Despite its unforgiving nature, it is true that summer gives us the opportunity to reinvent ourselves. Be it through revamping our entire wardrobes or hitting the gym to reach them body goals, if we can utilize these few months properly, they could very well shape up our entire year and how people perceive us. However, one rookie mistake most of us end up making is that we get so consumed and overwhelmed with what we want to wear and what gym membership will suit us best, we forget the most basic and arguably the most important step of reinventing oneself. Grooming. That’s right. Looking good is half the battle, feeling good is what’s it really about. So, we here in ICE Today have come up with an in-depth analysis of grooming tips and products that will help you stand out among your contemporaries!
Mapping out a suitable skincare routine
It is a fact that men’s skin is oilier by nature hence we should put the effort to ensure that it is being taken care of. After all, more often than not, your face is the first thing people notice about you. We are not asking you to heavily invest in a plethora of products that you don’t necessarily need, we are simply asking you to devise a simple skincare routine. To start things off, you will need to cleanse your face at least twice a day with a suitable face wash. Cleansing will help get rid of any pollutants that are hiding behind them pores thereby making your face look fresh while also reducing the risks of breakouts, acne, and other skin trouble.
Pro tip: It is more beneficial to use a face wash that doesn’t have dye, artificial fragrance, soaps or alcohol in it. These ingredients come with the cost of making your skin a little too dry which can be really uncomfortable.
Follow up cleansing your skin by applying some toner. Using toner ensures that your skin remains firm and clear throughout the day. It also comes with the added bonus of preventing ingrown hairs from forming in your face. Talk about dodging a bullet. Much like your face wash, your toner too should be free of alcohol because as mentioned earlier it causes the skin to become over-dry. Your body’s natural response to that will be to produce more oil which will pretty much bring you back to square one.
And finally to wrap up your not too over the top yet comprehensive routine, learn to use moisturizers. Now granted that moisturizing is slightly more important during the winter but there are products which have been specifically made for summer. Opt for moisturizers with light formulas that will get easily absorbed into your skin. This will enable it to hydrate your skin while avoiding any kind of oiliness.
Pro tip: If you are looking for a shave this summer, make sure that your shaving foam has the same properties as your toner. Kool shaving foam excels in this area with 0 alcohol content and ultra-glide mechanism which makes up for a smooth shave without any irritations.
Shower power
They say a dog is man’s best friend. But during the summer, that honor belongs to a cold shower. Given the hot and humid conditions of Bangladesh combined with the traffic which makes your daily commute unbearably long, it is no surprise that most of us end up perspiring profusely. Hence, a daily cold shower is a must. Make that two showers if your routine includes hitting the gym. Preventing body odor is a benefit we are already aware of but a cold shower has more going on than meets the eye. It promotes fat loss, improves immunity and also gives better circulation. It promotes emotional resilience which means you are less likely to be stressed out by the day’s events. Most importantly it also increases your odds of getting better sleep at night which automatically solves half of your life’s problems. So, don’t forget to shower. Just in case an elaborate shower is hard to fit in your daily schedule, don’t bother scrubbing your whole body. Just wash your chest, armpits, genitals, and feet thoroughly as these areas produce more sweat than others and are also the chief sources of body odor.
Pro tip: Given the increase in the frequency of showers during summer, it is best to use mild soaps and cleansers as they are less damaging to the skin in the long run.
Revamping your hair and beard games
Our hair arguably gets the shorter end of the stick during summer as it is the first line of defense when it comes to fighting off the sunlight. It also accumulates dust and other pollutants throughout the day so it is paramount that we take good care of it. First and foremost, we need to make sure that we shampoo at least twice or thrice per week to clean your mane and get rid of the aforementioned pollutants. A little bit of conditioner won’t hurt although if you want to save time, there are two-in-one products which serve as both. The next tip we have for you is getting a trim every two weeks as short hair will help you stay cool throughout the day and drastically decreases the effort you need to put in shampooing and conditioning. So, if you want to pull off that Jon Snow or Keanue Reeves look, we’re afraid you’ll need to wait for winter (or move to a colder country).
The same principle applies to facial hair: the more hair there is, the more heat it traps. So, perhaps sporting a clean-shaven look this summer might be a good thing for you. What you’ll need to keep in mind while shaving though is the fact that it can be cruel to your skin especially during summer and cause redness, irritation and razor bumps. In such situations, Kool shaving foam is an absolute godsend as its extra moisturizing formula ensures a comfortable shave and its ultra-glide characteristics make it suitable for all types of skin in all areas of your body. If you are reluctant to completely compromise with your beard game though, we suggest you trim it every week although shaving is a less complex solution.
And finally moving on to body hair, we suggest that you get rid of or at least trim your chest hair, underarm hair, etc. In case you opt for the former, make sure to use Kool shaving foam.
The virtue of smelling good
Okay, so perspiration leads to bad body odor sometimes. There is nothing to be ashamed of because not even the likes of Chris Hemsworth or Nick Bateman is immune to that. Lucky for us there is a sea of options available to help us smell pleasant. And gentlemen, we cannot emphasize enough on the importance of using deodorant/body spray or perfume. You automatically make peoples’ lives better by simply smelling nice. Write that down. But do keep in mind that mild smelling perfumes work better in the summer so avoid overly-manly ones. Also, one more thing to keep in mind before investing in a body spray/perfume is the fact that they react differently to different people. We each have a unique natural body scent and the smell people get off you is the smell of the perfume reacting with the natural smell of your body. So do not feel disheartened if your friend’s perfume doesn’t feel the same on you. Lucky for us Kool has an array of body spray for us to choose from. Available in six exciting fragrances, these body sprays have been developed to last for long hours. The citrus beat is especially suitable for this weather. And if body spray isn’t your thing, Kool also does talc that lasts even longer! So, make your options count fellas, look good, feel good and seize the day!
*Photographs from unsplash.com