Tag Archives: Grooming Tips

Should you ditch your beard for summer?

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Should you ditch your beard for summer?

In a word, yes. Well kind of anyway. Beards (big bushy ones) went through a period of widespread popularity back at the start of this decade after a load of models decided to grow some. With Instagram being a pretty new thing too it provided the perfect platform for these ‘pioneering’ hipsters to show off their perfectly kempt face bushes to the world. Then it all started.

 

Eventually though, the bubble bursts on every craze and this was no different. At the end of 2015 many experts in the world of grooming, fashion and styling began proclaiming that we had indeed hit peak beard.

 

So are beards totally dead? Well, if your sole reason for wearing a beard was to follow the trend then yes, it’s time for you to pull out your Dorco Classic razor sunshine and proudly show off your bare cheeks. This summer it’s very much about the classic stubble-free look.

 

If you’re not a dedicated follower of fashion and have a beard just because you like it, then why should you ditch it because some fashionista tells you too? The key to keeping any beard looking good though is maintenance so that should be your focus. A lot of people think they are the go-to for lazy men but that could not be further from the truth. Keeping it trimmed, shaping up the edges with a razor, conditioning it, oiling it, stroking it (ok maybe not the last one) all take up a crazy amount of a blokes time.

 

If you have decided to keep yours this summer, then remember to keep a good-looking beard. And if you’re too lazy for all of that then just shave it off. At least that way you’ll be on trend too.

 

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How to Choose the Right Shaving Cream for Your Face

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First of all: Is it bad to shave without shaving cream? Before deciding on which shaving cream you want, it’s best to understand exactly why men use shaving cream. Many men shave with water or plain soap, but shaving cream allows you to get a closer shave if used correctly. Shaving lubes can also protect your face from irritation, so they’re great at banishing razor burns. There aren’t any negatives to skipping the shaving lube, but you miss the opportunity to moisturise and protect your face when you don’t use one.

Honestly, if you love your current shaving-cream-free routine, there’s no need to change what works. However, if you think you could upgrade your shaving routine, read on.

 

Shaving Soaps, Creams, Gels and Foams

Before contemporary shaving lubes were developed, men used lathering soaps to protect their skin while shaving. To use them, you had to work up a lather with a shaving brush in a cup. In the 1940s, brushless shaving creams that didn’t lather were developed. Now most men use a cream, gel or foam while shaving.

For sensitive skin and shaving aficionados, shaving creams are the preferred choice. Many brands contain a high level of moisturising fats and glycerin, which protect dry skin. When combined with hot water, shaving creams can deliver the best possible lather and also soften your facial hair. And while most shaving experts recommend using a shaving brush to apply it, it will still lather up in your hand.

Shaving gels add moisture and lubrication to your skin. They’re easier to use than shaving creams and lathering soaps: You can apply them with your hands if you prefer. Because shaving gels are clear, they allow you to see the direction of the hair growth and the underlying skin. This feature allows more precision when using a razor.

Shaving foams don’t have the same lather quality as other shaving products. Cold shaving foam also closes the pores on your face. Often, shaving foams contain ingredients that dry skin, and they don’t provide the moisturising benefits of the other options. However, many men find shaving foam easier to use.

 

Common Shaving Lube Ingredients

Once you’ve picked the right type of lube, you may want to consider the ingredient list. If you’re lucky enough to have normal skin, most shaving products should work for you. But men who have sensitive, oily or dry skin should take care when selecting a product. Here are some tips on common ingredients:

  • Parfume: Some men have skin that’s sensitive to fragrance, while others prefer a scented product. Let your nose and skin be your guide. If you have sensitive skin or experience skin irritation after using a fragranced product, use a perfume-free shaving lube to protect your skin.
  • Essential oils: Essential oils add fragrance to shaving lubes, but unlike perfume, they can also help skin problems. For example, lemon oil can help tame oily skin, and tea tree oil can help acne. Other popular shaving lube essential oils are bergamot, sandalwood and cedar.
  • Glycerin: This heavy moisturiser helps the razor glide over the skin.
  • Natural oils: A shaving lube may contain a combination of glycerin and natural oils to moisturise skin. Avocado, jojoba, coconut and almond oil are popular choices.
  • Alcohol: Alcohol can irritate and dry your skin. If you already have dry skin, avoid shaving foams, which have high alcohol contents and dry the skin. Shaving gels usually contain the least amount of alcohol, so they’re best if you have sensitive skin.
  • Stearic acid: This powerful cleanser helps other ingredients in your shaving lube lather. It can be derived from plant or animal origins.

