Welcome to the ultimate guide to men’s grooming.
Men’s grooming is the practice of keeping your face, hair, and facial hair fresh and clean.
Grooming can refer to the way you style your hair, shave your beard, and even wash your face. That said, grooming is not always simple.
With dozens of styling and grooming products claiming to be the best, it’s hard to know where to start. The good news is that we’re here to help.
Our guide on men’s grooming takes you through everything you need to know about the subject.
You’ll learn how to groom your face, hair, and facial hair in the best way possible. Read on to learn everything you need to know about men’s grooming!
If you want to skip ahead, here are the main focuses:
A Brief History of Men’s Grooming
In order to comprehend how men’s grooming has progressed, it is important to grasp the history.
Men’s grooming has been for much longer than most people know, and it was necessary even when people lived in tribes.
While men’s grooming has evolved greatly in recent years, they continue to strive for a clean appearance to varying degrees. The focus of today’s men’s grooming is on stylish haircuts, manicured beards, and clean faces.
A well-groomed man nowadays is one who pays attention to his beard, keeps his body hair under control, and has a go-to cologne and skin care routine.
With that, we will jump into some of the key points to ensure you stay well-groomed.
Hair Care
First and foremost, we’ll begin with hair care. Haircare is essential because grooming hair can keep it healthy, which can prevent hair loss.
Proper hair care can also make a man’s hair more stylish, regardless of how long it is.
There are also other ways to groom your hair, which include keeping it clean.
Maintaining a Fresh Haircut
First and foremost, you need to maintain a haircut. While you don’t have to have short hair (long hair is a fun style too!), it needs to be maintained and cleaned.
For the best results, we always recommend working with a barber that you trust. They can provide you with a clean-cut and help you with regular trims to help you maintain your style.
Moreover, you should make sure your haircut is well maintained before job interviews, weddings, and other events.
If you’re not sure about how to style your hair, you can also visit salons and stylists, although we recommend this route for people with longer hair.
Salons and stylists can help you determine what hair length is best for your face, body, and even hair color.
Washing Your Hair
To keep your hair clean, you need to wash it. That said, most people wash their hair more often than needed. In fact, this is true for both men and women.
Of course, washing your hair is important, but you don’t need to wash it daily (unless you’re hitting the gym or getting dirty at work).
We recommend against doing so because some shampoos remove natural oils from your hair. These natural oils can remove dirt and grime from your hair and keep it healthy.
When it comes to washing your hair, you should also use natural products. These can help keep your hair’s natural oils from being ineffective during a wash.
Styling Products
When it comes to styling your hair, sometimes it takes hair products.
Hair products are great, but putting spray, gel, and other things on your hair can damage it.
For these reasons, it’s important to learn about each of the hair products and how they impact your hair. You can also use things like a hairdryer to help your hair maintain a more natural look.
When it comes to styling products, we have some of the most common ones listed below.
- Gel: Hair gel fixes hair in place and gives it a wet-looking shine. You also don’t need to worry about hair flakes because the gel has evolved over the years.
- Wax: Hair wax is for people who have shorter hair. It has a medium and strong hold, however it needs to be reapplied throughout the day because it smudges.
- Sea Salt Spray: Sea salt spray is one of the most recent innovations in hair styling. It can be used to give hair a beach-like appearance that adds volume.
- Clay: Clay can add density to a man’s hair, which is why it’s suitable for men with thinning hair. It also provides a stronghold but is not as strong as some gels or Sprays.
- Hair Créme: This hair product is rarer than the others but works well for people with medium-to long hair. It keeps freeze to a minimum and helps bolster curls.
These are a few of the most common hair products used for styling.
Hair Treatments
Unfortunately, our hair thins and falls out as we grow older. This means that many men end up suffering from some type of baldness in their life.
While this fate used to be sealed in the past, that’s not the case anymore. In fact, several hair treatments can help you preserve your hair before and after it begins to thin.
Dyeing Hair
When hair turns gray (or if you want to change your hair color), you can always dye your hair. There are many different types of dyes available, but some work better than others.
For this reason, we advise getting your hair dyed by a professional. Then, you can use an at-home hair dye kit to manage the color and maintain it.
We recommend following this method for changing hair colors and preserving the color of your hair because getting it done professionally gets expensive.
