Male hippies didn't wear facial clay masks.
That is, although the baby boomer generation rebelled against many aspects of the Greatest Generation's lifestyles, they went only so far.
Long hair was contentious, dramatic, and obvious enough. It's hard to imagine how 1967 Establishment types would have reacted if they'd known male freaks also BEAUTIFIED their skin, like women.
Besides - everybody knew - real women wanted real men, and that didn't include sharing dermarollers with them.
No way Ingrid Bergman and Lauren Bacall would have fallen for Humphrey Bogart if he went to Casablanca for the beautifying sands of its desert. Tough-guy adventurers who sold rifles to antifascists in remote parts of the world had to settle for a quick shave with a straight razor and a sliver of soap - if that.
Clearly, times have changed.
Personal Care Products for Men are Now More Popular than Ever
Shaving creams. Scented soaps. Aftershave lotions. Beard oil. Skin moisturizers. Exfoliating face scrubs. Body washes. Beard balms. Creams to treat baggy eyes. Shampoos. Conditioners. Facial moisturizers. Sunscreens. Toners. Lip balms. Hand lotions. Colognes. Cleansers. Nighttime moisturizers with retinol. Daytime moisturizers. Hand lotions. Blemish gels. Hairstyling products. Pomades. Skin lighteners. Anti-aging creams. Hair sprays. Clay masks.
In short, men can now buy a for-men version of just about every personal care product women buy. How much of the "for-men" part is design and marketing and how much actual functional differences are required because men's skin is different - would probably take an expert to define.
On average, American men use six grooming products every day, according to the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, while American women use twelve.
Clearly, the market is big but has room to at least double.
And it no doubt includes men interested in maximizing their health and longevity. They want to continue looking as good as they feel far into "old age."
The Big Problem With Commercial Personal Care Products
The mass manufacturers are no more interested in the long-term health of their male customers than they are of their female customers.
The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics reports those six grooming products men use every day contain over 80 chemicals.
You wouldn't drink your aftershave or cologne, but you still take in whatever they contain through inhalation and by absorbing them through the pores of your skin.
These substances are poorly regulated. They don't cause noticeable damage when you're exposed to small amounts of them, so the government allows them.
But what are the long-term effects of daily exposure to small amounts? We won't find out for a few more decades.
In the meantime . . .
Watch Out for Phthalates
These are chemical plasticizers.
A 2005 scientific study noted that, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), male reproductive problems doubled between 1970 and 1993. The study speculated phthalates in personal care products could be one of the causes of undescended testicles, male genital defects, decreased sperm counts, hypospadias - and lower testosterone.
That is, guys who use personal care products to enhance their attractiveness may have their manhood actually diminished by the phthalates in those products.
Maybe that's why Bogart scorned them.
Phthalates are often linked to products with added fragrances. According to US law, fragrances are trade secrets. Personal care manufacturers are therefore not required to reveal the chemicals in their proprietary "fragrances." All they have to do is disclose that they added a fragrance.
Assume the chemicals making up that fragrance - no matter how wonderful it may smell - include phthalates.
As well as being linked to reproductive problems, they're considered possible carcinogens.
Therefore, both men and women should avoid all products with added fragrances.
That includes nail polish, hair spray, and perfume.
Endocrine Disruptors
Phthalates also belong to a group of chemicals known as endocrine disruptors.
An endocrine-disrupting chemical (EDC) is any substance or mixture of substances that alter one or more functions of your endocrine system, and that affect your health or your children's health - according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Your endocrine system is the network of glands in your body that make and regulate hormones. These glands and their hormones are enormously important in maintaining your physical and emotional health.
And, of course, for having healthy reproductive organs.
Notice also: Your exposure to endocrine disruptors today may affect your future children's health.
Common Endocrine Disruptors in Personal Care Products
According to the National Institute of Health, they include triclosan as well as phthalates.
Triclosan is antibacterial, so it's been added to soap and many other personal care products to prevent contamination by bacteria.
Various studies over the years have raised concerns about its effect on the health of your thyroid gland and mitochondria.
In 2016, the FDA banned triclosan from soap, but it's still allowed in other personal care products, including toothpaste.
What Both Men & Women Can Do
* Look for small companies committed to selling only healthy, nontoxic products.
This will no doubt mean shopping online, using Google to dig deep. If you find a product on the shelf of your local supermarket or drugstore, it's been commercially manufactured - and any claims of being "natural" are probably simple marketing, not factual.
* Look for products certified organic by the USDA.
However, their label applies ONLY to how any agricultural material in the product was raised, not to added ingredients or manufacturing processes.
* Look for products certified by MadeSafe.org.
Made Safe is a nonprofit organization certifying the safety of personal care and many other products.
https://www.madesafe.org/
https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/5-things-know-about-triclosan
https://www.intechopen.com/chapters/72654
https://www.webmd.com/diabetes/endocrine-system-facts
https://www.intechopen.com/chapters/72654
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1253722/
https://www.safecosmetics.org/get-the-facts/whats-in-my-products/people/men/
https://globalnews.ca/news/308575/men-warned-of-toxic-ingredients-in-grooming-products/
https://www.webmd.com/men/features/grooming-essentials-men
https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/reviewedcom/2020/10/08/20-personal-care-products-designed-specifically-men/5928200002/
https://bengreenfieldfitness.com/podcast/andy-hnilo-podcast/
https://bengreenfieldfitness.com/podcast/anti-aging-podcasts/andy-hnilo-alitura-unique-skin-care-products/