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Should You Start Using Eye Care Products?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYour eyes are the window to your soul\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Somebody Smart<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n – Michael Scott<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Your eyes are the first thing people will notice about you. They\u2019ll notice your clothes, your shoes, your walk, your laugh, but when it comes to your face, your eyes are what they\u2019ll notice first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, what kind of \u201ceye-mpression\u201d (give me break, it\u2019s late) are you giving them?<\/p>\n\n\n\n In our recent articles<\/a>, I\u2019ve been sharing about how important it is to care for your skin. BUT<\/em><\/strong> you should be aware that the skin underneath and around your eyes is different to the rest of your face. It needs to have special treatment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s thinner and prone to age-related imperfections easily. When people look you in the eye, they\u2019re noticing the first signs of old age that you\u2019re showing. Your eyes will give you away every time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And, let\u2019s be honest, you\u2019re a guy. Guys tend to ignore these things more than girls do. Which is why I didn\u2019t get carded at that liquor store. It\u2019s not that girls have a radically different skin on their face that looks healthier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Guys just care less.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I don\u2019t know what it is about guys (*scratches butt\u2026casually sniffs*), <\/em>but there\u2019s something different about us. It could be that we\u2019re lazy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, the short answer is \u2018YES!<\/strong>\u2019. You should be using some eye care products. Your eyes are prone to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n But how are you to know which product is which? After going through her makeup case, I found no less than 127 varieties of eye care products, each promising close to the same thing?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Well, let me help there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Most eye care products you\u2019ll come across will fall under these categories. It will be labelled as a<\/p>\n\n\n\n They\u2019re all going to perform the same action; anti-aging of your eyes. They\u2019ll all act on the skin around your eyes to reduce those signs of aging that has Cashier Cathy not questioning your beer purchase at the store.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are some differences in what you\u2019ll be applying to your skin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Creams tend to be\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wait for it\u2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Creamy! Yes, you guessed it. The eye cream has a creamy texture that applies about the same as any face cream you already own<\/a>. Eye creams are an oil-based cream<\/a> that feels luxurious because of all the moisture in the compound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Eye gel is less like a cream because it\u2019s not an oil-based substance. It\u2019s gooey in texture and is a silicone substance that\u2019s been suspended in water. You\u2019ll find plenty of eye cooling gels on the market that promote clearing up puffy eyes and dark coloring. It\u2019s not unique to the gels, but that\u2019s what they tend to target.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Eye serums sound more scientific. They can contain a variety of medicinal and chemical compounds, but their claim is the same; eliminate those signs of aging. The consistency of the serum will be runnier and clearer than a cream. It might even come in a syringe-packaging to sell the idea of being more medical.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you click here<\/a>, you\u2019ll see that all of these products fall under the FDA category of being a \u2018cosmetic\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What does that mean?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Basically, it means that the FDA does not require an approval process to classify these products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s right\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s no standard for what is on the label.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For you, the consumer, that means that you could be buying an eye gel, labeled as a serum, performing the same action as a cream.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s true!<\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s absolutely no oversight as to what constitutes a gel, a serum, or a cream.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So what should you do? How do you decide what is best to put on your delicate, thin eye skin? The best option is to look at the ingredients, and decide what you want to target.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So let\u2019s go over those.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Although I\u2019m not going to give you the complete list of what\u2019s available, you should know that these key active ingredients are found in 99% of the eye care products out there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You\u2019ve heard of antioxidants and the power they have to slow aging. It\u2019s because they combat free radicals<\/a>, tiny molecules that bombard your cells because they are unstable. They leech electrons from cells, prematurely aging them, and causing your skin, organs, and health to deteriorate faster. Retinol counteracts that effect, slowing it down in your skin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I asked myself that question at first. If there are all these creams and gels and serums, why can\u2019t I just skip it all and moisturize really well?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Well, let me tell you why that turned out to be as wrong as I could be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You see, in my efforts to be skeptical and save money, I thought that eye care products weren\u2019t that necessary when I could get a fairly cheap tub of moisturizer from my local CVS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But I forgot a couple key factors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Most moisturizers work the way they\u2019re intended to work on the places that they\u2019re intended to be applied. And the smart folks at these research facilities create these moisturizers to work on the skin in your T-Zone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The area known as the T \u2013Zone is your forehead and down the bridge of your nose. If you squint your eyes just right, you can see how that vertical and horizontal part of your face looks like a T. It\u2019s hard to see, but you\u2019ll get it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s where your moisturizer goes. The skin around your eyes behaves differently. It is a thinner skin. In fact, the thinnest skin on your body, so it\u2019s going to respond differently to a generic moisturizing cream<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Also, there are so many more factors to anti-aging than simply having moisturized skin. Your eyes droop, they lack brightness, they can discolor and darken\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n And moisturizer doesn\u2019t do diddly squat for those symptoms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They do serve a purpose though. Moisturizers are designed to be emollient <\/strong>and humectant. <\/strong>Simply put, emollient creams draw moisture into the skin and softens it. Humectants retain that moisture and prevent loss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is good for men.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You shave a lot (or you should), and your skin could get affected by a dry climate or dry season. Your skin needs that moisture<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ok, a word about application, now that you\u2019ve decided you want to try and look as young as you actually are\u2026or even younger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n (Reminder: I\u2019m just going to leave this here. Your skin around your eyes is thin. Have I said that already? It is delicate and doesn\u2019t need a heavy hand. But guys aren\u2019t renowned for having a nimble approach and a light touch. Please be gentle when putting these creams around your eyes.)