GROOMING SPLITTING HAIRS

grooming

Splitting HAIRS

Tonsorially uncertain? Here’s how to trim—and buzz—and brush—and tweeze to look your best.

HAIRLINE

Cutting and trimming the hair on your head should be left to the experts for obvious reasons, but you can maintain a wellgroomed hairline in between cuts. How? By washing your hair every two to three days rather than daily and by not weighing it down too many products. These practices not only keep hair healthier, but also make it look thicker, thus helping to disguise receding hairlines. A bit of pomade and a comb—or your fingers—is all that’s needed to maintain your hairline on a daily basis, but you can also keep a small electric razor handy for when you need to tidy up around the edges.

EYEBROWS

The number-one rule for grooming your brows? Don’t overdo it. That means keeping their natural, straight shape—arched brows have a more feminine look—and only getting rid of the stragglers. To avoid the dreaded unibrow, start by placing your finger on the bridge of your nose and plucking only the hairs your finger touches. Then maintain the shape and look of the brows by trimming monthly or so; just brush hairs upwards and snip only the ends (or have your barber do it for you). Tweezing carefully and sparingly with an angled tweezer is an option too, but under no circumstances should you wax those bad boys just because the lady in your life is doing it. You’ve been warned.

BEARD

Once your beard has reached the desired length, train the hairs to grow in a downward direction by brushing daily with a boar bristle brush. Then use grooming scissors or an electric razor with the guard setting of your choice once a week or so to trim and get rid of split ends and strays. Just make sure you do so with the grain to minimize bumps and irritation. Finally, keep your beard and mustache clean by rinsing with a beard wash or mild soap and water two to three times a week—and add a moisturizing beard oil when you’re feeling fancy (or itchy).

CHEST

Similar rules apply when going below the neck; always trim—do not shave, please—with the grain to reduce irritation. But how low should you go? There’s no harm in manscaping down to your belly button—“happy trail” included—but make sure the amount of hair on your torso matches with the amount on your face. You don’t want to be scruffy up top and resemble a boy bander below the neck, do you? Also, start with a higher guard setting when buzzing here. You can always go back in for another round later if it’s still too scraggly, but you can’t undo a too-short style.