Departments · Shave, skin, scent, barber
Grooming
Grooming is maintenance, not vanity. A ten-minute routine, a proper shave, a scent that suits you and a barber who understands your head are worth more than any wardrobe. We keep it short and specific.
Most men either do nothing or buy everything. The right answer is three steps in the morning, two in the evening and a barber every four weeks. We explain what each product actually does so you can buy less of it.
The Grooming Routine builds a morning and evening plan for your skin, your beard and your time. The stories cover the wet shave, skin care, fragrance and the barber.
In this department
The latest in Grooming
Grooming · Shaving
The Case for the Wet Shave
A safety razor, a badger brush, a bowl of soap and ten minutes that belong to nobody else. The best shave a man can have costs less than a cartridge refill.
Grooming · Skin
Skincare in Three Steps
Cleanse, moisturise, protect. Morning and evening, two minutes each, three products from a pharmacy. Everything else is marketing or medicine.
Grooming · Scent
Build a Fragrance Wardrobe
One for the office, one for the evening, one for the summer, one for the winter. Four bottles that last a decade, how to choose them and how to wear them without being noticed from the lift.
Grooming · The barber
How to Talk to Your Barber
Length in centimetres, not numbers. Photographs of yourself, not of actors. And one barber, for years. How to get the haircut you meant.
The tool for this
Grooming Routine
Skin type, beard, how much time you will honestly spend and what bothers you. A morning and evening routine with the steps, the minutes and the product types, not the brands.
Reader poll
Your morning?
Questions we get asked
Safety razor or cartridge?
A safety razor gives a closer shave, costs a fraction in blades and forces you to slow down, which is half the point. It takes a week to learn.
How much should skin care cost?
A cleanser, a moisturiser with SPF and a night moisturiser from a pharmacy brand cost under €50 for three months. Anything above that buys packaging and scent.
How often should I visit the barber?
Every three to four weeks for short hair, five to six for longer styles. The visit between cuts, for a neck and beard tidy, is what keeps a haircut looking new.
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