06/24/2023
This one is for the men and boys out there! Personal grooming seems so easy yet over the years I have heard of so many fails!
Let's start from the top down!
Washing your hair is not so difficult but finding the right product for your hair becomes a bit of a challenge if you are battling oily hair, dry hair, dandruff, curly hair, thin hair and missing hair! Lol! When you buy hair products read the label and make sure it will do what you need without harming you as so many products now a days have harsh chemicals which you need to be aware of. Try and find all natural products and if the label has ingredients that you do not know what they are Google them and find out! You will notice a pattern as you read on that you can decide what kind of hair style you want but keep it clean!
Clean your ears! Use soap and water on the outside of the ear and don't forget to wash behind them every time you shower or bathe. If you have stuff in your ear, you can spray really warm water in the ear canal to dislodge any debris or wax build up. If you have ear wax issues there are over the counter ear cleaning products available! Do not neglect trimming the excess hair inside and out on your ears as you are not bobcats that look good with ear tufts!
Eyebrows can be a huge issue for guys with the super thick unibrow. I have seen guys that shave between their eyebrows, and it looks just goofy! If your eyebrows are long, you can trim them shorter. If they are thick, you can tweeze them which lasts longer and is not that painful. Even if it is painful, get over it as women go through this to look good for you, so return the favor!
Cleaning your face seems so difficult for some to grasp. If you have acne there are products available to aid in clearing you face up, but nothing replaces eating right and using hot water on a washcloth. I remember when I was in seventh grade I had acne so bad I called it pizza face. I ate too many things filled with fat and the big zit maker, sugar! I went to a dermatologist and he had me stop using soap as he believed the residue left behind was part of the problem. He prescribed washing my face with just a warm washcloth as warm as I could stand it. Turned out he was correct, and my face began clearing up!
Noses are right smack dab in the middle of the view of everyone who looks at you, so nose care is important. Blackheads can be dealt with by washing your nose with a super warm washcloth with no soap. Products to remove blackheads do work and could be a solution to get started getting your nose looking ship shape, but those products do not remove unsightly nose hair! If you are one of those guys who has never even thought about your nose hair, you need to go look in the mirror right now!!! Trim your nose hair before it gets long enough to curl it! DIY nose trimmers are not that expensive, but if you are so tight you squeak when you walk you can resort to small scissors! I see a lot of older guys with nose hair hanging out almost to their top lip and you do not want to be one of those guys!
Shaving!
How should you shave? How often? What kind of facial hair looks good on you? How you want your facial hair to look is up to you and you might give consideration to what your significant other desires.
You can look up different beard styles, you can experiment. If an experiment goes wrong, you can shave it all off and a few days or weeks later you can try again! How you wear your facial hair is a statement of you, so give it some thought and don't forget to keep your facial hair clean!!! If your beard has enough leftovers in it from the last few days, you can shake it in a pot and make soup you need to get some serious help!
When I was younger I shaved by prepping my face with a hot washcloth and then adding shaving cream. Seemed a razor couldn't last a week and a new one was required.
As I have grown older, I find shaving in the shower under the water flow works pretty well but prefer to shave right after getting out of the shower. My beard is prepped to shave and I skip shaving creams and lotions and rinsing my razor with hot water as I shave I can get a tight shave with one bonus! I can use one razor for almost a year before needing to replace it as the shaving creams and soaps dull razors very fast!!!
What you do with your chest and body hair is up to you. However, armpit hair has its place and needs consideration. Armpit hair serves as an air buffer to keep your skin from rubbing on skin which can become sore, but more importantly will make you sweat more. The hair lets air flow and aid in drying your sweat and slowing the production of sweat especially when you are at rest. If you are one of those guys who has armpits with super thick hair, trim it using scissors. You can trim at angles leaving some hair longer and some shorter so it does not appear so bushy. Long armpit hair is not desirable regardless of the thickness, so if you notice your armpit hair sticking out when your arms are at your sides, consider trimming it shorter.
Your back can be your showpiece or your shame! If you have zits all over your back, you need to wash it better. They make long handled brushes just for that purpose and they are not that expensive and readily available.
When showering do not forget to wash your naval, or belly button for those who do not know it is your naval! Use soap and dig all the lint and other debris out every time you shower!
I am not going to spend a lot of time on your business but keep it trimmed to about 1" and if you feel the need to keep things trimmed tight you might consider the hair down there has a purpose too which is called air flow so you do not sweat excessively and get stinky! If you must keep it shaved tight, I recommend wearing cotton briefs to help keep things dry, not boxers or free swinging. Wash yourself daily down there where the sun does not shine as you never know when "you might get in an accident" Lol!!!
Pay attention to your hands and feet. Use soap to wash your feet, yes, between your toes too, every time you shower! Wash your hands when they get dirty! If you have a buildup of callouses on your feet you can sand them off using fine grit sandpaper or with a fine file made for that. Keep your nails trimmed! You might think trimming your toenails can go longer between trimming than your fingernails but consider longer toenails wear holes in sock and bed sheets much faster when not trimmed.
Smelling good, or better yet, not at all requires cleanliness and attention to products you use to control smells. Consider most deodorants have aluminum and other bad for you chemicals it becomes prudent to select healthier products. You do not need deodorants if you stay clean and eat right!
Selecting aftershaves and colognes is again a personal choice you should consider your significant other when selecting. For you single guys, less is more, and cologne is not a substitute for keeping yourself clean.
Last, and most important, brush your teeth, preferably twice daily and use floss!!!
I hope this helps everyone who reads this if only in one of the areas mentioned. People are kind and will often not say anything to you if you stink or your appearance is holding you back, so use this as a guide before someone has to tell you!!! Lol!
