The Ultimate Guide To Men's Grooming. Hairstyles, Beards, Manicure And More

• Classy, but not artificial.
• Laid back, but not lazy.
• Groomed, but not painted.

That is what every ubersexual today aims to be. Unfortunately, the days of the cavemen are long gone. Not caring a dime about one’s hair or skin or nails is no longer considered sexy.

But don't worry if you have to spare an hour or two from that well-deserved long weekend taking care of things you hadn’t even noticed before. A grooming regime is the pet name of both a health regime and a self-pampering regime.

So sit back, scroll down the pages of this guide, and let us tell you how to pamper yourself.

What Grooming Essentially Means

Most people tend to freak out a little when they hear about this entire grooming circus. Considering that very little is known about men’s side of the grooming universe, it is not a surprise that anyone will blow this out of proportions. So before we begin here is a little dictionary of grooming language:

The Basics

Grooming: basically, an umbrella term for all the activities that are involved in giving a person a cleaner, tidier and sexier appearance from head to toe, but this is not inclusive of clothes and shoes. Grooming adds to the bathroom closet, but not to the wardrobe.

Bat Wings: this can mean two things-

• A fleshy forearm with more fat than muscle.
  A sweaty imprint of the crotch area on the underwear and sometimes, far more embarrassingly on the suit pants and jeans. This results from excessive sweating and moisture on the crotch area.
  

Mampering: a rather sexist term, which means a man pampering himself. But then, as they say, charity begins at home.

Ubersexual: A man completely confident of his masculinity and sexuality, unabashed by the stigma against men who indulge in grooming. A highly-appreciated millennial trend, ubersexuals are basically people who go into self-indulgence (grooming and shopping) sprees for their own happiness, rather than to impress or attract others. All in all, ubersexuals are the new cool guys on the block.

Bacne: acne, on the back.         

The Specifics 

1. MANicure: a man getting his nails done, which basically involves a proper, hygienic sanitation regime where the nails are properly cleansed and moisturised. No, it has nothing to do with women. No, it is not “pansy” like. If anything, it will save you the trouble of intestinal infections. So don’t let the stereotypes tell you otherwise.
2. Man-scaping: the act of shaving body hair. Visit https://thehaircentral.com/highest-rated-razors-for-shaving-balls/
3. Tan-contouring: uneven tan lines on the skin is the most natural thing to happen, considering most men tend to avoid sunscreen. Tan contouring consists of a process that evens out the tan on the skin, especially on the face.
4. Widow’s Peak: A V-shaped growth of hair towards the centre of the forehead.
5. Five Head: Exposure to a lot of space on the forehead when the hair is combed back. It makes a man appear balder and often gives the illusion of the lack of a widow’s peak. If all five fingers fit when you put your palm on your forehead with the fingers directly (and horizontally) above your eyes after you have combed your hair back, you most probably have a fivehead.
6. Brotox: sort of a sexist term, but basically means men going in for Botox. And if any man believes that heading for Botox is the right thing to do, let no stereotype, no overbearing fashion magazine and no high-handed elitist society stop them from doing what they think will make them look best, and ultimately make them happy.
7. Manpunzel: a man with long hair or beard.
8. Pitting Out: Excessive sweating, bad odour and/or yellow patches on or near the underarms. Considered one of the most repulsive things in men, this is the area that often requires a lot of work.
9. Zorts: large blemishes on the skin, often bigger in size than zits.
10. Nose trails: hair hanging out from the nostrils, most often a huge turn-off for women.

 

Battling the Issues

Even before sketching out a grooming calendar it is important to face the two basic issues that most men face during this.

Expenditure

The grooming industry is sadly considered more a luxury than a necessity when in actuality it should be considered the latter because it has a lot to do with health. The expenses that one might have to face at a salon are therefore quite cruel on the pocket.

If it helps, think of it this way: foot messages can fight insomnia and headaches, manicures can cure intestinal infections, timely haircuts reduce risks of male pattern balding. A grooming regime is just the pet name of a health regime, and all the expenses are an investment on a healthy lifestyle.

