Seasonality is an important thing to think about in all facets of your style and grooming routine. Now that we’re in the thick of summer and dealing with heat and sunshine, you should consider adjusting your hairstyle just like you do your wardrobe.
So, to help you out with an update to your hairstyle, here are our picks for the summer haircuts women love!
Buzzcut
The ultimate in low-maintenance summer hair, you can never go wrong with just trimming it all off. Try adding a slight fade (shorter on the sides) for a little bit of depth. Don’t forget to wear sunscreen to protect your scalp and give it regular shampooing.
Crew Cut
Similar to a buzzcut but slightly longer on the top, the crewcut still gives you a bit of hair to style with product, but it’s short length keep it simple and low maintenance. Style this cut with just a little bit of lightweight hair product or skip it altogether.
Short Comb Over
A shorter, less-styled version of a combover or fade combover, just ask your barber or stylist to shorten up the top slightly and take the sides in a bit more (a 5 or 6 clipper guard and around 2″ on top). Go easier on the product for a less-slicked look or embrace a messy/wavy look.
By now you probably know that women dyeing their hair is a common thing. But what about men? Whether for fun or to cover up grey, we’re discussing our thoughts on whether or not men should dye their hair in our latest episode of 2 Minute Tuesday.
We’re definitely all for bleaching or coloring your hair for fun. It can be a cool, adventurous way to mix up your look and it doesn’t have to be permanent. Just make sure you visit a good salon and let a professional handle it. Also, don’t forget to get the right kind of shampoo and hair care products for your new ‘do.
Covering Up Grey
If you’re a guy who’s looking to cover up a little bit of the salt in your salt and pepper hair, by all means, go for it. Be aware of the time and commitment it takes to keep up this look though, it can be significant. Again, we recommend seeking some help here and make sure you do it properly and don’t end up looking like you’ve got shoe polish on your head. At a certain point though, If you’re mostly grey, just embrace it, George Clooney looks pretty damn good, doesn’t he?
Just like we discussed in our post about 5 Hairstyles Women Love For 2019, your hairstyle is definitely something that says a lot about your style. So, it’s important to take the time to dial in the right one for your hair type and face shape. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different cuts, barbers/stylists, and products. We’ve also got a ton of articles for you about hairstyles, so make sure to check them out!
Aggressive Undercut
This style had its day, but it’s a bit too extreme for most men.
Mullet
Need I say any more? Just don’t ever do it.
Wild/Unkempt Hair
Crazy, unkempt hair is never sexy so it’s always important to take proper care of your hair, no matter how long it is.
Comb Over
If you’re losing your hair, just embrace it. A short buzz or crew cut is going to be a lot more flattering.
Mohawk
Maybe you’re trying to make a statement, but I doubt many women want to hear that statement.
Your hairstyle says a lot about you and is something women definitely notice. So, it’s important to take the time to dial in the right one for your hair type and face shape. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different cuts, barbers/stylists, and products. We’ve also got a ton of articles for you about hairstyles, so make sure to check them out!
Classic Side Part
You can go classic with a bit more length or fade the sides for a bit more modern look. The side part is super versatile and you can go slick or more natural depending on how you’re dressing.
Crew Cut
Best for hair with texture. It’s low-maintenance and very clean and classic. This style is also great for men with thinning hair.
Brush-Up / New Pompadour
Not as slick as a traditional pompadour, this version is a bit more relaxed and works with a variety of hair types. Just make sure to keep the sides short but not too short.
Long Wave
Works best for men with longer/wavier hair. Leave the top longer and keep the sides and back shorter. Best for men with longer and curlier hair as it lets you embrace your hair’s natural look.
Buzz Cut
Results can vary but with the right look many men can pull this off and look really sexy and confident. Also, if you’re losing your hair, just embrace it, this is the way to go.
Proper grooming is one of the biggest things you can do to keep up a sharp overall look and put your best foot forward with women. You don’t have to have a complex routine or a million fancy products, just a few simple steps will help you stand out from the crowd.
