Grooming/Health routines?

[MercyWalk]

What are your own personal grooming/health routines?

I hope I don't end up sounding like Patrick Bateman but here's mine

• Shower and brush my teeth in the morning followed by moisturizing
• Work out for 1 1/2 hours in the evening, after that I run my dog for around 40 minutes
• Shower after I eat dinner or workout, depending on which came second
• Brush my teeth then floss, after that I cleanse and exfoliate my skin, after 10 minutes I apply my moisturizer and proceed to bed

I don't believe shampooing and conditioning my hair is necessary every day, however when I do I prefer to use the American Crew 3-in-1 shampoo which also acts as a body wash and conditioner, but the rest of the days I stick to Dr. Bronner's Eucalyptus Organic Liquid Soap to wash my body. As for my cleanser I use Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Foaming and my exfoliator is Olay Regenerist Night Resurfacing Elixir, but it does leave my skin feeling a little tighter than I would prefer, does anybody have some recommendations? I also find my moisturizer, Cetaphil Cream is a little on the greasy side to my distaste.

When I do decide to style my hair I either use Uppercut Deluxe Pomade or the matte grey Gatsby, the amount used varies depending on the formal situation. For cologne, I have been using Yves Saint Laurent's Body Kouros, I've had my eye (or nose) on Creed's Tabarome but I will wait till I run out of my current one for now.

Edited April 25, 2014 by Alb

[Fruity Insanity]

And thus the West kept its title of "King of All Water-Wasters."

The average American spends more than 100 times more water than the average African.

Edited April 25, 2014 by Fruity Insanity

[MercyWalk]

And thus the West kept its title of "King of All Water-Wasters."

The average American spends more than 100 times more water than the average African.

Well yes, I have the accessibility of clean water and various other things to improve my life. Unfortunately if I choose to use less water it is not going to help those in Africa or even South America to have access to clean water, but that topic is for another thread.

[Rehab]

Oh man, I've actually been putting off making basically this exact topic for a while, I've wanted to ask other people about the hygiene stuff they do and why, particularly, because I never got that much more than "shower (shampoo/conditioner/wash) once a day and brush your teeth," but have had odious body (and facial) acne forever*. I also only recently realized that the "grime" I can sometimes scrape off after showers is probably what exfoliation was made for, so. I'm pretty basic over here

*still need to really follow the advice I got from the thread Paulina made some months ago x(

I've been using Suave Naturals body wash, shampoo and conditioner every day, and some Neutrogena facial wash for acne and redness, and it's basically all just inherited habit as opposed to something I'm really being a conscious consumer about. I guess I'd appreciate it if anybody could tell me that I'm going to make my hair fall out from that or something?

I have heard once that Americans tend to shower more often than Europeans, though. Not actually sure which group of Europeans this was referring to, but I heard it's not as normal for Europeans to bath/shower once a day as for Americans, in aggregate. Not to ask anybody to prove anything or whatever, but would that happen to be something anybody already knows shit about, off the top of their heads? (sharing personal habits would also appreciated)

I've also vaguely wanted to get into a shape that would be good for swimming and/or yoga, since I feel like I've heard more about them being extra-good for the body long-term than any other sports (not to knock any others, of course, would love to hear about benefits of whatever), but I don't even know what to start asking about there.

Edited April 26, 2014 by Rehab

[MercyWalk]

Both are definitely good for long term, it really depends on your goals though. Yoga improves your breathing TECHNIQUE and flexibility, as well as posture problems but strength/endurance/cardio wise, not really.

Swimming has less of an impact on your bones than say, running, so your joints will most likely not cripple over time, it's why older people/pregnant women are often encouraged to go jogging (slowly), but swimming is also widely encouraged. Running is generally the most accepted form of improving your cardiovascular improvement, whereas swimming is sort of that all in one package. It's pretty much in-the-water body weight exercise (don't quote me on this as there are some differences) akin to pushups/planks/pullups where you will burn calories and strengthen your muscles, but you won't necessarily gain much when you hit a certain point, whereas weightlifting will greatly improve yourself strength wise.

If you're still young there is no harm in trying different sports until you get an injury or your body simply cannot handle the intensity any more, many martial arts teachers are still able to perform well in their sixties, it's just that their bodies simply cannot handle the impact of competing.

