GROOMING FOR MEN

Over the years ,grooming has become a requirement for African men , In the old days it was very easy for a man to not pay attention to his looks , most men used washing detergents on their skin and follwed it up with heavy application of petroleum jelly . it was all one needed in those times to look decent .In the new age however most men have remain sceptical to groom as there were not enough products specially made for men , There is nothing more embarrasing for an African man than to be smelling of sweets, vanilla or to smell of his mother or sister's moisturing lotions or sprays in the midst of his friends .
 These days however, more companies are making provisions for men grooming products, walk into any supermarket and you will be faced with many choices of men moisturing lotions , Nivea for men, Dove for men, Palmers men's lotion , you name it. Same goes for hair cream, shampoo , body sprays and perfumes . Here are a few tips on how to groom yourself from head to toe 

HAIR
While most African men keep a low fade which is very easy to maintain, you will still find a number of men who tend to grow out their hairs ,this can be a little tricky to maintain due to the changing climates in Africa but here are a few steps i have found very useful in grooming my hair . Firstly , to have a Healthy hair  you will need a shampoo to wash your hair regularly, what i have also found useful is to use warm water as this will enable it wash out excess oils on your scalp which if un attended to gives white powdery substance on your scalps which leaves you embarrassed at the barbers and no it is not dandruff and sometimes it is. what is usually means is you need to pay more attention to your scalp whilst washing and making sure there are no soap residue or oil residue on your scalp , It is also useful to use a conditioner so as to enable the hair breathe . Due to excess heat one is bound to lose hair nutrients thereby causing hair to thin out or break in which case it is required to use hair creams , while most people go with obvious choices as coconut oil and shea butter , most men require products that require less maintainance , you can find a variety of products with sulpur or menthol which helps clear dandruff. It is also very useful to have a hat , fedora , face caps for  the outdoors as  dust particles can easily be caught up in your especially if it is very oily.

BODY
While most african men wash themselves atleast once a day , it is important to note that after a days of sweats and dusts your pores are bound to get clogged by dirts ,it is adviseable to take a shower before going to bed , As regards types of body wash or soaps to use ,it is important to note skin type , same also goes for moisturising lotion as using body wash /lotion that is not for your skin type might leave your skin very dry or oily as the case implies .But it is best to not use lotion at night as to enable the skin to beathe .

NAILS
In as much as most people are tempted to chew out their nails when they are anxious , as much as it is unhygenice it is also bad for your nails as it leaves them chaffed and still looking unkept . Most men regard going for a manicure appointment as unnecessary and expensive , there are various ways one can maintain healthy nails without breaking a bank. It is always easy to find a cheap nail cutter that can be used as a key holder so that anytime you have the impulse to chew them you can always use the cutter to trim them . 




Credit: Ismail Ibrahim