Social Stigma

Stereotypes are boring, entirely antithetical to a healthy lifestyle and an unfortunate byproduct of society. Anyone who tries to impose a stereotype on a man just because they take care of themselves is a toxic person.

And trust us, if you look your absolute best you would turn a number of heads, theirs included.

• The Grooming Circus

1. HAIR

An issue of the mop of the head is quite obviously an issue of self-esteem. As a matter of fact, even psychiatrists have bowed to the majesty of the mighty mane, as it turns out most men associate their hair with their masculinity. No risks are welcome when it comes to the mane, no problems taken lightly.

Managing the mane is no mean feat. There are so many things that have to be taken into account, the length, the cut, the texture, the amount of gel or shampoo or serum that can be put on it. So let's dedicate this part of the guide to the rescue of the Manpunzel.

Hair

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• Body Hair

The act of body hair maintenance is the act of man-scaping. What man-scaping consists of is knowing how much to let go, and how much to keep.

Chest hair, abdomen hair, and hair on the limbs is the accepted social norm although some men prefer to wax the hair from their arms strategically for a cleaner look. This can only be done in a salon. Pubic hair to is generally not shaved (and almost definitely not waxed). The men's boxers wax consists of strategically shaving or waxing the hair on the thighs so that it does not look completely bereft of hair and yet not very hairy.

Whether underarm hair is to be shaved or not depends completely on the person.

The hair that is most commonly waxed and shaved in men is the back hair. If a man chooses to man-scape the back, here are a few tips that might come in handy.

1. Ask the salon attendant if they can see any bacne. Waxing, shaving or applying anything to the back with acne is very risky and can cause a lot of pain if the acne is pulled off with the wax strips or disturbed by the razor, and the worst: triggered or irritated by the hot wax or other products used after the process. If there is bacne, which is a fairly common event, first try seeking medical help for it.
2. Know the temperature that suits your body the most. If the wax is too hot, the moisturiser too cold or the water that they use on the back too hot, mention it immediately.
3. Ask for a back mirror specifically if the salon attendant does not give one of his accords.
4. Ask for a moisturiser. Waxing, in general, robs the skin of the outer layer of moisture. Moisturising after it is very important. Specifically, ask the attendant to massage the back because you cannot reach all parts of your back.
5. Do not walk directly in the heat or under the sun after waxing. Give your body some time to adjust. Sweating after waxing or shaving can cause irritation on the skin.

• NAILS

Nails are sometimes the first things that people notice about certain others, sometimes even unconsciously. But the general stigma against men sitting on a leather seat with their hands and feet immersed in warm rose water in a salon has kept the majority of them away from manicures and pedicures.

There exists a ripple effect to not taking care of one’s nails: white spots start appearing on nails, microbes and decaying food particles accumulate under them even after washing, which ultimately results in endo-parasitic infections. If the person has healthy calcium stats, the ripple effects strengthen with age.

Therefore not taking care of your nails is a cardinal sin, against yourself. This is that part of the guide which should be most definitely followed, without any exception.

• Doing a Manicure and Pedicure at Home

These are the steps that can be followed at home without any manicure and pedicure kit and are absolutely hassle-free.

What you are going to need:

1. Nail-trimmer/nail cutter
2. Cotton Balls
3. Warm water in a bucket
4. Moisturiser

Step 1: Soak

Begin by immersing the nails in lukewarm water. Be it the feet or hands, one should keep them soaked for 5 minutes. After they have been soaked a little and the fingers appear wrinkly as they do when exposed to water, begin the process of cleansing. Lightly rub the fingers against each other, and then rub them against the palm. Be sure to reach the corners of the nails and the space between the fingers and clean them with the cotton ball. This can be done without soap.

If however, soap is being used, it is best to avoid the detergent-based ones as they are a little too harsh on the skin.

Step 2: Trim

Start trimming the nails after this. Try to maintain the general semi-circular shape for the nails. Do not, however, try to shape them too much, as this can lead to the exposure of the under the skin, and can be both painful and susceptible to infections.