 

Understanding the best products and ingredients for your skin should help you narrow your choices. Just be prepared to try a few different lubes before you find the perfect one for your needs.

7 Best Things About Dating A Man With A Beard

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When you read about beards, you’ll often see debates between the beard lovers and the beard haters. Unfortunately for the anti-beard crowd, a

scientific study published in the Journal of Evolution and Human Behavior

found that heavy stubble wins out over clean shaven. What do women love most about this alluring facial hair?

 

1. Masculine Appeal

Beards have been associated with masculinity for hundreds of years. Everything from sharp goatees to cascading waves of facial hair has come in and out of fashion, but one thing stays the same. The perception of a man’s masculinity increases with the amount of facial hair that he has. Whether you want a short, neatly trimmed look or a wild grown facial forest is up to your personal preference.

 

2. Running Your Fingers Through Beards

Once facial hair accumulates some length, it becomes exceptionally soft. Forget the chamomile tea for relaxation as nothing beats running your fingers through his beard and feeling the texture. You get even more from this experience if he spends some time conditioning it beforehand. Give him some conditioner formulated for facial hair if you want to encourage this behaviour. You get extra points if you select a favourite scent.

 

3. The Smell of Beard Oil

Beard oil is an excellent creation, and whoever decided to offer a scented version is a genius. Unlike cologne, beard oil doesn’t have an overpowering smell. It’s subtle and provides a light accent to his natural smell. Most products take the same basic scents, often found in fragrances for men, but tone it down significantly so you aren’t choking on it.

4. The Way It Rubs Against Your Face

When a make out session goes well, you will end up with a lot of face-to-face contact. Let’s be honest. No one wants to endure the pain of stubble rash when you have a normally clean shaven guy sporting a five o’clock shadow. Your face feels like you have a cheese grater to it, which is never a pleasant sensation. In contrast, a proper beard is soft and welcoming as it glides along your skin.

5. The Changing Look of Facial Hair

A bearded man can change his style drastically by whipping out the trimmer and trying a brand new look. Heavy stubble, long face locks, and everything in between give you a front seat to the variety show. Some particularly adventurous men experiment with bright colours, beard braids and incorporating flowers or beads into the mix. Where else will you find that?

6. A Bit of a Bad Boy

We don’t know why, but the clean shaven look can often insinuate sticking to the rule book. And that’s just not going to work for all of us. A man who shows off his facial hair, especially when he lets it grow all the way out, has just enough of that bad boy element to really drive his appeal rating through the roof.

7. Beard Scratching

You know that content look cats get on their face when you scratch under their chins? You can get that same expression on bearded men when you scratch their face. Make sure to file your nails down smoothly, so you don’t get caught in his hair or accidentally cut him in the process. If you have the time, put on a clear coat of nail polish so you completely smooth out any rough edges.

Beards are wonderful, versatile and attractive parts of a guy’s look. While there are endless reasons that you love beards, the above seven reasons make the top of the list. The next time you’re out on the town, keep track of how many beard styles you end up spotting. Chances are, you’ll find a few clear favourites in your local area.

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6 Tips for Maintaining an Epic Beard

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Whether you’re a once-bearded man returning to this nostalgic look or it’s your first time growing a beard, you want to know how to maintain it and what razors to use to create your desired shape. Check out these five tips to guide you through the process of maintaining an epic beard.

Grow Well

1.Let It Grow

If you’re just getting back in the beard-growing game, it’s essential to have patience and grow out your beard. Aim to grow at least one inch of a beard over the course of two to three months so you have a decent amount of hair to shape. To help you get through the inevitable itching phase, use a beard oil or a stubble softener to moisturise your new grown hair.

