Sunday, October 15, 2017

Grooming: Moose Head Jump Start Face Wash

"There's a moose loose aboot this hoose".......who remembers that advertising campaign from 1993? It was for Maynard's Wine Gums and if anything proved that the use of cocaine and other mind-altering substances were rife back then in the advertising world! I don't know why but every time I pick up Moose Head Jump Start Face Wash that song runs through my head - I'm freakin' weird. 
Grooming: Moose Hero Jump Start Face Wash
Grooming: Moose Hero Jump Start Face Wash
Grooming: Moose Hero Jump Start Face Wash
Moose Head Jump Start Face Wash is the latest male grooming product from Moosehead, an Australian grooming brand and along with the Moose Head Smoothly Does It Hydrating Moisturiser are now available in Primark stores nationwide for just £4 each, yes, £4.

I had heard of Moosehead and their range of hair styling products before, mainly after following images on Pinterest and seeing reviews from a range of Aussie grooming bloggers, all of whom were positively glowing of the results. Not surprising really, you don't become the best selling hair styling brand by pumping out crap. With my limited knowledge and high expectations I couldn't wait to give this face wash a go on the old visage.

This is what they say about Moose Head Jump Start Face Wash:
'Created with natural walnut scrubbing particles, the face wash works to remove dirt and impurities whilst softening the skin and beard. The scrub helps to loosen and remove dead skin cells creating the perfect pre-shave base.'
First of all, I can't comment on how this helps as a pre-shave base as I'm currently growing out my beard to Nordic levels, but on everything else, you can now expect my humble opinion.

When first using this I didn't know that it used walnut particles as the scrub element and as I squirted a liberal amount onto my palms I was genuinely perplexed as to what it was, I had expected darker particles and sticking my finger in and rubbing it around made me no wiser. It just doesn't feel abrasive enough while in the palms or being rubbed between the palms to remove dead skin I thought to myself.

Taking the above into account, I followed the directions to the letter and boy, this gets into a lather faster than a feminist Sheila at a man's right march. Sorry, I was channelling my inner 1980s Aussie male then....In all seriousness though it's like a lather bomb going off and the fragrance it releases has all of the manliness you would expect from our antipodean brothers.

Once lathered up and on the face the liquid gets thinner and thinner and thats when the walnut particles start to do their thang - and do their thang well they do. Too abrasive and it feels like you are using sandpaper, too little and you might as well be using soap and water, with Moose Hero the balance has been found, yes it does remove dirt and grime from my face, so much so that I get that 'yack' face when I look down and look at the colour of the water after rinsing my face off.

It did leave my beard feeling a touch softer and the same can be said the skin, particularly around my forehead and cheeks. There weren't massive life changing kinds of results but it was noticeable, and it bears out that if my beard feels softer its probably going to be easier to shave off, but as I've already said, my beard is going nowhere at the moment.

So, for a small investment of just £4 you have a face scrub here that delivers on what it says it will, which to me means that it has to be a stable, particularly for my travel bag. Representing great value for money this is a belter of a face scrub that puts a lot of its more expensive rivals to shame. Low price, great results and available on the high street.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

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Friday, October 13, 2017

HAIR: 5 Trendy hair care tips for men in fall 2017

Maintaining a healthy and stylish hair is very important for us, men. In fact, most men treat their hairs as their crowning glory. And only we can understand the reason why we love and care for our hairs. Only we can understand how a well-groomed hair boosts our confidence and self-esteem. That being said, there is no better source for men’s haircare than us, experts in the field of men’s haircare with years of research and experience.

5 Trendy hair care tips for men in fall 2017
Basically, contrary to today’s haircare advertisements, where they present a lot of complications and issues regarding your hairs, only to be solved by using their product, taking care of your hair is actually very simple. Knowledge and understanding of your hair is the key to properly maintaining and grooming your hair. To help you in that aspect, we have listed 5 trendy hair care tips below;

1. Pay attention to your scalp
Simply put, a healthy scalp will result to a healthier hair. Scalps are the beds of hair follicles from which hair strands grow. Thus, the healthier your scalp is, the healthier hair strands will from them. Here are tips to maintain a healthy scalp;


• Maintain a well-balanced diet and sleeping pattern
• Use a wide-toothed comb on a wet hair to avoid breakage and hair loss
• The more chemicals you use on your scalp, the higher the risk of damage
• Use an exfoliating scrub agent to remove dead skin cells every 2 weeks or month.
• To promote hair growth, try scalp massage as it can improve hair production.


