Natural and organic is the next big thing in the skincare industry. People have now understood that a product doesn’t have to contain iffy ingredients in order to work. Men’s skincare is almost always neglected when it comes to revolutionising products. Usually, these items come in black plastic tubes with the charcoal grey minty product inside that tingles the skin. Why does men’s skincare have to be so harsh? It’s time for men to go natural as well. Don’t worry, we’ll not make you put your mother’s holy grail yoghurt and honey face mask on (although it will help).
Zen Skincare (@zenskincarepakistan) is Pakistan’s first ever natural skincare brand for men.
Their products are completely chemical-free, skin-friendly and contain all natural ingredients such as nutrients rich botanicals, minerals and essential oils.
Impresses by their products, I convinced my friend to give Zen a try for a week. He’s habitual of using typical brands available for men like Nivea, Dove and Garnier, so he felt like a perfect ‘guinea pig’ for my going-natural-skincare-wise experiment.
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Before -
After
If you’re also thinking about switching to natural skincare, keep reading to find out how his week went.
1. Marble Bar
Purpose: It has detoxifying properties and is used as a Face and Body cleanser to remove dirt, sweat and pollution particles. It’s instructed to apply the Marble Bar to the wet skin.
His Experience: He normally uses Garnier Charcoal Face Wash (Rs. 499) to cleanse his face 2 to 3 times a day. He did worry at first while using the Marble Bar (Rs. 800) because soaps are generally harsher on the skin as compared to face washes but with each wash, over the week, the bar became his favourite product. He was blown away by the results. His facewash would normally excessively dry up his skin leaving it itchy and flaky but the Marble bar didn’t strip his skin of moisture. “It worked well on my T-Zone and my face felt perfectly balanced between dry and oily”. Another plus factor was its scent, it didn’t smell too musky. Usually, men’s skincare has a strong artificially added scent that he isn’t a big fan of. The Marble Bar was a win for him.
2. Shampoo Bar
Purpose: This all-natural fortified shampoo bar cleanses, conditions and protects hair when applied to wet hair
His experience: For him, it’s most difficult to come up with an ideal routine that will make his hair less frizzy and more manageable. Before using the Shampoo Bar (Rs. 1,100), he did mention that it’ll be inconvenient to use it in the hostel where he shares his bathroom with other flatmates. “Obviously bars are more difficult to use than regular shampoo bottles, they get mushy with time but it’s a great alternative to the traditional plastic bottles that are harmful to the environment” The great thing is that the shampoo perfectly matched his existing hair routine. In fact, it made his hair softer and tamed his frizzy hair without any extensive styling. Moreover, using harsh shampoos made his hair lose shine, but with the consistent use of the Shampoo Bar, he felt the shine returned. Although he loves the product he believes the scent is a bit too strong for his liking. “This strong scent lasts hours and even my bathroom smells of it all day long, which is a bit too overpowering for my liking, I wish they can come up a fragrance-free shampoo bar”.
This was his first time using all-natural skincare products and he said “it feels great knowing the fact these chemical-free products aren’t harming my skin and hair in any way”. When asked if he’d like to make a switch he answered that he will consider switching to the Marble Bar as it suits his skin type better than other face washes.