Men Grooming & Hygiene by Edom Valentine

Men Personal Grooming and Hygiene


By Edom Valentine

From a professional angle, and experience, observing the lives of young men heading out on their own for the very first time, I don’t know why keeping up with regular hygiene practice falls to the side of many young gents, With the stress of school and work, lack of structure they once had at home, its easy to let yourself go. This post is just a friendly reminder to keep up those regular grooming habits you hopefully formed in your youth. If you haven’t developed this habits yet, Now is the perfect time to start. Though this is entirely subjective, men are assumed to have lower grooming and personal hygiene standards than women.

REPLACE YOUR BLADES

Razor blade cartridges are ridiculously expensive, so we often eke out their use over a week or more. However, a blade should only be used 3-4 times before replacement.

It's also important after your first shave to disinfect a blade – bacteria sticks to it after each use. Wash with hot soapy water or douse some rubbing alcohol over it.

2. GET RID OF YOUR NOSE HAIR

When you can't tell the difference between nose hair and upper-lip stubble, you have a problem.

Few men ever tackle their nose hair – even when it resembles an unruly bush in a bat cave, everybody except you think
 it needs to be dealt with. Invest in an electric body hair trimmer with a nose hair attachment and use it weekly.

3. AIR OUT SWEATY GYM GEAR

Ever notice your gym clothes still have a slight hint of body odour even after being washed? It's because your sweat patches have been left wet for too long. When you throw your soaked, bacteria-filled gym gear straight in the washing basket, for hours – even days – to soil the fabric and permeate every fibre. So, before washing your workout clothes (socks and underwear included), hang them out so the sweat can dry first.

4. WEAR SANDALS IN PUBLIC SHOWERS

Here's a completely unscientific fact based on years of my own observations: Only about 10 per cent of men wear sandals when using public showers.

The floor of a shower room at a public pool, for example, are a literal hotbed of the human papillomavirus that causes plantar warts. All you need is a small crack in your foot and some hot water to soften it, and you're prone to infection.


5. TRIM YOUR TOENAILS MORE OFTEN

Men are reasonably good at trimming their fingernails every 10 days or so, we tend to neglect our toenails because "feet don't matter".

When your Wolverine-claws, scrape up against your significant other when you're cuddling in bed, you'll understand why. Trim your toenails as necessary - about once every 2-3 weeks.

6 . Wear Deodorant

   This seems like a men's hygiene no-brainer, but whether it's using deodorant or antiperspirant, alot of men don't follow this simple guideline as frequently as they should. Men also might not realize the difference between the two products . "A deodorant gets rid of odor caused by sweating, while antiperspirants actually stop and dry up perspiration. "Look for an antiperspirant/deodorant combination and make sure the fragrance isn't too    overpowering."

7. Wash Your Face Twice a Day

This is  not only an important personal hygiene rule, but also a critical aspect of men's health.

"Never use a soap, body gels, or body scrubs on your face" . While it may be the cheapest way to go, using soap and water will strip your skin of essential moisture and upset its natural pH balance, leaving it irritated and dry." Instead,  using "a facial cleanser designed to normalize your pH and restore moisture balance."

8 Change your underwear

This men's hygiene suggestion might make most men go wild. Yet experts say it's amazing how many men's hygiene routines don't have them changing their underwear often enough. "Change them every day and after a workout.

9 Hit the shower

this hygiene rule is simple; Shower every day first thing in the morning and at night, particularly if you've had a long day — and by long day, I mean one in which you've worked more than 12 hours." Showering also should follow "every time you exercise or raise your heartbeat and perspire.

10 Ears and Lips

Clean your ears regularly. Guys tend to forget to clean their ears very often. Most of you have short hair, so we can see whether you clean your ears or not. Please don’t use cotton buds! Earwax can get in your ear canal and can cause inflammations. Just use water and a kleenex.

For your lips buy a good lip balm in a drugstore or pharmacy. Don’t take the cheapest one. Try a high quality product with sun protection. You don´t have to use it everyday! People often get dry and rough lips in winter/summer or just occasionally.

Conclusion

Good men’s personal hygiene makes you feel more alert, have more confidence, and won’t repel the ladies. As an added advantage, maintaining good hygiene can make you become a man of character. All am saying and encouraging is keeping up and practicing the basic health tips you learnt in elementary school health class will help you keep fresh, look neat and presentable.


Edom Valentine is a Biochemist, a content writer and Corps member serving in Lagos.