I’ve gotten a few emails this year asking why we’ve “shifted away from our roots,” and become an almost exclusively grooming website. While I understand that grooming articles have blown up in number and popularity, asking this question sort of misses the point of it all. That is:
Grooming is not about grooming.
It’s not about making sure every hair on your head is just so; it’s not about making sure you have only the finest badger hair brush; nor is it about only using a double edge razor. That’s just pretentiousness. While there are some serious cognizable benefits to some of these aspects of grooming, it’s important to remember why you do them in the first place.
If you’re shaving with a double edge razor and hate it–stop. Continuing on because it’s what blogs and grooming reviewers declared as “manly,” then you’re either hanging with the wrong crowd or you’re missing something.
What’s manly about all this is self-presentation, confidence, and health.
Grooming is about self-presentation.
First impressions are key in life. What’s even more key is the 1,000th impression when the cards are on the table and it’s your time to shine. Men who groom are putting themselves in the best possible light for events known and unknown. If you can’t take care of your own beard, your own hair, or your body odor–what makes you think someone will let you take care of their account, case, or matter? Take care of yourself, and others will let you take care of them.
Grooming is about confidence.
This might be wholly personal, but after a flawless shave I feel really great. I know I’m looking my best (because I look best clean shaven–how you groom is up to you), so I’m then free to feel my best. Grooming is just as much of a confidence boost for me as is wearing a perfect suit. I have to feel my best to look my best, and grooming helps me achieve that. I suspect it’s the same for you, too.
Grooming is about health.
Lastly, grooming is about staying healthy. I learned about grooming when I was a teenager because I had to. As a kid with horrible acne, I had to learn to control it on a daily basis or I couldn’t look or feel my best–and often I didn’t. Once I learned that grooming could improve my physical health along with my mental health, I was hooked. This slowly grew into an expertise that allowed me to write some fairly decent grooming reviews and articles to help other guys out there get the same results.
If you’re using that face masque on the regular, but it doesn’t make you feel any different, then stop. If you’re using cartridge razors and feeling like a million bucks, keep on doing it. The point here is to achieve further ends beyond the mere act of grooming to groom, and if that isn’t happening then something’s missing. Grooming product reviews are only options, not requirements.