I will always encourage weight lifting, it makes you look better, it strengthens both muscles and bones and mentally it is rewarding through confidence and having a sense of accomplishment, I was going nuts in the beginning when I started seeing rapid improvement every week! It can also be worked to different goals, whether it be gaining mass, improving cardio or losing weight.

Edited April 26, 2014 by Alb

[Rehab]

Ah, it's nice to hear that martial arts can indeed be performed into old age, I miss TKD a bit though I never really competed. I'm actually fine with the strength bit/being a stick, or at least slight for my height, for the most part. Though it'd be nice to be able to do a pull-up. And I have heard some of the side benefits of things like weight-lifting been made to sound pretty nice. Thanks much!

Oh yeah, I've been wondering about going to an esthetician if I ever have the spare cash, after stumbling on this. Dunno how to deal with acne scars, or what kind of skin I have/how specifically to take care of it. Also been wondering about roughly the same thing with hair type. If that's a thing the way I think I heard it is.

Edited April 26, 2014 by Rehab

[MercyWalk]

Pullups are easy to train yourself to do and don't take much time, what I did when I couldn't do any were "negative pullups". Basically all you do is get into a pullup position, jump start yourself to the highest point, rather than pulling up, then you slowly lower yourself down. I started doing 3 sets of 8 reps for 3 days a week, slowly I could get proper pullups and the more I did, the less negative pullups I had to do, it took me around a month before doing 3 sets of 8 reps of proper pullups.

To be honest I've never been to an esthetician, after my acne cleared up my dermatologist recommended me to get some laser surgery done on my scars but I decided not to as I don't see my scars as too much of a problem and the financial burden wasn't necessary. I've heard that exfoliation helps the process of healing the scars but for me, I don't know if it's just because of time or the exofliating, they have definitely faded, though still visible.

Determining what skin type you have is pretty easy, say after you wake up/after a shower or in the middle of the day (without any rigorous exercise), touch your face, if you feel some sort of residue that's not sweat on your fingers, then it will most likely be oily. Dry skin is just as self explanatory, if you see flaky skin or if your skin is feeling rough, then it's dry. I'm not too sure what sensitive skin is but I'd say mine is as it is easily irritated, from allergies to certain products they leave a burning but more often, itching feeling.

[Zanarkin]

It all depend on the time of the year.

Am I in during school times?

Shower most of the week (weekends may or may not happen depends whether I go out or not). This excludes days where i spend weeknights elsewhere due to work or get togethers.

-For shampoo I use nizoral once a week for dandruff, and normal shampoo on other days. I wash my hair everytime i shower, if i don't i get too much dandruff and takes a while to control again.

Shave once a week (generally sundays) my hair growth isn't fast and it gets noticeably patchy by 1 week's time so meh.

Not in school?

I don't shower as often, generally once every 2 days or so.

Also shaving is not as necessary. I don't go out (in general I'm a hermit when i'm on break) so there is no necessity for me to groom myself.

In general after i shower i use some moisturizer for my face. It gets very dry, itchy and irritated (as in it hurts when i touch it) if i don't so i always do it after i shower.

Also, as for my hair I don't brush it or do anything else to it after showering. I get a buzz cut once every 3-4 months.

[Viviphy]

*still need to really follow the advice I got from the thread Paulina made some months ago x(

I'd be interested in reading that thread if you could direct me. I am nearly 22 and still can't get rid of my acne. It's not nearly as persistent or bothersome as it was when I was in my teens but it is still present and just as much a confidence killer.

As for my grooming in response to the thread, well it's pretty standard:

I shower every day in the morning in which I use a gentle body wash with no heavy scents or harmful chemicals, and use a variety of shampoos but more often than not Head & Shoulders classic (my hair is too oily and gets greasy quickly so I have to shampoo every day [i tried too train my hair to be able to look nice while shampoo'd every second day and I felt disgusting on the off days]) and then brush my teeth afterward.

When my hair is short, especially when freshly cut, I like to take my bang back to the side with a bit of non-shiny palm-based wax to look a little bit older and usually more attractive. I have very fine blond hair and it doesn't hold its shape well with product, so this can sometimes be challenging for me, but if I don't have to sustain wind/rain it's usually alright.

