GRooMing TiPs FOr mEN

Have you ever wondered why men are of the opinion that women and women alone should be the ones to make an extra effort about their physical appearance?
With the emergence of Metro-sexual – (that guy that is proud of his looks and yet is confident in his sexuality) and Über-sexual – (that guy who though dresses well, does not dwell so much on his looks because he is handsome and self-assured), one would think that such an idea would be water over a dam.
A man should have a good understanding of his body in respect to health, fitness, what to wear and grooming. We often think that as long as we take out baths once or twice a day, we are as good as clean, but that is only the beginning!
I will now give a few tips that should solve common grooming dilemmas men face:

BODY ODOUR:
The solution here is to bathe well and use a good anti-per spirant deodorant. Contrary to what you may think, perfumes do not solve the problems but could even aggravate it.
A deodorant decreases the activity of odour-causing bacteria, while anti-per spirants help decrease the amount of sweat produced.

HAIR:
Black men due to the texture of their hair are most often caught in a tight spot when it comes to their hair. Well, five options readily come to mind:
Dreadlocks- this is easy to maintain as there is no brushing, combing, or patting into shape.
Skin Cut- this is the easiest of them all and is favoured mostly by men losing their hair. It is so basic that some guys just buy a set of clippers and shave it all off!!
Corn rows- it is my opinion that only patient guys can sport this look as no matter tiny they are, they have a life span of 2-3 weeks and loosening and re-braiding it is quite a bother.
Low cut- my favourite. It is also probably the most acceptable style for (black) men. As the name implies, it involve keeping the hair short but not shaving it off entirely.
The Afro- this is another one that requires patience. Afros should be washed everyday with a good ant-dandruff shampoo. Once the hair is dried and combed, it needs to be patted into a spherical form. The afro is high maintenance for a guy.

CHEST HAIR:
If shaving or waxing it all off is not a preference, you could trim chest hair with clippers or scissors. Avoid cutting the hair too low and though it might sound and seem queer, brushing chest hair makes it look better.

NOSE HAIR: Trimming nose and ear hair can easily be done with a nose hair trimmer which can be purchased in pharmacies and body shops. You must be careful though, as getting cut in the nose/ear is somewhat painful.




NAILS:
Bitten nails look dreadful! Though only a perception, it gives the impression that you are not a confident person which is not healthy in today’s world where impressions count a lot. Getting a manicure and a pedicure at a good salon is as easy as it sounds.
However, if you are too nervous or too much of a coward J to walk into a salon, you could either DIY or call a girl friend.

EXFOLIATION & MOISTURISERS:
Exfoliation is simply the removal of dead skin cells form the outermost layer of the skin. These dead cells make the skin look dull, patchy and dry. Exfoliation sounds like a complicated process but it’s carried out easily by using a facial scrub or even just sponge. Using a facial scrub once or twice a week removes dead skin cells and helps the skin look brighter.
Moisturiser is a must for everyone, particularly one the body. A good moisturiser easily corrects the white patches of skin on the hands and feet. Applying moisturisers on the face is a good idea…especially after exfoliation. If you suffer from acne, consider using moisturisers particularly designed to treat this predicament.

SHAVING BUMPS:
Shaving bumps are caused by hairs growing back into the skin and it is most common in black men and those with very curly hair. If the bumps are causing much misery, consider switching to shaving powders. If your preference is shaving sticks, ensure the blade is sharp always. Shaving sticks with single blades are considered to be better than those with double blades as they don’t shave as close to the skin and so reduces the chances of hair growing back into the skin.
If possible, try shaving once in three days to give the skin time to calm down. Finally, using a good aftershave after shaving may help prevent bumps from getting infected.