What’s The Best Close Shave?
Brett is bemused… So here’s my problem. I’m a guy and I cannot seem to ever get a close shave. I have tried all the recommendations I have found on the Internet (ie: use a brush, leave the shaving cream on for a long time, shave in the shower, etc) all to no avail. Even after I have just shaved it looks like I have a 5′oclock shadow. My facial hair is really coarse and my skin is quite pale. It bothers me especially above my upper lip when I’ve just shaved and the blade won’t get any of the super-short hairs that are still there. I was wondering a) what is better electric or blade, b) is it really that bad to shave against the grain if you are someone who doesn’t get ingrown hairs, and c) would it be safe/effective to use a nair-type product or a hair-bleaching product to get rid of the last remnants of hair after I shave and d) how often could these products be used (every day? once a week). (Questions C and D are the ones I’d like answered the most).
The Right’s Brain’s razor sharp response:
In answer to C and D: you can use a depilatory to get rid of facial hair, but it’s not without some risks.
Facial hair aware
The fine folks at Nair, for example, make a facial depilatory. They recommend that for coarse or hard to remove hair you saturate hair with lukewarm water for several minutes, pat dry and then apply product. But, they warn, don’t leave the product on for longer than 10 minutes. They also warn against other factors like not using the product at all if your skin is sunburned or iritated. Both likely conditions for a man’s face to experience, especially if you’re shaving. Finally, they tell you not to use the product more than once a week. That’s not great news if you’re trying to get rid of your five o’clock shadow daily, but hey, it still may help.
The Beauty Brains bottom line
Facial depilatories may not be the answer to your problem, but it’s not gonna kill you if you try it. Basically, give it a shot but back off if you get irritation. Follow the products directions as closely as possible to reduce the danger to your skin. You might also want to consider bleaching to lighten the color of facial hair.
For more shaving stuff, we suggest you visit Shaveblog, a site that specializes in how to scrape hair off your face.
A few fitness ideas to reduce osteoporosis
About 10 mil Americans have osteoporosis, and another 34 million have low bone mass, (osteopenia). A disease with no symptoms, osteoporosis affects about 20 percent of men and 80 percent of women. While the bones gradually become weaker, they will probably break due to a minor fall or, if left untreated, even from something as simple as a sneeze. The most frequent fracture sites can be hip, wrist and spine, although any bone in your body might be affected.
A diagnosis of osteopenia or osteoporosis can be scary; leading a number of people to quit exercisse due to fear it will cause fractures. The truth is that those with low bone mass should make sure to exercise regularly. Being active may not merely help alleviate problems with osteoporosis, but slow bone loss once it has already begun.
Before beginning a training program, it is important to consult your doctor for guidelines, as degree of bone loss determines exactly what workout is best. Physicians can assess bone density and fracture risk by scanning the body using a special type of X-ray machine.
As well as exercise, treatment may include dietary modifications and/or estrogen replacement therapy. The more knowledge you get concerning this condition, the more you can do to help prevent its onset.
To create strength and bone mass, both weight-bearing and resistance training workouts are ideal. Weight-bearing workouts are those that require the bones to fully support your weight against gravity. Examples are walking, jogging, stair climbing, dancing or using an elliptical trainer.
Non-weight bearing exercises include biking, swimming, water aerobics and rowing.
Weight-bearing activities which include walking less than 3 times weekly will benefit the bones. Resistance training places mechanical force (stress) on our bodies, that might increases bone density. Start by lifting light weights, moving in a slow and controlled manner, increasing resistance when you become stronger.
It’s always strongly suggested that people with osteoporosis avoid the following forms of activity:
- Step aerobics and high-impact activities such as running, jumping, tennis.
- Activities that involve rounding, bending and twisting on the spine.
- Moving the legs sideways or across the body, particularly when performed against resistance.
- Rowing machines, trampolines.
- Any kind of movement that involves pulling on the head and neck.
Exercise Tips:
- Even if you don’t have osteoporosis, you should check with your health care provider before you begin a fitness program.
- Make sure to warm up before starting and cool down at the conclusion of each exercise session.
- To get the best benefit to your bone health, combine several different weight-bearing exercises.
- As you build strength, increase resistance, or weights, rather than repetitions.
- Make sure to drink a lot of water whenever exercising.
- Vary the types of exercise that you do each week.
- Combine weight bearing and resistance exercise with aerobic exercises to help you improve your general health.
- Bring your friend along to assist you keep going or in addition to this, bring your family and encourage them to be healthy.
Add more work out to your day; take the stairs vs. the elevator, park further way, and walk to your co-worker’s office as an alternative to emailing.
Put LIVE into action!
L – Load or weight-bearing exercises make a difference for your bones
I – Intensity builds stronger bones.
V – Vary the kinds of exercise and your routine to keep interested.
E – Enjoy your exercises. Make exercise fun so you will continue in to the future!
Certain factors raise the likelihood of developing osteoporosis. While many of these risk factors are controllable, others aren’t. Risk factors that could be controlled are: Sedentary lifestyle, excess intake of protein, sodium, caffeine and/or alcohol, smoking, calcium and Vitamin D deficiencies and taking certain medicines.
