Gents, It's Time To Clean Up Your Acts (And Faces)
For some of the men who have spent the past months hibernating instead of socializing, your facial appearance may have let itself go over the winter season. While I will respect that there are guys who have been diligent in keeping their personal care at a respectable level, on the flip side, there are also a handful of guys who'll need to go through a grooming spring checklist in order to catch up prior to summer.
Men's lifestyle writer, marketing stud, entrepreneur. Maritimer in Toronto. RAMONE.ca for the goods.
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Looks like spring is arriving a tad bit early, which means it's time to cleanse the unruliness that's taken over your face. Spring cleaning doesn't just mean the tidying up the garage, you know.
For some of the men who have spent the past months hibernating instead of socializing, your facial appearance may have let itself go over the winter season. While I will respect that there are guys who have been diligent in keeping their personal care at a respectable level, on the flip side, there are also a handful of guys who'll need to go through a grooming spring checklist in order to catch up prior to summer.
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You may have already booked a haircut with your barber, which is routine at this time of the year. Big shapes and contrast, as well as short and choppy hair styles, headline this year's trends for haircuts, as identified by Fashion Beans. For now, let's focus on what lies below the hairline.
In order to get you in top shape this season, here are a few items on your checklist to keep your appearance presentable, your skin healthy, and your confidence high as ever.
It's time to bring your beard back from the wilderness
Letting the beard grow out is a safe bet for winterized gents. Your face stays toasty, nobody will notice if you skip a trim-day, and it generally looks rather bad-ass. Now that the weather is warming up, it's time to decide what your next steps are.
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First off, the dry air may have stiffened your beard, which can become complicated for partners who have to deal with the rough beard-o. Make sure you clean your beard thoroughly. You don't have to do it every time you're in the shower, but giving it a nice lather 2-3 times per week will get you by. After the wash, rub in some coconut oil to soften the beard, and even improve hair growth. Actually, there are a lot of benefits for coconut oil on your body hair.
For those with a shorter scruff, letting your beard grow out will soften it even more. Trimming will cut the edges of your beard hair and create sharp corners. While I'm a huge fan of the 5 o'clock shadow, you'll need to add extra care in the form of washing and softening techniques to keep it smoother. Otherwise, bushy is better (for softness).
Unruly nose hairs can look almost like an alien symbiote escaping a cave. Before anyone can catch a glimpse, you'll need to take the long ones out. The obvious answer is a nose hair trimmer, but if you don't feel the issue is recurrent, the pesky long hairs can be removed with either a clean and disinfected pair of scissors or tweezers.
If you're using scissors, you need to remember that it's potentially dangerous to do so, and that you should only aim to snip the long hairs. Leave the short hairs be. Don't try to dig in deep to get the hairs that nobody can see - aim to trim when they begin revealing themselves.
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If you're using tweezers, accept the fact that this route will be more painful, your eyes will occasionally water with each pull, and it also is dangerous as it can potentially cause bleeding or leave small holes that can become infected. Doesn't really require much demonstration - just grab and pull. Focus on the long hairs, and if it begins to hurt a lot, place ice cubes up the nostril to numb the pain (I'm serious).
Remember: both options above should be cleaned prior to use!
Unless the monobrow is your shtick (like Anthony Davis), it just doesn't look good to have the Golden Gate Bridge stamped across your forehead. Leaving the unibrow to grow into futility can turn off the average partner-to-be and can lead to unwarranted ridicule. In order to maintain decency, it's time to even things up. And no, I don't mean sculpting a beautifying look.
Unbushing should only apply when the odd long hair emerges, or there appears to be early stages of a bridge. Plucking with a tweezer is the most common choice, in order to maintain a masculine appearance. Don't wax; it can look unnatural on guys and leave you with some hard edges that you won't be able to Ctrl+Z.
Make sure you touch up the borders, removing any pesky hairs that go rogue. Try not to over-shape, or you'll tread down a dangerous path of unbalanced touch ups that could put you in a more complicated position. Last but not least, there's always styling cream if you want them to sit a certain way.
Just like the mess that winter leaves on your front lawn (although the dog poop can be blamed elsewhere), the cold, dry season will leave its mark on your face too. It's important to maintain a healthy balance of cleaning out the excess oil and dirt, while maintaining moisture.
First off, if you're following DJ Khaled's keys to success, or you're still living in 1985, you need to stop washing your face with a bar of soap. Soap has a tendency of drying the hell out of your skin and clog your pores, which lead to all sorts of troubling acne issues. In order to retain the moisture that protects your skin, invest in a facial cleanser that removes dirt and excess oil.
Choosing your cleanser of choice will depend on how oily or sensitive your face is. Research to make sure it doesn't contain aggressive chemicals and detergents - those will usually remove all your essential moisture from your skin, leaving you unprotected. If it helps any, Black Lapel has an interesting guide to discover your skin type.
Once you have your cleanser ready, wash your face with warm water to open your pores, apply your cleanser in gentle, circular motions, then rinse again with warm water. Afterwards, pat your face dry with a clean towel.
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Exfoliation isn't just for the ladies - it can be done a couple times per week and will really remove all your dead, winterized skin. It's the best way to reveal your fresh new skin. I mean really, how often do you guys drink out of a dirty glass anyway?
Wait a minute -- all this time you haven't been moisturizing your face? The dry air of winter will do a number to your skin, so make sure you find a good face moisturizer for an added layer of protection.
One of the major secrets to keeping your skin young is to use a moisturizer with an SPF of 15+ every day. As you know, UVA rays will do plenty of damage to your skin, which can age you faster. Since the sun is likely to hit you even when you're not on the beach, it's important to keep your skin protected at all times.
Do you have other techniques that keep you looking groomed and proper? Hit us up in the comments below.
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