Thinning Hair
Thinning hair is another issue that many men face as they get older. In fact, 50% of all men experience male pattern baldness after their 30s.
Plus, some men display symptoms of the condition at younger ages. That said, there are treatments for thinning hair.
Men with thinning hair can use prescribed treatments, but these typically have side effects. So, you should always consult with your doctor before treating hair loss yourself.
You can also get a hair transplant, which moves healthy hair from the back of the head to the front of the head.
Beard and Mustache Care
Most men have some type of facial hair. It begins to grow during adolescence and begins to become less patchy during early adulthood.
While many men have facial hair, knowing how to maintain and style beards and mustaches is easier said than done.
The good news is that we’re here to help and have a handful of tips for facial hair grooming.
Shaving
Shaving is important if you want to have a clean beard. While we’re taught how to shave at a young age, or forced to learn when it gets too shaggy, shaving is easier said than done.
It’s a daunting task that requires precision, preparation, and care.
The good news is that shaving is simple to do once you get used to it.
You can use an electric razor for quick shaving, but this method leaves behind a 5 o’clock shadow.
On the other hand, you can use a traditional razor or straight razor for a clean shave. You’ll have to use the cream for these razors, but the result is a clean shave.
We also recommend using tools like a shaving brush to preserve healthy hair follicles and your pores.
Steps for Proper Shaving
If you don’t shave often or want to make sure you’re shaving the right way, we’re here to help. Below are 4 steps to get the best possible shave (with most razors).
- Warm up your face with a warm face wash or shower. This opens the pores.
- Prepare your face for shaving with exfoliation.
- Start with the easy areas (around your cheeks) and save the harder parts of your face (under the lip) for last.
- Once you’re done shaving, use cold water to close your pores.
Getting Familiar With Razors
When it comes to shaving, there are many razors. Therefore, it’s important to understand the differences between each type of shaving razor.
How you shave your face also varies based on the razor you’re using. The common razors are listed below.
- Disposable Razor: These are simple razors with a plastic handle. Many companies make them, and they should be thrown out after a few shaves.
- Electric Razors: Electric razors are the most popular razors because of how easy they are to use. The drawback is that they don’t deliver a clean shave (close shave).
- Cartridge Razors: A cartridge razor is similar to a disposable razor. The difference is that you can keep the razor and remove the cartridges instead.
- Safety Razors: Safety razors are rare and something you’ll find in some stores. These razors have safety guards but a sharp blade instead of the small ones disposable razors have.
- Straight Razors: Straight razors have blades that fold into the handle. The blades don’t need to be replaced, and they provide the best overall shave. They’ve been in use for centuries.
While there are some unique types of each razor, these are the most common razors you’ll come across.
Trimming
Trimming your beard is another way to remain well-kept. Using your beard trimmer is different from shaving because you don’t use a razor.
Instead, you use scissors to adjust the length of the beard. People that benefit the most from trimming have long facial hair. Otherwise, you won’t get much use out of trimming your beard.
Some other tools can help you trim and style your moustache if you’re interested. These looks may also require wax or gel to be used on facial hair—similar to hair care products.
Aftershave
Aftershave is also an essential part of a well-groomed man’s routine.
It allows a man to exfoliate the skin after a shave, and it provides a smooth texture to the skin and hair follicles.
Using aftershave also leaves a nice scent on the face, which women are bound to notice.
While aftershave doesn’t need to be applied after every shave, it works best for close shaves that may have led to discomfort.
If you follow these shaving techniques, you’ll be all set with your beard or mustache in no time!
Facial Care
In the past, facial care was primarily for women, and many men were opposed to using facial products.
Face care is a regular element of many men’s grooming routines as it promotes healthy skin and prevents acne. Taking care of your face can also make your skin less oily and prevent some of the signs of aging.
We’ll take you through everything you need to know about men’s facial care.
Cleansing
We’ll start with cleansing, which should be done once a day. While major companies recommend cleansing your face more than once per day, this can damage the skin and cause problems.
Therefore, you want to cleanse your face at least once per day. Cleaning your face can also be done in a few ways, all of which include not using the same bar of soap you use in your private areas.
A good facial cleanser is designed to clean your face, raise facial hair for shaving, and remove grime from pores.
