What mistakes do men make when it comes to grooming?
Having a solid grooming routine is important to look the best you possibly can alongside ageing well. But as men we’re often put off by the word ‘grooming’, daunted by the amount of choice out there alongside thinking it makes them less of a man.
In this article I wanted to highlight the 7 biggest men’s grooming mistakes, and most importantly how to overcome them.
2. Believing Grooming Isn’t For ‘Real’ Men
Now you’ve taken care of the haircut that your mum gave to you when you was five years old, it’s time to deal with mistake number two… understand that grooming doesn’t make you less of a man.
There’s still a huge misconception that if you apply a little bit of moisturiser every day, you’re not a man. Paying attention to how you look through looking after your skin, hair or dental hygiene isn’t going to dent your masculinity. If you feel that’s the case and you’re choosing to ignore how you look, deal with that misconception.
If you are applying attention to how you look and how you dress it doesn’t make you less of a man. Even if you look back to the 1920s and the 1930s men still paid attention to their appearance. They wore suits, they went to their tailor, they spent time shaving every morning, they worried about smelling good and they looked after their appearance . These were true men. They really didn’t show that much emotion. They still spent a lot of time on their appearance. They wore suits.
If you think a grooming routine will make you less of a man, get over it. Moisturiser doesn’t make you a female.
3. Overcomplicating A Grooming Routine
Another mistake a lot of men make when it comes to grooming is overcomplicating the process.
As men we’re often put off by having a grooming routine because there’s so many products out there and a lot of things we think we need to do. What should you do for better skin? To remove dark circles? To smell good? It’s very easy to complicate a very simple process.
Every man already has a grooming routine. Do you clean your teeth daily? Shower? Then you already have a grooming routine in place.
All you need to do is add some additional extras to that existing routine. For example, when you’re in the shower use a face wash for your skin. After the shower, once you’re dry apply a small amount of moisturiser. Something as simple as that can improve the way that you look, but it isn’t overcomplicating things.
Tiege Hanley offer simple skincare for men. I heard about them through Aaron Marino who I connected with around 6 years ago who started the brand to simplify the grooming process. When I met with Antonio Centeno from Real Men Real Style in January he told me I needed to try it, so I picked up a box to try.
The products are good but the way it’s presented really simplifies everything. Included with the box are instructions on how to use the products and when and the products themselves also give clear instructions for use.
Whether you use Tiege Hanley or not, there’s nothing complicated with having a grooming routine.
No, you don’t need to wear a facial mask for an hour before you go to bed whilst you read your book with scented candles on and Enya playing in the background. This is simple. Grooming is simple.
Follow a simple routine and don’t overcomplicate things.
4. Using Too Much Product
The fourth mistake a lot of men make is using too much product.
A lot of men will use too much wax in their hair and make it look greasy, some use too much fragrance the smell becomes unbearable and some will use too much moisturiser is makes their skin look oily. Don’t overdo it.
Really strip it back. Only use a little bit of product every time that you use it.
The two main areas where men use too much product are with moisturising and applying hair product. With moisturiser only use a pea sized amount when applying it to your face and with hair product pre style your hair (with sea salt spray and a hairdryer) to save the amount of product you use.
Using less product will improve your overall look but it will also save you money in the long run. Use a little bit at a time, because really when it comes to grooming, less is more.
5. Bushy Eyebrows Are Cool… Right?
Number five, trim your eyebrows. When you have bushy eyebrows, it makes you look older than you are and it really draws attention to that part of your face. You really want to trim your eyebrows down when possible.
Again, there’s no excuse. You can do this for yourself at home. You don’t have to go and sit in a salon and sit there while someone plucks and waxes your eyebrows. You can do it yourself.
There’s a lot of videos out there on trimming your eyebrows yourself but once you’ve trimmed them make sure you maintain them. You don’t have to perfectly sculpt your eyebrows either just make sure that you trim them down so they’re not bushy, because that really is a huge grooming mistake.
A lot of the time you’ll see a guy who pays attention to his skin, he’ll moisturise, he’ll shave, he’ll pay attention to the way that he dresses, but his eyebrows are completely out of control.
Again, no excuses. Trim down your eyebrow hairs, and this is something you can do yourself.
6. Uncontrollable Facial Hair
Number six is tidy up your facial hair. Whether you rock a beard or you opt for stubble or being clean shaven uncontrollable hair is something you need to deal with.
Unfortunately I can’t grow a beard good enough to show off, but if you can you need to make sure you’re still maintaining it. Use a beard oil to look after the hair, trim down areas that are longer than others and make sure it’s in good condition. If you’ve got stubble, again make sure you maintain that stubble by making sure the stubble is even and the loose hairs on your neck are taken care of.
When going clean shaven make sure you’re taking care of every hair. Leaving loose hairs on your moustache, your neck and your chin will have a huge impact on your overall appearance.
7. Avoiding The Dentist
Last but not least neglecting oral hygiene is another mistake that most men make.
A lot of men aren’t cleaning their teeth as well as they could, they’re not flossing daily and they’re avoiding trips to the Dentist in West New York. Are you truly looking after your teeth as well as you should be?
Why is good dental hygiene important? One of the best ways to improve the way that you look physically is have a good smile. If you walk into a room and you’re smiling, you’re going to radiate the attention towards you. If you walk into a room with your head down and your mouth closed people will find it hard to notice you.
Smiling is a really good way to draw the attention towards you but if you’re smiling and you’ve got stained teeth it’s going to have a negative effect.
Personally I avoided braces when I was younger because I didn’t think they were cool. Later on in life I regretted that decision. I invested in Invisalign (invisible braces) to straighten my crooked teeth and also paid for whitening afterwards. It’s amazing how much difference a good set of ‘nashers’ can have on how you look.
Make sure that you’re cleaning your teeth well, make sure you’re flossing daily and also make sure you attend that next dentist appointment.
Are You Making Them?
There we go, 7 grooming mistakes that most men make.
Are you making them? If you are it’s time to do something about them. Introducing a grooming routine into your day to day life shouldn’t be hard, don’t overcomplicate everything and remember less is more.
Grooming is something that you need to be applying your attention to, but it’s also something that you shouldn’t be over-complicating. Remember you already have a grooming routine in place so now it’s all about adding additional extras that will help. Every time you clean your teeth apply a moisturiser, every time you shower use a face wash or scrub. There are so many things that you can do, and you can make it so simple.
Can you add any mistakes that you’ve made or you see people make? Comment below and let me know.
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