The Six Essential Male Grooming Tools

Grooming Is Key

Regardless of what styles you choose, what fashion trends you follow, or the beliefs you hold about the importance of appearance, every man needs a collection of tools to ensure that he is looking his best. Impression speaks many truths; by taking care of yourself– through a little time and attention to detail, that impression shall be a good one.

Caring for your appearance doesn’t place you feminine; it doesn’t label you a dandy, and it doesn’t classify you as a metro. There are certainly many ways to become those things, but what I will be explaining are just the basic upkeep items for generic hygiene, health, and simple male looks. In that shiny mirror above your sink or the large drawer at your feet, you should have the necessities. Some may be surprised at how many are included in this list, but each serves it’s own purpose.

Nail Clippers

The first of these items I will introduce you to is the nail clipper. Chuckle indeed, but time and time again I notice this simple tool’s lack of use. No woman wants chipped or jagged nails near her soft skin, wherever that skin may be. Use them–not only for your finger nails, but for your toe nails as well. There are several types of clippers; the choice of which to use will all depend on the shape you want your nails to be. Round clippers will be used to round your finger nails, and straight will be used to keep them straight across.

Every pair of clippers also has this nifty tool that spins out from under the enclosure. That, everyone, is a file and an under the nail scraper. They are put there for a reason–use them as well. Personally, if you do plan on filing your nails to keep them smooth after a fresh cut, I would invest in something a little less metal. But the nail scraper will help to bring the natural white hue to underneath the nail, and assist in removing any dirt or what-have-you. Through trial and error you will decide how long you want your nails to be and what shape you desire. Once you have cut them and used the scraper, now you move to the nail brush.

The nail brush, another necessity, is one that is overlooked quite often as well. It is not only the jaggedness they do not want, but dirty stained nails with the days debris under them is equally repulsive. Think about all the stuff that your hands touch–or is on them–throughout the day. This is why you wash them periodically, right? Well, what good is that wash if all of that stuff is still there, under your nails building up? I suggest getting a cheap one for the shower and implementing it into that routine, or spending a little bit of money and getting a wood one with lasting bristles to use before you go out. Honestly the nail brush doesn’t matter, it is more the use that is important. If you have both clean, shapely nails, you’re hands will look younger, more professional, and more presentable. You’d be extremely surprised at how many women look at that before many other things.

Tweezers

Next on the list of attention to detail is the eyebrows. Regardless of what some may say, a uni-brow does not signify masculinity or a carefree personality. It’s dirty and it’s all people can see when they try to look at your eyes. So do yourself and others a favor, groom your eyebrows: the uni, right above the eye, and on the forehead where small hairs are out of place. This should be the minimum amount of your brow you keep in check.

To do this, you must buy a good pair of tweezers. If you think you can skimp, you’ll just end up cutting the hairs or breaking them off instead of pulling them out. This, again, leaves black hair marks that are noticeable and become a huge burden when growing back. If you get your brows waxed, once a week just do a quick pluck. If you’re a do-it-yourself’er, set aside time with your tweezers every couple of days to get the stray hairs from the areas of your brow you have kempt.

Blackhead Remover

You should have noticed a pattern by now; dirty nails and uncontrolled eyebrows are not attractive. Do you think someone that doesn’t know you is going to make an exception for the blackheads and pimples–again, symbolizing a form of uncleanliness? Now, granted, acne is not always due to dirty skin. Having struggled against myself at times, I can attest to that. However, white and black-heads can be properly addressed no matter what their cause. Without getting into skin products for that purpose, I present the pimple and black head remover. A small tool that looks like some sort of device for dentistry.

Mornings and evening before your cleansing routine you can use this hooped object to remove any white or black heads. Knowing when to use it is the key though. A blackhead ready to be removed will have an enlarged pore, and a whitehead ready for addressing will be enlarged and soft. By using this tool appropriately, you can remove those blemishes. Read the instructions, as irritation to areas not ready for removal will only result in a worsened complexion and irritation, possibly making it worse. In the end, your face will look noticeably cleaner (even if you still have acne!) and the blackheads caused by dirt and oils won’t be prevalent.

Nose Hair Trimmer

Following that odd tool comes the nose hair trimmers. There are two ways you can go with this; you can pick up the electric version which costs a substantial amount more, with the recurring cost of batteries not included, or you can buy a manual nose hair clipper and have a small one time fee. Nose hairs are natural, and naturally not something you see unless you look. My advice is to look, and look often. Any protruding from the nose should be taken care of immediately, and any that are visible at all should be debated. Using the manual one is simple and painless; it has rounded edges; it almost resembles a hole punch. Simply put it into your nose and clamp down; tap, and repeat. It doesn’t pull and it doesn’t trim all the hairs in your nose (allowing you some protection against the particles in the air, unlike the electric ones). Attack those nose hairs so judgment doesn’t have to.

Razor

An obvious tool is the razor. It seems that the single straight razor is making a come back. For article relevance, the type doesn’t matter. The use of a razor is historical and it still has great purpose. There are several areas though that many tend to miss. Those areas include right below the nose, the wisps above the lip, on the sides of the lip, on the Adams apple, and on the sides of the neck. These stray hairs are constantly missed by people; in the reflection of light you will see how unclean this looks, and how long that hair actually gets. No matter what your facial hair style, through the use of a razor, you need to maintain those areas.

Additionally, many people think that their facial hair style is as simple as letting it do what you want it to do. That isn’t the case. You need to groom it daily. Facial hair grows quick; you don’t want it to look uneven nor have strays poking out. So the next focus is the facial hair groomer. Unless you are terrific with scissors, you have to get the electric version. The wonderful thing is it has attachments; and usually one of them will do the trick for your style. Just as you would shave, every morning you should trim, buzz, or taper the facial hair (including side burns!!). Also, guys, stop forgetting about the back of the neck hair. I can’t tell you how many times I have seen very well dressed and handsome people turn around only to present that furry nest. Use the groomer to bring it down to stubble as least once a week. A girl will appreciate it when she is rubbing or kissing that smooth sweet neck of yours.

Hair Groomer

The last tool I will discuss is the body hair groomer. I am tempted to say it is optional, but I won’t. If you don’t go as far as to trim your chest hair, arm hair, leg hair, or foot hair….at least trim your genitals. I can’t say much on that other than to wonder why anyone would chose not to. Just because women can’t see it all the time doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be kept up. Find a length that works for you, plug it in, and get to buzzing. The choice to groom the rest is up to you; if you are not yet covered like a yeti, then it is a matter of preference. I will say that once it seems like a lot of hair to you, it is probably time to trim it down–as it is much more in the eyes of others. Be cautious of your choices though; some women like a man with lots of hair. Whatever suits you, makes you confident, and goes with your style is how you should proceed on this front.

For all the items listed, make sure you properly clean them with rubbing alcohol or soap and water, both before and after use. This will help the lifespan of the tool as well as ensuring it does it’s intended job–preventing jagged edges, cuts, discomfort, or unwanted blemishes. These simple items intended for basic male upkeep will not only give you more confidence (being able to control details of yourself) but they will also keep you healthier and set you apart from the majority of men who have yet to realize that small steps make a big difference in the eyes of women.

Check out this 11 piece men’s grooming and manicure set.