There are many cleansers to choose from, and you shouldn’t shy away from an oil-based cleanser because it’s a myth that they cause blackheads and damaged pores. In fact, a man’s face has many natural oils that are essential for skin health.
When cleansing your face, we recommend waiting until the end of the day (before bed).
This can help you remove dirt and grime before bed. Plus, a clean face will prevent your pillowcases from becoming dirty, which is a major cause of acne breakouts.
You can also cleanse your face before shaving. Doing so can help you get a better shave.
Moisturizing
Moisturising is one of the most important parts of facial care.
If you don’t moisturize, you leave your face exposed to the sun and the signs of fatigue.
On the bright side, moisturizing your face is simple and easy. Plus, it only takes a few minutes to do in the morning and before bed.
Your morning moisturizing routine should include formulations that help your skin prepare for the day.
This means that you should be using something that protects you from UV rays. Depending on how well you slept the night before, you can also use a moisturizer that energizes the skin to reduce the prominence of tired eyes.
At night, the moisturizing process is different. When you’re out of the sun and sleeping, the body begins healing; this includes your skin.
Therefore, your nighttime moisturizer should have properties that promote healing, cell repair, and wrinkle protection. Using a moisturizer that promotes healing can help you ward off the signs of aging.
Face Masks
Toning your skin and using face masks is not just for women. Men can also benefit from a good face mask and skin toner.
There are a few types of face masks that men can use, but the most popular types are charcoal, clay, and sheet masks. Each type of face mask has unique benefits, but they’re all great choices.
Charcoal and clay masks are the most similar. These masks are designed to help with congested skin and clogged pores.
The ingredients within charcoal and clay masks are great at pulling dirt and grime out of pores, which helps your skin breathe.
These masks are great for reducing and preventing acne. While these face masks peel off, remove them slowly to avoid pain and discomfort.
There are also sheet masks, which are better for moisturizing. These masks come in individual packages, which also makes them great for traveling.
Sheet masks are great for moisturizing because they hydrate the skin. Many people use these face masks when traveling to provide moisture to their faces in low-humidity areas.
Exfoliation
Exfoliation is a necessary process for men and women. While women typically know all about the wonders of exfoliation, men are left behind.
That changes today. Exfoliation is important for men because the body becomes less effective at removing skin cells as we get older.
Naturally, the body sheds about 50 million flakes of skin every hour (waking and sleeping). This process is important for cleaning pores, removing blemishes, and more.
Unfortunately, aging reduces the amount of shedding. This slows down the recovery process, and the skin begins to show more age and damage. The good news is that using an exfoliation cream can help your skin shed a normal amount again.
Exfoliation products help by removing the top layer of skin on the face, which is the epidermis.
Following an exfoliation, the program is simple because many products are combined with moisturizers. That said, we recommend using these products because you should only exfoliate once or twice each week.
Exfoliating more than once or twice per week is counterproductive and can damage your skin. Overall, exfoliation will help your skin look smooth, young, and healthy.
Toning and Serums
Toning the skin prepares it for the next product. As a result, toning the skin before applying a face mask, exfoliant, or moisturizer is a popular practice.
While using a toner isn’t as important as some of the other men’s grooming products, toning the skin aids in the removal of impurities and damage that’s not repaired by other products. Toners are available in liquid, face masks, and mist forms. This makes them convenient and easy to use.
Serums are also another grooming product every man should have. Used alongside a toner, serums work well because they target specific areas.
If your face has a few problem areas (like crow’s feet), you can apply a serum to that area. Serums are like moisturizers, but the cream is less dense, so it can reach more parts of the skin.
Serums and toners can also help people manage oil and dirt on their faces.
If you follow these grooming techniques for your face, you can reduce the signs of aging and walk around with a vibrant glow. It seems like a lot of work at first, but caring for your face is always worth it.
Stay Fresh Gentleman
Knowing everything you need to know about men’s grooming is a great way to separate yourself from other men. Many men slack when it comes to grooming, so having a clean face and hair makes you unique.
Furthermore, being a well-groomed man also has other benefits. Your hair will be healthier and your face will be cleaner. Plus, with the right grooming techniques, you might be able to prevent hair loss!
Questions? Get in contact with us here.
