Grooming Tips For Men by Men

[Dwarra?]

Grooming Tips for Men by Men
Because sometimes, you just want to look like a better looking man.

Confidence is the most attractive thing a man can have.

Your Hygeine

Cleanliness
Being clean is pretty easy, I'm sure most of you have that down. But here are some obvious guidelines anyways.

• Shower daily
• Use shampoo, conditioner, and body wash/soap. Not any combination of the three
• Wash your god damn face, use face wash, water will do if you don't have any
• Brush your teeth twice daily and use mouthwash at least once
• Use deodorant

Cologne
Cologne is a tricky subject, a lot of people don't like cologne, but personally I think they just haven't found the right kind for themselves.

What kind of cologne should I wear?
First off, every cologne smells different on every person, the smell you actually get is a result of the cologne mixing with your skin. What smells good in a bottle might smell terrible on you and vice versa, which is why it's always good to try new colognes.

Secondly, once you enjoy a cologne. It's good to stay within that category. The category should also reflect your personality.

Fresh Colognes: Have a nice citrus and fresh air smell to them, these are good for outgoing, cheerful people who are goal-oriented and easy-going. Person Ex: Arrow-1, Zeriab. Cologne Ex: Lacoste Essential, Calvin Klein Escape, Giorgio Armani Acqua Di Gio Pour Homme

Aromatic Colognes: Are fruity and zesty, these colognes make you and everything around you cool. Person Ex: Arlen, Anski. Cologne Ex: Dolce & Gabbana Pour Homme, Calvin Klein Eternity For Men, Davidoff Cool Water

Woody Colognes: The smells of nature, emancipated from your skin. These are good for nurturing people and leaders. Ex: Zylos, Roph. Cologne Ex: Cartier Must Pour Homme, John Varvatos Vintage, Valentino Valentino V Pour Homme

I personally use sea-themed colognes, which combine scents from both Aromatic and Fresh categories.
[spoiler=Cologne][/spoiler]
Bleu de Chanel and Blue by Nautica

Finally, rotate your colognes daily, this will ensure you don't become predictable, and will have new people you meet also curious about you.

What if I'm one of those people who are against cologne?
Check some of these products out then

Shaving

• Shave right after a hot shower, or during
• Use a glycerin based shaving cream
• Shave with the grain first ( the direction your hair grows in), then against the grain for the smoothest skin
• Apply a non-alcohol based aftershave (alcohol based is fine if you use moisturizer afterwards, otherwise it'll dry out your skin)
• Rinse your face with cold water
• Also don't be afraid to invest in a nice razor, cheapo ones dont get the job done right

Beards by Arlen
It might not be for you. It's genetics, really. Your beard may be patchy, or pubicy (gross), or maybe you just don't have the face for it. Or hey, maybe you just don't like beards.

But if you're going to have a beard, here's my advice:

Experiment. It grows quickly (for most people), so fool around until you find something. Whether it's long, medium long, medium short, short, or stubble. Also experiment with where you're growing it. I'm not a fan of goatee's, but maybe you can pull it off. Find something that works for you.

Keep it clean. Shave the neck. Or at least keep it clean, or slightly trimmed if you're going for a more rugged look. It doesn't matter what beard length you're going for, neckbeards just look horrible, especially when they're long. Aside from that, in my opinion, longer beard lengths are fine with sudden cut offs, but shorter beards look better with the fading out that I mentioned in my first post. A short beard with a sudden stop just looks kind of unclean to me, so I taper mine down when I wear my beard short (which isn't all the time).

Take what you will from that.

Your Hair
Your hairstyle is all up to you, but the older you get, the more well-kept your hair should be. Long shaggy hair might be cool, but it's certainly not professional. Keep your hair maintained (no split ends), neat, and brushed and you'll definitely be looking like the man to go to. (A little product never hurt either.)
For an example I'll be explaining my haircut.
[Spoiler=The Basic Cut][/spoiler]
My bangs are pretty much left alone, while the sides are cut over the ear and short, and the back is kept neat and stops at the hairline.
[spoiler= The Product][/spoiler]
Axe's pomade comes in a few different styles and is relatively cheap compared to other pomades, it also doesn't smell as teribad as the others and you need less of it to get your desired style. Highly recommend you go with this brand, both Anski and I use it.
[Spoiler= The Final Hairstyle][/spoiler]
Just grab a tiny bit of pomade (a small ball the size of a dime is good) and rub it into your palms, then run your hands through your hair and shape into your desired style, don't be afraid to use a brush or comb either.

If you're bald or have a shaved head, try this out! Kudos to Joy
Your Outfit

The Essential Clothing
Now you can wear anything you damn well please, but there are a few things that every man needs to have.