Groom Well

2. Shampoo and Condition Your Beard

The hair on your beard is the same as the hair on your head, so it makes sense to treat it in a similar manner. You don’t skip washing your hair, so you shouldn’t forgo washing your beard. Neglecting your beard can lead to unwanted bacteria and germs making a home in the hairy fuzz underneath your chin. Also, your hair may get knotted and brittle. That’s why you want to make sure you shampoo and condition your beard at least a few times a week.

Rather than simply lathering it with soap, give your beard the star treatment you give the hair on your head. Opt for a shampoo that moisturises your beard to keep it from getting too dry.

You also want a conditioner that gives your beard the hydration it needs. Consider using a leave-in conditioner to keep in moisturised throughout the day.

3. Polish It Up With Oil

Give your beard the ultimate finished look by combing through it and hydrating it with beard oil. This makes your beard soft so that it’s easier to comb and feels smooth against your skin.

Style It

4. Keep the Right Tools on Hand

Keeping up with your epic beard requires an artillery of epic tools. Okay, maybe not epic, but you certainly don’t want to be without your essential hair-trimming accessories. Have a comb and a pair of scissors on hand to shape your beard, especially if your look mirrors the long beards of the mid-19th century.

Electric trimmers are also helpful tools for shaping your facial beard edges. You can use long and small guards to control stray hairs and for neck hair trimming. Your razors also come in handy for shaving the cheeks of your face.

5. Taper Your Beard at the Neckline

When your schedule is busy, but you want to keep your beard tamed, you need to take steps that reduce your maintenance time. Tapering the hair at the neckline makes it easier to keep up with your epic beard. You also reap the benefit of a look that’s natural so you don’t appear like an eccentric Christmas character from the North Pole. You can use a razor to trim the beard hair on your neck. Concentrate on the area between your Adam’s apple and your collar bone.

6. Keep Your Cheeks in Check With a Razor

Maintaining your beard calls for keeping up with the hair growth on your cheeks. You can keep your cheek hair under control and get a closer shave if you use a razor, such as the Dorco Pace razor range. Make sure you use fresh, sharp blades for a better cut. However, be careful and avoid shaving your cheeks too deeply to keep your look natural.

By following these tips, you can make it easy to keep up with your epic beard. Use the right tools, use a sharp razor, and keep your beard combed and oiled for an epic look.

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How to Shave Your Bikini Area in 6 Easy Steps

How to Shave Your Bikini Area in 6 Easy Steps

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We all know how annoying pubic hair can be: it’s itchy, uncomfortable and a definite no-no when you’re getting ready to don a bikini. If you’re nervous about the pain of a Brazilian wax, you can instead opt to shave your bikini area and get rid of that pesky hair with very little trouble.

1. Trim

If it’s been a while since you’ve bothered shaving your bikini line, start with some small scissors and carefully trim the area you intend to shave. This will make it easier for your razor to get a cleaner shave, and help you avoid nicking yourself in those sensitive spots. Get as close as you can without putting yourself in danger of cutting the skin.

2. Soak

Next, hop in the shower, turn up the heat, and relax for a few minutes. You’re not stalling — you’re allowing the hair time to soften in the hot water. The more pliable your hair is, the more effortlessly your razor will glide across your skin. The heat also opens up your pores, making your skin more receptive to those moisturisers you’ll be using after your shave. Give yourself 5–10 minutes in the heat; then, you can move on to the next step.

3. Treat

Light exfoliation helps remove dead skin build-up around the hair so that you can get a closer shave. Using either a gentle body scrub or just a washcloth, gently massage your bikini line to loosen and remove that layer of dead skin that has built up over time. If you have sensitive skin, go easy on with this step, as the combination of scrubbing and shaving can actually cause more irritation.

4. Lather

Next, you’ll need a quality shaving cream. Creams are much more effective than your average soaps; as creams lather better than soaps, they allow your razor to slide across the skin closely without causing burn. Most shaving creams also contain moisturisers to help hydrate the skin as you trim. When you’re shaving such a delicate area, this is one step you definitely don’t want to skip.

