FYI: The Ingredient List

Shopping around for a good grooming product can be an arduous task. We are constantly bombarded with million-dollar marketing campaigns and pseudo-scientific claims, but simply not given the facts we need to pick the right product.

Like many of the packaged food and drink we consume everyday, most of these toiletries come with something that enables you to methodologically determine if they suit your needs or otherwise. I present to you - the humble ingredient list.

With chemical names like butyl methoxydibenzoylmethane and cyclomethicone being thrown around, it's no wonder the general consumer goes WTF?!? However, once you've analysed a few shampoos here and a couple of age-defying creams there, it will become apparent to you that most of them actually utilise many of the same components - from prestigious departmental store labels like Aramis and Clarins right down to drugstore brands such as Nivea and L'oreal. In case you don't already know, much of the price difference is attributed to advertising costs, packaging and of course, brand prestige anyway.

Some basic pointers to help you decipher an ingredient list:

1) Ingredients are almost always listed by quantity in descending order.

2) Most of the active ingredients are found at the top of the list. Therefore anything listed near the bottom or perservatives and fragrance are pointless. So the next time you see a product boasting miraculous sea kelp, Vit C or some super duper thingo, but yet they're listed waaaaay waaay down... it's just so they can say it's in there and simply don't do jack.

3) Usually sunscreen components are listed separately as active ingredients. This is a good thing, and shows that an effective amount has been formulated into the product for it to work.

4) If alcohol is one of the first few ingredients, keep moving... unless you plan to use a product that will dry your skin unnecessarily.

5) If you don't know what an ingredient does, Google it. Or check it out at informative sites like CosmeticsInfo or Cosmetics Cop. Pretty soon, you'll come across them enough to remember their properties and rattling off chemical names like a pro.

Next lesson - how to fend off preying sales reps at departmental store counters. Do not let their white shiny lab coats deceive you!

Component: Alcohol

Sure, we all love our wine & beer, gin & tonic, and absinthe shots and so forth. Where would parties be without these essential tools of social lubrication and potential debauchery? Hell we wouldn't be able to carry out a successful game of 'Beer Pong' or 'I've Never...' without them. That said, the last place we want to find alcohol is in your skincare product, and most certainly not in high concentrations.

Alcohol (also known as SD alcohol, ethanol, alcohol denatured, ethyl alcohol, and isopropyl alcohol) are commonly found in toners and moisturisers, especially those that are marketed as "refreshing" or "cooling" or for oily skin. Anyone who's ever been swabbed for a jab knows that rubbing alcohol on your skin generates a cool sensation as it evaporates almost instantaneously. However, what it does is also stripping your epidermis of much needed moisture, and the result is a tingly tight feeling that misleads you guys into thinking that it's doing something awesome, when in fact it 's drying and irritating your skin!

Now before you start avoiding every product with the word "alcohol" in its ingredient list, know that there is an exceptional group of friendly alcohols known as "fatty alcohols" utilised in skincare. These ingredients such as cetyl alcohol, cetearyl alcohol, stearyl alcohol and lanolin alcohol, function as emulsifiers, thickening agents or emollients, and therefore should not cause alarm when they turn up in your product.

In short - Drink Alcohol, Not Apply It. :-)

*This article merely conveys the writer's enthusiasm for an occasional glass of wine, and does not in any way endorse the fun and excitement that usually accompanies copious amounts of booze.

Review: Nivea for Men, Extra Gentle Face Wash

Packaging: Tube with flip-top cap

The hype: Specially formulated for sensitive skin to cleanse mildly without irritating or drying out the skin. Fragrance, colorant, and alcohol-free and minimizes the risk of skin irritations. Enriched with Chamomile and Vitamin E, the lightly foaming gel protects the natural moisture barrier of the skin leaving it cleansed and protected. 100-percent soap-free; won't dry skin.

What's in it: Water, Glycerin (humectant), Sodium Laureth Sulfate (cleansing agent), Carbomer, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate (cleansing agent), PEG 7 Glyceryl Cocoate (cleansing agent), Tocopheryl Acetate (antioxidant), Bisabolol (anti-irritant), Xanthan Gum, Sodium Hydroxide, Methylparaben, Ethylparaben, Propylparaben, Butylparaben, Isobutylparaben, Benzophenone 4

Review: A decent cleanser that does what it's actually supposed to do without irritating your skin. The glycerin content helps moisturise while the gentle cleansing agents do their job. It's fragrance-free so it should agree with most individuals with sensitive skin or noses. Tube packaging is hygenic, convenient and hardy, great for gym or travel. Very reasonably-priced and can be found at most drugstores and pharmacies.

Massaging the truth

The other day, my colleague, Adrian, proudly remarked that his haircut cost 40 smackeroos. I'm sure his salon was impeccably decorated, the shampoo girl was young and hot (actually he made special mention that she was) and probably gave great head... massage. This is all well and good, but did his haircut dazzle as much as it cost? Not quite, according to the ladies at work. "More like a 20 dollar job at Supercuts" remarked Alli quite matter-of-factly. Ouch.

It's not criminal to pay extra for luxuries like an awesome scalp massage by your hot shampoo-person in a mood-lit zen-decorated salon, as they serve you organic tea traditionally farmed by natives of some faraway remote island. What is criminal is if you do not have the end result to show for it i.e. great hair.

Obviously no one wants a s*** haircut, but neither do you want to settle for "average" or "okay." Nupe, you expect "good", "decent"... perhaps even "fantastic."

How's this related to the cleansers, shampoos, moisturisers etc that we purchase and use in our everyday lives? Simple - we apply the same practical approach to selecting these products.

Indeed, it is difficult to ignore the miraculous claims in magazine ads, extolling the marvellous results based on "extensive research" and accolades from celebrities, and of course to seal the deal - photos of stunning airbrushed male models that subliminally scream "use this stuff and you could look like me!"

What I'm going to drill into your head is a no-nonsense game plan to selecting what you need for your grooming needs - sans marketing trickery, brand snobbery, and industry myths. The truth will hurt sometimes and that's okay, coz what we learn can only make us better consumers and getting the best out of our products to look the best we can. All you need is an open mind. Let's do it.