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 Posted: Sat Nov 25, 2006 10:49 pm
Hey ya'll! I know this topic sounds like it is a feminine topic, but not only are males increasingly focusing on their grooming habits, but these tips can also be male-friendly. I checked out lots of library books on beauty related topics, and found that Paula Begoun's books to be one of the better ones lieing around. her website is http://www.cosmeticscop.com/ ... Browse through her "learn" subcategory on the left of the screen some time. Her ingredient dictionary, for one, is a comprehensive description of all of the stuff used in beauty products- some which is helpful, some which is useless, and some that are even harmful. http://www.cosmeticscop.com/
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Posted: Sat Nov 25, 2006 11:15 pm
basic and frugal skin care:
I focus on being cheap because many of us young folk don't have big money to blow it on the latest fads. Ironically, some of your most expensive and well-known make up and grooming products are just as effectual as cheaper solutions.
On skin care:
- a bar of soap or a shower gel/body wash is not enough. You also need an exfoiliator/scrub. Dry sugar or dry salt is just as effective a scrubber as commercial-bought, oily products. It's way cheap too. It's your comfort level that determines whether you can tolerate a dry product, or if you must have some oil mixed in with the sugar or salt to be more comfortable. If you want some home made oily scrub, just google up "homemade scrub/exfloilator" and many recipes just advocate mixing with olive oil.
- you massage in a circular motion the scrub over your body. Especially, your butt/thighs will thank you if you sit down on a computer a lot. a wash rag scrubbing away vigourously the salty or sugary solution will scrub off dead skin cells as well as aid in circulation.
- you exfoiliate once a week or less, not every day with this mixture.
on facial skin care:
- you wash daily with a gentle facial wash. Your "soap" product has to be gentler than your body "soap". Sometimes you can get away with using a gentle hand soap on your face, but this is not for everyone.
- after the wash, you may choose to exfoiliate. some use a dry salt or sugar rub, others would rather buy a facial scrub. You can't use body scrubs on your face, of course. If you do use a dry salt or sugar treatment, dilute with water and rub very gently (wheras, you would rub vigourously on your body).
- an effective treatment is milk of magnesia. Used topically, it has anti-bacterial properties and it dries up oil. This is very good for people who have oily/greasy skin and or acne. Milk of magnesia can be bought at a discount store for only 1$ too, it's very frugal. It is a liquidy solution so just put a little dab on your clean hand or on a cotton round and generously wipe it all over your face, excluding eyes and lips of course. Let the solution dry on your face for 15-20 minutes. Your skin will feel a bit tighter, and the solution will feel sticky. Rinsing your face off with water is a very gentle and easy step- the solution rinses off very easily.
- moisterizing tips.... if you do not have a facial moisterizer present, try diluting your current lotion that you have around you with water and gently spread on your face as a make-shift solution (it may or may not still clog the skin though). You need a plain facial moisterizer for nighttime, and a day-time one with an spf of 15 or greater. Sun protection is important because sun damage is the main culprit of aged and wrinkly skin.
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Posted: Sat Nov 25, 2006 11:19 pm
If you have contact lenses, you know too well how often and important it is to clean them.
What about people with eye glasses?
It's not enough to wipe down the lense parts. The glasses can become oily relatively fast.
You don't need to buy fancy eye-glass lense cleaning solution. rubbing alcohol , or de-greasing dish washing liquid is just a fine and frugal solution to cleaning the glasses. Yes, work in all of the areas, not just the lense. If your glasses are dirty they can contribute to your skin breaking out in acne.
Then wipe the lense in one swipe each side with a microfiber cloth, or a very soft, gentle, and absorbant paper like a bit of toilet paper or kleenex tissue.
edit: although, if you live in a very cold climate area, like in Canada, where your breathing will fog up your glasses like crazy, you might as well invest in a cheap little bottle of anti-fog lense cleaner. While I was in Ottawa, there were plenty of dollar stores that had these anti-fog cleaners. It is well worth a dollar to keep your vision intact. Not to mention that the bottle will essentially last a super long time.
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Posted: Tue Nov 28, 2006 9:22 am
a Good place to look for grooming products and make-up:
The dollar store.
Infact, the "Dollar Tree" employees tell me that make-up is a popular item regularly purchased there.
I have tried the "Aziza" brand make-up there, and have had relatively decent results for the price I paid for each item (though unfortunately, you have no idea how the colors will look on you before you have to buy them). I have yet to go through all of the ingredients on cosmeticcop.com, though, so it remains to be seen if it is a completely safe product.
