10 Indispensable Grooming Tips for Men
Once upon a time, proper grooming was something that few men took all that seriously. For one thing, it was incredibly time-consuming, and a sign of the worst sort of vanity. Attitudes and practices have changed, however. Nowadays, men's grooming is something that’s widely agreed to be worth thinking about. Let’s run through ten fantastic tips that’ll ensure you can face every day looking spectacular.
Replace your Toothbrush Heads
To keep your teeth in the best possible condition, you’ll need to be using an electric toothbrush. That much is a given. But you’ll also need to replace those toothbrush heads at regular intervals – if you don’t, they’re not going to retain their plaque-busting capability for long. You need to be swapping them every six weeks at a bare minimum. So, buy a pack of twelve and set a reminder on your phone to replace them at the start of every month, and to buy a new pack after a year. Problem solved!
Replace Your Razor Blades
Whether you’re using cheap disposable razors or double-edged safety razor blades, it’s essential that you keep yours as sharp as possible. There’s nothing more likely to cause irritation and bleeding than a nasty, blunt razor. That means a steady supply of replacement blades, kept somewhere cool and dry. Be sure that you handle them with care, and get into the habit of replacing frequently.
Decide on a Scent
Grooming isn’t just a matter of looking fantastic. You’ll also want to smell your best, and that means picking out a fragrance that you like. You don’t want to be chopping and changing constantly, so settle on something that you don’t mind being associated with. If you buy in bulk, you’ll save money in the long-term. Generally speaking, you want to go with something heavier and muskier during the winter months, and a little lighter and more citrusy-sharp during summer. With that said, a man’s choice of fragrance is about as personal a decision as it gets, so don’t allow yourself to be constrained by what other people think is best: try a few, make a decision and own it!
Trim your Pubic Hair
This is a lesson that too few men seem to have learned, so we’ll address it explicitly: you need to keep your pubic area appropriately man-scaped. That doesn’t mean going totally bald, but it does mean keeping everything neat-and-tidy. Don’t use the same razor you’re using to shave your face, and don’t trim your nether-regions with a pair of scissors unless you’re going to be concentrating fully on the task. If you’re getting regular sexual action, then this is important, but even if you’re not, it’s a habit worth getting into: very few people, male or female, are going to be thrilled at the sight of an untamed wilderness sprouting from between their partner’s legs.
Exfoliate
Your skin cells are constantly dying, and they need to be rubbed off in order for the new ones to come up to fill the gap. Given that our lifestyles aren’t as active as they might have been thousands of years ago, this means exfoliating using an exfoliating face scrub. It’ll keep your pores clear and your complexion smooth, and it feels good, too!
Tackle Dark Circles
The eyes, it is often remarked, form the windows to the soul. Which means that you’d better make sure that your windows aren’t encrusted with grime and falling apart from the sill. The skin of your eyelid is thinner and more delicate than that of the rest of your face and body, and thus it’s more vulnerable to puffiness and discolouration. To provide your eyes with the best possible care, you’ll need a specialist moisturising cream or try the Baxter of California under-eye complex. This will help to disguise the fact that you were out all weekend doing shots of Jack Daniels when you stroll into the office on Monday morning. Looking haggard is never a good thing.
Shop Around
Everyone’s different, and the market for grooming products is accordingly gigantic and varied. What worked for your father and his father before him might not work so well for you. What’s more, there are new products being developed and released all the time – and if you want to take advantage, you’re going to have to do a little bit of experimenting with the available options.
Visit a Barbers
While it might seem to be an extravagance, booking regular appointments at your local barber shop will help to ensure that your hair – facial and otherwise – doesn’t run out of control. If you leave your haircut until you one day look in the mirror and realise that it’s overdue, then you can be sure that your friends and colleagues have come to the same realisation.
Prepare for your Shave
If you’re wet-shaving, then you should be taking preparation seriously. That means investing in a quality shaving soap or cream. The nasty stuff you get in an aerosol can simply won’t do; it contains all manner of drying agents, built to ensure that it lasts for as long as possible in the can. These agents will reliably wreak havoc on your skin. So go for a premium option: you needn’t use enormous amounts of it. With its help, the razor will glide effortlessly across the surface of your skin, scything through everything in its path.
Cut Your Nails
While it’s not something that men pay much attention to, there are few things more off-putting to the fairer sex than a set of scraggly, jagged fingernails. To combat this, you’ll want to get into the habit of regularly trimming your nails – ideally just after you’ve hopped out of the shower: the warmth and moisture will make the keratin (the stuff that makes up your nails) that much more pliant and sliceable. Note that you don’t want long fingernails – aside from anything else, they’ll get in the way of day-to day tasks and end up irritating you. That is, unless you’re a classical guitarist and you need long fingernails for precision fingerpicking.
