Looking Handsome: Our Self-Care Guide for Men

Now that self-care for men is becoming more mainstream, it’s hard to find a boy with cooties these days. CNBC estimates that the men’s personal care market is booming, projected to reach $166 billion by 2022.

A GUIDE TO LOOKING HANDSOME AT ANY AGE

As you get into your 30’s and 40’s, your skin begins to show the signs of aging. No stress, though, because a good self-care strategy can help you feel and look younger. Here are our top tips for looking handsome at any age.

Male Hygiene

Maintaining proper hygiene is essential to your health. Yet, studies show that men are 46% less likely to practice good hygiene when they aren’t in the presence of others.

Need a little convincing that hygiene keeps you healthy? Here are the top personal hygiene practices you should be doing every day, plus why they matter.

• Washing the Body: Ideally, you should take a shower every day because washing the body often helps you stay free of infection-causing germs
• Brushing Teeth: It’s best to brush your teeth after every meal but cleaning them once per day is typically sufficient to kill disease-causing mouth bacteria
• Washing Hands: You should always wash your hands after using the restroom and before prepping meals to avoid ingesting germs that will make you sick
• Washing Clothes: Frequently washing clothes gets rid of the germs and parasites that we pick up throughout a busy day

Male Grooming

Hygiene is vital to your health, but it isn’t enough on its own to keep you looking handsome as you age. You also need to practice good grooming habits.

For example, make sure you’re washing your face twice daily. You should be using a real facial cleanser, not that bar of soap that can strip your skin of essential moisture. Washing your face will keep it free of acne-causing bacteria while choosing nourishing cleansers will help prevent premature wrinkles.

Flossing and shaving are two other daily grooming habits to get into. Meanwhile, you only need to clip your nails and, if you’re into it, manscape once or twice a week.

Male Fitness

Fitness isn’t about looking like a bodybuilder; it’s about keeping your body in the best condition possible. Getting regular daily exercise can help improve your mood and sleep now while reducing your risk for cardiovascular disease and other conditions later.

Keep in mind that strength training doesn’t have to mean lifting weights. You could also use resistance bands or bodyweight exercises like pushups, squats, and crunches.

Mental Health for Men

Did you know that men are less likely to be diagnosed with a mental health condition than women? It’s not because mental health conditions are more prevalent in women. Men are just less likely to seek care and, therefore, a formal diagnosis.

For this reason, it’s even more vital that you take care of your mental health. Poor mental health can cause a domino effect, impacting other aspects of self-care. For example, poor hygiene is often a symptom of depression, and poor hygiene, in turn, can cause you to develop diseases you wouldn’t have otherwise.

Staying active and eating well goes a long way to keeping your mind healthy. Talking to a trusted partner or friend, practicing deep breathing or meditation, and taking up yoga are all ways to keep your stress levels low and your brain feeling strong.

Nutrition for Men

According to the Academy of Dietitians and Nutritionists:

2–3 cups of veggies per day

Half of your daily intake of grains should be whole grains

Fiber: 38 grams or more for men aged 20 to 50 and 30 grams or more for men aged 50 and older

2–3 servings of fatty fish per week

Replace saturated fats with unsaturated fats