Shaving - doesn’t have to be a pain in the neck!

Does the idea of shaving every morning make your neck turn red with irritation? Do you finish your shave with nicks, cuts and bumps? Do you chafe your sweeties face when you give her a smooch?

A really great shave has 3 important components: your hardware, your software and lots of moisture.

Let’s start with your shaving hardware; choices are the girly disposable razors, cartridge razors and the classic double-edge razor. There’s also the straight razor, and we do live in the west but, nah!

Shaving aficionados love the superior double-edge razor blade for a much closer shave. Used in combination with a quality badger shaving brush and cream, you have all the necessary ingredients for a Wet Shave. However, if you decide to use a multi-blade cartridge razor please remember to change your cartridge frequently. A dull razor is definitely the culprit for razor burn. And don’t use your girlfriends or wife’s disposable razors for anything. Period.

Ideally, if you can, shave in the shower. Beard stubble will soften the longer you’re in that wet steamy environment.

Start with a really good shaving gel, cream or moisturizer. Stay away from alcohol based products which will not only make your face sting, but also dry your skin. Massage the cream or gel into your skin to soften stubble and help create a protective barrier that allows your razor to glide easily across your skin.

Shave downward with the grain or in the direction that your hair grows, using slow careful strokes. This usually means down your cheeks and face and up your neck. Going with the grain helps prevent razor rash. Rinse your blade often.

Many men suffer from shave bumps and ingrown hairs, which happen when particularly tough stubble is cut and grows back underneath the skin. Regular use of a face scrub with Jojoba beads helps remove dead skin cells while helping to free in ingrown hair.

And if you have really tough stubble you may have to shave twice; once in the direction of your growth, rinse, cream up again and then shave against the grain.

Once you’ve finished shaving, rinse and then pat your face with a clean towel. Finish with a moisturizer with UV protection all over your face and neck to keep your face moist and supple.

Store your blade to air dry. Leaving your blade in water will dull the blade and possibly breed bacteria.

So, go ahead have a great shave and give your sweetie a kiss!

My male clients LOVE to use Scosh Matte Hydrate Moisturizer as a shave cream;http://www.scoshskincare.com/s_moisturizers.php

No Oompa Loompa’s here!

Fortunately, the orange, oompa loompa self-tanning products from the 80’s and 90’s are becoming a distant memory. The newest self-tanning formulas available are elegant and produce great results with the right application.

Follow my tips for a beautiful self-tanning experience:

• Exfoliate the areas of your face or body you plan to tan. Avoid streaking by paying extra attention to elbows, knees and ankles.
• Dry off completely and get out of that steamy bathroom, to reduce streaking.
• Apply self-tanner evenly. A tinted product will help you see where you’re applying.
• Mist-on self-tanners in a spray can are great for hard to reach areas like your back, but I’d suggest a trial run before any special event to get your application method down first.
• Blend, blend, blend around your hairline and on your elbows, knees and ankles.
• After application, wash your hands well; scrub your cuticles and fingernails. Brown fingernails are not your goal!
• Take a dry cotton swab and lightly go over the outline of your brows to blend.
• Wait a full 20 minutes before dressing. Even then, avoid wearing white.
• Your color should develop in 2 or 3 hours.
• Don’t wash your face or shower for at least 3 hours.
• For a deeper tan, try another application within 24 hours, but this time skip exfoliation.
• Avoid using any skincare and body care products containing chemical or physical exfoliants after self-tanning, as the exfoliation will strip the color from your skin.

If you follow these tips, you should have a beautiful self-tan. Tanning in the sun or in a tanning bed is not only dangerous, but an open invitation to age spots, wrinkles and skin cancer. The Only Safe Tan Is A Fake Tan!

Just remember that a tan, chemical or physical, DOES NOT offer protection from the sun. Use an SPF 15 or SPF 30 with UVA/UVB protection every single day, rain or shine. Last but not least, remember you are beautiful just as you are, tanning is optional.

How Vitamin C Works

I LOVE Vitamin C!

Vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid) is one of the relatively few topical agents whose effectiveness against wrinkles and fine lines is backed by reliable scientific evidence. Ascorbic Acid has been proven to be photo-protective; a formidable defense against solar-induced free radicals. It plays a potent role in diminishing the effects of free radical damage and is quite effective as a protectant from ultra violet light damage. (Remember last month - ALL rays do damage!)

Vitamin C as an Antioxidant: ultraviolet radiation can generate oxygen free radicals that cause aging of the skin. Vitamin C can act as a first defense, against some of these radicals.

Vitamin C and Collagen: collagen is a key component of most tissues. Vitamin C works as an essential factor for the normal formation, maintenance and structural stability of collagen.

Topical Vitamin C has shown to protect the skin from UV damage caused by prolonged sun exposure by reducing the amount of free radical formation and/or sunburn cells. As a result Vitamin C plays an essential part in slowing down photoageing.

So, cleanse daily with your Vibran-C Cleanser, followed by C Serum 20%, and your Vibran-C Day Lotion spf 15. And don’t forget to use your Vibran C Mask and Peel frequently. And take advantage of the 25% discount on ALL Vibran C products June 8 - June 19th, 2010, knowing that you are doing some good as well as feeling good!

You can find all the above Scosh goodies at, http://www.scoshskincare.com/.