Caveman To Gentleman: A Woman’s Guide To Men’s Grooming

The history of men’s grooming can be traced back to the Egyptians which continued throughout history. It was during the rise of Hollywood in the 1900s which popularised men on silver screens in suits with slick back hair, pearly whites and clean-shaven look. A few great examples are Clint Eastwood, Sean Connery and Clark Gable. As a result, the development of various grooming routines flourished along with men wanting to look their best. In present times, talking about masculinity and what it means to be a ‘man’ certainly has come to mean differently. Men’s grooming has been on the rise and revolves around the idea that men can also take care of themselves and look their best. Men, want to know what women look out for in a well-groomed man? Well, read on to know. And hey, it’s from a woman’s perspective so don’t forget to take notes!

Skincare And Men’s Grooming

In the previous article, we looked at how skincare is genderless and is no longer just reserved for women. In the era where time is of the essence, many skincare routines as seen on the Internet involve the use of many products, which may seem tedious to some. Good news is that skincare doesn’t have to be tedious. So for men, a solid simple skincare that you can stick with would suffice. Men and women have slightly different skin structures because of the type of hormones we respectively have. In fact as ironic as it is, men’s skin is 20% thicker than women’s, and is more abundant in collagen, allowing a firmer appearance. As thick as the male skin is, not using suitable facial products will damage your skin.

Oily Complexion? Or Just Dry?

However, there’s a catch. The facial skin is the thinnest of the body which requires more attention. So rather than go with a bar of soap while thinking ‘less is more’, using a proper facial cleanser is important. But while the soap bar is indeed a great cleaning product, it will also “clean away” the natural oils that protects, naturally moisturise the skin, and keeps it supple. When that happens, your face would overproduce sebum that acts as “compensation” against the natural oils that was stripped away. And when someone has an oily complexion, the natural response is assume that your skin is oily when in contrary, it’s not. An overproduction of sebum adding on to the male skin having bigger and more pores, would then lead to one being more prone to impurities and acne.

A Man Sees But A Woman Smells

Other than skincare, part and parcel of men’s grooming comes with smelling good. Let’s face it, no one (literally no one) would like to be told they smell bad. Ask any woman for her most desirable trait in a man and she might say a good heart, a charming smile and… yes that you smell good. As much as it seems like no one cares if you smell good, let me tell you that women do. Since I’m out here exposing some of us women, it’s been proven through experiments that smell is the first factor women notice. While men are visual, women rate olfactory (Latin for ‘to smell’) of higher importance. Secret’s out ladies, men officially know why we want their oversized hoodies.

Men’s Grooming Extends To Smelling Good

But of course, we’re not expecting men to smell good all the time or wear expensive cologne (as long as men don’t expect women to smell like flowers all the time either *wink*). Fragrance is subjective and that’s understandable. We’re just simply want men to put in a little effort to use more than a bar of soap for everything. Women really appreciate a man who knows how to practise good personal hygiene and is willing to invest in products that cater to his lifestyle. Be it by throwing on some deodorant, or changing your sheets every two weeks with fresh ones. These small things do go a long way, trust me. By the end of it, you would definitely have other men wondering how you do it. Here are some tips to help you along.

Men’s Grooming Is Empowering

As mentioned, men’s grooming takes time and effort. No one ever said looking good comes easy. With reference to the movie Kingsman’s: “Manners Maketh Man“, so does having self-confidence. An experiment was conducted on fragrant attraction and it exists. Honestly speaking, we all have insecurities and there’s no shame in that because it makes us, human. Building self-confidence also doesn’t necessarily mean you have to look good, smell good or wear a smile all the time. Having self-confidence is something you believe yourself to have. When you smell good, you feel good; and when you feel good, you look great. Not to be mistaken that men’s grooming is just about superficial appearances, the root of it is merely having confidence. Your attractiveness, so to put, as perceived by others would change too.

So men, there is nothing to be ashamed of if you’re looking to start having a skincare routine. Or even just figuring out which type of deodorant keeps the stinks away. A simple daily skincare routine can go a long way and not just when you have specific issues like acne. With as little as three products, you can have an effective skincare routine. As a summary, in three simple steps, cleanse, moisturise and apply sunscreen. That’s all there is. Not time consuming and definitely not too hard I believe. The key to men’s grooming is consistency, and if you need a visualiser here’s a comprehensive guide.

From Boys To Men; Caveman To Gentleman

Living in the city means all hustling and bustling and hoping you don’t buckle. As for men, I’m sure at the end of a tiring day, you probably just want to take an ultra quick shower and relax. Who has time to exfoliate or condition, am I right? Assumedly the reason why men aren’t into personal care as women could be that men’s products lacked a masculine identity. It’s a fact that most men’s personal care products are derived from existing women’s brands. They are essentially the masculine version of women’s products. But what if you don’t have to choose? What if you have a product that is suitable for the body, face and hair? But more importantly, while it’s strong enough to clean away the dirt on the body, it’s also gentle enough on the face and hair too.

To counter that, a Malaysian company actually came up with a personal care range that’s specifically “man-gineered” from the ground up as masculine products. Their entire range comes with manly goodness, and comes in manly looking containers too. BadLab, short for Brave and Daring Laboratory, is a genius when it comes to men’s personal care. The company is providing exactly what men needs: a range of products that is designed from the ground up for men. With their tagline that says: “Try bad… see why it’s good”, it has attracted many men to try out their products. Also, they have a very unique smell that isn’t overwhelming or too fragrant for men.

Having The Best Of Both Worlds

Exploring the whole range of cleansing routine, especially for the face and the scalp, is tedious. BadLab invented convenience with their Caveman cleanser, the 3-In-1 Hair, Face & Body Cleaner. Complementing the three-in-one formula, are the active ingredients that you’ll find in this convenient product. Active ingredients are ingredients that address the skin concern the product targets. Caveman 3-in-1 Hair, Face & Body Cleaner contains Fluidipure 8G that works as an active agent for both the skin and hair. We can all agree it does sounds somewhat chemically dangerous. However, this specialty ingredient can control body odour, soothe irritated scalps which would also suppress oily dandruff! All conveniently packed in a single product. (P.S. You’ll never have to worry about being late for your dates again).

To sum up, being a well-groomed man can take you far. It’ll definitely score you a few points with the ladies, but not forgetting that good manners and etiquettes are important too. Start small with a solid simple skincare routine then work your way to find what else works best for you. It’s important to keep in mind that skincare isn’t a one-size-fits-all, and everyone has different skin types. Also, don’t forget to throw out that bar of soap and start using proper cleansers for personal hygiene.

Try BAD To See What’s Good

Head on over to their official website to explore what products they have along with a more detailed product information. Other than that, you can also explore their product range by finding them in pharmacies and supermarkets such as Watsons, AA Pharmacy and Tesco. Walk into any pharmacy and you’ll definitely spot them in their respective sections. If you’re more of an online shopper, check out Watsons Online, and their official website. Check out their Instagram and Facebook page for their interesting marketing illustrations of their products.

Now that you’ve got your basic personal hygiene covered, let’s take the next dive into your crowning glory – your hair. Hair care is a much often overlooked aspect in men’s grooming. Other than knowing how to stye your hair, it’s just as important to know how to maintain it and how to keep it healthy. In the next episode, we shall take a look at some expert hair care tips to love your scalp the way it deserves. And what’s important when considering hair care products.