Step 3: Moisturise

After almost drying the hands and feet (make sure they still retain a little water when the moisturising begins) apply a moisturiser to the skin. Make sure not to leave moisturiser on the corner of the nails. Try not to immediately walk after applying moisturiser on the feet. Dry the hands and feet off.

• Why Certain Men Prefer the Salon

There are many people who prefer to go to the salon rather than taking the shortcut at home. And although it involves sacrificing the urge to get it done quickly, there is the reason behind their preference.

• Any professional salon will attempt to simultaneously massage the hands or feet while giving a manicure or a pedicure. This massage has a specific pattern. It enhances proper blood flow in the massaged areas and reduces chances of dead skin, aches, muscle fatigue and even arthritis.

Trying to repeat this at home is a rather risky thing to do. Without proper knowledge and technique, massages can have dire consequences including arthritis. No, we are not exaggerating. So if you are going to give yourself a manicure/pedicure at home make no attempt to randomly copy the salon guy. Stick to the previous guide.

• Changes in temperature, too much stress, unhealthy calcium levels and any anomaly in the inner and outer conditions of the body tend to have an effect on the nails. Brittle nails, wilting nails, blackening nails are no unknown issues. A professional can actually handle these issues much better.

Or else you may end up seriously hurting yourself while trimming or cleansing. In such cases, no matter how stressed you are, no matter how many presentations that need to be put on the boss’s table, go to a salon. 

• A good salon will know their chemicals. So rather than choosing any random moisturiser, cleanser or soap, they will choose a specific chemical for the particular skin and nail type they are dealing with.
• The Best Of Both Worlds

This is where the calendar comes in. If for example, you tend to give yourself a manicure or pedicure once in every 7 days (which is the best thing to do) follow the five-week regime. Which means anyone following this routine will head to the salon once in the fifth week. This makes sure that the person gets both a good massage every five weeks and time for themselves. Plus, heading to a salon every week is a bit too much to ask of your pocket.

• SKIN

For a long time in the grooming universe, men’s skin was not given much importance. The salon circuits converged with the idea of the ultimate man who was just born perfect and remained flawless throughout his life without needing the parlour once.

Until recently, men's skin started getting the spotlight it deserves. Then came along the entire bandwagon of professionals who finally realised that flawless skin requires maintenance and this can have long drawn health benefits.

Having a facial massage is one of the most the heavenly feelings in the world. True, there is England and its rustic villages and Venice with its gondolas, but paradise resides in the warm towels of a facial too.

Some men carry some sort of a distorted and preconceived notion about facials being either an entirely lady-like activity or an unnecessary beauty regime. Both these notions are beyond wrong, they are blasphemous.

Two facts might summarise this argument: one, more than half the male population of metropolitans head to the salon regularly for a facial. And two: nerve blockages, distressed facial muscles, blackening spots, uneven tan lines, disrupted blood flow; a facial cures all of these and more. So randomly washing the face with bar soap and rushing to a date or the office is neither cool nor attractive.

Therefore head to a salon in regular intervals (at least once in every 5-6 weeks if you are very busy) to look your best.

When not heading to a professional, here are a few products that can go straight into the shelves:

If you're looking to style your mustache with precision and care, don't forget to check out high-quality mustache wax.

• Tea tree/ lemongrass/ chamomile oil: these three battle acne and black spots like soldiers, and rejuvenate the skin. The only thing that needs to be ensured before using these oils is that the person using these is not allergic to any of these. Remember to schedule an appointment with your doctor and make sure you are not allergic to any.
• Face Masks: they usually not gender specific, the only time they are marked for male or female is during marketing by the specific brands.

