The secret to personal success and good health is maintaining good personal hygiene, especially in these times of COVID-19. It seems to be an easy part of the equation, but for many men, grooming and hygiene are two different things that often do not receive equal attention.
Dr. Gabriel Cora, a psychiatrist and leadership consultant from Miami, says that men tend to “bend” the rules on basic hygiene. She added that in order to be a success, you must look the part. It takes more than just “dressing for success” so to speak. She believes that maintaining good hygiene is crucial not only to men’s health but for your overall success in life.
Dr. Cora also said that your persona needs to exude your accomplishments, and these include well-cut hair to well-trimmed nails. Don’t worry; you don’t need to have Jonathan Van Ness on speed dial to do the following.
1. Be Buddies with Your Friendly Neighborhood Barber
Esquire recommends having regular appointments at your favorite barbershop once you notice that you need to get a trim. While most men would be okay with having a regular haircut every month, you may want to have yours every two to four weeks.
Haircuts are best left to the professionals, especially if you want to look your best. If you don’t know what hairstyle works best for you, ask your barber for his opinion on what cut would best suit you. Otherwise, you may want to get a haircut based on what suits your face shape.
If you have an oval face, you may want to have a cut where you keep the sides and back on the short side. Tell your barber to hold the bangs, so that your cut would draw attention to your angular jaw.
If you have a rectangular face, it’s best that you stay away from a super short trim on the sides of your head because this will make your face look more elongated. It’s also best to skip the long beards.
If your face is more on the square-shaped side, consider yourself blessed because you can get away with most long or short cuts.
If your face is on the round side, you can create the illusion of angles on your face by having a tighter fade and facial beards.
Lastly, heart-shaped faces can benefit from having mid-length and longer hairstyles to help balance out your forehead area.
2. Pay Attention to What Hair Products Work for You
When it comes to hair products, grabbing just any product off the shelf just won’t cut it anymore. What works for your best friend may not work the same for you. For one thing, hair has different textures and will need certain ingredients for proper care and maintenance. Do your research and check what products suit your hair type. Sometimes it will take some trial and error on your part.
3. Choosing your Right Scent
Jordan Gray Consulting says that your cologne or aftershave shouldn’t be overwhelming, so as it knocks out passers-by cold. Use it sparingly instead of spraying it so generously. A good rule of thumb is to stick to just one or two classic scents that would suit you.
4. Store your Clothing Properly
In order to look well-groomed, you have to dress the part. While it is important to keep your clothes well-cleaned and ironed, placing them in a clean and proper storage is important. For one thing, your dark closet may be a breeding ground for mold if you are not careful. When storing your clothes, make sure that they are no longer damp. Allow your clothes to breathe by not packing them too tightly to each other. Otherwise, you may have to call in some consultants for environmental mold testing to get rid of the pesky problem.
5. Invest in a Face Scrub
In order to give your face the proper care that it needs, treat it to a regular facial scrub. This will help slough away the dead skin on your face, leaving you with softer skin. Give it a try. Your skin will thank you for it!
6. Have a good foot care routine
Your feet tend to be the most overlooked part of your body, but it is important to have a proper foot care routine. At the end of the day, take a hot shower or bath and slough away the dead skin on your feet using a pumice stone. After you have dried your feet with a clean towel, use a generous amount of foot lotion or moisturizer.
Maintaining good personal grooming habits is one of the first steps in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. When these become a habit, you can certainly reap the benefits.
