Monkey to Gentleman - Male Grooming
WARNING - This post may contain emasculating content and expose the author to ridicule
Yesterday was the start of a new month, which for me is my 'grooming' day. I'm sure most male monkeys here have a grooming routine; after all, we need to keep ourselves in tip-top condition. So, let us bare all, reveal our souls and describe what we do to look sharp.
I'm fully aware that some people view male grooming as "OMG GAY" or lacking self confidence but I disagree. Women take time to put on makeup, do their hair, get facials etc. so I don't see why men shouldn't take some time to put effort into their appearance as well.
For me it's a facial exfoliation followed by an ear clean with olive oil and then to finish up, plucking some unsightly nasal and eyebrow hairs. If you havn't done it before, be aware that plucking your nose hair is by far the most eye-watering thing you can do from the safety of your own bathroom.
I think doing my routine every day would be overkill, but I could perhaps increase it to every week.
So, for you like-minded monkeys wishing to make the change from ape to gentleman, what is YOUR male grooming routine? What is the worst part?
...
I believe in taking care of myself, in a balanced diet, in a rigorous exercise routine. In the morning, if my face is a little puffy, I'll put on an ice pack while doing my stomach crunches. I can do a thousand now.
After I remove the icepack, I use a deep pore-cleanser lotion. In the shower, I use a water-activated gel cleanser, then a honey-almond body scrub, and on the face an exfoliating gel scrub. Then I apply an herb mint facial masque which I leave on for ten minutes while I prepare the rest of my routine.
I always use an after-shave lotion with little or no alcohol because alcohol dries your face out and makes you look older. Then moisturizer, then an anti-aging eye balm, followed by a final moisturizing "protective" lotion...
Rinse, and repeat.
This is the post I expect to appear sooner or later...
Putting in the obvious response before everyone else does.
In the shower I use a water activated gel cleanser, then a honey almond body scrub, and on the face an exfoliating gel scrub. Then I apply an herb-mint facial mask which I leave on for 10 minutes while I prepare the rest of my routine. I always use an after shave lotion with little or no alcohol, because alcohol dries your face out and makes you look older. Then moisturizer, then an anti-aging eye balm followed by a final moisturizing protective lotion.
Damn beat me to it
only seconds too late...
Son, let me give you a piece of advice.....if you want to continue to work here, lay off the drugs.
I use lots of moisturizer for my face, b/c the shower dries it out, no homo, and also use it as after shave b/c it has no alcohol (no American Psycho reference intended). I fucking hate shaving with a passion and often cut myself but found the greatest blood stopper on the planet, works literally 2-3 seconds after you put it on, even on bad cuts, stings though - looks like a chalk stick, does anyone else know what I'm talking about?
I spend a good while on my hair when it gets long. Any other guys afraid of their hair starting to thin? Mine has slowly started and I'm mid 20's.
Also, I shove a cucumber in my pants on days I meet with HR chicks.
Rich replied "take a potato and tuck it in your swimming trunks. It drives the women wild!"
So Harold stuffed a potato in his suit and paraded up and down the beach. Several hours later, he still had no woman.
Harold went to see Rich again and said "I've tried the potato and it doesn't work!"
Rich looked at Harold and said "have you tried putting the potato in the front?"
+1 hahaha
stealing that
hahaha +1
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antihemorrhagic#Styptics
Regards
Damn, how do you manage to pluck your nose hairs? I tried it once and decided I'd trim them instead. Any pro tips?
Pair of tweezers works a treat. Grab hold and then you have a decision to make; do you go for the fast and clean pull or the slow extraction. Both hurt about the same amount and achieve the same effect. Personally I go for the slow extraction.
Every time I pluck nose hairs my eyes water and I sneeze like a motherfucker. Shit is crazy.
Hair: don't just go for what's easy - you'll get respect for a nice-looking, well-styled head of hair. Girls love that shit. If you're style-retarded, let your hair grow out, then go to a stylist and have them design the right look for you. For a cheaper alternative, look at what kind of hair people with your facial structure tend to have.
Clothes: Fit. Fit. Fit. Get your stuff tailored. Go for simple looks over crazy patterns/colors. Look at the guys considered best-dressed: they don't wear anything particularly unique pattern/color-wise... instead, they get all the details and fit right.
Face: make sure you're moisturized and get rid of the acne, etc... you're not 15 anymore. If your facial hair grows in patchy, keep it clean-cut. If not, you can probably get away with a little scruff, particularly when you get out of banking.
Shoes: nothing box-toed. pay up for 2-3 pairs of nice shoes (1 pair each of black and brown, at minimum) and keep them clean and polished. I've found that girls pay a ton of attention to shoes... hopefully that's somewhat of an incentive to make you get your shit together.
