Eight habits of a well-groomed man
Tips and tricks to keep you looking fresh and smelling good
WE GATHERED THE COLLECTIVE WISDOM OF GQ’S TEAM TO COME UP WITH EIGHT TECHNIQUES – ALL OF WHICH YOU CAN ADOPT IMMEDIATELY.
1 SPF EVERYDAY.
You’ve gotta incorporate age-defying strategies into every part of your skincare regimen. In the morning, apply moisturiser with SPF to bounce UV rays and pollution. Coat yourself with a tanning lotion before excessive sun exposure. Together, these prevent the skin from leathering, wrinkling and developing dark spots (while also preventing skin cancer). Stay hydrated and minimise sugar and alcohol intake, prioritising a full eight-hour sleep while wearing a night cream to accelerate the e ects of cellular regeneration. If you’re getting serious about anti-aging, get yourself a retinol prescription from your dermatologist.
2
WHEN TRIMMING YOUR BEARD, TWO HEADS ARE BETTER THAN ONE
Unlike the hair on your head, the great thing about facial hair is that it’s all there in full view, and you’re able to manicure it yourself. Yet most guys just take a single trimming guard and go over their entire face with one setting, then clean up the perimeter with a naked guard. Use your trimmer’s various guard lengths to add weight and contrast to your mustache, goatee or sides. You’ve got your entire canvas in plain view – so get creative with it.
3
SWAP OUT YOUR RAZOR
CARTRIDGE EVERY SIX SHAVES
is is a core tenet of razor hygiene. It prevents the accumulation of dead skin, hair clippings and bacteria. It also ensures a sharp, close shave, free of dragging, razor burn and ingrown hairs. Between shaves, store your razor upright in a dry, ventilated space a er rinsing it thoroughly. 4 AND GET A NEW TOOTHBRUSH EVERY THREE MONTHS
Per medicinal hygiene standards, your toothbrush’s bristles are rendered mostly ine ective a er three months of use. ey’re whittled, bent and are just a few bucks to replace, so replace them. While you’re at it, keep those teeth white with regular dental cleanings or a reliable whitening programme like
Zoom from Philips, which allows you to package a professional whitening session at select dentists with a free at-home maintenance kit for forever follow-ups.
You can also order a full range of toothpastes and mouth rinses that keep your breath fresh and protect your now pearlier whites. 5 FIND YOURSELF A DERMO OR THE NEXT BEST THING
We all want to look younger and healthier, but one hurdle to that is the actual doctor’s appointment.
ey might require expensive payments, hours of your day, and are hard to secure without booking a month in advance. If you want to make progress immediately, then try a spa or beauty clinic. Go for a skinceutical-leaning spa, like Laser Beautique (laserbeautique.co.za), or identify your unique needs with a skin mapping session from Dermalogica or Sorbet’s Skin365 programme.
6
USE THE BLOW DRYER’S
COLD AIR BUTTON
You know that cold-blast button on the dryer – it’s your shortcut to longer-lasting, faster-setting style. Once you’ve used the tool to give yourself the added volume, hold or texture, you can nish with an all-over zap of cold air to set the hair product and go about your business. Be careful about blasting your hair with too much heat during the process – there’s such a thing as heat damage that no cool-air blast will correct.
7 TO SMELL GOOD IN SUMMER, SPRAY MORE THAN JUST YOUR SKIN
Perspiration is Public Enemy #1 against the strongest colognes. It makes using a summer scent seem futile, since it wears o as soon as you step outside into the hot, humid air. at’s why you should target more than just your pulse points with that fragrance in sweatier months. Spray the collar of your shirt, the ends of your long hair and the underside of your beard.
8 CONDITION MORE, SHAMPOO LESS
Here’s how to have “good hair days” back to back to back: condition daily, and shampoo far less. While it’s a good way to ush away dirt, grime, excess sebum and hair product, the truth is that a thorough rinse will handle most of that. Plus it will do so without stripping the hair entirely of its natural oils – the stu that keeps it healthy, hydrated and style-able. If an oily scalp is the issue, then you should actually shampoo less in order to train the scalp. It will in turn produce less oil over time. Start with an every-other-day wash, and move slowly to every third or fourth day. –