You can buy microfiber clothes there... only one buck.
eyeglass repair kits...
facial wash clothes (they are softer and more absorbant, thus gentler on your facial skin)
hand soaps, body soaps, shampoos and conditioners... body lotions... hair styling products such as claw clips, scrunchies, barrets, etc. And even cheap tiny purses that you could buy to hold your beauty goods in.
Though I would be a little more discerning personally before buying knock-off brands of shampoos, conditioners for hair, and body lotions at the cheapest, bare bones prices....
Poor quality shampoos and conditioners will actually make your hair fall out. (There was a study on this!!) National brands (such as Tresemme, Pantene, Fructis) are cheap enough, effective, and they are safer for your hair. Many of these popular national brands also throw in coupons in the sunday paper, and give out free samples for you to try, so it's really not a real expense ya'll!
Also, with body lotions, I am pickier about them because very cheap lotions will clog your skin and feel greasy, and contain lots of useless ingredients. If you can get away with really cheap lotion, then have fun at the dollar store. If not, then look for the national brands.
You don't have to buy top-of-the-line, "exclusive" beauty and cosmetic products that they sell at Sears, Belks, JCpennys, etc or other boutique stores because many of the time, you are just buying for the name brand and the fragrence. And for many of us young people, it's out of our financial range.
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Posted: Tue Nov 28, 2006 9:43 am
Teeth-cleaning. This info should be drilled in your head. Taking care of your teeth is SO important. Ddi you know that the plague in your teeth can get in your bloodstream? That's really gross! Since heart attacks and strokes are a pretty common form of death in North America, it is important to be informed about both of these types of conditions, and know of ways to prevent that. Keeping plaque out of your teeth curbs a lot of nasty conditions for your health. Here's the supplies I use for my teeth: I only use "colgate TOTAL" brand of toothpaste. It has an anti-bacterial agent in the toothpaste which fights against the formation of plaque for 12 hours. My teeth has never felt cleaner after using this product. Remember to keep brushing for 2 minutes! They are not the cheapest toothpaste out there, but many a times they give out coupons for this brand. Besides, a 2-3 dollar toothpaste is not a heavy expense. I use "plackers flossers", or disposable flossers for my flossing regime. They cost only 1-2 dollars a bag of 30-50 of them. I find them at the "dollar tree" store. This seems like a pretty wasteful item because they are disposable, but I have found that I cannot stick to the traditional flossing. My fingers hurt, and my teeth are so close together that it makes traditional flossing a chore. It is a small price to pay compared to the hundreds of dollars to the dentist when he finds out you have cavities. Yes, you prettymuch HAVE to floss because a lot of plaque gets stuck in between teeth. I use antiseptic mouthwash. It's also only 1$ and the dollar store brand or another cheap brand, as long as it says "antiseptic" on it, is just as good as the fancy brands. It kills germs. I also use a "flouride" rinse product. I get mine at wal-mart, where the equate brand makes it a 2 dollar item instead of paying 3 dollars for the "ACT" brand. I don't have flouride in my drinking water but if you do, then a flouride rinse may not be a neccessary purchase. Still, it is important to have one if you like drinking soda and other carbonated beverages because these products can eat away at the enamel of your teeth. The flouride remineralizes teeth. The toothbrush you use is also important. I have personally found the oral b- small-headed, bettery-operated brush to be the best brush I've used so far, but it is also very expensive. I am currently using a free brush I got from the dentist- "oral b advantage". You do not want a brush that has a very big and fat head, especially if you're a female because your jaw is smaller. But the bristles have to be soft and gentle. Also, the way you brush your teeth is important. Many people brush incorrectly and they don't even know it! google search: "brushing correctly"Look up how to brush correctly. Be gentle on the surface of your teeth and your gums.
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Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2008 7:15 pm
A tip on hair care --- if you want to be able to skip a day washing your hair, and you do NOT use hair dye or bleach, you can use a 2-in-1, (I recommend the big black Multi-vitamin Tresemme bottles), and pour half a cup of white vinegar through your hair after you rinse. It really helps out with an oily scalp.
And to help with blackheads and such, grab an old (or cheap) SOFT toothbrush. Dip it in a bit of astringent (you can get it at dollar stores and such) and scrub away. As with most things, if it hurts, STOP!
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