• A Solid Gray or Navy Blue Suit
• A Navy Blue Blazer*
• A Mid-Gray Pair of Wool Pants
• A White Cotton Dress Shirt*
• A White Oxford Shirt*
• A Solid Color T-Shirt*
• A Trim Fitting Solid Color Polo*
• Khaki Pants
• Straight Cut Blue Jeans*
• Gray Crew Neck Sweatshirt
• Light Gray V-Neck Sweater
• A Black and Brown Leather Belt*
• Minimalist Mechanical Watch*
• Solid Black Tie
• Cold-Weather Outerwear*
• Black Cap Shoes*
• Brown Dress Shoes
• Plain White Sneakers*
• Brown Boots*

[Spoiler=Notes on Clothing]
2. Can be worn as a jacket over pretty much anything
4. Collar does not button-down
5. Collar does button-down, can be worn more casually
6. Must have colors are white, dark gray, black, and navy. Can be crew neck or v-neck.
7. Please don't wear polo's on their own, you'll look a douchebag. More on this later
9. Slim fit, dark blue jeans, go as skinny as you comfortably can. This doesn't necessarily mean skinny-jeans
12. Must match shoes
13. Nothing flashy or crazy, just a nice analog wristwatch
15. From Pea-Coats to Leather Jackets, this is pretty much built upon your own personal choice
16. Standard Black Dress Shoes
18. Not running shoes, sneakers. Something like all white vans eras would fit
19. This doesn't necessarily mean cowboy or hiking boots, there are many varieties out there.
[/spoiler]

The Simpler Side
Your outfit carries who you are in a lot of situations. Many guys are comfortable and fit in with the people they hang out with just wearing jeans and a tshirt. This is not always a bad thing as long as you are wearing clothes that fit you. Typically, any tshirt you wear should come down exactly about a half an inch below where your belt would be. No more, but less is generally OK as long as it's still covering.

Shirts that hang off of your body tend to make you look uncaring and kind of trashy. If someone were to see a guy around here walking around anywhere wearing a shirt that hangs off of his body like a billowing cloak and reaches past his crotch, it looks like you swiped that shirt from someone and didn't get it yourself. Most guys are fitting into a small or medium shirt until they've gained a lot of weight with a higher reaches of adulthood and tend to fit into mediums more. I myself (anski) stand at six one and weight 170 lbs, and I wear a lot of small sized mens shirts.

A tshirt is completely acceptable as long as it fits, but if you do not vary your outfit with more clean cut clothing and formality, it looks like you, once more, don't care even if your shirts fit or not. I myself like to wear a few of my old punk rock shirts from highschool when i'm on my free time, and they most def still fit me. However, out in professional company, I never wear a tshirt, blank or not.

Formalwear
Whether it's prom, a party, or a nice dinner. Every man's got to have his sunday best. It's always good to have a three piece suit in black, gray, or navy, but from there it's a matter of personal choice. For fitting tips use this as a reference
[spoiler=How it should fit][/spoiler]
For the rest of it, I've asked a few members to take a picture every time they dress up for reference. If you want to submit a pic of yourself, just PM it to me and I'll edit it in.

RMRK Dressed Up
[spoiler=Dr_Sword's New Years Attire][/spoiler]
[spoiler=Dr_Sword: Normal Casual Outfit][/spoiler]
[spoiler=Irock's New Haircut][/spoiler]

JEANS
If you don't wear jeans, you're probably either legless or a nudist. So for those who do, here's a few tips and some information about something that might make your look a little more personalized.
First off, unless you're going for the baggy unkempt look, in this day and age you should always go as slim as you comfortably can. Not always skinny jeans, I myself normally wear slim-straight, but I have a pair or two of skinnies. Second off, don't buy faded jeans or jeans with rips, and I'm going to tell you why.

Raw Denim
Raw denim is made exactly the way jeans were made a century ago. They've never been washed or faded or treated in anyway. This is good because any fade/wear and tear/wrinkles are all made by you. And since the jeans haven't been treated, they actually WILL noticeably fade. Unfortunately, you can't wash them until they do get your desired fade and they might fit a little odd until you do. But the end product is definitely worth it. Most of the time raw denim is pretty expensive, but luckily enough UrbanOutfitter's Unbranded line is pretty cheapo, especially right now. It's also Japanese denim, which is thicker and higher quality than most other fabrics. Get a pair of raw denim jeans boys, every man needs his personal pair of jeans that'll last him through life.

COMING SOON: More on fashion/style

[Jules]

Cleanliness
Being clean is pretty easy, I'm sure most of you have that down. But here are some obvious guidelines anyways.

• Shower daily
• Use shampoo, conditioner, and body wash/soap. Not any combination of the three
• Wash your god damn face, use face wash, water will do if you don't have any
• Brush your teeth twice daily and use mouthwash at least once
• Use deodorant

Applies to both genders.   

