Yes, Even Cyclists Need Hair And Skin Care

Cycling and hair and skin problems are a topic seldom discussed. This is not because things like wind burn, wearing a helmet for long hours in high humidity, and getting an abrasion after a fall don’t affect hair and skin health, but because it’s considered sissy stuff. In fact, even women who bike don’t want to talk about it.

When it comes to hair problems, one common solution is to shave the hair. While this works fine for men, it’s not exactly a convenient solution because shaving hair gets old after a while. This solution also doesn’t work for women who want to continue to honor their feminine side.

Similarly, a common solution for skin problems is to either ignore it or find some quick fix like rub on a cheap skin moisturizer for dry, wind-chapped skin. However, if looking good is important for your career, looking like a roughneck is not exactly a way to get ahead in life.

So rather than ignore the issue hoping it will go away, or trying some quick remedy that’s either time consuming or doesn’t work well, let’s consider some simple ways to take care of your skin and hair so that you can look good when you’re not biking. Think of those times when you trying to fit into normal society because you need to earn a living or make your mother feel good.

Quick Hair Care

Rather than focus on hair-care by gender, let’s discuss different types of hair problems and a way to fix them. Adjust the hair shampoo, conditioner, or hair gels to deal with issues such as dry hair, greasy hair, or dandruff.

1. Thinning hair

If you’re balding, shaving your head is one solution, but what if you’d actually like to have your hair back or you’re tired of taking the extra time it takes to shave. And, if you’re a woman, shaving your head before you head out to work or go to a social event is not a solution. However, believe it or not, there is actually a solution to this problem, once thought impossible. Hair growth formulas have helped both men and women with thinning hair and hair loss. It’s a unique formula that combines NutriSol®, a patented treatment technology, and Vitadil®, a Minoxidil-based treatment technology.

2. Straight Hair

Use a small-tooth comb to comb out your hair. This distributes the hair serum from the shafts to the ends. Wash your hair every alternative day and deep condition it once a month. Combing, washing, and deep conditioning your hair will keep it soft and supple. If you’re a woman biker, then you can style your hair by using a volumizing hairspray and blow drying your hair.

3. Curly Hair

Use a brush as this will reduce tearing at the hair with a comb, wash two to three times each week, and use a deep conditioner twice a month. If your hair gets dry and coarse quickly, then try using a leave-in conditioner. If your hair gets really frazzled during the day, try using Argan oil. The best way to style curly hair is to leave it natural looking rather than struggling to straighten it with hair straightening gels or a heated hair brush straighter. Over the long term, these damage the hair.

Quick Skin Care

When it comes to skin care, both men and women need to take care of their skins, but, of course, they should use a slightly different approach because men’s skin has a higher collagen density than women’s skin.

Here’s a quick skin care routine for women:

A quick and effective routine is to use a cleanser, exfoliant, and moisturizer with sunscreen during the morning. It’s also a good idea to have an evening routine. Again, use a cleanser, exfoliant, and moisturizer, except you won’t need a moisturizer with sunscreen.

This is a good routine if you have healthy skin, but what if you have problem skin? In that case, continue to do the basic morning and evening routine, but also add a serum and a targeted solution. A targeted solution will help you with a specific challenge. For instance, if you have acne, then you’ll need something to fight acne, or, if you have wrinkles, then you’ll want to look for an anti-aging solution.

Here’s a quick skin care routine for men:

Wash your face with cold water when you wake up to slough off dead skin cells. Use a glycolic acid wash or if you want a deeper cleanse, use an exfoliating scrub once a week.

Next, add a moisturizer, which will help with dry, flaky skin, which you will probably have if your face is often exposed to cold winds when riding. If you’re starting to get some wrinkles add a retinol cream, as well. This will increase collagen production and boost cell growth. You can even find products that combine a moisturizer with retinol.

Is it really Necessary?

While you may be a biker, you’re still a human being, so besides biking you have many other roles in life—family, business, and community. Taking care of yourself won’t make you any less of a biker, and you can still be as rugged as you like — but it will really help boost your health and self-esteem in the other roles you play in life.

Photo c/o commons.wikimedia.org