Mouth / Breath care – Obviously bad breath is going to be a huge turn-off, so make sure you not only have good brushing habits but also take care of your breath.
Handcare – Dry cracked hands and dirty or unclipped fingernails are just gross! Find a good non-greasy moisturizer to use regularly and keep your nails clean and in check.
Take care of overly dry or oily skin – You’ve got to keep that moneymaker in good shape and women notice the skin on your face (obviously!) much more than you might think. Find the right cleanser and moisturizer that works for your skin type. If your skin gets oily, invest in some facial wipes to tone it down.
Groomed hair – Your hairstyle is definitely a preference thing, but finding not only the right style/cut for your look and making it a regular part of your routine are things every man should put importance in. Regardless of how long or short your particular style is hair, that’s wild/unkempt or gross/dirty are never going to be attractive to a woman.
The right smell – Wearing deodorant/antiperspirant should absolutely go without saying, BO is definitely a no-go, but this also goes for body wash and soap. But there’s also a limit. My stance on cologne is well documented but if you choose to wear it, GO EASY, don’t be the guy who wears too much.
Lip care – Just like your hands, chapped, cracked lips are gross. Women will definitely notice your lips (especially if they’re thinking about kissing you) so do yourself a favor and invest in some proper lip balm and use regularly. Our favorites: R&D, Jack Black, Caudalie, Kiehl’s,
Beard maintenance – Many of you guys chose to have different levels of facial hair, and that’s totally cool, but it’s a privilege, not a right. No matter how much you have that you take good care of it. Keep it trimmed and in check and take care of the skin underneath as well. If your beard is patchy keep it very short or lose it completely and if your beard is more full, make sure it’s trimmed or shaped properly.
You’re never too young to start thinking about your skin and having the right routine is a critical part of a solid overall grooming routine. But, that doesn’t have to mean complex or expensive. Whatever type of routine you develop, simple or complex, just stick to what’s comfortable for you, but make sure you’re addressing your skin’s basic major needs. To get you started or help you develop your existing routine, here are our favorite tips for healthier skin.
1. Address problems first
Acne? See a dermatologist. Dry and flakey? Start finding moisturizers that work best for you. If they’re serious or you’ve tried a bunch of stuff yourself to no avail – go see a professional first. Marketing and sales people likely won’t help and if you have major issues you’ve got to start there.
2. Moisturize every morning and night
Healthy skin starts with regular moisturizing, period.
3. Eye cream at least every night
Fights the signs of aging and fatigue. Especially important for those of you who travel frequently.
4. Sunscreen
Every. Damn. Day. No questions asked. Yes, it’s that important and easy to manage as most good moisturizers have sunscreen in them already.
5. Gently exfoliate daily
Scrubbing away dead skin and dirt will help your skin look and feel better, plus your other products (moisturizers, etc) will work better.
6. Get enough sleep
Don’t underestimate how important a good nights sleep is healthy skin.
7. Hydrate
Believe it or not, drinking a lot of water is the most important tip for healthy skin.
8. A healthy diet
The foods you eat, both good and bad, can impact the health and look of your skin.
9. Exercise
In addition to contributing to your overall health and well-being, regular exercise and sweating clears your pores.
10. Lower stress
However you manage your stress, sleep, exercise, meditation, breaks, whatever, how you feel on the outside impacts your skin more than you think.
In this article and video, I wanted to to show you the best morning skincare routine for men and the men’s skin products that work well for men with all skin types and for different ages, whether you’re in your 20’s, 30’s, 40’s. 50’s and beyond! Be sure to check out my night time skincare regime which goes hand-in-hand with this article.
Just know that no matter your skin type, the below steps won’t change, only the products will. This is sage advice passed down from my friends that I discussed in the intro video, who’s entire job it is to make my client’s skin look movie-star good. So don’t take my word for it, take theirs!
Regardless of whether you take a shower in the AM or PM, (I suggest showering at night) there’s no need to wash your face with cleanser in the morning since you should have gone to bed with a clean, moisturized face. Unless you’re a heavy night sweater or your dermatologist recommends washing two times a day, just splash some cold or luke warm water on your face to remove anything that accumulated on your face overnight and pat dry with a towel. That will be plenty, I promise.
