7 grooming tasks you should take on as you age – words Alan Woods
To shave or not to shave is the question, and only you know the answers. As us men age, we take up different traits, from dealing with our facial hair or the mop on top. Sometimes our genes and age decide for us, sometimes we go against nature. It all comes down to how secure we feel in our own skin, and how we handle the process.
The movies have made it quite fun with their live fast die young mentality, but we are men, we want to write our names down in history. However, the grooming tasks we started in our youth will be the foundation to build on as we age.
Balding: Time to shave it or not
Ok, so let’s take a deep breath and come to terms with the state of our mop. We’re losing it. But that doesn’t mean we should just up and take it all off. The ability to make it our own is just as a powerful move as taking it all down. Looking at the Norwood Scale, you can almost determine ahead of time whether you want to try a means other than shaving it all off.
Either way, there have been some great bald mean like Bruce Willis, Michael Jordan, Patrick Stewart to name a few. There have also been some great men like Jesse Martin who just takes control of his remaining hair. So, if you are thinking about shaving your head, don’t feel ashamed. It comes down to how you want to handle what age is doing to you.
Add Skin Care to Your Routine
Love it or hate it, a lot of our forefathers didn’t use skin care products. They may have appeared to age way before their time or they were blessed with outstanding youth. You may feel differently than your father. However, the key to skin care is to lay the foundation while we are young and have a regimen that grows with us as we age. As we age, the skin care products we may want change.
This seems more like a woman’s thing, and there are quite a lot of skin care products for them. However, there are a number for us men too. While it may not seem like the ‘manly’ thing to do, it does help us keep a youthful look longer.
Consider Your Diet and Exercise Plan
This is an often-overlooked grooming practice. Most of us feel that we bought and paid for that spare tire with the well-deserved beers we had. But, a proper diet and regular exercise will help keep us younger, healthier, and well groomed. Think of it as grooming the body, not just the visible hairs.
As we age, our dietary needs change, and while we may still be able to bench what we did in our 20’s, it’s not always going to be an easy task having to change how we exercise. Now is not the time for the ‘no pain no gain’ mentality, but rather ease into a new regimen that works well with how our bodies are changing.
Grey Hair: Yay or Nay
It’s inevitable, we will all go grey at some point. From the hairs on our heads to the hairs on our toes, they all get a little silvery at some point. The downside to this is that we may stress over the beginning of the greying, and by the time we are completely grey we may have come to terms with it. The upside is that greying doesn’t have to land straight on our heads. There are now male specific hair dyes that will cover up the grey. This however is a personal choice.
Some may take the notion that trying to cover up the grey is just being vain. Some will find that some grey is just too irresistible. However, it’s completely personal choice how you deal with grey hair, and consideration should be applied when faced with early greying.
Keep the Nose, Ears, and the Unibrow in Check
Sadly, we live in a society that frowns on hair growing out of our heads in what is deemed unsightly places. While this may come as no surprise, hair continues to come in as we age. We suggest that you just take your tweezers and pluck, shave, or visit a doctor to maintain or permanently get rid of a unibrow.
Despite what the purpose and benefits of these hair growths, we live in a world that it is regarded as unsightly and makes us appear as unkempt and lazy. There is really a difference in embracing yourself as you age and allowing it to run amuck on your face.
Keep Your Health In Mind Too
Ok, let’s face it. We have been grooming ourselves since we hit puberty and there’s little that actually changes while we age. More hair just seems to come in, more hair just comes off. But a well-groomed man does go beyond just whacking the hairs off.
Regular doctor check-ups should be a given, but there are also important self-check exams we as men need to do. It’s easy to think it won’t happen to us but the hard truth is that testicular cancer has no preference of who it chooses. Self-check-up takes only a few minutes and you can add it to your regular grooming routine. We want to live long and prosper, right? We want our names written in history. So, let’s not cut ourselves or our loved ones short shall we?
A well-groomed man isn’t always because they have the perfect hair or beard. It’s about how we take care of ourselves in places that not everyone gets to see. If we are distraught about something it will show on our faces. If we are elated beyond belief it will also show. Any underlying health problems will also show up on our faces and our entire physique. So, do yourself a favour and take care of your health too.
Check Your Legs and Toes
No, we are not advocating shaving your legs or feet. Because hair continues to grow in, our legs are just as susceptible to thickening and making us look like we are Sasquatch below the waist. Either that or we may start looking like we are related to Frodo Baggins. However, thick and long hairs tend to bind under those pant leg, and it can be painful when we suddenly pull on them. Taking the largest guard on your trimmer to your legs may not be a bad choice, and then using the shortest guard on your feet.
Conclusion
Our grooming habits should change with us. What worked for us in our 20’s may not always work for us in our 30’s, 40’s, and 80’s. Grooming is so much more than just maintaining a great looking hairstyle or beard. It encompasses our whole body, inside and out.
We hope that you enjoyed these 7 grooming tasks and we would love to hear what you agreed with or what we missed. Let us know below!
