While we’ve got better at maintaining the basics of a grooming habit, as a gender we pale in comparison to our fairer counterparts and there’s still room for improvement.
Below we’ve collected a selection of alternative grooming tips – from areas we neglect to groom to alternative ways of making an impact – to ensure your 2016 is styled and profiled.
Don’t Fear The Feet
With summer creeping up and the urge to bust out sandals getting stronger, now is the right time to focus on foot care. This means keeping your nails in tip top trimmed condition, callouses cleansed, and flakes forgotten.
While we’re not recommending you rush for a pedicure, making some basic foot maintenance improvements is a must for the majority of men.
Taking care of them during a shower using a pumice stone on any dead skin is a simple step to take before lathering a generous amount of moisturiser on them when you’re out and dry.
Pluck With Pride
While the mid-90s brought us Brit-Pop, it also brought with it confirmation that unruly eyebrows were okay (thanks Liam Gallagher). We’re here to say that no, it’s not okay.
We’re not suggesting you reduce them down to razor-thin arcs, but if you suffer from an unfortunate unibrow then it’s definitely time to put some space between your brows like Moses parting the Red Sea. And if you’re not really down with doing it yourself, ask your barber to neaten your eyebrows up the next time you’re there.
Goodnight Grooming
While we’re great at keeping a morning ritual to make us look alive and fresh when we leave the door – from skin moisturising post-shave and fixing the hair to keeping the bags under our eyes in check – we’re still neglecting a pre-sleep grooming ritual.
At the end of everyday use an antibacterial cleanser to wipe your skin fresh for the next day – you’ll be amazed at how clean and fresh you’ll feel and you’ll notice an improvement in your skin almost immediately.
Develop Your Own Scent
While we don’t expect you to ditch a couple of squirts of your favourite eau de toilette, looking to alternative sources for your own unique smell can be a great way to differentiate yourself from the pack and you’ll be amazed how much a great scent can compensate for any other gaps in your self-presentation.
If there’s one good thing about vaping it’s the smells some of the flavours produce, and if you’re scraping for an alternative then the smell of your cherry e-liquid could soon become your signature smell.
Love Your Lips
Though we’re at the tail-end of winter and are heading into spring, your lips are still at risk of being chapped.
Lip care is something men aren’t used to, and a simple way to keep your lips health is by drinking lots of water so they stay hydrated. If worse comes to the worst, you can always keep an emergency Chap Stick to hand.
So there you go, five quick and simple grooming tips to add to your current routine to get you to the next level.