British men become more confident about their looks with age, a new study reveals.
As many as 75% of men over 65 feel confident about their looks, according to a new Mintel report. This compares to just over half, 56%, of men in the 16-24 age bracket, and 61% of men overall.

The majority, 71%, of men aged 65 and over also said they feel they look good for their age. The figure for men across the board was a moderately lower 67%. 

Most men, 78%, also felt ageing naturally and having wrinkles is absolutely fine, while 68% agreed said “skin ageing is a natural process that can’t be stopped”.

However, feeling confident about their appearance does not mean not paying attention to it. Overall, 38% of mean said they look at themselves in the mirror during the day. This figure went up to 65% for those aged 16-24.

Roshida Khanom, associate director, beauty and personal care at Mintel, said: “Men are adopting a relaxed attitude towards ageing with the majority of men agreeing that ageing is acceptable, and that skin ageing is a natural process.”

Sales of men’s skincare products in Britain are, however, set to decline in the next few years. The men’s facial skincare sector is currently valued at £104 million, but is expected to shrink 4.7%, to £100m by the end of this year.

The decline is predicted to continue in the next few years, with a predict 5% drop, to £93m, in the next five years.

This could in part be caused by the fact that although men do use skincare products, they tend to apply them as and when they feel their skin needs it, rather than as part of a daily routine.
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The Mintel research demonstrated that just 15% of me who use moisturiser apply it more than once a day, while only 28% use it a few times a week. 

24% of men who use facial skincare products said they apply them when they remember to do so.


This article first appeared on World Spa Wellness

When it comes to using essential oils for hair, there are plenty of beneficial choices. Whether you are looking to thicken your hair, treat dandruff and dry scalp, give your hair strength and shine, or lighten your hair naturally, essential oils are much safer and just as effective as conventional hair care products.
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They are also more cost effective — one bottle of your favorite essential oil can not only nourish your hair, but it can help to reduce stress, alleviate pain and fight skin infections as well. Plus, essential oils are all-natural, which means they are free of dangerous chemicals and better for the environment and your home, too.

1. Lavender
Studies have shown that lavender oil possesses hair growth-promoting effects. In a 2016 animal study, topical application of lavender oil proved to significantly increase the number of hair follicles in female mice. Lavender oil was also able to deepen the depth of hair follicles and thicken the thermal layer. (1)

Lavender oil has antimicrobial properties, and it can be used to combat bacterial and fungal disorders. Some other lavender oil benefits are its ability to soothe the scalp and heal dry skin and hair. Plus, because emotional stress is a factor that can contribute to thinning hair, lavender oil can be used to create a tranquil and stress-free environment.

2. Rosemary
Rosemary oil is one of the top essential oils for hair thickness and growth. It is used to increase cellular metabolism, which stimulates hair growth and promotes healing. Research even shows that rosemary oil appears to work as well as minoxidil, a conventional topical hair loss treatment. (2) When it comes to boosting your hair health, the benefits of rosemary oil also include preventing baldness, slowing the graying process and treating dandruff and dry scalp.
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To use rosemary oil for your hair, take 3–5 drops and mix it with equal parts olive oil, and then massage the mixture into your scalp for about two minutes. Leave it in your hair for 3 to 4 hours, and then wash your hair as usual.

3. Chamomile
Chamomile oil is a great essential oil for hair because it adds shine and softness to your hair while soothing your scalp.

Did you know that chamomile essential oil can be used to lighten your hair naturally? Combine 5 drops of chamomile essential oil with a tablespoon of sea salt and one-third cup of baking soda. Use warm water to create a paste and apply the mixture to your hair. Massage it into your scalp and at the base of your hair, then allow it to sit for about half an hour before rinsing it out. If you want a bolder affect, keep the paste on as you sit in the sun.

Research suggests that 50 percent of women dye their hair regularly and feel more attractive right after having their hair dyed, but conventional hair products that are used to lighten hair contain dangerous chemicals that can cause numerous health risks. Choosing a natural alternative will ensure that you aren’t being exposed to unhealthy hair dyeing products like formaldehyde and bleach (hydroxide peroxide). (3)

4. Cedarwood
Cedarwood is used to help stimulate the hair follicles by increasing circulation to the scalp. It can promote hair growth and slow hair loss; it can also treat thinning hair and various types of alopecia.