5. Shave

 

Now it’s time for the challenging part. First pick a razor that has at least three blades so that you can get nice and close, preferably one with a lubricating strip for added moisture and gentleness. Then, pulling the skin tight, slowly and carefully shave in the direction your hair grows. This helps prevent razor burn, but it also will not give you as close a shave. If you want to get it smoother, give it another pass, this time going against the grain. Be gentle and don’t press on the razor. You can always do multiple passes if necessary, but it’s better to take your time to ensure a clean shave with no accidental cuts.

6. Moisturise

Once your skin is satisfactorily smooth, pat your skin dry with a clean towel and select a moisturiser to finish up. A light, hypoallergenic body cream is a perfect choice for giving your skin a soft texture, while preventing any inflammation from the shave. Also, remember that it’s preferable to shave your skin at night – this prevents irritation and allows your moisturiser more time to soak into your skin and provide deep hydration.

Shaving your bikini line takes time and focus, but practice makes perfect and after a couple times you’ll be a pro. Now hop into that bikini and hit the beach!

 

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How to Prevent Irritation When Shaving Your Head

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With celebrities like Jason Statham and Ross Kemp embracing a bald crown, the no-hair trend is here to stay. But before trying this style on your own cranium, you need a game plan. A shaved head may be the ultimate low-maintenance hair style, but it does require some basic prep and the right technique to achieve a close shave. Skip these steps, and you can expect razor bumps, skin irritation and ingrown hairs.

Start With the Basic Prep Work

Before shaving your head for the first time, start with a long shower to soften the hair. Then begin with a trim. Use a set of hair clippers to cut your hair so it’s approximately one centimetre long.

If you don’t have a shaving mirror with an adjustable arm, invest in one. That way, you’ll be able to see the back of your head easily. You’ll also be able to avoid shaving the same area twice, which is akey cause of general skin irritation.

Don’t own a set of clippers? Consider going to a barber for your first shave. That way, you’ll only need to shave regularly to maintain your new look.

Establish Your Regular Shaving Routine

Prior to every shave, take a hot shower and then cover your scalp with a shaving cream or shaving oil. Wait about five minutes to let the hair soften fully.

Shave with a sharp razor that has at least three blades. Start with the front of your head, and shave with the grain of the hair. Apply very little pressure when shaving, and let the blade do the work. Rinse the razor after every stroke.

Create an orderly pattern when shaving to avoid shaving over the same spot twice. Save shaving the back of your head for last because that area tends to have the coarsest and thickest hair. Don’t stretch the skin, which can cause ingrown hairs. However, look down when shaving the back of your neck to get an even shave.

Now examine your head carefully. If you want a closer shave, you can repeat this process, except this time you should shave against the grain of the hair. However, if you have curly hair, coarse hair or sensitive skin, you greatly increase the risk that you’ll cause ingrown hairs if you shave again.

Finish With Some Shaving Aftercare

Once you’re done shaving, splash some cold water on your scalp and gently towel the area dry. Use an alcohol-free aftershave balm or lotion to soothe the scalp. Also plan on moisturising your scalp regularly. Look for a moisturiser with SPF unless you want a freckled head.

On the days you’re not shaving your head, use an exfoliating face wash on your scalp to prevent ingrown hairs. Look for something with chemical exfoliants, such as glycolic or salicylic acid, to increase skin cell turnover. After your scalp is clean, apply your moisturiser to protect the newly exposed skin.

Address Persistent Skin Irritation

Some minor scalp irritation is common after your first shave. To prevent aggravating your skin, wait a few days before shaving again, but make sure to moisturise and wash the scalp daily. Most men wait one to three days between shaving sessions.

However, if you follow these tips but still end up with regular razor bumps, you may want to visit a dermatologist. Depending on the cause of your scalp woes, the dermatologist could prescribe a retinoid for better exfoliation or a hydrocortisone to minimise existing irritation. Sometimes a topical antibiotic is necessary to eliminate acne-causing bacteria from the scalp.

Shaving your head means you’ll never need to use conditioner again, but don’t mistake low maintenance for no maintenance. Give your scalp the same level of care as your face, and you’ll have a spot-free scalp that’s worthy of leading-man status.

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