Men's Faces and Feet

Even if we men don't traditionally go in for moisturizers or spas, most of us shave (at least occasionally) and uphold minimum standards of cleanliness. And while you may never be ready for a pedicure, a foot bath is a nice way to clean and pamper tired jocks' feet. And one thing leads to another: Although men spent $22 million on skin-care products in 2004, a fraction of women's $6.7 billion, our spending is growing at the rate of 58 percent a year, according to market researcher Mintel.

Below are some manly products that are free of The Green Guide's Dirty Dozen most-unwanted ingredients (see The Dirty Dozen Ingredients In Personal Care Products.

Product Picks: My sensitive skin responded gratefully to The Art of Shaving's grooming supplies (www.theartofshaving.com, 800-493-2212). I was a little intimidated at first by the old-fashioned lineup, but the lemon pre-shave oil ($22/2 oz., a blend of castor, olive and lemon) nicely softened the beard, and although the sandalwood shaving cream ($22/5.3 oz.) didn't lather up as much as the stuff you squirt from cans, it didn't matter. To top it off, I splashed on the eau de toilette ($70/3.5 oz.) with eucalyptus, jasmine and fir. Nonie of Beverly Hills sells handmade men's shaving cream, aftershave and moisturizers ($8-$16.50) in attractive glass bottles (www.nonieofbeverlyhills.com, 888-nonie-bh). Brooklyn's Carol's Daughter uses shea and cocoa butter, sea salt and essential oils in its shaving lotion, scrubs, fruit whips and butters (for moisturizing) ($8-$24; www.carolsdaughter.com, 877-540-2101). Missouri's Homespun Naturals sells aftershave splash ($7.50/4 oz.) and foot soaks ($4.50/5 oz.). Manly scents include Golfer's Green with sage and Big & Brawny with bay rum. As for their foot soak, I can tell you my feet came out smelling a lot better than they went in, and they felt better too (available at www.pattyscountrycolors.com, 903-728-5884). Honeybee Gardens makes herbal aftershave, shaving soaps, moisturizers, lip balms and facial scrubs ($6.99/4 oz. of aftershave, shaving soaps by nspecial order; www.honeybeegardens.com, 610-396-9225).