6 Painless Grooming Tips for Men

The unshaven look may look sexy on men who are just back from the outdoors, but not for those who want to project or maintain a successful image. The trend of permanent hair removal in Singapore and other urban cities where metrosexuality is embraced suggests that having too much hair can mean neglect of personal hygiene.

Whether you want to admit it or not, in an image-conscious world, good personal hygiene matters when it comes to professional or personal success and good health. After all, do you really want to drive away potential partners or employers with your unkempt hair and weird smell?

The Evolutionary Role of Hair

Because hair helped keep odor linger, human hair had its purpose back at a time when odor played a huge role in choosing a mate. Today, however, odor both plays a role in choosing a mate and in (not) landing a job.

Male pheromones can really get overpowering if not kept in check, and one way to minimize (unpleasant) odor is to remove hair from face and other areas of the body that are often exposed. Looking neat and smelling great are essential to being socially agreeable, which opens doors to other kinds of success in other areas of your life.

The good news: You don’t have to look too “done” to get people attracted to you if you feel like grooming emasculates an otherwise macho image. You just need a bit of sprucing up and regular maintenance to look more like a man with a signature stubble and less like a hairy primate. Here’s how.

• Remove excess hair

It’s rare for men to want to go totally hairless (after all, some studies show that some facial hair can be attractive), so may be a more appropriate solution to unwanted hair is permanent hair reduction. This can be achieved by various means, including laser hair removal, waxing, electrolysis, depilatories, shaving and threading. In a laser hair clinic in Singapore, intense pulsed light or IPL hair removal and light and heat (LHE) hair removal are in demand. Both treatments offer a safe and more long-lasting results.

Depending on the area you want treated, and because each hair strand is in various stages of growth, several sessions of laser, IPL or LHE hair removal may be necessary to achieve the level of hairlessness you want.

• Use facial cleansers

It’s not unusual for men to use the same soap on their body and on their faces. Unfortunately, most body soaps are too strong for facial skin, so you need to use cleansers that are specifically formulated for the face, like Dr. Sylvia Skin Care Gentle Foaming Wash if you have normal skin, Dermal Balancing Cleanser if you have dry or combination skin, or Purifying Aza Cleanser if you have oily or acne-prone skin.

These cleansing products are part of a holistic skin care program designed by skin care specialist Dr. Sylvia Ramirez who heads a laser clinic in Scotts Road, Singapore (the same clinic where you can get laser hair removal treatments).

• Brush and floss regularly

Not everyone is born with straight and white teeth, but it’s not good excuse to have plaque buildup or food stuck in between them. The reason is not only cosmetic: There is a strong link between oral health (gum disease can be caused by plaque buildup) and heart disease. Bacteria from infected gums can also attach to blood vessels and contribute to clot formation leading to stroke.

• Slather sunscreen

The tall, dark and handsome look is all fine, as long as you don’t do it at the expense of getting sunburned. While male skin is often thought of as not as sensitive to female skin, everyone needs protection from cancer-causing UV rays. Choose SPF 15 or higher broad spectrum sunscreen with titanium dioxide like Dr. Sylvia Skin Care Oil Free Sun Protection SPF 30 to ensure chemical and physical protection from both UVA and UVB rays.

• Nourish thinning or wispy hair

If there’s one place where you want hair to grow in wild abandon, it’s on your head. The reason: baldness makes you look older. In fact, premature alopecia (the medical term for hair loss) can be very embarrassing for most men.

Apart from your genes, you need to look into your diet to see if hair growth can be improved by increased protein intake. You can also try to use dietary hair supplements such as Viviscal Professional to nourish hair that is prone to shedding and breakage due to overstyling, coloring and use of hair extensions.

• Trim your nails short

Cutting your nails short – and keeping them clean! – should be an easy DIY maintenance. Unless you work ‘Dirty Jobs’ like that popular male TV personality, nothing repels a woman more than dirty fingernails. Getting a manicure and pedicure works on everyone, but if you feel this is too girl-y, keep a nail clipper handy to make sure you always have clean and short nails. Long-haired men get second glances; long-nailed men don’t.