Step 2: Eye Cream
Like I mentioned in my men’s night time skin care routine article & video, if you’re in your late 20’s and beyond, then using eye cream is very important as a preventative measure if you’re younger, or a maintenance measure if you’re older.
Quality eye creams are expensive, but will easily last a year or two since you’re using so little (a pea-size amount, at most), so don’t worry about running out quickly.
Life Pro Tip: Keep it in the fridge when not in use so the chilled cream can help reduce puffiness around the eyes, especially in the morning.
Take a little on your ring finger tip and dab it around the orbital bone area, including your upper eyelid, until it blends in. This is demonstrated in the video at the top.
The Best Eye Creams For Men
$37 – Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Eye Concentrate – Good, entry level anti-aging eye oil if you’re under 30 that works very well for the price. $49 – Filorga Optim-Eyes – This one we tried on a whim after a French pharmacist highly recommended it and it was really good for the price. $340 – La Prairie Luxe Eye Lift Cream – If you’re an older gentleman (age 30+) this stuff is a game changer and well worth the price. You’ll notice a huge reduction in the appearance of wrinkles, as this cream delivers intense hydration and firmness. After a year of daily use, you’ll still have 50% of it left – so it goes a LONG way.
Step 3: Spot Treatment
This step can be skipped, but it’s such a small, 5 second step that it’s really worth the minimal time investment. Spot treatments get rid of pimples quicker, as opposed to doing nothing or popping them.
Salicylic Acid and Benzoyl Peroxides are great spot treatments for getting rid of zits or blemishes before they’ve formed or been popped. In testing, subjects responded better to one or the other, so give each a try for about a week or two and from them on, only use the one that worked best.
If you’ve already popped the zit, don’t put either the Salicylic Acid or Benzoyl Peroxide spot treatments on them. Instead, use an antibiotic ointment like Neosporin because the skin has been broken and now you’ve got to treat the literal wound. If you put the acid or peroxide on it, or just leave it alone, the zit will be redder longer and possibly leave a scar, which you can avoid or diminish significantly with an antibiotic ointment.
Whether you’re using a spot treatment or antibiotic ointment, take a little and dab it onto the problem areas and move on to the next step after about a minute.
The last step of your morning skincare routine is crucial. You should be wearing a daily SPF moisturizer on your face, ears, neck and arms – every.single.day and irregardless of whether you work indoors or outdoors. If you’ll be outside for extended periods of time or participating in outdoor activities, then you should be using a more heavy-duty sport sunblock on your exposed skin.
$28 – Jack Black Double-Duty Face Moisturizer SPF 20 – for dry to normal/combo skin This is hands-down the best moisturizer and SPF combo for it’s price. It’s a broad spectrum, chemical blocker that blends into your skin nicely. If you buy the 8.5oz bottle, it should easily last a long time for daily use.
$25 – Kiehl’s Facial Fuel SPF 15 – normal to oily skin This moisturizer is super lightweight and absorbs quickly. They offer two different versions – with or without SPF.
$27 – Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream SPF 30 – dry skin It’s super hydrating, evens out your skin texture, and isn’t greasy feeling. I can’t recommend this one enough. There’s two different versions – with or without SPF.
$350 – La Prairie Line Interception Power Duo SPF 30 – for dry to normal/combo skin This is the king of moisturizers with SPF. If your budget allows or you’re an older guy, DO NOT hesitate to get it. It goes on evenly, absorbs quickly, evens out your skin tone, reduces wrinkles, and protects really, really well, without making your skin shiny. Every one of my test subjects that tried it loved it.
In this part of my Men’s Grooming Series, I want to go over the best men’s facial night time skin care routine if you want to have clear, good-looking skin, regardless of your skin type or age. Over the last year, I’ve been blind testing products on my male friends, family and clients and this video and article is the result of all that testing. I’m going to go over how to do each step of a solid night time routine as well as discuss the products that tested extremely well.
