Grooming Tips for the Modern Man

We’ve come a long way from the days of gel-set-go and quick shaves. Today, men’s grooming is a burgeoning industry fed by the increasing awareness about the goodness of personal hygiene and the professional side-effects of careless dressing. 

Times have changed but with the plethora of products that have made their way to drugstore shelves, a new kind of dilemma has cropped up– what tools to use, which product to use them with and how to settle into a routine that suits you. 

Above all, any grooming routine should be circled around maintenance. The more complicated or all-encompassing your routine, likely it is to skip a day, then the second and then every day after. It’s not a feasible solution– but what is workable is sticking to these 10 grooming tips to spruce up your ‘modern man’ appearance:

Get a haircut regularly 

This tip cannot be overstated enough. A regularly-scheduled appointment at the barber’s doesn’t just involve waiting for your locks to grow out Tarzan-style before making a decision.

It’s about being proactive and sticking to scheduled appointments so your hair is always looking its best. The logic behind this is two-fold– not only are you looking all cleaned up all the time (perfect for emergency meetings and dates), you’re also less likely to splurge on grooming products because neat hair dramatically cuts down on the dishevelled look on its own. 

Pick a scent and stick to it 

People tend to remember others or revive memories of them based more on scent than on any other sensory factor. Play this to your advantage by picking up a cologne or aftershave that suits you, then make it your own.

This doesn’t mean you walk into the local department store and pick up the first gassy deodorant you see– it means carefully picking out a scent that’s distinctive but not overwhelming because both you and people around you have to live with it.

To intensify that association, consider finding similarly scented soaps or shower gel– this also helps to prevent a clash in notes that, when mixed with natural body odor, could cause quite the issue. 

Use scrubs or exfoliators and cleanse your face regularly

Your skin is an excellent indicator of how well (and often) you wash up and what your diet is like. To avoid tell-tale signs of lack of grooming on your face, fix a time once every week to really scrub away those dead skin cells with a good facial scrub.

Focus on the forehead, chin and nose to do away with unsightly blocked pores that you may not notice, but your friend or partner sure has. This method also successfully removes dead skin away from hair follicles around the jaw and chin, making it less likely that a zit or blocked follicle appears.  Just skip the micro-beads.

The base of all skincare routines, cleansing is a game-changer too. It clears your skin of all impurities collected during the day and allows you to go to bed at night feeling fresh. You’ll also notice your morning face looking that much better and, with your regular moisturizing and exfoliating, good skin is in the bag!

Man that beard

Regardless of what bearded look (or lack thereof) you go for, go it all the way. That means if you prefer being clean-shaven, get yourself a good razor– maybe one of those fancy heating ones– to catch all the hair without leaving patches.

If bearded is the way to go, then trimming and shaping will take your beard from unruly matt to manicured. Don’t forget to prep your skin before going in with the razor– using creams and balms can reduce irritation and keep skin soft, whatever the look you’re going for. 

Slather on sunscreen

If there was one product whose benefits were underestimated, it’s sunscreen. Regardless of whether the sun is beating down on you or whether you’re in the depths of winter.

Putting on sunscreen protects your skin from dangerous UV rays ever-present in the atmosphere that dry and age your skin. An SPF 15 moisturizer will go a long way in keeping your skin youthful!

Get flossing

Brushing your teeth once and calling it a day is setting yourself up for disaster. Regardless of how well you dress or how good your perfume is, bad breath and unclean teeth send every good habit for a toss.

By flossing, you’ll easily get rid of plaque build-up and gross food residue between teeth. Naturally, this makes your breath fresher and odor-less– much better than mouthwash or breath mint. 

Cut and file your nails

Yes, this sounds like we’re going back to elementary school days but it’s imperative that nails are kept trimmed and filed. It’s necessary enough to cut them, but buffing them really ups the ante, as does moisturizing around the nail bed to prevent dryness.

If you’re keen to experiment, consider going in for a manicure– these experts know how to get the dead skin off your hands and keep them looking neat and fresh. 

Get the lowdown on the best hair cream for you

‘For you’– that’s the key phrase. What works for Ryan Reynolds may not necessarily work for you, so key in on what your hair type is and what haircut you’re sporting before picking out a hair cream or gel.

Gone are the days when your grandpa’s hair cream was the one you kept reaching for– today’s market is inundated with the best of hair products, so do your research before making a choice!

It’s about time that men grooming stereotypes are left in the past along with saggy jeans and platform heels. Armed with these 10 tips, you’re ready to wow anyone (including yourself) with confidence!