EIGHT STEPS TO THE BEST ROUTINE OF MEN'S SKIN CARE PRODUCTS

Unless you have a full beard, shaving your face properly is fundamental and crucial to maintaining a healthy complexion. Often times, men's shaving routine involves shortcuts and bad habits due to the repetition associated with daily shaving. However, there is more to a smooth shave and healthy-looking skin than just shaving your face.

Many men are guilty of common shaving mistakes and wonder why they end up with razor bumps and inflamed or itchy skin. Follow the steps below in your shaving routine for a healthier complexion.

Step 1 - Use only high quality blades

Avoid using cheap, low-quality blades or dull blades as this is the fastest way to skin irritation and razor burn. You might think this step goes without saying, but getting the last shave of every blade is a common problem with men and one that doesn't pay off in the long run. Let's face it, buying high quality blades and throwing them away when they get dull isn't expensive and is the most basic step in providing a smooth shave and healthy skin.

Step 2 - Shower in hot water and avoid towel drying your face and neck

A hot shower gives off steam which relaxes the pores on your face and softens your skin. A cold shower tends to do the opposite. When wiping off, avoid the face and neck areas as the added moisture will help you shave.

Step 3 - Choose a good shaving soap or cleansing shaving foam

Some men tend to use shaving soap while others prefer shaving foam. It's a personal choice, but in any case always use a high quality natural soap or shaving cream and cleanser. Lather well or use plenty of cleanser and shaving foam. Volcanic Man Shaving Soap is a natural men's shaving soap made from beautiful virgin coconut oil, super-loaded with the skin healing agent known as Tamanu Oil and scented with Volcanic Man essential oils. This powerful combination of anti-aging and rejuvenating skin oils is the path to a smooth, healthy and youthful-looking complexion.

You can also use our Volcanic Man Shaving and Cleansing Foam (also enhanced with Tamanu Oil) to cleanse your face, unclog pores and shave.

Step 4 - keep your hands clean and don't shave against the grain

Make sure your hands are clean (they should be if you just got out of the shower) and always shave up and down rather than up against your facial hair. This will minimize the friction between your skin and your razor blade. When you shave, you not only shave off the hairs, but also exfoliate the top layer of the skin. This is normal but the skin of the face is delicate so avoid making it worse by shaving upwards rather than downwards.

Step 5 - Apply a moisturizer after shave

It is an essential step for healthy skin. A good men's facial moisturizer should soothe and hydrate your skin. You want to keep your complexion hydrated and supple. If you work in an air-conditioned office or outdoors in the cold or wind, it will tend to dry out your skin. Hydration makes your skin more resistant to skin damage caused by wind and cold. If you are working outside in the sun, we recommend using a moisturizer with SPF. In fact, a study conducted in Nambour, Qld, Australia in 2013 found that daily use of an SPF slowed the aging process by 24 percent compared to intermittent use of an SPF! Aging is a process that occurs over time, and the signs of aging may become more evident at different stages as you get older. The secret to looking younger than your age is to use a high quality moisturizer daily, especially after shaving.

Sc Glucan in Tamanu Oil has been scientifically proven to provide natural UV protection. Sc Glucan protects against UV-induced DNA damage and oxidative stress as a new biological UV filter with SPF 18-22 in ophthalmic preparations. This natural UV filter inhibits 85% of DNA damage and oxidative stress induced by UV radiation at a concentration of 1% in ophthalmic preparations (Eur J Pharm. Sci 2007 Mar; 30 (3-4): 203- 10. Epub 2006 Nov 9).

Step 6 - Use a facial scrub one to three times a week

Although shaving involves exfoliation to some extent, it does not give the same results as a good facial scrub and does not cover the areas around the eyes or the forehead. In addition, the periodic use of a face scrub is essential for the prevention of acne, blackheads, dry, sensitive and oily skin, as well as for the removal of dead skin cells. A good facial scrub should not only remove dead skin cells, it should also purify and deeply cleanse your skin. You also want a face scrub that doesn't dry out your skin. In fact, you want it to hydrate and rejuvenate your skin as well. Our Volcanic Man facial scrub (with virgin coconut oil, kaolinite clay, and Tamanu oil) will do both.

Step 7 - Apply a clay mask once a week

While some suggest using a clay mask twice a week, especially if you have oily skin, we say it depends on the type of clay mask as some clays dry out the skin more than others. If you have acne-prone or oily skin, applying a clay mask is another essential part of a men's skin care routine. Our Volcanic Man face mask uses two different volcanic clays for detoxification and deep cleansing, so it is recommended once a week. You don't want to suck the life out of your skin by using it too often and make sure to rinse it off before it dries too much so as not to cause dehydration and irritation to your skin.

Adding Anti-Aging Virgin Coconut Oil and Tamanu Oil to our Volcanic Man Face Mask will help provide fast, effective and life-changing results.

Step 8 - Remember the rest of your body

You will also need to use a body scrub and body moisturizer to keep the rest of your body in top shape. Here we suggest you visit our range of Tamanu Oil and grab a bottle of our Tamanu Volcanic Ash Scrub and Skin Rejuvenating Tamanu Oil Moisturizer.