Now the festive season has been and gone it’s time to get stuck into those New Years resolutions, and as a man I never thought I’d say this, but maintaining a good grooming routine has definitely become one of them. I must admit I don’t take the best care of my skin, but being the only man in an office full of women means I don’t get to test out all these wonderful beauty products that are always being talked about… That’s a good enough excuse for neglecting my skin right? However! This has now all changed. All ready for tackling a new year, I have been sent a host of products I’ve been testing and trialling and I’m finally ready to introduce you to a group of products that will change how you look at men’s grooming. These include Original Sprout Natural Hair Gel, Razorpit Razor Blade Sharpener, The Real Shaving Company Shaving Cream and Super Balm, a Green People Shaving Kit and Emu Balm.
First up is the Original Sprout Natural Hair Gel. This hair product is completely organic, which amazingly means its family friendly and even suitable for babies! Of course, this means it’s brilliantly natural and doesn’t contain any nasty chemicals that will harm your hair. Unlike some gels that make your hair feel hard or greasy, this gel leaves hair feeling clean while also softening and detangling it, without that horrible sticky or flaky residue you might expect from hair products. Of course, it also holds hair in place all day and smoothes down those pesky flyaway’s! Because it’s suitable for all ages, the ingredients in this product mean it can actually prevent your children from catching head lice, while also helping to preserve hair colour for the older generation! I’m not usually a hair product type of guy, but the benefits this gel can bring to the hair has definitely caught my attention and converted me, I suppose the nice natural fruity smell helps a bit too! This hair gel is £10.50 for 118ml, and you can buy it from here.
Now I must admit razor sharpeners are a completely new concept to me, I didn’t really know they existed, until now that is. This Razorpit sharpener has completely enhanced my shaving routine. I’m no longer dragging a blunt razor across my skin, but now benefit from a sharp and precise cut every time, making shaving a much more comfortable and appealing task! After studying how razor blades go blunt so quickly, Razorpit discovered that a coating forms, causing the blade to become thick and dull. To solve this, a thermo-plastic elastomer surface was created; a sort of silicon that has a high level of friction while also being very soft. This friction means you are able to push the razor along the surface, and are left with a sharp, fresh blade every time! The price varies slightly depending on where you buy them, but you can buy the classic black one from Next for £18, or the white version on QVC for £15, and seeing as they will save you a lot of money from repurchasing razors, they are definitely worth the money!
Now that I’ve got a perfectly sharpened razor, I, of course, needed to find the perfect shaving cream to accompany it; enter the Traditional Shave Cream by The Real Shaving Company. This cream is double concentrated, meaning a little goes a long way. The ingredients in this product, including organic cocoa butter and willowbark, mean the skin stays moisturised, which additionally prevents the razor from dragging across the skin. Not only does this make shaving a much more enjoyable experience, it also means that shaving nicks, bumps and razor burns are reduced.
After shaving, I want to make sure my skin remains hydrated and for this I use The Real Shaving Company’s Multi-Task Super 8 Balm. In my opinion this the perfect post-shave product, it is designed for everyday use and promises to have long-term benefits for your skin. In addition to soothing skin after shaving, this balm hydrates, moisturises and smoothes the skin, energises and revives tired, dull skin, combats blemishes, refines pores with a mattifying effect and minimises the appearance of wrinkles, all while providing anti-oxidant protection! It really is a hard working super balm! Like the shaving cream, this product boasts cocoa as one of its ingredients, as well as shea and seed butter. The balm feels soft and cool when applying, and instantly soothes my skin making it feel refreshed and protected for the rest of the day. You can buy both the 100ml shaving cream for only £3.99 and the 100ml super balm for £4.99 nationwide from a number of stores, including Boots and John Lewis.
For those of you who like to be compact, the Green People Organic Shaving Kit is for you. This little kit contains a 125ml Wash and Shave, a 125 ml Cool Down Moisturiser, a razor and a shaving brush. This kit fits perfectly in the bathroom while also looking modern and expensive, and is small and compact enough to carry around for the odd night or weekend trip away. It has everything you’d need for a freshen up, especially considering the Wash and Shave is not only great as a shaving foam, but can also be doubled up as a daily face wash. The ingredients, including aloe vera, amaranth protein, Irish moss, grapefruit and orange combine together to make a wash that is effective in preventing acne, eczema and psoriasis. When using this I find my face feels extremely clean without the dried out and ‘tight’ feeling other face washes can cause. It also has a great smell- zingy but not overpowering.
A product that fits hand in hand with this is the Cool Down Moisturiser, this instantly soothed my skin after my shave, and left it feeling moisturised but not greasy, a definite plus in my book. Like the Wash and Shave, this moisturiser contains organic aloe vera, shea butter, green tea, mint and calendula, and with ingredients like that, you can imagine the amazing cool, refreshed feeling you will experience when using this duo. Not only that, but calendula is known to be a great ingredient to help soothe and prevent acne. Because this product is a gel and not a cream, it also means it feels more soothing and is not sticky or too heavy, so it doesn’t feel like my pores are being blocked by using it.
Of course, this duo works wonderfully after a nice clean shave, and I must say the razor included is one of the best I’ve tried. This triple bladed razor includes a skin protecting strip, meaning the chance of pulling or cutting your skin is greatly reduced. The three blades also mean you can get an extremely close shave. To begin my shaving process, I apply some Wash and Shave and use the shaving brush to lather this up on my skin. I find using the brush means I get a much thicker, creamier lather, rather than what I would get by just using my fingers. The bristles are ultra-soft and 100% vegan, so not made with animal hair, meaning I feel much more comfortable rubbing it on my face! Before I received this kit I was never one to use a shaving brush, but since trying this one from Green People I am a total convert, it is completely fuss free despite my preconceived ideas, and results in a much smoother, closer shave!
Since using this kit my skin has vastly improved, it’s much clearer and smoother, and I no longer get that dreaded shaving rash! I would definitely recommend this kit and I also love the way it looks; so sleek and it almost reminds me of something out of a James Bond movie! This would make a great gift, or if you want to treat yourself, you can buy the kit from here for £45.
Lastly I want to talk about a type of miracle balm. Emu balm from Lorem advertises itself as a product to help with muscle and joint pain, but it is so much more than that! This amazing balm is 100% natural and full of essential oils, helping it penetrate into the deep layers of your skin, meaning any aches and pains are quickly eliminated. The list of benefits this balm can bring to your body is endless, from arthritis to acne, and sports injuries to migraines, just rub a little of this balm on and you will see and feel rapid results. I used to suffer from annoying dry patches on my skin but thanks to this little balm, they are no more! This balm contains a host of natural ingredients that, quite clearly, do wonders for your skin. Some of these include vitamin A, known for its antioxidant and skin repairing properties, vitamin E, which helps the healing process and protects against sun damage, and omega 3, 6 and 9, which all help decrease cholesterol levels and encourage the production of cells. Combined, these ingredients help to protect and repair the skin against dryness, psoriasis, acne, scars and even wrinkling on aging skin. I also find that this balm does wonders when you have the flu, I seem to be constantly unwell in these winter months and this balm has been a saviour. I just rub a little on my head and muscles before bed and when I wake it’s like the symptoms were never there. You can get a 500ml tub for £20 from here, and considering this stuff is bacterio-static, meaning bacteria will not grow in it, ensures it will last for absolutely ages! This is a definite hero product that everyone should have in their bathroom cabinets.