Grooming habits is something that most men acquire at a very young age.  Most of us got our first shaving lesson from watching our father’s shave and groom in the bathroom mirror.  We would watch attentively as he would smoothly even out his favorite brand of shaving creme and begin to gently remove the hairs that were aggravating him for weeks!

Later he would protrude closer to the mirror to give a second look at his face to make sure that he didn’t leave any unwanted hairs behind.  After he was satisfied with the final look his favorite shaving clippers, he would begin to lather on a cooling and refreshing aftershave to his face in order to keep the itching and burning to a minimum.

Following the shave, he would maybe pick a couple hairs from his nose or face that he swore “just popped out of no where!” using his tweezers.  Making sure that he is very careful with the sharp utensil, he would hold it firmly to ensure they wouldn’t accidentally slip out of his hand.

These are just a few stories that I could remember after seeing my father spend hours in front of the mirror at home when I was a younger kid.  Today, I try to incorporate the same skills and quality that he used into my own daily routine.  Most of the things I do today are what I learned when I was younger.

Grooming for men is the equivalent to women spending a day at the hair salon! It’s all done in hopes of keeping our looks up to par and satisfying our inner conscience.  Men who groom on a daily basis would be the first to tell you that it’s like visiting a spa! All due to the feeling that you have once you are satisfied with the results.

Below I have put together many great tips about how to maintain your hygiene while also learning new grooming techniques to help you become more confidant in your everyday commute.

The Face

Your face is one of the most vital parts of the body when it comes time to hygiene and grooming techniques.  The face is obviously the first thing people see when they are making contact with you and communicating.  This should be where you start the grooming process.

If you think about it, what is the first thing we do when we wake up in the morning? Most of us look in the mirror at our face!  We simply look for anything out of the ordinary or if something may have changed or appeared throughout the day.

In order to maintain the “stage” of our body (the face) we should dedicate more time in front of the mirror.  Besides, it doesn’t hurt to take that final look before we head out the door.

What we do in the morning before we head out is what really can make a difference in the health of your skin.  Here are a few tips that could help out.

Facial cleansers, toners and moisturizers work great, you just have to know the type of skin you have.  Is it oily? is it Dry, or a combination of both?  No matter what type of skin we have, we should understand that overtime many factors will take it’s toll over our skin.  The following factors could contribute to the transformation from healthy skin to unhealthy.

• Hormones
• Health Problems
  
• Smoking
• Medications
• Age

Facial Cleansing

When washing our face, most men are misinformed and aren’t sure of what is safe to put on their skin. If you are not for sure, simply consult your local physician so that we know how to properly treat the issue.   Our skin can be dry, oily, or a combination of both.

Oily- The common secret to cleanse oily skin is to realize the following attributes associated with oily skin.  Normally, the face would be greasy and shiny around the nose, forehead, and chin area.  Also the following will apply

• More prone to acne, blackheads, and blemishes that are caused by irritation
• Skin pores are large and congested
• Skin is thick and dull

The more you are informed about what accompanies oily skin, the easier it will be for you to find products that lends it’s self to the treatment.  Don’t pay hundreds of dollars for a particular product you have seen advertised.  All it takes is a simple “off the shelf” product to do the trick.

Dry- The number one remedy to treat dry skin is moisturize.  No matter what medical guru you consult they are going to tell you (in so many words) that you want to find a product that adds moisture to the face without stripping it during the cleansing process. Here are a few signs of dry skin.

• Skin is easily irritated when touched
• Very sensitive ( may see red blotches )
• Skin will be dull and chap causing flaking of the dry skin
• Skin pores are small

If your face feels tight after you have taken a shower, you have dry skin.  The only known cure for dry skin is to replace the moisture that is no longer present.  You want to always apply lotion at times when your face feels tight to make sure your pores stay open.

You also want to keep in mind that the climate and even poor diets can contribute to dry skin.

Combination-  This is one could be hard and at times confusing to treat.  You will more than likely find yourself going through a trial and error situation in order to treat both symptoms.  For the “dry” symptoms try to alleviate the flaking and chapping with a cleanser that promises to leave moisture.  For the “oily” part, go for a cleanser that promises to make acne and blackheads disappear.

As I stated earlier, this one would require  trial and error because you don’t know which one is more prominent.

When in doubt, you could always rely on using a very mild soap.  You could simply put a light lather over your face while gently scrubbing to ensure you exfoliate and cleanse properly.