Two things need to be kept in mind before using face masks:  one of them is doing a streak test. Take the mask to apply it on your forearm and keep it for about 5 minutes. See if there is any allergic reaction. If there is no allergic reaction, follow these steps:

• Begin by gently exfoliating the skin. Rub your face with the tips of your fingers in circular motion. This removes dead skin cells.
• No, cucumbers on the eyes don't really benefit them. It is just a sort of a party trick of the professional beautician. The only purpose it does serve is it helps avoid the eyes when applying the face mask. But that can be done without the cucumbers too.
• Know your skin type: is it oily? Is it too dry? Are there specific areas on the face which are more oily or dry than others? Pick a face mask accordingly. If you cannot figure out yourself, ask the store attendant.
• Don't keep the face mask any longer than what has been prescribed at the back of the tube or bottle. Wash it off gently.
• If the skin feels too rough after 15-20 minutes of taking the face mask off, splash some water on the face and use a light moisturiser on it.

• Aftershave: this has to be the oldest member of the grooming brigade, and if it is missing from your bathroom cabinet, it is time to rethink the harm you have done to your face. Aftershaves sometimes have a slightly burning effect on the skin, but in most cases, it is ultimately beneficial. If it keeps on burning for than 5 minutes, immediately wash it off. Better still, do the streak test for anything that you apply on your body.
• Chapstick: lesser known fact, too much use of a chapstick can actually dry up the lips more than usual. Chapsticks are designed in a way that one has to use more and more of it because the lips dry up quicker than usual. At the same time, not using one especially in cold, dry weathers is a terrible lapse of judgement. Just because two men might mock you if you stand in the men's room with a chapstick in your hand does not mean you can strut around with dry peeling lips and still expect to be macho.
• Moisturiser and Sunscreen: Honey based, milk based, oil based or herb based, always have a moisturiser. Nothing is more lifesaving than this in case of itchy, dry skin. A sunscreen on the other hand, should accompany a man wherever he goes. Also, always check the SPF level of the sunscreen.
• Bronzer: now that we can shift from basic grooming to the more niche areas, the bronzer must be spoken about. A bronzer functions as a substitute for an all-natural, glorious suntan and is absolutely magical in concealing the uneven tan patches on the skin. Bronzers these days contain sunscreen and come in multiple shades to suit specific complexion. While buying a bronzer, apply a little bit on your skin and your nose to see if it is visible on the skin as a separate layer of the surface. If it very obvious, it is not suitable for your complexion. Remember, a bronzer should be subtle.
• Concealer: true to their name, concealers conceal every little anomaly on the face that might disrupt the overall appeal of a look. Blotchiness, red patches, dark circles under the eyes, razor nicks, everything can hide behind the concealer’s curtain.

• The List of Tricks to Remember

Even the smartest guy can be tricked into eternal confusion in the world of grooming. There are too many products to choose from and too little time to spare.

And of course, there is that ultimate need to fit a schedule. Not many are willing to spend the greater part of their weekends sitting at home or in a salon with a wet towel on their face.  

There exists a five-part schedule that can effectively battle all these troubles. Here's decoding the ultimate game plan of product shopping:

1. Know if you are allergic to anything. Lactose intolerance, allergy to sunflower seeds, allergy to oils of various kinds can render a man incapable of using a number of products that contain these substances that he is allergic to. Turn the product to its back and read the ingredient list. This little effort will save you the trouble of rushing to the ER. Scheduling an appointment with the doctor beforehand is the safest thing to do.
2. When shopping for grooming products it is always better to be physically present there than shopping online. That way, you can ask a number of questions, and immediately do a streak test with a test bottle. This saves money and time.
3. When razor shopping, look for the manufacturing date of the blade or the electric trimmer. If it is anything more than 6 months, do not buy it. It can pose a huge health hazard otherwise.
4. All organic products are not good. Do not blindly invest on a product just because it is labelled organic. A number of issues may arise with using too many organic products, so know how to balance between organic and others.
5. Take a woman along with you while shopping for products. Not only do they have sharper instincts in these areas, but they also will, in most cases, not try to trick or prank a guy as some of his male friends might do.  Also, women have a better idea about concealers and bronzers than men in general.

The grooming game is fun, and if done properly, beneficial in the long run. Carry the perfect hair, beard, face and skin with confidence, and you will score gold. If being an ubersexual is the new cool, a man should be the definition of it.

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