A study conducted in Scotland involved 86 patients who were randomized into two groups — one group massaged a combination of cedarwood, thyme, rosemary and lavender oils in a mixture of jojoba and grapeseed carrier oils into their scalps daily. The control group used only carrier oils daily. After 7 months, 44 percent of patients in the essential oil group showed improvement of alopecia symptoms, while only 15 percent of the control group showed improvements. (4)

Cedarwood essential oil can also help to reduce skin irritations and repel bugs, which can be beneficial on summer nights when you’re spending time outdoors.

Cedarwood can be applied topically to the scalp and hair. It mixes well with gentle oils like lavender and carrier oils like coconut oil. You can also add 2–3 drops of cedarwood oil to your homemade conditioner.

5. Clary Sage
An important ester in clary sage oil called linalyl acetate reduces skin inflammation and regulates the production of oil on the skin. Clary sage also works as a natural remedy for rashes, and it works as an antibacterial agent. But maybe most importantly, clary sage can be used to help you relieve stress and balance hormones. Three types of hair loss can be associated with high stress levels: telogen effluvium, trichotillomania (hair pulling) and alopecia areata. Because clary sage can be used to help relieve stress and reduce cortisol levels in the body, it works as a natural remedy for stress-induced hair loss. (5)

Clary sage works well with jojoba oil; the two can help to regulate oil production on the skin, helping you to avoid scaly or flaky patches that lead to dandruff. To ease stress, which is associated with hair loss, you can diffuse clary sage oil at home or apply a few drops to your wrists, temples and bottoms of your feet.

6. Lemongrass Oil
Lemongrass essential oil has healing properties, and it works as an effective cleanser and deodorizer. It can strengthen your hair follicles and soothe an itchy and irritated scalp. In fact, a 2015 study found that the application of lemongrass oil reduced dandruff significantly after seven days and increased the effect even more after 14 days of topical application. (6)

Some bonus benefits of lemongrass oil include its ability to work as a natural bug repellant, relieve stress (which is associated with hair loss) and treat headaches.

You can add 10 drops of lemongrass oil to your bottle of shampoo or conditioner, or you can massage 2–3 drops into your scalp along with your conditioner daily. Lemongrass oil can also be diffused at home to reduce stress and detoxify the space.

7. Peppermint
Peppermint oil helps to stimulate the scalp, and it can treat dandruff and even lice due to its powerful antiseptic properties. Research shows that peppermint oil promotes hair growth, too. In a 2014 animal study, topical application of peppermint oil for four weeks showed prominent hair growth effects, increasing dermal thickness, follicle number and follicle depth. (7)

Peppermint has a pleasant cooling sensation when applied topically, and it helps calming effects help to reduce skin inflammation. In addition to these peppermint oil uses, it also works to energize your mind, boost your mood and relieve tension or headaches.
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Add 2–3 drops of peppermint to your shampoo or conditioner for a quick wake-me-up during your morning shower.

 1. Stimulate Hair Growth
It’s common for hair loss sufferers to turn to hair replacement surgery and topical hair loss products in hopes of regaining their full heads of hair, but your first line of defense when combatting hair loss should be to address the root cause, whether that’s by boosting circulation, fighting inflammation or adding moisture.

The amazing thing about essential oils is that a few drops can do all of these things for you. You don’t have to use products containing chemicals to stimulate hair growth, essentials oils such as rosemary and cedarwood can be used topically to help you prevent and reverse hair loss.

2. Get Rid of Dandruff
Another common concern is how to get rid of dandruff, a skin disorder that affects 50 percent of the world population. Dandruff is caused by the build-up of dead skin and in more severe cases, a yeast-like organism aggravates it. (8) It can also be caused by hair care products that contain chemical ingredients that leave your scalp red, itchy and scaly.

The gentle, healing and moisturizing properties of essential oils like lavender and lemongrass will help you to combat dandruff naturally — relieving common hair care issues like flaky and itchy scalp.

3. Nourish Your Hair
People tend to spend a lot of money of hair care products that are used to leave your hair looking shinier, smoother and straighter. Unfortunately, many of these products are doing more harm than good. Keratin treatment, for instance, contains toxic ingredients like formaldehyde, which is known to be a human carcinogen. (9)

Instead of turning to these conventional methods, using essential oils for hair will make your locks stronger and healthier, without the potential side effects. The hydrating, soothing and anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties of essential oils work to nourish your hair naturally.

4. Prevent Oily Hair
Your sebaceous glands, or oil glands, are responsible for maintaining proper hydration levels through the sebum or the oil that they produce. This is what gives your hair a healthy shine, but when your glands produce too much oil, it can make your hair look greasy, even when you just washed it that morning. Some essential oils, like peppermint, can help you to control sebum production, leaving your hair oil-free and shiny.
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5. Reduce Stress and Balance Hormones
Research shows that stress is associated with hair loss and so is a hormone imbalance. Stress triggers inflammation and prematurely induces hair follicle regression, leading to hair loss. (10) It may seem too easy, but simply diffusing calming and stress-relieving essential oils like lavender and clary sage at home can help to reverse hair loss naturally.

All of these essential oils for hair are easy to find online or at your local health food store. It is very important that you only purchase essential oils that are 100 percent pure grade, especially when you are ingesting the oil or applying it topically. It’s also a good idea to do a patch test with any essential oil that you’re using for the first time.

Because essential oils are so potent, they should be diluted with a carrier oil before topical application. Some beneficial carrier oils for hair include:

Coconut Oil — Coconut oil contains medium-chain fatty acids, including lauric acid and capric acid, that have strong antiviral, antimicrobial and antifungal properties. These properties help to thoroughly clean your hair and scalp, thereby helping to prevent and treat issues like dandruff.

Jojoba Oil — Jojoba oil encourages hair growth and moisturizes the scalp. It works as an emollient, soothing the skin and unclogging hair follicles.

Olive Oil — Olive oil is a source of vitamin E and other antioxidants. Some olive oil benefits include its ability to hydrate and soothe the skin, working to get rid of dry scalp and dandruff.
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You can simply combine your essential oils for hair and a carrier oil of your choice and massage the mixture into your scalp. You can also add essential oils to your everyday shampoo or conditioner. If you are looking to address a more specific issue, here are some DIY recipes that will also help to boost the health of your hair:

The 3 Best Flat Irons
Bio Ionic 10X Pro Styling Iron
Best Overall

Chi Ultra CHI Titanium Straightening Iron
Best Titanium Flat Iron

Hot Tools Digital Salon 1″ Flat Iron with Titanium Plates
​Best Budget Flat Iron

Where once flat irons were used to just straighten hair, now they’ve become an all-up hair styling powerhouse that can also curl and create beachy waves. But, if you’re not careful, they can also really damage your hair. The key to the perfect coif: Find an iron that straightens your type of hair at the lowest possible heat setting with the fewest passes. Sounds complicated? What it really comes down to is plate material — ceramic and titanium are best. Ceramic plates deliver a very gentle, far-infrared heat that locks moisture into your hair while emitting negative ions. Those little ions close the hair’s cuticles, working to smooth strands and cut frizz. Titanium plates are a favorite of professional stylists and it’s not hard to understand why — they’re super smooth, heat up fast, and are lightweight.

The Bio Ionic 10X Pro Styling Iron landed our best overall spot easily, though we didn’t expect it to. What seemed gimmicky at first (it vibrates), turned into straight-up awe. Our at-home testers and professional stylists both agreed, this ceramic flat iron hands-down straightens and styles beautifully for all types of hair right out of the box — well worth the $230.

For coarse or textured hair, the Chi Ultra CHI Titanium Straightening Iron won’t lead you astray. (Titanium plates are too harsh to use on thin or damaged hair.) The $120 iron performed similarly to the Bio Ionic 10X, just not as astonishingly well. It may take a few tries to get the hang of it to avoid any unwanted crimps.

Don’t want to spend over $100 on a flat iron? The Hot Tools Digital Touch 1” Flat Iron with Titanium Plates ($60) beat out two popular brands that were twice the price. But you’ll have to take an extra pass or two compared to our other top picks — and more passes means potentially more damage.

How We Found the Best Flat Iron
There are a lot of flat irons on the market each promising to do the same thing. We started our search by compiling 132 flat irons from popular beauty websites like Sephora and Ulta, the hair-focused online retailer Folica, and the omnipresent Amazon.com.  Then we dug into the details.

Click here for the details >>>  ​

​TRY IT YOURSELF
For reference, here’s how to create Blake’s look by Rod Ortega as told to Hollywood Life:

“I used the 1-inch rollers on Blake to create waves. The size depends on how much body and wave you want. If you prefer more body and less wave, use larger sizes like the 1.5- or 1.75-inch rollers. If you want more of a wave, use the smaller rollers.”