Debunking
the Debunkers
or, "X, Y, and SME"
By
James Whittall
MenEssentials President
Published May 2006
A favorite online pastime – that is, when I'm not oogling flashyourrack.com – is to follow my competitors while they jockey for position as industry "experts." Their debunking-the-myths articles I enjoy most, primarily because of the way they revel in dismissing simple novice errors as gibberish, malarkey, and drivel – as if to believe anything other than their corporate spin is to invite the ridicule of those in the know.
Skin care and bath/body products are only recently arrived to the men's grooming industry. Most men aren't accustomed to the experience, and the array of product choices and uses, while small relative to the women's market, naturally bewilders any newbie. Misunderstanding abounds, and rightly so. This is virgin territory and there are no rules, only edges.
Rather than point a finger and snort, let's have a look at five common grooming misconceptions that the debunkers haven't properly debunked. You may discover a thing or two that will help you to make better product choices. And better choices save money.
That's the real name of the game, isn't it?
If you break out after using Product X, it isn't right for your
skin.
It's easy to assume a cause-and-effect relationship between the application
of a new product and the near-immediate appearance of pimples or whiteheads.
You use Product X. Pimples appear the next day. Ergo, Product X sucks.
In fact, it takes up to 90 days or more for pimples or whiteheads to form. By the time they raise their ugly heads above the surface of your skin, they've already been plotting their mayhem for several weeks. Product X probably hatched those bastard pustules faster than if they'd been left to their own devices. An immediate breakout could signal that Product X is working as advertised.
If Product Y contains an ingredient with a high comedogenicity
rating, you'll flare up if you use it.
An ingredient that is designated "comedogenic" may not necessarily
clog the pores of every individual who uses Product Y. Most guys will
tolerate the suspect ingredient. Some won't. If you have a long-term problem
with clogged pores, then the presence of this ingredient only increases
your chance of harvesting a crop of zits. There's no guarantee of a flare-up.
Check the package for its list of ingredients (called a monograph). If the ingredient in question appears closer to the top of the monograph, then it is present in a higher concentration than the ingredients that appear below it. This fact alone doesn't indicate the ingredient's concentration level – on the contrary, it might only be used in trace amounts. But if you're intensely comedone-prone, monograph position is one indicator that helps with your purchasing decision.
Too much lather is a waste of shave cream.
This is true only if you're slopping the stuff on with a trowel. Brushless
or non-foaming shave creams are supposed to moisten the beard with minimal
product. They should only ever be applied to your beard in a thin layer
– and most guys have enough sense to understand that concept. Hell,
the directions are right on the tube!
Shave creams that are specifically intended for use with a brush, however, produce gobs of thick lather from only a quarter-sized dab of product. As every serious wet-shaver knows, good lather makes for a great shave.
That's because lather is water from the brush and fatty acids from the cream that emulsify into a substance resembling mayonnaise. This substance forms a slippery barrier upon which the razor blade glides, producing a noticeably more comfortable shave. How much lather you whip up is a matter of personal preference. Shave brushes generate a surprising quantity of the stuff from the smallest dollop of cream, so there's no direct correlation between lather volume and money wasted.
All-natural products are better for your skin.
The Internet is awash with dire warnings about cosmetic ingredients. Some
of them are true. Most of them are perpetrated by hucksters and lobby
groups who aren't at all concerned with what's best for you, and then
passed along as gospel by well-intentioned but entirely misinformed do-gooders
who simply don't have the training to know shit from Shinola when it comes
to the origin or specific uses of certain ingredients.
This sorry state of affairs, albeit in part, is fueling consumer interest in so-called all-natural products. But what does "all-natural" mean?
Not much. Unlike the use of the word "organic" in product labeling and marketing, which is defined in the United States by the USDA and enforced by the FDA and FTC (in Canada, this is the purview of Health Canada), the term "all-natural" has never been officially defined. No common standard or certification process exists to determine if a product is, in fact, all natural or that it uses all-natural ingredients – whatever those might be. In the end, consumers really have no idea what they're throwing into their shopping carts and only a vague understanding of how the product benefits their skin.
Personally, I'm loath to use the term on MenEssentials. But until there's an official designation, I go by my own standard: if I can eat it without making myself sick, then the product is as close to all-natural as you get.
Most wrinkles are caused by sun damage and other environmental
or lifestyle factors.
There's no denying that ultraviolet radiation, pollution, smoking and
other such nastiness isn't doing your skin any favors. Aging is a physical
process, however, and these external influences simply hasten the outward
signs of that process.
As you get older, your skin produces less sebum (the stuff that protects your skin from the elements) and collagen (the substance that gives your skin its texture and elasticity). This means your skin gets drier and thinner as time passes, making fertile ground for wrinkles and fine lines. Sun, smog, smoking – these make the problem worse, but they aren't the cause.
To help delay the visible signs of aging, think SME. (No, that doesn't refer to Sloppy Meat Eaters). Sunscreens, Moisturizers, and Exfoliates are your best defense against the "inescapable lousiness of growing old," as my late friend Irving Layton wrote. They won't stay the process indefinitely. But protected, healthy skin is happy-happy-joy-joy skin – and wrinkles, those perennial party-poopers, tend to avoid cheery environments.
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