5 Winter Grooming Tips

Here we go again. Winter time. Cold. Wet. Grey.

Oh cut it out! It’s not that bad. Winter time can be great to experiment with your style and peacock a bit, if you will. There seem to be infinitely more options for men these days. Scarfs, boots, sport coats, pairing all of the above, it’s endless really. But with great style comes great responsibility! Here are 5 winter grooming tips to cushion the blow of winter on your skin and hair.

Moisturizing Your Face with an SPF Moisturizer

I’ve found it sounds like common sense to some and blasphemy to others. SPF in the winter?! But there’s no sun! Well firstly, that's not true. The sun’s out even though the gun’s are certainly not. The sun is also reflecting off the white snow acting as a mirror and bouncing up onto your skin. The cold air is drying you out, particularly on those windy days. Before you leave the house, preferably not long after a shower to “lock in” moisture, gently rub in a quality moisturizer with SPF on your face. Be more careful around the eyes which is the thinnest skin on your body. The skin on a man’s face is different from a woman’s and also different from the skin on the rest of his body. As crazy as that sounds, it’s science. The facial skin is thinner and more susceptible to damage so you should use a separate SPF moisturizer formulated specifically for your face if you want to get the most out of your skin this winter. Hey man, either you take care of your skin or look like an ashtray, your choice.

Moisturizing Your Body

I’m not trying to be funny, but it always makes me laugh seeing guys scratch and itch at their skin in the winter like a grizzly bear scratching an itch on an Oak tree. The underlying seriousness of that scratching is that you’re really doing some irreparable damage to your skin, aging it much quicker than it should. Moisturizing your body in the winter is a good practice that should be employed by all. Think about it the next time you’re enduring the cold and find yourself trying to scratch that back itch in your triple down stuffed coat. When you have that feeling do yourself this favor; moisturize with a quality body moisturizer and then watch how much better and itch free you feel...instantly!

Condition More & Shampoo Less 

Some of my clients tell me they don’t need to condition, usually not true though. Conditioning your hair is similar to moisturizing your body, in that, conditioning locks the moisture in your hair, thus protecting it from the elements and keeping it happy and healthy. There’s a great debate in conditioning versus just not washing your hair and letting the natural oils take care of it (damn hippies). My professional opinion is that by not washing your hair you’re letting dirt build up on the scalp and hair follicles creating blockage of hair growth which in turn thins out your hair and reduces volume. Who wants that? No one. I always say if you have naturally oily hair, condition once a week or every other week but I do recommend trying a quality shampoo with natural ingredients and using less than normal to avoid drying hair out as opposed to not washing your hair at all. Your hair takes a beating in the winter smothered under hats and hoods or out in the elements of cold, wind and sun. Those elements dry out and damage your hair. I say try conditioning double and shampooing half as much as you normally would in the other seasons. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Exfoliate That Flaky Skin

We moisturize our skin as much as we can after we get out of the shower or before we run out of the house. Inevitably though, that facial skin is going to succumb to a little bit of drying this winter. Whether it’s from a ski trip or a day of shoveling that dry skin is going to become flaky and chapped. Don’t fret, exfoliate! Exfoliating is a common practice used to gently rid the skin of dead cells and clean deep into dirty pores. There is probably no more important time throughout the year to exfoliate than winter. These characteristically dry months coupled with wind and outdoor activities have the ability to create that dry dusty looking skin we all have dealt with at one time or another. The quickest and healthiest fix is to remember to use, but not overuse a good exfoliator between 2-3 times a week depending on what you’re putting your skin through.

Use Lip Balm

One very common part of grooming regimens for both men and women is to use a lip balm in the winter months, but that doesn't necessarily mean we all remember to do it. As we know when you dry out your lips they get chapped, discolored and when really neglected, become painful and bleed. Try to put your lip balm near your keys or wallet so you don't forget to bring it with you wherever you go this winter. Before you go thinking about yourself and how annoying it is to put it on or carry, try thinking about that poor guy or girl who has to give those cracked lips a smooch all winter.