8 Grooming Products To Solve Your Skin Dilemmas

Jun 17, 2023

From dry skin to razor burn, there’s often a simple solution

There’s a secret to good skin, and it isn’t weapons-grade chemicals or expensive elixirs that may as well be liquified cash. The truth is that most skin dilemmas are easily solved with straightforward, affordable products – it’s just a matter of understanding what your skin is telling you, and responding accordingly. Here, we break down some of the most common skincare conundrums and explain exactly how to solve them.

Skin that’s dry, rough or flaky is telling you one of two things: that it’s dry (lacking in oil) or dehydrated (lacking in water). The former is a natural skin type, the latter is temporary and caused by external factors: cold weather, hot showers and not drinking enough water can all contribute.

In most cases, the solution is twofold. First, ditch any products that could be making things worse. Many face washes use irritating chemicals that help cleanse, but cause dryness. Instead, look for cleansers that use milder surfactants – like Coco-Glucoside. Bulldog Original Face Wash features this mild ingredient as well as aloe vera, which helps bind moisture into the skin, and is free of artificial fragrances. Use twice a day while washing with lukewarm water – anything too hot can strip the skin of natural oils.

Secondly, make sure you’re moisturising day and night to restore the skin to peak condition. Bulldog Original Moisturiser is intensely hydrating, absorbs into the skin quickly, and costs roughly the price of a pint.

For card-carrying members of the beard gang, ‘beardruff’ is our unspoken secret: unwanted, slightly embarrassing, but pretty much universal. In most cases, it’s just another example of dry skin – as facial hair gets longer, it gets harder to care for the skin it’s sprouting from, and easier to neglect it.

Bulldog Original Beard Shampoo & Conditioner, which was specifically designed to cleanse and condition beard hair, can help in this dilemma by moisturising and soothing the dry skin beneath. Use this a couple times a week and follow up with a good beard comb which can slough off any leftover dead skin cells, as well as taming your whiskers.

Last step: massage in a few drops of Bulldog Original Beard Oil. As well as nourishing the beard, this 99 per cent natural blend leaves the skin underneath soft, supple and hydrated. Like the rest of the Bulldog original range, it’s fragranced with a natural blend of essential oils for a clean, sophisticated scent, with notes of lemon, geranium, and patchouli.

While the skin on your face is thinner, more sensitive and more exposed than the skin elsewhere, it’s all essentially the same. Which is why, when things like dryness or redness occur elsewhere on the body, it’s for the same reasons as we’ve outlined, like irritation from harsh products. Those who experience skin redness might find that they’re sensitive to their soap or shower gel. Switch to a product that’s free of sulfates and synthetic thickeners, which are common causes of redness and irritation. Bulldog Original Shower Gel avoids both, instead using naturally derived cleansers mixed with glycerine, which draws moisture to the top layer of skin. Try to keep your showers short (five minutes is plenty) and not too steamy – again, hot water can be drying.

Razor burn is your skin telling you that your shaving is too aggressive. If you use an old, dull razor it will tug at hairs instead of cutting them cleanly, causing soreness and redness. Dive straight in without a decent shaving gel or foam, and there’s nothing to prevent the blade from irritating the skin.

If you’re already feeling the burn, a cold, damp washcloth should help soothe it, but you’ll want to reassess your shaving set-up ASAP. For most, a five-blade razor (like the Bulldog Original Bamboo Razor) is the quickest, easiest and gentlest option – multiple blades mean fewer strokes and less irritation. Bulldog's razor also has a pivoting head, allowing the blades to get even closer to your face, as well as an in-built lubricating aloe strip – though for a smoother glide, use it alongside Bulldog Original Shave Gel.

Replacing the cartridge regularly is key to avoid irritation from dull blades – but for the planet’s sake, be mindful of how much waste you’re creating. Bulldog’s refills come in fully recycled and recyclable packaging, and the brand allows you to send back spent cartridges free of charge to be recycled to energy. The razor handle is designed for durability, with a natural bamboo handle that cuts down on plastic, and cuts a sharp figure in your bathroom.

For more sustainable skincare solutions that are simple and straightforward to use, visit Bulldog

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