2. Do not wash your hair every day
Contrary to popular shampoo advertisements, washing your hair every day can bring more harm than benefits to your hair. Our hair and scalp contain natural essential oils that contribute to their moisture, protection, and growth. And by constantly using shampoo on your hair, you are removing these natural oils causing dryness and itchiness. Try washing your hair every 2 days or depending on the amount of oil your scalp accumulates, it should never be too thick or smooth. Your hair must feel moisturized and not too dry.

3. Conditioner
Hair conditioners are very effective agents in making your hair thicker and shinier. Each hair strand is covered in a cell membrane that is responsible for its moisture and shiny look. And damage to these cell membranes causes the hair to lose its moisture and shiny look, and with hair conditioners, you can speed up the repair of these cell membranes and also enhance the shiny and moisturized look of your hairs. Take note that the use of hair conditioners increases oil production, so if you have an oily or greasy hair, only use a hair conditioner once or twice a week.

4. Regular haircut

Of course, visiting your barber regularly can significantly help maintain the health of your hair. Haircuts can help remove split-ends and other unnecessary things on your hair. It also helps in keeping your scalp cleaner. Even if you want to grow your hair, having regular trims is also recommended as it can help your hair grow faster and healthier.

5. Remove wax, gel, sprays and other hair products after your day ends
Last but not least, we all know the value of hair wax, hair gels, and other similar products. They are the ones that enhance our hairstyles making us look better and dashing. However, most men forget to remove these hair products that contain a lot of harmful chemicals and wash their hairs at the end of the day. So be sure to not make the same mistake and wash your hair after the party or your date ends.

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Tuesday, October 03, 2017

BEARDS: OSMO Beard Complex

What do you call a beauty blogger with Osmo Beard Complex? Clean Shaven......bad dum tsh
BEARDS: OSMO Beard Complex
BEARDS: OSMO Beard Complex
Poor jokes aside, shortly after agreeing to try out loads of beard products I had an accident trimming my beard and the whole thing had to come off! That left me with a huge box full of products designed for the bearded bloke with not a hint of a whisker in sight. Fear not though, it's been fun seeing what works well, and at what stage of growing in the months I've been working on my beard strength.

This is what they say about Beard Complex over at the Osmo website here:

'An intense gentleman's conditioning oil designed to restore wayward beards, skin and hair to their manly prime. Infused with Argan Oil and rich in vitamins A & E.'


If you want to pick up a 100ml bottle of Beard Complex you can do for just £16.02 (weird price) here.

Application is a well, how can I put this - fiddly. This comes with a pipette rather than just allowing you to pour it out. While this should mean that you can get the right amount of oil out to the precise drop, the oil itself is much thicker than you would expect, which means squeezing the top of the pipette doesn't actually release it all and I find that I end up smearing it onto my palm. It was a messy process for a good few days until I mastered it.

The thickness doesn't detract from the ability of the oil to be absorbed - I'd expected this to sit on top of the hair, rubbing off onto my hairs as I stroked my beard throughout the day. I was wrong. Despite my beard receiving lots of loving care over the last few months I found that the oil was absorbed in just seconds with just a touch of slickness that allowed me to brush down the hair and style it from unkempt to groomed.

After just a few days of using the softness of my beard was more evident, and first thing in the morning the other half agrees that my beard feels and looks soft and smooth. Result.

Taking the applying bit to one side, I found this to be a cracking little product - at under £20 for a 100 ml and considering how little is needed this represents excellent value for money. I haven't tried it on my dry skin or hair, but when it comes to beard grooming this does have a really good softening effect on my beard, and when using it a night I no longer awaken with that dry, scratchy feeling. Cumulatively, after a week of using this at night my beard did feel more conditioned to the touch, smoother and the ends were less prickly. 


Now, as I first wrote this post I looked over at the product claims on the Osmo website - it claims that this product can help bring back colours that have faded in tattoos. Now I have one or two, and decided to try this out over a couple of days prior to posting to see what happened. I rubbed a tiny amount over my half sleeve and almost immediately the tattoo seemed darker. I put this down to the moisture from the oil, but after an hour it had dried, and yes, it was still a richer, darker grey. After showering and drying again it remained more vibrant in colour than before. After three days it has probably restored 60 per cent of the previous colour - much easier, cheaper and less painful than a re-colour from the ink artist.