I can't grow a good looking beard so I like to keep cleanly shaved, usually having to shave every second or third day before my scruff starts to look a bit undesirable. I like to either use Gillette Fusion manual razors with a shave cream for sensitive skin, or my Braun electric razor and do touch ups with my manual razor. I have a couple aftershaves, one is a musky liquid while the other is a scent free balm.

I brush my teeth at least twice a day, in the morning and before bed always, while usually a third time after supper in the mid-day. I like to floss at least once a week but I don't always follow up with flossing.

Before sleep I always like to rinse my face with lukewarm water and use a gentle cleanser. During winter I follow this up with a moisturizer so my skin can be less irritated by the dryness.

That's the regular hygiene routine; I have tried several acne treatment products in the past and none have been worth the money spent on them so I have given up trying with them. My acne seems to be very strongly related to my stress levels and so I just try to relieve my stress the best I can. I can only hope it goes away on its own soon.

As for exercise, I have given up my routine the past year as college + work + general living just takes up too much of my time and energy. I don't have much time for leisure, but when I do I would much rather sit down and play a game or do something such as a discussion like this. During summer, however, I tend to go to the gym ~3 times a week and I skateboard every day that I can. I am underweight, being 115 lbs at 5'9, I have a very active metabolism and even when I am eating above normal amounts of calories I don't gain much weight. Building muscle is also difficult for me. But, just because I am skinny doesn't mean I'm in shape; my fitness has definitely diminished over the past couple years.

Edited April 26, 2014 by Viviphy

[MercyWalk]

Oh I forgot to mention shaving as you guys have, my asian genetics have allowed me to grow a full mustache (thanks dad!) but anything on the jaw is very thin and really not something to look at, I use a generic bic razor every day as it does tend to grow pretty fast, for my aftershave I just use Gillette Series Aftershave Sensitive Skin Balm.

Although I previously mentioned my acne has cleared up, it hasn't necessarily disappeared, they usually disappear within 1 or 2 days now however, so I try not to let them bother me, my brother is 27 and still gets regular, albeit small pimples so I can only assume it's a genetic thing as he is very clean himself.

Viviphy during the summer period, do you constantly eat food throughout the day or do you tend to stuff yourself during the 3 main meals? I found that when I first started I had the same problem, but if I paced my eating I certainly had enough calories and nutrients to get up to the weight I wanted. I was 132lb and within a year I was up to 154lb. Also do you follow a routine made for beginners to gain weight/muscle? Compound lifts such as Deadlifts, Military Press, Squats, Bench Press and Power Cleans are essential in building muscle and thus putting on weight. If you are determined to get yourself together there is a very popular, if not the most popular, routine called "Starting Strength" which uses all the lifts I mentioned and suitable enough for you, fits into 3 days a week.

[Rehab]

Yer, I feel kinda bone-headed not giving the link before. (Presuming, of course, that Paulina wouldn't mind? was kinda sad/surprised to see it locked so early <: )

Oh yeah, do you guys have a stance on how much unprotected sun exposure to get? Back and forth from hearsay and professionals (and Paulina's thread), I've so far heard all of the following:

-it's bad for the skin, period, like makes skin cancer more likely and can worsen acne

-"no it's actually good for acne, or mine at least"

-(RE that last one) "no you probably just had a better day then and were under less stress, it's not bad enough to cancel out having a good day but that doesn't mean it's good"

-etc

-30 minutes a day unprotected has been found by [study I can't immeidately recall] to be good, something something vitamin D without harmful effects

-unless your skin type is sensitive, or. something

-etc.

[Zanarkin]

I love standing/sitting/being under sunlight from time to time. Love to sit next to windows receiving the sunlight. I have heard that its good for Vitamin D and maybe thats why i sit out in the sun for sometimes longer than 30 minutes. Canadian winters are long and a good day of sunlight is rare where i live. Perhaps my body thinks "oh god yes vitamin D get thee off the shade". I have heard that sunlight is bad for your skin as it causes cancer and what not, but sometimes its just so irresistible to sit on the table being hit with all the sun. I'm always without sunscreen too so...

As for acne, i think a lot of it is just age. I used to have my face, back, and chest full of acne but it has dwindled significantly to the point where i barely get an and most of the time it seems to be during exam season.