Body size (small frame), gender, family history and ethnicity are risk factors that are not to be controlled. Women can lose as much as 20 percent of their bone mass in the five to seven years after menopause, making them more subject to osteoporosis. It’s never too early to start thinking of bone mineral density. About 85-90 % of adult bone mass is acquired by age 18 in girls and 20 in boys. Nutrition and Exercise for Healthy Bones when people are young and Adolescence. Much of the reserve of healthy bone is built in youth and before the age of 30.
Women could be more vunerable to an inadequate foundation process at this time than men. Sufficient calcium intake,a structured diet with a lot of vegetables and fruit and load-bearing exercise are the secrets of solid bone growth when you’re young. Then, with continued exercise into old age — and this benefits men too — bone density decline could be kept to a minimum. Although women are the main focus of data about osteoporosis and low bone density (osteopenia), some men are also seriously afflicted by this problem.
Even if you do each of the right things while growing up and into adulthood, your inherited characteristics – your genes – can present you with bones that are susceptible to steoporosis. This is even greater reason to maximize your lifestyle to prevent poor bone health.
About the Author – Michelle Aultman writes for the elliptical workout for fat loss blog, her personal hobby blog centered on suggestions to prevent osteoporosis trough home fitness.
Author’s note: The details provided on this post are designed to support, not substitute, the relationship that exists between a patient/site visitor and his/her physician.
Michelle Aultman has not professional intent and does not accept direct source of advertising coming from health or pharmaceutical companies, doctors or clinics and websites.
All content provided by her is based on her editorial judgment and it’s not driven by an advertising purpose.
The Beauty Brains Blog Blast
The response to last week’s links to skeptical and science blogs was overwhelming so by popular demand we’re back with more!
Skepbitch is not your usual beauty blather but it is guaranteed to make you think.
Inkling has an interesting take on the new female Viagra.
Improbable Research is not porn but it does show people having sex in an MRI machine.
Stemming.org explains that you don’t have to feel guilty about being a feminine computer scientist.
The Beauty Brains wonder if it’s safe to wear eyeshadow while you’re breastfeeding.
Attack Of The Transforming Cosmetics
Cosmetic Design reports on an interesting trend of European cosmetics that transform their physical form before or during use.
Three trendy transformers
The article cites several examples of transforming products: Shiseido’s Revital Granas Cream Condensed consists of two solutions that when mixed together turn into a creamy lotion with ‘aromatherepeutic benefits’. Pola Algaira Warm Up Massage Gel transforms from a gel to a warm oil as you rub it in. And my personal favorite, Hiyashidana Frozen Ball Lotion, changes from a spray to a foam and then into a ‘cooling sheet.’
The Beauty Brains bottom line
The Left Brain recently blogged about 7 ways you waste money on cosmetics, but I don’t think it’s a waste to spend a little more if the product gives you functionality and a fun sensory experience.
What do YOU think? Would you pay a little extra to have cosmetics that are fun as well as functional? Leave a comment and share your thoughts with the rest of the Beauty Brains community.
Is Skin Lightening Safe?
Midnite Rain asks…I have dark skin, and i would love to have a much more fairer complexion. I have read that Uva Ursi (Bearberry Extract) is good for lightening African American skin, and I’ve also heard that L-Glutathione is great too. So, if i want to max my skin lightening, is it safe and more efficient to use both at the same time?
The Right Brain responds:
Midnite’s question prompted a good discussion in our Forum about the various options for lightening/whitening your skin. (There was even a bit of a philosophical argument about whether you SHOULD lighten your skin or not!) Click through to our Forum to read about ingredients that have been shown to effectively lighten dark spots.
You should also understand what ingredients you should NOT use to lighten skin. Mercury is one good example. Mercury compounds like mercurious chloride, mercury oxide and ammoniated mercury can penetrate the skin and deactivate the enzyme involved in melanin production. These chemicals essentially turn off the switch that causes dark spots to appear. Unfortunately, long term use of these products can cause neurological and kidney damage so have banned from cosmetic use. This is a very timely discussion since it was recently discovered that many commercially available brands of skin lighteners still contain illegal levels of mercury. You can read the entire story in the Chicago Tribute.
Could Head Lice Finally Be Eradicated?
Is this the end of nit picking, awful smelling shampoos and combing hair with a fine tooth comb? If the results from this recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine about lice treatments prove accurate, then it just might be the case.
Oral Lice Treatment
In this study, researchers compared the effectiveness of an oral treatment of Ivermectin with a topical treatment of malathion lotion. This double-blind study was conducted over the course of 15 days and involved 812 patients.
The Ivermectin proved effective in ~95% of test subjects. The topical treatment was about 85% effective. So, maybe the oral treatment is the way to go (unless you are in the 5% of people where it didn’t work).
End of Nit Picking?
It would be nice if this meant that a simple oral treatment could replace the difficult and time consuming standard treatments for lice, but this one probably won’t. It is not 100% effective, not everyone can take the drug, and lice will certainly adapt. But if you’ve got a particularly difficult lice infestation to deal with, this could be the way to go.
Eradicate Lice forever?
Of course, there is a way that we could eradicate lice from the planet. Everyone, everywhere could shave their heads at the same time. That’s right, everyone shaves their heads bald. Without hair on which to live and reproduce, lice dies. It would be the end of lice infestations forever!!
Shaved Heads to cure a lousy world.
So who’s with me!?