Just know that no matter your skin type, the below steps won’t change, only the products will. Some men don’t care or want to do all of these steps, so I’ll note that ones that can be skipped but unless you’re naturally blessed with great skin, you’re going to have to work at it to have the best skin possible. This is sage advice passed down from my friends that I discussed in the intro video, who’s entire job it is to make my client’s skin look movie-star good. So don’t take my word for it, take theirs!
In my testing with cleansers, I was a little surprised to see that the ones everyone liked, regardless of their skin type, were the gels. They’re good because they foam up a little bit, they’re not harsh, and they don’t dry out or overly moisturize your skin. They’re perfect for basically all skin types.
Next, take your handy bamboo wash cloth, and using the slightly rougher side, give it a really gentle (GENTLE!) pass around your face, neck, ears, and back of neck.
Do that everyday, but gently and you’ll have the best skin of your life. We did a specific video about the bamboo washcloth because it’s simply amazing and there hasn’t been a single person who’s tried it that doesn’t also rave about it.
You don’t need exfoliating cleansers or those really horrible microdermabrasion tools because they’re awful for your skin, the environment and don’t work half as well as this wash cloth that’ll last you for a few years if you chuck it into the washer every few weeks. Seriously, the cloth is amazing. If you get anything from this article – get that. Beware that there’s a lot of different versions of this cloth, but the ones linked in the article is the only good one that also is in stock and ships quickly.
Step 2: Toner
After getting out of the shower, quickly pat dry your face and slap on a little bit of toner with your hands on your face, neck and back of neck.
Toner will remove any excess dirt or soap left on your face and neck and prepare your skin to absorb the other products you’ll be adding in the next steps.
Some people think it’s unnecessary, but if you’re wanting to have the best skin possible, you need to do it. It’s up to you, but I’d recommend it since it’s literally a 5 second step. One tip – avoid the one with alcohol, otherwise they’ll dry out your face like crazy!
After the toner dries, it’s time to add a little serum – a nickle-sized amount should do it.
Serums, while not absolutely necessary, will help with specific issues your skin may be having. A vitamin C serum, like the Mario Badescu one below, will brighten and even your skintone and slowly (over the course of many months) fade age spots and scars so they’re not as noticeable. If you’ve got sun spots or acne scars, definitely start using a vitamin C serum. Other serums, like the Sisley or La Prairie ones below are for people want a little extra moisture – which is especially important if you’re over 30, since your skin will need extra moisture to look youthful and healthy.
You really don’t need much serum, not more than a nickel size, usually, so these will last a LONG time (the La Prairie one just finished after 18 months). Give it a little bit of time to absorb into your skin and move on to the next step.
The Best Serums For Men
$45 – Mario Badescu Vitamin C Serum – Especially good for dry skin or during the colder Winter months. It brightens and evens your skin tone while giving a little more moisture. $90 – Kate Somerville Mega-C Dual Radiance Serum – Especially good for mature skin. It’s another awesome vitamin-C serum that is cream based instead of Mario Badescu’s oil serum. $93 – Sisley Purifying Re-Balancing Lotion – This is a great one if you don’t need any scars or spots faded but still need extra moisture and want to even your skin tone. $250 – La Prairie Skin Caviar Essence-In-Lotion – “Wow” is the feedback from all the test subjects. If you’re an older guy (30+ years old), it’ll help lift and firm your skin, so I can’t recommend this one enough.
Step 4: Eye Cream
Just like I mentioned in my morning skincare routine article/video, if you’re in your mid-twenties and beyond, it’s time to start using an eye cream. This is a preventative measure if you’re younger and a maintenance step if you’re older. The quickest way to tell someone’s age is by the wrinkles around their eyes. I think a lot of men don’t think about this step as part of their skincare routine – and it shows.
You won’t see benefits right away – it’ll take a few weeks or months to be noticeable to others. Lots of test subjects said they started getting compliments of looking “refreshed”, which means it’s working! Do yourself a favor and take a picture when you start and take another one a month later and compare them to really see the benefits.
