to Epsom Salt Council
Theory: Gets into your body through your skin (though not yet proven, soaking in warm water can help relax muscles and loosen stiff joints like those with arthritis)
So this is pretty cool and a great little shower time saver since I never want to spend much time in the shower. I try to be in and out, in about 4 minutes! The guys at Tooletries are using what they call "Aussie grip technology" (and they have a cool little koala...I am a sucker for packaging) which is pretty much this weird rubbery material that can be cleaned easily and would "stick" to any shiny surface. When I read that I was like oh oh...my bathroom isn't shiny tile. But it still worked!
I was impressed with this gadget. I thought it was pretty cool that it didn't require much thought, once you take it out it has a clear removable cover, when you take it off its ready to apply...but it has no glue! Crazy! And for travel I wanted to be able to take it with me. It can be moved and put somewhere else anytime really. I also got the anti-fog shower mirror, which is nice to have in there while I shave (its also shatterproof).
Our largest organ deserves proper care and treatment. I have a skin condition on my shoulders called follicular hyperkeratosis which is just a medical term for rough skin that grows through the follicle. Crazy. Since I started using this salt scrub it has reduced a lot.
It hasn’t gone away because the complete treatment calls for constant hydration using creams and well let’s face it. I haven’t found the correct one and I hate using creams (I'll be talking about guy creams later). But this scrub leaves your skin like a baby’s butt.
I had been using regular soaps to clean my face but the morning burst one is just like a nice wake up call every morning. This is a nice and easy way to really clean your face...you get a tinkling mint fresh feeling after using it.
Your face tends to absorb a lot of dirt throuout the day and also at night. Who said that we don’t get pimples after we leave our teens? Cleaning my face with this product has helped eliminate the post-puberty pimples. And if you shower at night...there is the night relaxing...really good at cleaning the dirt from the day (even from mondays).
There’s this fascination today with everything charcoal. Even though I’m not one to follow trends, I thought. What the heck. Let’s try it. Although I didn’t have a huge breakthrough feeling. I did notice my skin smell cleaner even after workouts.
It really does remove dirt from your skin. Don’t freak out when you’re washing yourself with dark colored water. It does that. A heads up: it’s very slippery in the shower floor. Be careful.
8. Shower scrubber
These aren’t going to break your wallet. You can find them for $1 or $2 in most department stores. I used to just lather on my hands or just apply the soap on my skin. This I read is not good if you want to really exfoliate aka scrub the dead skin off your back. Sounds nasty but hey it’s what you have to do daily. Or this stuffs goes back in your pores...and who wants dead skin and debris back in their body.
9. Shower cap
The only cap I knew of was my swimming cap I used to use. I never used one because I would wash my hair daily back when I had short hair. This is another must have in your shower. When you wash your hair daily you remove all the natural oils the hair produces to grow and stay healthy. I use this shower cap to protect it from the daily shower.
That was another change. Having to only wash my hair twice a week.
Can I tell you how much I love this Harry’s raizor. I had stopped shaving for years now and just trim it very shorts. I like my facial hair to have that 5oclock shadow at every hour. I got the "Truman set" and they also have monthly subscription where you can get new blades sent to your mail!
One of the reasons was because I hate cutting myself or having my skin burn after shaving...I have sensitive skin. I got a chance to use the Harry’s raizor and I fell in love. No raizor burns. Not even for my super sensitive skin. I’ve been using it for 3 months now and not a single cut either. I’m honestly shocked.
11. Toothbrush
Believe it or not we don’t brush as much as we should or even floss. I try to have this handy. By having it in the shower as well you can pretty much brush your teeth multiple times a day...and save time. Try to get one that doesn’t have hard brisels. The medium and soft ones would clean your teeth but also not harm your gums.
12. Toothpaste - Crest
When it comes to the choice of toothpaste I tend to choose one that has whitening properties. I’ve pretty much used them all. Crest tends to give me a nice fresh breath without the chemical metallic taste after using it.
THE NITTY GRITTY
Shower scrubber - don't use your hands, they are dirty too
Shower cap - sometimes you don't have to wash your hair every day, its bad.
Toothbrush - it saves time when paired with Tooletries
Toothpaste - same as above