[Countdown]

I prefer Axe/Old Spice body spray over cologne. It works very well.

[Arrow]

I'm gonna just stick with the sort-of-going-for-Grunge look. Works well enough for me. Hell if I lose enough weight, I might even grow my hair long.

I'm not dying it blonde though. Fuck that.

[Sophist]

Updated more~~~

[Dwarra?]

I prefer Axe/Old Spice body spray over cologne. It works very well.

That's fine until you're out of high school, after that people are going to find it a little weird.

I'm gonna just stick with the sort-of-going-for-Grunge look. Works well enough for me. Hell if I lose enough weight, I might even grow my hair long.

I'm not dying it blonde though. Fuck that.

That's perfectly fine, the point of this guide isn't to change your style just to make it work better for you. If you grow your hair out long, make sure it still looks neat and well-maintained. And if you dig the grunge clothing, make sure it all fits you nice.

[Holkeye]

Real men don't wear product. Only boys do.

[Dwarra?]

Cool story bro

[Djangonator]

do real men also smell like old Chinese food

[tSwitch]

ITT: Take pride in your appearance.

[FBI]

I like your haircut doc, maybe you should consider using your needles and scalpels for AMERICA

[joy]

Not enough beards in this. Needs more well groomed beards.

For those who choose to shave their head, I would recommend a product called Head Lube, it's a nice moisturizer, unscented, and comes in a few finishes. Jay uses it and it really helps, especially in this dry winter weather.

[EvilM00s]

Head Lube

[immature tearful laughter]

[joy]

http://www.headblade.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=HB&Product_Code=10101-9&Category_Code=headcare

[Dwarra?]

I went ahead and added your product to the guide, with due credit of course. Thanks Joy ;o

[tSwitch]

The smells of nature, emancipating from your skin.

By the way.

Emancipating doesn't mean what you think it does, good sir.

[Sophist]

To set free, to liberate from the skin.

[Dwarra?]

The smells of nature, emancipating from your skin.

By the way.

Emancipating doesn't mean what you think it does, good sir.

I know exactly what it means, the smell comes from the cologne mixing with the chemicals in your skin. Whatever scent actually comes out is wholly dependent on your genetic makeup. Thus anything you happen to take in from cologne, is something freed from your own body. Although emancipated certainly fits better than emancipating

[Moss.]

My input: Grow a beard.

No, not a lumberjack beard. Get a nice beard trimmer, and fade it down to stubble as it goes up your cheeks, and also as it gets to the fold of your neck, so you don't have a neckbeard. Seriously, don't have a neckbeard.

It's kind of the lazy man's alternative to shaving every day, but it works for me. Keep it short, keep it tight.

[Gracie]

My input: Grow a beard.

No, not a lumberjack beard. Get a nice beard trimmer, and fade it down to stubble as it goes up your cheeks, and also as it gets to the fold of your neck, so you don't have a neckbeard. Seriously, don't have a neckbeard.

It's kind of the lazy man's alternative to shaving every day, but it works for me. Keep it short, keep it tight.

Arlen has a sexy beard.

Listen to him.

[Dwarra?]

My input: Grow a beard.

No, not a lumberjack beard. Get a nice beard trimmer, and fade it down to stubble as it goes up your cheeks, and also as it gets to the fold of your neck, so you don't have a neckbeard. Seriously, don't have a neckbeard.

It's kind of the lazy man's alternative to shaving every day, but it works for me. Keep it short, keep it tight.

You should add in your own little column for beards and what not, Ive always been clean shaven so I don't know jack shit about maintaining facial hair

[Jules]

My input: Grow a beard.

No, not a lumberjack beard. Get a nice beard trimmer, and fade it down to stubble as it goes up your cheeks, and also as it gets to the fold of your neck, so you don't have a neckbeard. Seriously, don't have a neckbeard.

It's kind of the lazy man's alternative to shaving every day, but it works for me. Keep it short, keep it tight.

You should add in your own little column for beards and what not, Ive always been clean shaven so I don't know jack shit about maintaining facial hair

I second this. 

[Sophist]

My input: Grow a beard.

No, not a lumberjack beard. Get a nice beard trimmer, and fade it down to stubble as it goes up your cheeks, and also as it gets to the fold of your neck, so you don't have a neckbeard. Seriously, don't have a neckbeard.

It's kind of the lazy man's alternative to shaving every day, but it works for me. Keep it short, keep it tight.

You should add in your own little column for beards and what not, Ive always been clean shaven so I don't know jack shit about maintaining facial hair

Go ahead and just edit it in, Arlen.

[Moss.]

ITT: Take pride in your appearance.

Self-confidence trumps actually looking good (or at least plays an equal part), so in a roundabout way, it's justified.

[Roph]

Beards are meh in my opinion. I wish I could stop my facial hair growing forever.