Here are five simple ideas for looking great
We spend hours primping, plucking, coloring and slathering … and yet guys somehow seem to age more gracefully than we do. How is that even fair?! It turns out that guys have been keeping a few beauty secrets of their own. Guys being guys, they may not even recognize that some of the things they do every day are helping to slow the aging process.
Here are five anti-aging pointers we can borrow from the guys right away:
1. Make hats part of our signature outdoor style. Most of us only wear a hat on bad hair days. Who knew that hats are anti-aging devices? Choosing hats with wide brims will help protect our faces and scalps from wrinkle-causing sun damage.
2. Eat more (smart) fats. Guys don’t shy away from a good steak. While our bodies need fats to work properly, we can refine this anti-aging strategy. It turns out that certain fats contain nutrients that help fight skin damage from the inside out. Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant which reduces or delays skin cell damage. No other vegetable oil has as much skin-protecting vitamin E as non-GMO Malaysian sustainable palm oil, www.PalmOilHealth.org. Malaysian palm oil is also naturally trans-fat free. Look for it in specialty food markets.
3. Go bare faced. Guys may look better as they age in part because of their simpler grooming habits. Makeup can be aging because it emphasizes tiny lines and wrinkles. If au naturel is too scary, try using just mascara, tinted moisturizer and lip color.
4. Exfoliate frequently. When guys shave, they slough off dead skin cells. This helps prevent clogged pores. The result is fresher, clean-looking skin. We can get similar benefits by using a gentle, exfoliating cleanser.
5. Take action on thinning hair. Guys tend to obsess about their hairlines, and most aren’t afraid to use thickening hair products. Thinning hair is common as women age as well. In addition to specialty shampoos and treatments, consult with your stylist on a cut that will help camouflage the changes.
Aging well depends on a lot of factors, from our genes and diets to our lifestyles. It’s totally ok to take a few pages from the guys’ grooming book to embellish what you’re already doing to take better care of yourself.