What’s the first thought you have when you hear about self-care? Do you think of a woman taking care of her nails with a luxurious manicure? Or, a balcony where she sits and sips chamomile tea while reading her favorite book at twilight? Well, the reason self-care is associated with women more than men is because men think they don’t need to pamper themselves as much as women do. The truth is, however, everyone needs self-care to recharge, rejuvenate and feel good from within.
A self-care routine is an effort that lets you lift your soul and body at the same time. Most men have a hectic daily routine and this often leads to stress and anxiety if they don’t indulge in a self-care routine. As opposed to popular belief, self-care is not time-consuming. For men who are about to start their self-care regime, go for the skin. Take care of your skin and build the habit before diving into a self-care routine for your mind and soul.
In this article, let’s explore men’s self-care ideas to help you care for your skin from head to toe.
What Is Self Care?
Doing anything that makes you feel happy and enhances your physical and mental health is self-care. It need not be long hours at a spa or a full body skin care routine. A gentle hot-oil hair massage all by yourself followed by your meal, that is self-care too!
If compared to women, most men spend less time taking care of their skin. Their self-grooming kit, most of the time, consists of shaving equipment, a cleanser, an all-purpose lotion and a comb. Men usually don’t have much idea about how to take care of their skin. Even if they know they misunderstand self-care routines to be time-consuming. The truth is that not all self-care processes take time.
Let’s take a look at some of the easy-to-follow self-care routines for men’s skin.
Take a shower
Relax every muscle from your head to toe with a shower which need not be a long one. Stand under the wall shower on days you don’t have much time. Use a body cleanser with a good aroma to feel rejuvenated. Try to get your hands on a multipurpose cleanser that will clean your skin as well as condition it.
Body Scrubbing
On days when you can afford to spend a total of 60 minutes taking care of your skin, do a gentle body scrubbing. Exfoliate your skin and let your skin breathe while you relax in the shower. For this, you can choose any soap or cleanser that contains natural scrubbing ingredients like coffee or oats.
Self-care Ideas For Softer Facial Skin
The razor blades on the skin make it hard and rough. If you are one of those who like a clean-shaven look, then use cooling and hydrating cream after shaving. The best ones to get are those with aloe vera and menthol. While aloe vera helps to soften the skin after shaving, menthol gives you a cool sensation. Just by adding two minutes after shaving, you can add this easy skin-care process to your daily self-care regime.
Moisturize your skin head to toe
Just like your facial skin needs hydration after shaving, so does your body skin after cleansing and scrubbing. Once again, moisturizing your body will take you not more than ten minutes on a busy day. Use a hydrating moisturizer and massage it gently on your skin. You can give a little more attention to tougher areas like elbows and knees on days that you have some time.
Take Care Of Your Eyes
No, we aren’t telling you to limit your screen time when we talk about taking care of your eyes. The skin around your eyes is softer and more delicate than the rest of your skin. Applying an eye gel once or twice a week can do wonders in keeping the skin hydrated and younger-looking. Even if you don’t have under-eye gel or cream, you can use used tea bags. This reduces the puffiness around the eyes to quite an extent.
Protect Your Lips With A Hydrating Balm
Use a hydrating lip balm to keep the skin on your lips smooth looking. Any balm with shea butter is good for lips. Once in a while, you can gently scrub your lips with coarse coffee beans or sugar granules mixed with lemon juice. This will help you remove dry and dead skin cells while exposing soft, new lip skin.
Crowning Glory Hair Care
Depending on the type of scalp you have, oil your hair once or twice a week.
If you have dry, flaky scalp, go for twice a week oil massages. For oily scalp, once a week is good enough. Pour a small amount of oil into your palm or in a bowl and use cotton balls to apply that to the roots of the hair. Once done, use your fingers to gently massage the scalp. Use circular motions and continue doing this for two minutes. If you can, keep the oil in your hair for at least two hours before using a mild shampoo to remove it. Feel the difference in not more than a month. Your hair strands will start looking thicker. Thanks to the oil massage.
Other than the above-mentioned men’s self care ideas, one of the most relaxing ways to care for yourself is to dip your feet in lukewarm water. It's easy and doesn't cost a thing!