Edited April 26, 2014 by SlayerX

[Rehab]

And I have a boat on my back. (and am able to acquire liquor.) :{

Edited April 26, 2014 by Rehab

[eclipse]

Bad acne - see a dermatologist

Occasional acne - I use a facial moisturizer to keep it at bay

The rest of my routine consists of a daily shower (hair gets washed, too) and brushing my teeth 2x a day. I use baby soap, because it's relatively cheap and doesn't cause me to break out in a rash, and my shampoo is mostly to keep my hair under control. I don't really have a workout routine, as I'm sick at least once a week (which sucks, because then I can't go out of my house). Dunno why it's been so prevalent as of late, but I wish it would go away.

[MercyWalk]

Back and forth UNPROTECTED sun exposure? I actually would have no idea but having sunscreen on doesn't necessarily block the sun from giving you vitamin D does it? I highly doubt simple (unprotected) sun exposure affects your acne in any way, but that's just my own not thought out theory.

[peener weener]

holy shit i take awful care of myself

whatever still #young

Edited April 27, 2014 by fuccboi

[Ϲharlie]

Back and forth UNPROTECTED sun exposure? I actually would have no idea but having sunscreen on doesn't necessarily block the sun from giving you vitamin D does it? I highly doubt simple (unprotected) sun exposure affects your acne in any way, but that's just my own not thought out theory.

The sun doesn't "give" vitamin D. It causes a chemical reaction in the skin which synthesizes vitamin D. And yes, sunscreen does seem to reduce the amount of vitamin D produced, but the impact doesn't appear to be very significant from what I have read.

[MercyWalk]

The sun doesn't "give" vitamin D. It causes a chemical reaction in the skin which synthesizes vitamin D. And yes, sunscreen does seem to reduce the amount of vitamin D produced, but the impact doesn't appear to be very significant from what I have read.

Ah okay, thanks for clarifying.

[Agro]

In the morning I shower very quickly just to wash and condition my hair (so I can style it properly) and quickly give any stinky bits a wash down (armpits etc.). I don't wash my face because the warm water is usually enough--washing it dries it out and if I use moisturiser it's far too oily. I'll usually brush my teeth while I'm in the shower as well as shave all over if I have the time. There's not much of it to shave but too much to leave unshaved, heh. I've recently discovered that lathered QV body wash works ten times better than any shaving foam I've ever used, although to be honest I've never spent much money on skincare so I wouldn't know about the better stuff.

In the evening, I'll go running about 1-2 hours after dinner for around an hour (including some pull-ups/crunches/pushups) if I'm on campus or if I'm at my family home I'll use the rowing machine for 30 minutes and run for 20. I generally like running in the evening because it's cooler and there are less people around to see me get sweaty and gross. I'm a bad sweater despite being quite fit

After the run I'll shower again and exfoliate with a brush and generic body wash, use a face wash, and then moisturise afterwards. I have to use a steroid cream to keep mild eczema under control--it's usually not very bad but flares up every few days or so and if I don't use it it gets bad pretty quickly. Before I sleep, I'll floss and brush my teeth, as one does.

I've got a question for those that are into this sort of thing: is it worth investing money into skincare products if I suffer from a really oily face towards the end of the day? I usually find I can alleviate it by just washing my face with some warm water but it would be nice to not have to do this at all. I know some people spend craploads of money on that "organic" stuff but I wonder if it really works (and if the price can be justified). I've personally always had a good complexion anyway but help but wonder if there's more I should be doing. As a gay man I have to keep my youthful good looks, it's basically required of me

[eclipse]

I've got a question for those that are into this sort of thing: is it worth investing money into skincare products if I suffer from a really oily face towards the end of the day? I usually find I can alleviate it by just washing my face with some warm water but it would be nice to not have to do this at all. I know some people spend craploads of money on that "organic" stuff but I wonder if it really works (and if the price can be justified). I've personally always had a good complexion anyway but help but wonder if there's more I should be doing. As a gay man I have to keep my youthful good looks, it's basically required of me

If in doubt, see a dermatologist. I'd suggest going for a nice facial moisturizer aimed at oily skin - just 'cause your skin has a lot of oil doesn't mean it's being taken care of~! I use an oil-free moisturizer, and so far, so good!

[Azura]

I take a quick shower each morning, and shampoo my hair every other day. My male-up routine consists of translucent powder, some foundation for my nose and dark circles and then a fuckload of mascara. My hair doesn't take a lot of attention- I usually just comb it though and occasionally put in a ponytail.

