Primary guide for Men’s grooming

This Male grooming excerpt refers to men paying more attention to fashion and enhancing their own appearance. This pastime has become increasingly more apparent in modern popular culture.

There are many reasons why men’s grooming has been growing bigger and better as we move further into the future(!!) – but primarily, the essence of grooming is to ensure a man feels confident about himself when pushing forward with a full-on charm offensive to the world.

CLEANSING

Men do not win points for using the same bar of soap on his tackle and his face. Perish the thought! It’s more important to use a facewash aligned with your skin type that is PH balanced leaving your skin uber-cleansed and optimally hydrated. Using oil-based cleansers won’t cause spots or blackheads and are kinder to dry and mature skin types (we recommend)

EXFOLIATING

Here’s a fact – Every day the human body sheds around 50 million flakes of skin (YUK!) the equivalent of around 0.03 and 0.09g of skin every hour. Exfoliating is important – helps to keep your face looking fresh, however, the replenishment of new cells diminishes as we get older, meaning we need to give the natural process a helping hand.

Exfoliation is the removal of the very top layer of the epidermis of the skin. The benefits of this keeps pores clearer and clears blemishes, making skin feel and look smoother.

Some cleansers can double up as exfoliators. The more popular exfoliants use grains of salt in a scrub, or chemical exfoliants like alpha hydroxy acid. However, beware, using exfoliators every day can be harsh and ultimately counterproductive – once weekly is sufficient (we recommend)

MOISTURISING

Using a moisturizer is an essential part of the male grooming routine.

Every bloke needs to leave the house with his skin protected against environmental free-radicals like sun and pollution – basically this means looking for formulas loaded with SPF and antioxidants.

Once the sun goes down our skin enters repair mode, and to help boost our skins natural functions we recommend using a specific night cream or nourishing formula designed to promote cell renewal and delay the signs of ageing.We recommend adjusting your daily routine for the seasons, upping the UV protection, and using lighter gel/water-based textures in summer and layering on the hydration during the winter (we recommend)

SERUMS

Serum is essentially the new moisturizer 2.0! and is taking the market by storm.They are made up of much smaller molecules than traditional creams, making them able to target specific concerns like wrinkles or pigmentation using more potent ingredients.

Serums and similar facial oils can be used in conjunction or in place of a traditional moisturizer. It’s all about finding the right texture and combination that works for your skin (we recommend)

SHAMPOO

Shampooing is essential to keep the hair cleansed. Yes, we need to keep our hair clean. However, over shampooing can strip the hair of its natural oils, so shampooing every day might be unnecessary. A little-known fact, hair can go up to 6 weeks without shampoo and the body’s natural oils will eventually start the natural cleansing process – or create great dreadlocks!

(we recommend)

STYLING

Important tip – no matter the product, pomade, or clay, always start with a pea-sized amount. Work this forward from the back of the head and ensure you don’t have too much product around the front.

Primary tip: Before applying product to your hair, warm the product up in your palms. This makes it more pliable and easier to work through the hair.

THE BEST STYLING PRODUCTS

POMADE

Pomade is the original oily/shine product needed to create styles like the pompadours and quiffs. Pliable with a touch of gloss, you can comb & restyle throughout the day. Pomade has always been good for dry hair (we recommend)

GEL

For a fixed hold and the wet slick-back look, hair gel is the tool. Gel has come a long way since it became trendy, now we don’t need to worry about flakey conditions when it dries up, most gels are much water and oil balanced (we recommend)

WAX

Great for styling short, choppy cuts and funky crops. Wax can have a matte finish with control or give a low sheen while offering a medium hold that is pliable all day long (we recommend)

CLAY

Clay is thicker than gel but more pliable than wax. Ideal for fine or thinning hair. Clay can be used to add body without weighing the hair down. Hair looks thicker with texture when using clay (we recommend)HAIR CRÈME

Hair crème works best on mid-lengths and ends styles. It helps to smooth away frizz, add definition to curls and improve the hairs overall condition (we recommend)

SEA SALT SPRAY

In these parts, sea salt spray seems the most natural accompaniment for styling. It can be used to add volume and a controlling hold on longer curly hair types, also gives the hair great elasticity (we recommend)

THINNING HAIR

Nothing stops male pattern baldness. Thinning is a part of life for both men and women. In fact, half of all men over the age of 30 will eventually be affected by a thinning head of hair. There’s a plethora of home treatment regimens that can help prevent a receding hairline. However, these can have negative side effects, so it’s important to seek medical advice first. The permanent solution is a real hair transplant, where healthy follicles are taken from the back of the head and moved to the areas it’s needed most (for a short term fix – we recommend)

SHAVING

Shaving is the ultimate smoothing process for men – because the exfoliation the razor (or a shaving brush) gives, allows the skin to regenerate, removes dead skin cells, scrubs and serums while helping to minimize spots and blemishes. Leaves the skin looking super refreshed and feeling silky smooth – essential to use the right razor and shave cream, soap, or oil.

FIVE STEPS FOR A GOOD SHAVE

Shaving after a warm bath or shower helps to soften the stubble and open the pores, resulting in a much closer shave.

Exfoliating or using an electronic cleansing brush makes light work for your razor by lifting the hairs, help to avoid ingrown hair in the process (we recommend)

Leave tricky spots until last: Start with flat areas like the cheeks. From there move on to the upper lip, then take your time to avoid any nicks around fiddly areas like the chin and the ears.

A final splash of cold water will help close the pores, then apply a post-shave balm to nourish and cool the skin.

Invest in the right equipment: A razor subscription box will mean your kit will always be fresh, without having to think about it.

AFTER SHAVE

The benefits of aftershave depend on exactly what’s in it. Traditional alcohol-based aftershave has acted like a sanitiser for the face after shaving.

When you shave, you often leave behind many tiny cuts and exposed bits of the top layer of the epidermis and pores are more likely to get bacteria lodged inside. Typical aftershave contains ingredients known as isopropyl alcohol (isopropanol) or ethyl alcohol that are like what’s used in hand sanitizer or household cleaners like rubbing alcohol.

These ingredients kill bacteria or toxins on your face after a shave. Therefore alcohol-based aftershave infamously stings when you put it on your face — it’s antibacterial. But alcohol-based aftershaves can be more damaging to your skin than beneficial when used over time. More natural aftershaves, such as jojoba oil or coconut oil; as well as moisturizers like lotion or aloe vera, can still help protect the skin from bacteria getting into cuts while also retaining skin moisture (we recommend)

Other health benefits of aftershaves that use natural ingredients include:

• Helps to reduce itching and swelling from skin damage and ingrown hairs
• helps to close pores and prevent bacteria, dirt from getting in, (which can reduce breakouts, razor burn, or razor bumps)
• helps heal small cuts from shaving heal quicker
• helps prevent hair follicle inflammation (folliculitis) by protecting opened pores with a layer of liquid or oil
• helps promote the regrowth of skin tissue to protect your skin for longer
• adding an awe-inspiring smell to attract the right person.

We hope this gives some of you cool-cats an idea how to better prepare yourself for the weekend- we’d be Uber-keen to hear how these tips may help!

Please contact us direct for more upto date information.