I know some of you might be wondering where I’ve been recently. I’ve just got back from an amazing trip around Europe for a few months. It was unbelievable – I had such a great time.
Because of this, the blog hasn’t received much of my attention. I’m hoping to put that straight in the not too distant future though, starting with a new blog post in the next few weeks.
Moving away from beards somewhat, I decided it would be cool to talk about another area within the topic of grooming – hair!
You might be surprised to hear that this is so often overlooked, especially amongst men who like to focus on their beards. I personally subscribe to the belief that hair is as important as facial hair. Your beard can look as pristine as possible, but if your hair looks scruffy then forget about it.
You need the full package, and in this post I’ll hopefully provide my best tips on just how to do that.
If before I got diving into the different waxes and clays I use, it’s important first to touch upon the basics.
To start I feel it’s very important that you invest in a good quality, sturdy hair comb. The kind that will last you for years and years to come. My top tip? Find one created with an acetate mould. These are very sturdy and are pleasant to hold. Unlike a wooden comb, if you inevitably end up dropping an acetate comb there is a very high chance it will survive the fall and not break.
Once you’ve solved that conundrum it’s time to move onto to establishing which product you’re actually going to use in your hair.
The product I find myself coming back to again and again is something called pomade. Most of the time, this can have quite a thick consistency, but my personal favourites are ones that are water based. These have more of a stiff jelly kind of consistency. I’ve always thought that this type is much easier to wash out at the end of the day, and provide as good a hold as any non-water based pomade.
After rinsing my hair, and using my acetate comb I apply this pomade every morning and slowly work it throughout my hair with the comb. More often than not I go for the classic slick backed look and this product is perfect for helping me attain that. I won’t be changing it any time soon that you can believe.
I’ve been having an internal battle for the past 30 days or so – Should I stick with my guns, or try and take this blog in a new direction. I’ve decided to switch things up a bit and in the future will be writing about a more diverse range of subjects. Enjoy!
A new day brings a new post. This time round I’m going to briefly touch upon the subject of beard brushing. This is something that has become increasingly important over recent years, especially since beards have become more and more commonplace in the society we live in.
Firstly I want to talk about why brushing your beard is important. If you have facial hair and you’re not consistently or periodically brushing it and keeping it well groomed, then I’ve got news for you…you’re missing out!
There was a time where I didn’t do this either, but let me tell you, my life changed so much once I started combing every morning each day.
For starters, when you wake up in the early hours of the day it’s easy to forget just how scruffy and lopsided your facial hair can look. I’m the kind of person who showers in the evening, so until recently I’d quite often (especially on weekends) wake up, get dressed and leave the house without even looking at myself in the mirror.
This unfortunate set of circumstances would occasionally lead me to receiving some odd looks from people I’d pass in the street. It wasn’t until I’d return home that I’d figure out what all the fuss was about.
Nowadays I make a special effort to stand in front of the mirror each morning, and work out the wildness from my beard. Sometimes I use a comb, but as mentioned above, my favourite tool is a brush. I find this quicker to use, plus it feels great.
Starting at the bottom, I work my way up stroking my trusty utensil outwards in a deep motion. Applying a small amount of oil beforehand also works wonders, and is a great way to distribute it around the hair.
I’ve got a few different types, but without a shadow of a doubt, this is my favourite beard grooming brush to use. I love the sturdiness of the wood, and I’m not quite sure what the bristles are made of, but they feel so good and also do a great job. Take a look for yourself!
Hi again folks.
Are you keeping yourself well groomed now we’re into the new year? November and December are often months where men tend to heavily focus on grooming; but January is important too. In my next article I’ll be discussing different ways you can keep yourself looking fresh in 2018.
New to this whole beard game? Heard about the importance of washing your beard, but unsure of the best way of going about it?
Don’t worry – you’re in the right place as I have the exact science of washing your beard down to a tee.
It all starts with a good night’s sleep. To those who don’t already do this, I encourage you to try and sleep on your back. It’s been scientifically proven that doing this leads to deeper and more restorative sleep. You’ll wake up feeling more fresh in the morning, and will wake up fewer times at night if you’re a light sleeper.
Not only this, but if you have a large beard, sleeping on your back helps maintain it’s shape throughout the wee hours.
Alternatively, if you sleep on your side, and you’re prone to tossing and turning, your beard is naturally going to get roughed up a little bit, making it harder to tame in the morning. So please heed my words and give this a go!
Once you’re up and about, the first step is hopping into the shower. You’ll want to rinse your beard through, then start by applying a wash. This beard wash is my personal favourite. I’ve been using it for years now and I really like the scent.
Add a couple of drops of the wash to the palm of your hands. Rub your hands together to make a lather that covers your whole hand including fingers. Then, starting using your hand to work the wash through your beard. You’ll want to do this for a minute or so.
After that, don’t go ahead and rinse out the wash straight away! It’s best to leave it in a for a minute or two. I tend to use this time to use a different shower product like body gel. After 2 minutes have elapsed, rinse out the wash thoroughly. The warmer the water the better.
There you have it folks. My ultimate guide to using beard wash. I hope you’ve gleaned some useful information from it. Onwards and upwards!
How well groomed have you been keeping yourself in my absence?
Not that much? Well don’t worry, as I’m adding the finishing touches to a brand new article that will help you curb your unfortunate grooming habits. Please make a note and check back in a few days to give it a read.
Hello again everyone. I’m posting this here today to talk about…you guessed it – Men’s grooming.
In this inaugural post, I wanted to really sum up my feelings towards men’s grooming and the industry as a whole. Personally it has done me so much good. So much so that it has inspired to start this blog with the aim of spreading the word and hoping others begin to get serious about men’s grooming too.
My love affair with grooming and personal care all started soon after I was dumped by my ex-girlfriend. I was desolate and really in a bad way. One of the biggest sucker punches was the fact that she told me one of the reasons she broke up with me was because of my outward appearance (in terms of dress) and my personal hygiene and grooming.
She was frustrated by how I would never make an effort to look nice whenever we went out for occasions with friends or family. About 6 months in to our relationship, I started growing a beard, but really didn’t take too great care of it. I never trimmed my neck hair for instance, and never considered purchasing some oil or balm to keep it under wraps and smelling nice.
After the breakup I was understandably heartbroken. I moped for a few weeks, but eventually I came to the conclusion that I was going to turn this situation into a good thing. That I would take her feedback and actually use it. I promised myself that in my next relationship i wouldn’t let the same mistakes I previously made repeat themselves.
That’s when I properly started taking men’s grooming seriously. I decided to keep my beard, but trimmed it out and made it look very tidy. I still trim it bi-weekly now to keep it in shape. I also invested in a high quality beard grooming kit that I still use almost daily.
I haven’t looked back since I made this change in my life, and I just wanted to highlight this to the men reading this – Taking good care of your appearance can do wonders to your confidence and happiness. Give it a try!
Mitch Temple Online is a discussion board where I’ll be regaling you with one of my favourite subjects – Men’s Grooming.
That’s right, I’m a self-image conscious man and proud!
First post coming soon.