You should be using an eye cream morning and night. Quality eye creams are expensive, but will easily last a year or two since you’re using so little (a pea-size amount, at most), so don’t worry about running out quickly.
Life Pro Tip: Keep it in the fridge when not in use so the chilled cream can help reduce puffiness around the eyes, especially in the morning.
Take a little on your ring finger tip and just dab it around the orbital bone area, including your upper eyelid. This is demonstrated in the video.
The Best Eye Creams For Men
$37 – Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Eye Concentrate – Good, entry level anti-aging eye oil if you’re under 30 that works very well for the price. $49 – Filorga Optim-Eyes – This one we tried on a whim after a French pharmacist highly recommended it and it turned out to be very good and moisturizing for the price. $340 – La Prairie Luxe Eye Lift Cream – If you’re an older gentleman (age 30+) this stuff is a game changer and well worth the price. After a year of daily use, it’s only halfway gone. You’ll notice a huge reduction in the appearance of wrinkles, as this cream delivers intense hydration and firmness.
Step 5: Spot treatment
Along with a serum, this step can be skipped, but again, it’s such a small, 5 second step that it’s really worth the minimal time investment. Spot treatments accelerate the pimple forming process and get rid of them quicker as opposed to doing nothing or popping them.
Salicylic Acid and Benzoyl Peroxides are great spot treatments for getting rid of zits or blemishes before they’ve formed or been popped. In testing, subjects responded better to one or the other, so give each a try for about a week or two and from them on, only use the one that worked best.
If you’ve already popped the zit, then don’t put either of the Salicylic Acid or Benzoyl Peroxide spot treatments on them. Instead, use an antibiotic ointment like Neosporin because the skin has been broken and now you’ve got to treat the literal wound. If you put the acid or peroxide on it, or just leave it alone, the zit will be redder longer and possibly leave a scar, which you can avoid or diminish significantly with an antibiotic ointment.
Whether you’re using a spot treatment or antibiotic ointment, take a little and dab it onto the problem areas and move on to the next step after about a minute.
The last step of your night time skin care routine is also the most important. Without this, all the the other steps are wasted because at the end of the day, healthy skin is moisturized skin. So this step, aside from cleaning and gentle exfoliation, is the most critical. What you 100% have to do, two times a day, is to put moisturizer on your face, neck, ears and back of neck. The main issue I ran into during testing is that good, budget friendly options are few and far between. I included the ones that really stood out, regardless of price, but with moisturizers you almost always get what you pay for, aside from the two exceptions I found below.
If your morning moisturizer, which I talked about in my Morning Skincare Routine article/video, doesn’t have SPF in it, then you can also use it as a night time moisturizer. But if your morning moisturizer does have SPF in it, which I would highly recommend, then you’ll need a separate night time moisturizer since SPF will clog your pores if left on your face for extended periods of time.
The Best Moisturizers/Lotions For Men
$12 – Mizon Black Snail All In One Cream – For the price, there’s nothing better – plain and simple. It’s extremely moisturizing, goes on easily and absorbs quickly. Don’t be fooled by the small size, this will last you quite a while since a little goes a long way. $25 – Kiehl’s Facial Fuel – If testers felt the snail cream was a little too “slimy”, they preferred this one since it absorbs really well and quickly. $27 – Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream – If you’ve got dry skin, then this moisturizer is for you. It’s super hydrating, evens out your skin texture, and isn’t greasy feeling. I can’t recommend this more. $275 – Sisleÿum for Men Anti-Age Global Revitalizer for Normal Skin Sisleÿum for Men Anti-Age Global Revitalizer for Dry Skin – If your budget allows, this stuff is fantastic. My test subjects said it’s easily in the top 2 of best moisturizers they tested. It’ll leave your skin looking super healthy and nourished. If you’re prone to razor burn/bumps, then also use this as an aftershave – it works wonders. $450 – La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Cream -This is the crème de la crème of anti-aging moisturizers and you will, frankly, pay for it. If you’re an older man and asked me for the best moisturizer, this is what I’d recommend 100% of the time. Good lord is this stuff amazing in regard to hydration, firming and helping to even out and smooth your skin.
