The good old Larry vs Barry saga. These two mates never can seem to get on the same page unless it’s a Friday arvo and the sinking of a few pints at the pub with a good footy match on in the background. Larry ( redness) and Barry ( dryness) are very common traits that a lot of males possess. There is so much misconception on what to do to help treat Larry and Barry issues and how we can get them on the same page.
When treating redness and dryness we need to understand the main cause from the start. This is usually due to the environment, or an underlying skin and hair condition ,that we haven treated from the start. If we have used a dodgy blade , or we are using products that are high in stripping chemicals this will contribute a lot to Barry and Larry’s situation. If we sleep on a cotton pillow case and love to smoother our face :, or we play with our face a lot due to nervousness , anxiety or habit this is feeding Larry and Barry with a few shit pints instead of some good quality beers. Once we come to an understanding of everyday habits we can start to change a few of these habits without buying every product under the sun.
- Dodgy blade > invest in a good quality electric razor. When shaving, use a high fatty oil base slip. This will create a barrier between your skin and the blade. When using an oil base slip for the skin it will hydrate and protect the skin’s first layer and also nourish the skin. This will also help in not causing shaving rash , cuts and grazes. Oil is a great barrier and NO it will not make you breakout that is a MYTH!!. Best oils are Jojoba , Coconut , Vitamin E or Rosehip. They are lightweight, gentle and absorb into the skin without making it feel clogged.
- Chemical products including SPF : Certain chemical products and chemical SPFs can irate the skin. You should always search for an SPF that is a physical base to wear everyday or organic based. As they will not penetrate the skin cells and cause mutation. Chemical SPF should only be worn if you work outside or are having a beach day. If you do work outside everyday then look for a chemical SPF that has an organic base and contains anti ageing ingredients eg, Vitamin E, Lactic acid , Natural zinc.
- Cotton pillow case: If you didn’t already know, a cotton pillow case holds more bacteria than a toilet seat. Yep, Barry and Larry’s tradie toilet seat is cleaner than the pillow you sleep on every night and are putting your precious sexy face on. Cotton fibres are also very irritating to the skin and beard as they love to rub up against your face and not in a nice way just like when a old Shelia tries to have a few rubs of ya in front of your missus or the boys in the pub after she’s had too many cheap white wines and she aint on your level. It becomes annoying and frustrating and this is exactly how your beard and skin feels. So just like anything we start getting a short temper before we have a few words with old sheila. Just the same way your skin responds in playing up and causing us a few issues. A cotton pillow case holds onto bacteria and keeps feeding the skin back the dirty bacteria every time we sleep. This is why we should be sleeping on a silk or satin pillowcase as its temp regulating, clean and is great for all different skin conditions it is also anti ageing and softer on the skin.
- Touching our face: We all love to cop a good feeling now and then but when it’s our face, that should be the only ‘no go zone!’. If you think about where your hands have been throughout the day, the amount of surfaces , food , random public things you have touched as well as people and then we are touching our face that has open hair follicles as well as pores, all of which love dirt and grime, then we are just feeding our skin bacteria , grime and dirt which causes more skin conditions and irritation.
You’re probably thinking how do we treat Larry and Barry and give them the good Friday arvo pints they deserve? We need to change a few of these lifestyle habits and we can also introduce a few skincare products to help.