Good stuff that won't break the bank. As for me, my current beard strength levels? Not country strong, internationally strong

RECOMMENDED

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Sunday, October 01, 2017

BEARDS: Swagger & Jacks


You would need a good memory with a stalker like attention to detail to know that Swagger & Jacks Premium Beard Oil was my first foray into beardcare or beard grooming of any kind. My beard routine previously was simply a case of let it grow, the hair got itchy and scratchy and the razor came out within weeks. You can see what I thought of their Premium Beard Oil here (it's an old one from March 2015). The focus today is going to be on Swagger & Jacks and the amazing gift sets to keep your beard looking and feeling country strong.   
BEARDS: Swagger & Jacks
Who are Swagger & Jacks? Well, it's a men's barbershop in Norwich. I haven't been, but a casual glance at their Instagram page here and you can see that they have a bunch of talented professionals (with cracking beards) who can groom you to and beyond perfection. When they say that their products are formulated and created with a dedication and commitment to quality you can take their word, and mine that they are spot on.

I have been lucky enough to have tried two of their gift sets, both of which have been used for the last four months - from the moment I shaved to now, with a beard that can best be described as Viking-esque. 

The Swagger & Jacks Premium Beardcare Gift Box Set costs £45 and you can pick it up from their online store here. But what do you get for your money? Here goes.....
  • 30 ml Premium Beard Oil
  • Argan Oil Beard Shampoo
  • 50 ml Beard Balm
You can check back to my previous post to read the praise heaped on the premium beard oil, but for me, the by far and away the revelation product has been the beard shampoo. It has a light, subtle lavender and oak moss fragrance that explodes as soon as you start to massage the soapy liquid into your beard. Just a tiny little pea sized amount in the palms and boom you have a lather party happening right there on your face. The thicker consistency of the shampoo melts away as soon as it comes into contact with a damp beard and working it through the hair is a dream - you can feel the Argan oil being absorbed into the skin which leaves my face, and beard feeling on top of the world. 
BEARDS: Swagger & Jacks
The hair feels and looks hydrated, it has a much glossier shine to it and best of all, the skin under and around the beard is softer to the touch. Top notch beard product from the S & J team that deserves every bit of kudos being thrown their way.

The beard balm is a touch fiddly - that is down to my inexperience of using and applying a solid beard balm rather than the product itself.
BEARDS: Swagger & Jacks
It took me a while to master how to get an even amount spread through my beard but once I'd got a grip on it I found that not only does it smell amazing, the jojoba is divine, it does provide a decent hold to keep the hairs in place all day long. After a couple of minutes and a bit of brushing the long bristles are tamed, providing a touch of respectability to my face.

Second up is the Swagger & Jacks Beard Grooming Collection Gift Set which sells for £65 here
BEARDS: Swagger & Jacks
BEARDS: Swagger & Jacks
BEARDS: Swagger & Jacks
BEARDS: Swagger & Jacks
BEARDS: Swagger & Jacks
BEARDS: Swagger & Jacks
In this gift set you are spoilt for beard oils choice with four different blends. They are:
  • 30 ml Ultimate Beard Oil
  • 30 ml Premium Beard Oil
  • 30 ml Heritage Beard Oil
  • 30 ml Classic Beard Oil
Each oil has a solid woody fragrance base that blends beautifully with the beard shampoo. My favourite has to be the classic beard oil, it has a lighter fragrance but in terms of results they all deliver in spades. After warming some of the oil in my palm I find it a dream to smooth and massage into my beard - it's absorbed in super quick time and leaves just a hint of the oil on the surface. This residue oil provides a wet look shine and makes styling/brushing childs play. 

Leaving the best, most positive thing to say about their oils until last - I can, hand on heart say that my beard grows much faster when using oils from Swagger & Jacks - it comes through faster, it's much thicker and feels healthier. What's not to like?

Both of these gift sets would be perfect for the bearded man in your life, and as if these aren't enough, there are loads of others to choose from at the Swagger & Jacks website with everything from beard oil to shaving kits available. Speaking from experience you really cannot go wrong with Swagger & Jacks, the products come looking like they have just being hand delivered from a luxury boutique, the deliver exactly what each product promises and in the case of the beard oils, everything about them oozes masculinity while banishing that growth itch from the face.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

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