I don't get a lot of exercise, but I bike from and to school, and do crossfit Tuesday mornings. I usually also go for a swim in the weekends

In the evening I use the cheapest facial cleanser from the drugstore. I exfoliate my face with ordinary sugar once a week or so.

[Wist]

I am a clean freak. I have never seen a kitchen cleaner than mine. I have never seen a bathroom cleaner than mine. Most peoples' living situations gross me out. 8[ But I think most people wash themselves too much. I know no one's going to believe me, anyone who showers daily in particularly will probably think I'm gross, but I fixed my acne problems by not using products and showering less frequently.

I stopped using shampoo and conditioner nearly ten years ago. Some other people online have picked up on this, they switch to baking soda as shampoo and diluted apple cider vinegar as conditioner because they're cheaper and accomplish the same thing. But I went straight to using just water (and a comb, I always use a comb in the shower). After a couple weeks of gross, matted hair, it started to clean up very nicely.

The idea is that shampoo strips your hair of oils, which makes your head produce more oils in turn making you reliant on shampoo. Also, those oils can incite acne (hypothetically). Once I stopped using shampoo my body acclimatized to not needing to produce extra oils to make up for what the shampoo would take out, and now my hair doesn't get greasy. It's also much shinier and sexier, and I don't get acne on my forehead because my luxurious bangs don't wash my face with oil. I rinse my hair with baking soda once or twice a month, but I don't think I really need to.

The next step was showering only when I needed to. One of the many conventional prescriptions for reducing acne is to wash one's face and apply creams. But I wondered if both of these did the same to my skin as shampoo used to do to my hair: dry it out and force it to overproduce oils. So I started washing my face only once a week and I stopped using skin products until my acne cleared up. Which it did. Now I shower about every other day in summer and once every three to six days in winter (if I don't exercise). I still get acne by my nose occasionally, but it's about fifty times better than it used to be.

So yeah, my routine each morning is shaving and brushing my teeth. At night it's brushing my teeth. I shower with water, but only when taking a shower isn't a superfluous waste of water.

A note on estheticians: My sister used to be an esthetician (and remains licensed). Their training involves learning what products hypothetically do what to the skin under different conditions, but half their job is sales oriented and there's minimal science in their education. Estheticians' recommendations are partially informed by what companies recommend their products are supposedly good for, which never makes for particularly objective advice. I don't want to dis the profession, but I personally don't wouldn't put much stock in an esthetician's word. Then again, to put my biases into context, I think trusting a salesperson for information on what they're selling is lunacy, and I oppose privatized medicine.

[Junkhead]

What are your own personal grooming/health routines?

I hope I don't end up sounding like Patrick Bateman but here's mine

• Brush my teeth then floss, after that I cleanse and exfoliate my skin, after 10 minutes I apply my moisturizer and proceed to bed

As for my cleanser I use Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Foaming and my exfoliator is Olay Regenerist Night Resurfacing Elixir, but it does leave my skin feeling a little tighter than I would prefer, does anybody have some recommendations? I also find my moisturizer, Cetaphil Cream is a little on the greasy side to my distaste.

I'm really ignorant when it comes to skin care...and I would really like to 'fix' my skin. I think my face is attractive, but my bad skin is in the way. I have a few zit marks here and there, mostly...

Would you give me a small lecture on what basics are regarding facial skin care? Like, what is "moisturizer", "exofiliation" and "cleanser" (this is for the face, right?) things for?

Also, I happen to wax my face rather than shave. Do you know if that's bad for the skin? Can't say I've had any trouble with it, so far (around a year doing it). I do it because I like my face looking smooth and without stubble.

Edited May 3, 2014 by Big Boss

[MercyWalk]

I'm really ignorant when it comes to skin care...and I would really like to 'fix' my skin. I think my face is attractive, but my bad skin is in the way. I have a few zit marks here and there, mostly...

Would you give me a small lecture on what basics are regarding facial skin care? Like, what is "moisturizer", "exofiliation" and "cleanser" (this is for the face, right?) things for?

Also, I happen to wax my face rather than shave. Do you know if that's bad for the skin? Can't say I've had any trouble with it, so far (around a year doing it). I do it because I like my face looking smooth and without stubble.

see this thread as someone in the topic linked before for explanations

IDK anything about waxing really

[Junkhead]

Oh, yeah. Totally forgot about that one.

Thanks.