How should men take care of their skin?

 As a man, how much thought do you give to your grooming? Are you the 3-in-1: shampoo, conditioner and body wash in one bottle, who refuses to spell exfoliate? Maybe you moisturise your face once a day after your morning shower with Arimis or Vaseline. You have a roll-on because, of course, you are not a complete animal.

After all, you are self-aware enough to know sweat should not suffocate the room. Also, serum? What serum? When it comes to grooming, let’s be honest, a large number of our men don’t do the most. Instead, you will carry on with whatever keeps you alive and presentable. If you are introduced to a product, it will be the result of covert Googling, a question that you asked a woman or a gift she buys for you.

Here is the thing, you need to do more. And here is a list:

➡ Stop washing your face with soap and instead, buy a facial wash. You do have a skin type and no, all men do not have oily skin. Brushing something frothy and bubbly across your face or a washcloth will not do. You are an adult. Use grown-folk products and buy a cleanser and a moisturiser. In the next article,  let us gather here and talk about men’s skin types.

➡ Pay attention to your eyebrows. I realise you may think they sort themselves out, but since you have so much testosterone coursing through your body, they will grow thick and bushy. Do more than licking your thumbs and attempting to brush them down. What is a man to do? Next time you go to your barber, start a new grooming tradition. Have him look out for your brows. It is, after all, part of your facial hair.

➡ What do your hands look like? Are your nails clipped and clean? That is the barest minimum. With all the handwashing you are currently doing, you will need to keep that small tub of petroleum jelly close by. Massage it into your fingernails and in between your fingers. It is too early in this relationship to ask you to buy hand cream.

➡ Now, look at your feet. On a scale of 1-10, 10 being a stylish adult male, how much care do you give to your feet? Keep your toenails extremely short. That includes the big toe. You need to have a pumice stone. Use it daily. Moisturise your feet after showering. Guess what works best for that? Petroleum jelly, of course. Buy a nail brush, emery boards and nail clipper for your hands and feet.

➡ Do you keep a beard? If you do, chances are Mandevu are known to you. There is what the barber does when you see him, and there is taking care of your facial hair in between visits to the barber. Your beard needs tender loving care to look good. Ask your barber to recommend products for that.

➡Scrub your face. You must have seen this coming. One way to handle scrubbing, best known as exfoliating, is to buy a face scrub. This will be used once or twice a week only. Why scrub? It removes dead skin which if left there, will give you dull skin. Look for scrubs made out of oatmeal and possibly apricots.

➡ Wear sunscreen. The best way to do this is to buy a moisturiser that also has SPF15 and above. Your skin is not a superhero that can repel the sun’s rays.

➡ Last time I talked about how to buy a scent. Now that we are past that hurdle, find your signature scent. This means finding your smell. Not just any smell, but the one that you like. Yes, you are allowed to like more than one. There is a rule that says when it is hot, wear light citrusy scents and when it is cooler, wear woodsy or spicy fragrances. I say wear what makes you feel groomed.

➡You know that nose-hair trimmer with the curve blades? Use it to trim your pubes. No hair removal creams, no shaving with a razor and no, don’t use your hair or beard trimmer either. This is a delicate area. Manscaping should be done with weapons you trust. Take your time and snip them all down to an even length. If you want to be a clean-shaven man down-there, you might consider waxing. When it comes to armpit hair or general body hair, you might want to get a body hair trimmer for that. Ask your barber for recommendations. Somewhere along the scale lies Braun all the way to Phillips to care for your assortment of hairs. If you are feeling particularly hairy, you can trim down your hairs to manageable levels. However, unless you’re Michael Phelps or Christiano Ronaldo, I say keep your hair.

➡ Get a lip balm. Nivea has a bullet you can fit in your pocket, whipping it out to prevent crusty lips. Or, go to a chemist and ask them for the least shiny lip balm if you are terrified of being ‘girled-up.’ You have no excuse for walking around with dry, cracked or chapped lips when the world is filled with options. I recommend a beeswax lip balm.

➡You may be a buzz cut or a ‘fro. No matter how you wear it, you need to learn or figure out what works best for you. Are you a pomade person, a spray-on spritz person, a gel person or a hair tonic person? This will require you to do a little homework and trial and error to find your fit.

➡ At this point, I think we can talk about serums. These are skincare products that sink deeper than the basic moisturiser. They cost slightly more, but the good news is, there are brands with serums just for men. Should your skin have a specific problem such as dryness, oiliness, breakouts or whatever comes up, there is a serum in the market for it. They are mostly watery and come with a dropper, or lighter than a body lotion and squirted out. Whichever way they are packaged, they go deep.

➡Finally, you need to moisturise your body. Your arms, legs, elbows and knees, especially. You could dive into brands that sell products for men, or you could continue your pursuit of greatness with petroleum jelly — whatever floats your boat, so long as you are taking care of yourself.

Self-care is not a gender thing. It is a human thing.

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