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The best time to apply an eye care product is right after you\u2019ve cleaned up. So if you\u2019ve applied the cleanser and you\u2019ve gone through the process of properly cleaning your skin, you can apply the delicate and specifically produced eye cream or serum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Take a pea-sized blob of the cream and pat it around your eyes. I would strongly advise using your pinky or ring finger to do this. They apply the lightest touch and you can be extra fine while patting it in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Take the time to properly dab in all the cream, taking care not to rupture the delicate capillaries just underneath the skin of your eyes. Yes, you do want to make sure it\u2019s all absorbed, but no, you don\u2019t want to rub it in quickly and firmly. And don\u2019t go too close to your eyes. It doesn\u2019t work well in there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Also, it\u2019s a little stingy when it gets into the eyes. The area around your eyes does not have many pores, but it will seep in where it needs to go without you getting too close.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Don\u2019t wipe off any excess. Just keep on patting the cream around the eye until it\u2019s all in there. Just like a hand lotion, it should be completely absorbed after 20 minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And that\u2019s it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n You shouldn\u2019t need to apply eye products more than 3-4 times a week. If it\u2019s particularly dry where you live, or you\u2019re trying to undo damage, apply it as part of your evening routine. But more than that actually reduces the ability of the cream or serum\u2019s effectiveness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, while we\u2019re on the subject of caring for your eyes and preventing the appearance of aging, let me add a couple addendums here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Particularly, sunglasses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Caring for your eyes and the skin around it is much easier if you\u2019re preventing damage from happening in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A good pair of sunglasses (aviators please!) can be the key to caring for the delicate eyes and the skin surrounding it. It doesn\u2019t have to be designer (that does look cool though), but a good pair is worth their weight in gold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n First, take those free glasses you get from the booth at the summer fair. Got them? Good. Walk them over to your garbage can and open your hand to let them fall in. That is literally the best place for these \u201csunglasses\u201d, if you can even call them that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n No, get yourself a decent pair of UV-blocking glasses that reduce the UV light reaching your eyes and skin. UV light can eat away at the tissue in your eyes, causing cataracts and macular degeneration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Also, when you are outside and not wearing sunglasses, you tend to squint. That can form those crow\u2019s feet we were talking about earlier; the first sign of wrinkling, and old age, around your eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019m writing this assuming that you\u2019re already interested in looking after your skin. It\u2019s the first thing people notice about you, and the eyes play a part in helping your appearance look younger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As always, I recommend not just using eye care products, but including them as a more holistic approach to caring for your skin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Start off with a cleanser \u2013 any the one of the best face washes and cleansers for men<\/a> listed in this article should suffice. You need a way to get rid of all the gunk and build-up that accumulates on your skin. It also gives you a clean and fresh canvas for actively preventing anything else from happening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Exfoliating is the next most important step (check out these products designed for a man\u2019s naturally rugged skin<\/a>). This isn\u2019t really about cleaning but a way of reducing those signs of aging that make you look tired, weary, and generally 15 years older than you actually are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Exfoliating your skin just removes that build-up of dead skin cells. It tightens and firms your skin and exposes the healthy, younger skin that is naturally there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And lastly, don\u2019t forget your SPF. Sunscreen prevents the harmful UV rays from undoing all the work you\u2019ve put into looking younger and caring for your skin. It\u2019s nice to get a bit of Vitamin D from the sun, but it\u2019s even nicer to look young and fresh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s a reason I harp on about sunscreen all the time, and this is it. If there\u2019s one thing that I can\u2019t stress enough, it\u2019s that sunscreen should just become part of your everyday routine, no matter how much (or little) you\u2019re caring for your skin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I hope that you choose to start using some form of eye cream, or gel, or serum, in whatever form you choose. Pay attention to the ingredients and additives in the compound you choose. Your eyes are the one part of your face that everyone is already looking at.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Give them something nicer to look at. Look after your eyes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I recently had a birthday. I\u2019m not going to reveal my age, but let\u2019s just say that when people get nostalgic about certain decades, I have a couple more decades … <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":62099,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[977],"tags":[998],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.toolsofmen.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51586"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.toolsofmen.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.toolsofmen.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.toolsofmen.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.toolsofmen.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51586"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.toolsofmen.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51586\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":66092,"href":"https:\/\/www.toolsofmen.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51586\/revisions\/66092"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.toolsofmen.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/62099"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.toolsofmen.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51586"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.toolsofmen.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51586"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.toolsofmen.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51586"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.toolsofmen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/man-holding-face-wash-in-palm-of-hand.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nEye Creams\/Serums\/Gels<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Eye Products Dirty Little Secret<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.toolsofmen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/top-down-view-of-an-amber-bottle.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe Active Ingredients<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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well<\/s> slightly over the legal age.<\/li>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.toolsofmen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/man-applying-cream-to-face.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nWhy Not Just Use Face Moisturizer?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Let\u2019s Get It On Your Face<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.toolsofmen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/man-with-sunglasses-and-thick-beard-on-blue-background.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nFurther Eye Care<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Last Notes on Skin Care<\/h2>\n\n\n\n