Working out/nutrition: don't eat like a slob... no girl wants to imagine herself under you while your flab flops all over the place. You don't need a 6pack. Also, avoid the emaciated look... girls don't want to be able to overpower you. If you're somewhere in the middle, you're fine. Also, guys, get off the fucking treadmill and lift weights. You're not doing yourself any favors burning those 400 calories 2-3 days a week on your 30 minute run (you reverse all that with a single night of drinking). Also, you burn muscle along with fat. Lift so that (1) your workouts matter... even if your lack of discipline causes you to overeat, at least you've been creating muscle and you're not backtracking on progress and (2) your resting metabolism will be higher
where do you draw the line between metro and well-groomed?
probably when you start to wonder which side you're on
Your personality decides if you're metro, not how good looking or well groomed you are.
Haircut - once a month by a Japanese stylist, http://www.hairmates-ny.com/newyork/location.html Eyebrow threading - twice a month Face - used to do facial once a month but cut it off, just used toner, moisturizer and sun screen. Face cleaner - http://www.aveeno.com/facialcare/ultra-calming-foaming-cleanser. Shave - daily Body Wash - twice a day, cold shower in the morning, warm shower at night Gym - 5 days a week, at least 2 cardio sessions (Karate + MMA) on top of that Shoe - Cole Hann, no allen edmonds, no aldo Suit - Brook Brothers and Charles Tyrwhitt Work Shirts - Charles Tyrwhitt Slim Fit Only Casual Clothes - Zara and Club Monaco (when they are on sale) Fashion Advice - GQ and The Sartorialist (http://www.thesartorialist.com/category/men/)
thanks! useful and concise!
Nice. Thanks for being so specific.
You realize Allen Edmonds is the better shoe here? Cole Hann(I own 2 pairs), are mediocre shoes, and Aldo you will probably wear out in a year.
Head and Shoulders and Irish Spring.
Metro = more than 20 minutes to get ready in morning (including shower). I'm up at 7 and out the door at 7:20. Anything or anyone that slows me down is metro...and I know a few chicks that are faster and have no idea how they do it.
Only advice you need:
Clothes: Go for FIT. For daily work clothes, go to Jos A. Bank, get some "traverlers" shirts that don't wrinkle, get them tailored. This is a cheap, but very effective way to have 15-20 daily shirts. For nice shirts/suits, go to a discount store where they sell high end shit, like Last Call, OFF5th, Nordstrom Rack, etc. Buy a nice suit/shirts, ALWAYS TAILOR.
Shoes: Best shoes are Ferragamo. Buy one. Justify the cost by the # of hours per day you'll wear them. Only wear them when NY weather is nice. Don't ruin them in the snow/rain, etc. For other shoes, go with Kenneth Cole or Cole Haan. Both offer good value.
Grooming: I like Kielh's products. Get a pre-shave oil. This eliminates all razor nicks (I have a thick beard). I get a facial once a month, along with a massage. This is a 200 dollar expense, but it's worth it. Or as my buddy puts it, "Only half a bottle of Goose, bro". Don't wear cologne in the office, but leave a bottle for when you are about to leave the office. Get some eye-cream as well, it does wonders to dark circles that you'll inevitably get.
Shit, Shower, and Shave. In that order.
The moment when a friend of mine admits to eye-cream, tanning, eyebrow threading, or japanese stylists is the moment when we stop being friends.
"If you havn't done it before, be aware that plucking your nose hair is by far the most eye-watering thing you can do from the safety of your own bathroom." That made me laugh. I know what you mean. For some reason my nose trimmer sometimes does not get all the fuckers and you have to pluck some of them. Water in the eyes indeed. Is funny how much it hurts. You can pull a hair from anywhere else in your body without any pain except there.
You my friend, have never pulled out an eyelash. I've done it a couple times by accident now and it hurts like a mother f*cker. My eyes swell up like a little baby who just lost a lollipop.
On a different note, I can't say enough about pre-shave oil and Safety/Double Edge razors. I ditched my Gillette Fusion about three months ago and will never look back. One final thought, in my humble opinion, the preference in this thread for Cole Haan over AE is almost absurd. I've had multiple pairs of both now and there really is something to be said for the hot cork that AE uses. Once they are broken in, you really can't find a more comfortable shoe for the money. Just my two cents.
You are right, never have done that. Remind me to thank my parents for helping me avoid that one. Although, knowing myself I will probably try it, see if you are right. Going to the bathroom, be right back.
Reference: http://www.leveragedsellout.com/2007/04/only-87-tool/
http://artofmanliness.com/category/dress-grooming/
http://twitter.com/GSElevator/status/187337611612913664
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