The number of products that you could use to help you are endless.  As long as the product promises to deep clean and exfoliate the skin, you are in good hands.  I would personally recommend any product from the Neutrogena line.  Their products always leave the skin smooth and moisturized.

After you have deep cleansed, you want to replace the moisture that the cleanser took away.  I always apply a very light coat of Vaseline – total moisture conditioning body lotion with vitamins E and A.  This lotion is a multi-vitamin moisturizer that replenishes 100% of daily hydration, along with the essential nutrients that our skin needs to be vibrant and feel healthy everyday.

Toners

Along with cleaning your face and tighten your pores, the ultimate goal of a toner is to replace moisture back into your pores.  It’s mostly referred to as Aftershave because it removes any germs and kills bacteria that may be inside your pores.

The majority of toners contain alcohol which continues to cleanse even after the initial cleanse.  Toners also help fend off acne, spots, blackheads, and blemishes that appear on your face.

Most people use toners as their moisturizers after they shave.  This idea is perfect because it not only cleans the skin, it replaces the moisture that were stripped during the cleansing process.

Our Hair

Aside from caring for our facial appearance, most men also give a lot of time and attention to their hair.  Most of us fall into the hype of having “healthy hair” when in reality, there is no such thing as “healthy hair.”

This is due in part because hair is made of keratin and protein.  So because your hair isnt something that can become health, you must maintain and apply ingredients to keep the shine, elasticity, and most importantly strength.

The leading cause of hair damage for men is towel drying. If you are like me, you dry your hair while you are drying off your body.  You “kill two birds with one stone” so to speak.  When you dry your hair with a towel, you hair gets easily tangled in the threads of the towel which strains the hair at it’s cuticle and even pulling it out.

To help you correct this problem, you should allow your hair to air dry for a few hours.  You then should proceed to dry your hair with a towel in the direction your hair naturally grows.  This eliminates the breakage that is caused when we violently dry our hair in different directions with the towel.

Don’t expect to see a difference in health immediately.  This is a process that takes time and will only improve as time goes on.  Most men will begin to see the difference after a few trips to the barber shop.

Using a Blow Dryer

The average man wouldn’t use a blow dryer, but for those who have longer hair to manage, it is a option that we have.  I myself have long hair to maintain on a daily basis.  I don’t use a blow dryer much only when I’m in a rush.  For those who do use blow dryers, you probably are not using it properly.

Before you blow dry, use some sort of detangler on your hair to decrease the amount of breakage.  Next, you want to make sure you hold the blow dryer 6-10 inches away from your hair to prevent drying out your hair completely.  You don’t want to leave your scalp stripped of moisture.  This could cause excessive dandruff.

Growing Stronger Hair

Men surf the web everyday for ways to grow stronger and “healthier” hair on their head.  It all relates back to the lifestyle that we live.  In order to have strength and growth on your hair, you must keep yourself healthy.  Now we all know how to get healthy, but the basics is the start to stronger and lengthful hair.  Make sure you eat fruits and vegetables, drink a gallon of water daily, take vitamins to kick start your immune system and metabolism, and also get extra sleep.

Controlling Frizzy, Straight, Thinning, Wavy, and Curly Hair !

Men of all ages and races experience different hair types.  Whether your hair is like any of the 5 I described, you could easily find something to help you manage it so it won’t be a pain.

Frizzy – Frizzy hair is caused by a lack of moisture.  To help lock in moisture during washing, try to use a moisturizing conditioner.

Straight- Wash at least twice a week and only use a gentle shampoo and a light conditioner.  You also should keep your hair trimmed to ensure you get rid of the split ends.

Thinning – The secret to treating thinning hair (without adding chemicals) is to make volume appear.  Men with thick, bushy hair will never know they are thinning because their hair is so thick all over, it would appear to be evenly distributed all over their head.  The same idea should be applied to those who have thinning hair.  Make sure you don’t use any product that could weigh down your hair, this will expose your scalp.

Wavy – Wavy hair is associated with spongy, and “pooffyness.”  When your wet, it draws up and dry’s in that position.  It’s often time’s tough to manage, but it IS manageable.  The idea to help you out is to add weight to your hair.  Adding weight and shine should help eliminate the excessive ‘waviness” you are experiencing.

Curly – The trick to maintain curly hair is to keep it cut!  You also should wash your hair as often as possible and using a good conditioner.  You also should be using an anti-frizzy serum.