A grooming guide for guys

Images courtesy of Lush Cosmetics

A grooming guide for guys, courtesy of Lush

By Zoë Zellers

“They say you start developing wrinkles when you’re 20 years old,” says Barry Nelson, assistant manager of Lush Cosmetics at The Westchester in White Plains, “and I think you should always treat your skin like the adult you are.”

“I love skin care for men. I’m all about grooming. … I believe in listening to your skin. Watch how it’s behaving and know what it needs,” Barry says, adding that at Lush, “No product is specifically for women, no product is specifically for men. Every product is totally how you want to use it and how it’s going to benefit you.”

That said, guys should consider taking an unintimidating spa-like visit to Lush to pick up these natural, handmade grooming must-haves:

For the face

Barry recommends the mild Coalface Facial Cleanser ($13.50 for ¼ lb.) that he uses daily. The black-colored bar is actually made with licorice, known for its anti-inflammatory properties, and deep-cleansing charcoal, which Barry calls “an oil-eater.”

Men shouldn’t be afraid of using a year-round facial mask a couple of times a week to deep-cleanse and help post-shave irritation. For winter months, Barry suggests Lush’s extra-hydrating BB Seaweed Fresh Face Mask ($6.95 for a pot), which guys can share with their girlfriends, too.

In addition to its ground almond shells, which scrub away dead skin and even skin tone, “there’s a lot of seaweed in it – actual flakes of seaweed – and that’s really, really moisturizing and nourishing, and tons of aloe, which is wonderful if you’re irritated. It’s a best-seller.”

Continue to mix up the daily routine to winter needs by scrubbing away at dead skin with Lush’s fantastic Ocean Salt Facial and Body Scrub ($19.95 for 4.2 oz./$34.95 for 8.8 oz.), which leaves skin feeling polished, refreshed and surprisingly not dried out. Blackheads be gone.

Before shaving, men (and women) should exfoliate and lift hairs. Lush’s scrub “smells like a margarita,” Barry jokes. It uniquely blends fine and coarse sea salt, vodka, lime and grapefruit to tone and brighten the skin – a perfect remedy for the short daylight hours ahead – and moisturizes with avocado and cocoa butters, seaweed and soothing violet leaf absolutes.

Step up your shaving routine by remembering less is more when it comes to blade count and by switching to Lush’s popular nourishing, natural Dirty Shaving Cream ($12.95 for 100g). Barry calls it a “for-everyone shaving cream,” because it’s made of hydrating oat milk (great for sensitive skin), soothing shea butter, honey and calming lavender and sandalwood.

Once skin is clean, the Lush philosophy is to apply a toner before moisturizing.

“It’s that last-minute way to open up your pores and get your skin nice and dewy and wet, making it much easier to work with.”

Lush carries a variety of toners, but oily-skinned and acne-prone men should liberally spritz Tea Tree Water Facial Toner ($8.95 for 100 ml/ $19.95 for 250 ml). The tea tree refreshes skin and attacks breakouts, while its grapefruit and juniper juices act as enzymatic aides.

“That’s going to break away the oil as opposed to something like alcohol, which is a little too harsh for human skin.”

Follow with the moisturizer that’s right for you, but Barry recommends that in winter men use Skin’s Shangri-La Moisturizer ($49.95).

“It’s our richest moisturizer and it’s beautiful for mature skin. It’s great for sensitive skin as well. …I always switch to this come wintertime.”

After shaving all men could use an aloe lift to prevent irritation. You might try the ultra-soothing Cosmetic Lad Moisturizer ($22.95) with softening shea and cocoa butters, healing aloe vera and calming lavender honey water, chamomile, wheatgrass and cold-pressed virgin almond oil, topped with a light scent of tangerine and sandalwood.

Or as Barry says, “Eat your vegetables and wear them, too.”

For the pits

“Men tend to sweat a little more,” Barry acknowledges. But Lush doesn’t want that to stop. “We as humans want to sweat. It’s natural. That’s our body’s way of releasing toxins from our body.”

The company doesn’t believe in now-considered controversial antiperspirant deodorants but instead retails fabulous guys’ and girls’ deodorant options (in the true sense of the word “deodorant”).

T’eo Deodorant ($7.95) is a package-free, preservative-free bar that blends odor-killing lemongrass and tea tree oil, detoxifying juniper oil and fresh grape juice, which acts as an astringent.

Try The Guv’ner Deodorant ($9.95 for 1.4 oz.). It’s a dark green charcoal-based powder, so please apply before dressing. But this bizarre-looking stuff really works at absorbing oil.

“You’re smelling charcoal, sage, lavender, rose and vetiver. We’re all about healing with herbs,” Barry says. “These are probably the two most popular deodorants for men because they’re heavy-duty yet sensitive.”

All of Lush’s unisex-friendly fragrances come in a variety of concentrations based on packaging. But men on-the-go might like throwing Dirty Solid Perfume ($9.95) in their pocket and layering throughout the day.

“You’re smelling spearmint, tarragon, thyme, and it’s really minty and guys love that….It’s just really fresh.”

For the hair

Some men love Lush’s purple-colored Daddy-O Shampoo ($9.95 for 3.3 oz./ $19.95 for 8.4 oz./ $29.95 for 16.9 oz.), which blends lemon and lime juices, organic coconut oil, nutritious seaweed and lovely violet, bergamot and rose scents. (Apparently some use Daddy-O as shower gel, too.)

“Daddy-O was invented by Mark Constantine, Lush’s co-founder, because he was graying and wanted to gray a little bit more gracefully… Daddy-O is really great for bringing out your blond, bringing down brassiness and brightening it up and that’s what the lemon does for you.”

Finish your fresh-faced, well-groomed bathroom routine with Big Tease Hair Gel ($18.95), a light styling cream that smells like energizing, shine-inducing jojoba, lemon and mandarin oils and orange flower absolute topped with peppermint that literally stimulates and volumizes hair follicles.

Dirty Hair Styling Cream ($14.95) is for the man who likes more of a pomade texture in his hair. Barry uses this and says it’s “really heavy, moisturizing, heavy-duty and my hair feels very, very soft.”

Visit Lush at The Westchester, because, as Barry says, “Everyone’s skin is so, so different. But all of these products can help to banish winter skin and hair damage and keep you smelling and feeling fresh.”

For more, visit lush.com.

 

Written By
More from Zoe Zellers
TRUMPING WITH STYLE
Photographs by Yossi Michaeli Ivanka Trump is one of a breed of...
Read More
Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *