MR PORTER: GIVE YOURSELF AN MOT

Click on here for my contribution to Mr Porter's 'The Report'. This month: 7 ways to give your body and mind an MOT. 

IN THE MOOD FOR OUD

While trends in perfumery do exist, they’re rarely as obvious to the masses as the shifting tides of fashion. The appearance of Oud, however, has been inescapable over the past few years. What was once a relatively unknown ingredient reserved for the upper echelons of Arabian society has now become a commercial bulldozer, making its way into a variety of men’s fragrances from brands including Tom Ford to Christian Dior. But what we perceive as a trend in the West is a veritable institution in the Middle East, where it has been used for centuries to fragrance homes and necks.

But what exactly is the mysterious ingredient and why has it become so popular?

THE BIKRAM DIARIES

Part One of my 30 day Bikram Yoga Challenge diary is now live on The Exfoliator's sister site Get The Gloss...

Update: Parts Two and Three now live too!

DEEPER HEAT

Having spent the best part of my twenties pounding pavements and competing in some (fairly insane) endurance events, I know a thing or two about muscle strain. In fact,  I’m at the tail end of a 30 day Bikram Yoga challenge as I write this post (more about that later). In an effort to flush my muscles of built-up lactic acid, I have tried just about every muscle rub out there – some from fancy skincare brands, others from less glamorous sports-focused brands – but few have really hit the mark. Molton Brown was perhaps the last brand I expected to deliver a viable solution....

BBC RADIO 4 (YOU & YOURS): 'A RETURN TO TRADITIONAL SHAVING'

I sat down to discuss the boom in double edged razors with Radio 4's 'You & Yours' programme (aired March 19th). You can now stream the entire show on BBC iPlayer. Fast forward to the 15 minute mark to hear the shaving segment (and, yes, that's me 22 minutes in...).

SUPER NATURAL

First it was the humble Goji berry, then came Acai. These were followed closely by a series of increasingly potent and cumbersome-sounding superfruits (see Maqui and the Noni). Loaded with antioxidants, these are nature’s solution to the free radical damage that culminates in premature external (and internal) ageing.

 The latest addition to the  list doesn’t disappoint in the crazy name stakes  - or antioxidant value, for that matter. Baobab fruit powder has an ORAC value (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) of over 650/g making it twice as good at protecting cells as the humble goji berry and six times as efficient at undoing free radical damage as cranberries or blueberries. And, as the obsessive compulsives among you will know, the higher the ORAC value, the more it's going to impact your skin's ability to bounce back from (inescapable) exposure to environmental aggressors. That means better, clearer skin. It also does a good job on your insides too. The natural amount of Vitamin C and Vit B6  help boost the metabolism and immune system while the 45% fibre content is great at promoting digestive health.

THE TRUTH ABOUT HAIR LOSS (Part One)

Hair loss is easily one of the most potent fears among men of a certain age. In fact, recent research has shown that a quarter of men aged 25-29 are more concerned with losing their locks than they are with other age-related inevitabilities like skin ageing or going grey.
This is primarily because we have come to associate a full head of hair with virility. The prospect of going bald, therefore, is often felt as a loss of masculinity or power, a deficit that can usher in a crisis (see your local neighbourhood for prime examples of ‘male menopause’ in action). This subconscious fear is so pervasive that it has created an industry now worth over £1.2 billion. Men seeking to treat their scalps can now select from a variety of ‘solutions’ ranging from topical treatments and drugs to transplants and, worryingly, wigs.

THE SECRET OF HIS EXCESS

I always intended The Exfoliator to be a place for all the great stories that, for various reasons, I was never able to place in the glossy magazines to which I contribute. But, given the amount of online hype about Versace's latest fragrance - and all the editorial it is bound to get -  I felt compelled to throw in my two pennies worth about this release...

Were you foolish enough to judge Eros by its kitschy, sexed-up campaign, you would assume that the juice contained in the Medusa-stamped flacon was some kind of pheromonal elixir capable of sending women into full-body orgasms with just the faintest whiff. Indeed, everything from the ad (featuring a ridiculously over-Photoshopped, semi-naked Adonis draped in a silk dressing gown) to the Greco-Roman flask all reek of Versace’s signature themes: power, sex and money. Even the name Eros - better known to us as Cupid- was suggestive enough to get us excited. So far, very promising.

ABS OF STEEL

Ab Sculpting products often sound too good to be true. And that's because they are. While it’s unlikely that any topical product will magically transform a wobbly beer gut into a rippling six pack overnight, one has to wonder what impact – if any – these concoctions have.

Formulations to date have depended on tightening the skin around the midsection rather than targeting the actual fat that conceals those shy abdominal muscles. By stretching the skin, any underlying muscle might become more noticeable depending on the lighting / day of the week / your workout plan.  Most brands achieve this tautening effect by way of standard ingredients like caffeine, creatine and soya protein.

NuBo’s new 6-Pack Treatment (set for release next month) was therefore treated with due scepticism when a preview sample of the shiny chrome-effect bottle arrived on our desk. On closer inspection it turned out this product worked in a completely different way to everything else on the market. It’s essentially a thermogenic formula, which means it speeds up the metabolism in order to help burn fat. Moreover, tried-and-tested ingredients like Bitter Orange and Guarana (found in some of the more effective slimming supplements out there) trigger lipolysis, the body’s innate ability to release fat stored in cells. More familiar firming and toning ingredients are in the mix too, making this a multi-pronged solution for stubborn fat.

NuBo’s new 6-pack Treatment isn’t an invitation to clear out the pie shop, but it will certainly help turbo charge an existing workout or diet plan. Best of all it’s NuBo’s most affordable product to date, priced at £59 for 120ml.

Available exclusively from Harrods Gentleman's Lounge and www.nubobeauty.com

THE TIMES TOP 50 WEBSITES

The Exfoliator is featured in The Times' Top 50 Websites for Fashion & Beauty! Thank you to everyone for logging on and making this blog a success.

TIME BOMB

Spots have impeccable timing. A volcanic zit will often appear without warning, as if to deliberately sabotage that all-important date or meeting. And while squeezing is a tempting option, it’s not always the most appropriate action to take if you need the thing to disappear as quickly as possible.

In order to tackle spots, one must a) zap the bacteria that causes them and b) prevent their transfer onto your face (and, to give you a rough idea of how it’s getting there in the first place, it's worth recognising that there’s more bacteria festering on your mobile phone than there is on the average toilet seat…).

AVATAR JUICE

If the abrasive action of a traditional face scrub causes more problems than it solves, someone has probably already pointed you in the direction of chemical exfoliants or peels. Chemical exfoliants do the same job as their mechanical counterparts only rather than slough away dead skin and debris (causing invisible micro-tears), they employ acids to simply eat through whatever is sitting on the surface of the skin. It’s like deciding to strip a wall with a chemical solution instead of a sponge and scraper.