Grooming for Men 101 (Guest Blogger)

Hello Nomads! My name is Max Atwood, and if there is anything I am an expert on, it would have to be men’s grooming. Here are a few simple tips to start off your grooming routine!

My Style lately has leaned toward old Hollywood. Picture a clean cut look with a nonchalant amount of stubble (think Carey Grant on vacation). A touch of facial hair helps detract from the severity of a formal haircut. Formal and summer just don’t jibe. This style particularly suits a trim build, as a more muscular build tends to look brutish with facial hair, especially when you have dark hair like I do. A "don’t" is to pair long hair and stubble. When facial hair is paired with long hair it leans toward unkempt (think Jonny Depp), unless you are a Ralph Lauren model, in that case what are you reading a men’s grooming blog for anyway?

The trick to balancing the scruffily formal, or the formally scruffy look, is to make sure you pay attention to the details so you don’t end up looking like Jack Black. Don’t get me wrong, Jack is funny, but he looks like he just doesn’t care. You care, that's what distinguishes you as a gentlemen.  Keeping your nape and sideburns trimmed ensures that it looks effortless. Also, keep your neck clean-shaven. As a basic rule shave to where your head meats your neck when you look down. Clean hair is essential to the well-groomed man. That means washing it on a daily basis, unless you get sweaty multiple times a day. In that case you need to shower and groom after each workout (unless of course you live on your own planet). 

Compared to my father’s generation there has been a steep climb in products designed for men’s basic grooming. Good grooming starts with cleanliness. One basic cleansing line I really like is Dove MEN+CARE. If you wear cologne on a daily basis you need to begin with a non-scented soap, otherwise the scents battle each other. Ditto for shaving cream. If you like aftershave, use the same line as your cologne. Witch Hazel works really well as an aftershave and leaves no odor. It’s also good for sensitive skin, as it doesn't burn or leave a rash. You need to either shave periodically, or keep your scruff trimmed with an electric trimmer (directions for different effects are usually included with your trimmer). Electric razors irritate my skin so I use a razor and shaving cream. Nivea for Men Revitalizing Shaving Gel is great for sensitive skin. Nics are par for the course. A dab of Vaseline stops the blood instantly, and it is invisible (less tacky than the t.p.).

Deodorant should be a given, and again unless you are relying on it as your main source of manly scent try to keep it either unscented, or clean-scented. Smelling good goes a long way, and you should take time to find a personal scent that you like, but that hopefully appeals to others too. However, a cologne that smells good on one gentleman does not necessarily smell good on another, as we all have different ph levels that affect how scents smell once they are on the skin. Every time you go to a department store try a new cologne (one at a time). Wear it for a day, and ask the ladies in your life (mom, sister, girlfriend, hoped-for-girlfriend, cute girl in calculus, or in extreme cases the cashier in the grocery store). Do not however ask the lady at the cologne counter-she may not have your best interest at heart.

Smelling good is inviting and there are a few basic rules to wearing cologne. Remember the golden rule: Respect Personal Space. You are wearing too much if you are easily pegged as the offender. Those around you should just get a whiff of fleeting scent. If someone is interested they will have to smell you out. Once they find you, the only way they can get a good whiff is to lean in to you. Practically speaking: if you have oily skin, or its hot outside, use less. Place cologne on the inside of your wrists, behind your neck and the top of your chest (where your collar bone meets in the center).      

And there you have it! All you have left to do is dress yourself. But don’t worry. The Pedaling Nomad can help you out with that.

Stay Classy Nomads.