Ordinarily, we wouldn’t go on too much about men and their morning rituals, but this is the 21st century and it’s now okay for men to admit that they take care of themselves, and having a morning ritual that is safe to talk about. We are, of course, referring to the essential process of looking after your hair and skin. I mean, who would nor honestly turn up at work - or at least appear on Zoom (other video conferencing software is available) - without looking their best? Luckily, we at Hawkins & Brimble have got your back, Jack.
Skin care routines and hair care are the new gold standard in looking good, but it does mean spending a little bit of time perfecting and the then applying it. Of all the rituals you may get up to in the morning, this, along with making tea in the right way, is the stuff that gentlemen are made of.
How much of a ritual you need to carry out depends upon your particular circumstances; if you have a strong head of hair and a full beard then you are going to have to get up earlier than someone with a polished dome but, regardless, you are going to have to spend some time looking buff. And the density of your facial hair is going to impact on that too, and you’ll need to get right down to your skin so thicker hair means more robust massaging. If you don’t have a full beard and keep your head pretty much smooth, then move onto the skincare section below, but if you are a tad more hirsute, read on.
There is little point in trying to clean or moisturise your skin if your beard and hair still have yesterday’s grime plastered all over it. Beards look great but they are also magnets for airborne dirt so get that outer layer cleaned off first. Use a good beard shampoo alongside your chosen hair soap, and really work it in, but don’t be too rough as you’ll damage the roots. Wash it all out with a good amount of warm water. Now that you have cleaned your facial and head hair, it’s time to move onto your skin routine.
Skin is a bit of an oddity; it is tough enough to put up with almost anything that the world can throw at it, but is also easy to damage if you treat it badly. As a general rule, when washing or applying creams, do so gently and take your time. First, you need to clean. Get deep down using a scrub (following the gentle application rule, because this is slightly abrasive stuff) and open up those pores to get the deep-seated dirt out. Rinse off with clean warm water and then use a surface cleaner to get rid of everything else. Once again, rinse off with warm water.
Now it’s time to moisturise. You can apply a good moisturiser to most of your face, doing so evenly, but steering clear of your delicate eye areas. For your eyes, use a specialist energising eye cream, which is designed not to be harsh. If you are clean shaven, you can get dressed and hop on your first Zoom meeting of the day, but if you have a beard and/or moustache, you’ll need to spend a few minutes more applying a moisturiser to those areas too.
Beards and other facial hair respond well to a good beard oil, particularly if it is gently combed through to coat the whole length of hair. Apply it and work it through for a few minutes and have a beard and moustache that positively gleams with good health.
