Though it might not always be spa days and bubble baths, men have slowly grown to accept that they too can practice “self-care.”
Sometimes that means standing in front of the mirror more. “If you look good, you feel better. And I don’t mean that from a shallow standpoint,” says Martin Mackenzie, national account manager with Wahl Canada. “Men are putting a lot more importance and time into their own appearance and their own grooming techniques.”
But there are more ways than ever to be attuned to one’s own wellbeing, whether it’s grooming with specialty razors or implementing a routine of mindfulness.
Here are just eight simple ways for men to improve their self-care routine.
Beard oil
Beard oil can elevate the look and make the hair softer, but for Mackenzie, it’s about how he perceives the beard — not others. “I carry the beard a little bit more confidently,” he says. “It’s a small detail that some people may never notice. But most importantly I notice it.”
Read more: How we can raise a generation of confident young adults
Barber shave
When you feel like treating yourself, and a typical five-blade department store razor won’t do, step up your game with old-school barber techniques. “There’s something about lathering up your shaving gel in a bowl with a brush and putting it on yourself that gives it a touch of class,” Mackenzie says. “You’re putting more into yourself with the expectation of getting more out of yourself.”
Nurse a passion
Through the CUTS program in partnership with Wahl Canada, Joseph Khargie has seen firsthand how honing a craft like barbering can have an impact even on young boys. Whether the high school-age participants adopt a passion for hairstyling or not, Khargie says that nurturing a passion from a young age is an important confidence builder. “That becomes your self-care — honing your skills,” he says.
Connect with nature
Going out into nature can provide some much needed clarity and perspective, says Khargie, when it’s too easy to get wrapped up in the chaos of life. “That’s where I find time to let my mind be free,” he says. “You connect with the universe, man. You just feel like you’re part of something bigger than you.”
Read more: Does hair make the man? What facial hair says about a person
Vitamin C
If you’re not taking care of your skin from the inside out, wellness expert Kyle Buchanan likes to say you’re “pushing a big rock up a hill instead of a pebble.”
“It’s really nourishing your skin from the inside out that men — and we all — overlook,” he says. Elevate the health of your skin by taking a daily vitamin C supplement. Vitamin C can help boost the body’s production of collagen, says Buchanan, which is responsible for the elasticity of your skin.
Meditation
You don’t need one of the slew of mobile apps that promote wellness and mindfulness to implement practices like mediation. It’s really quite simple. “It’s just a matter of sitting in silence breathing in and out, allowing thoughts to come and go as they please,” says Buchanan. When your mind wanders away from the breath or another area of focus, simply bring it back. Meditation has been shown to calm the heart rate, lower blood pressure and reduce cortisol levels, says Buchanan, which ages us when it’s always activated.
4-7-8 breathing
According to Statistics Canada, about 73 per cent of all working adults feel at least some level of stress. Buchanan feels it before he walks on for a TV appearance. That’s when he implements a “game changer” breathing hack: the 4-7-8 breath. Simply breathe in for four counts, hold for seven counts, then breathe out slowly for eight. It’s also a proven sleep aid. “You’re telling your body that you’re safe, there’s no danger and I can calm down,” he says.
Show gratitude
Perhaps one of the most important but often most difficult concepts of self-care is to “be kind to yourself.” It’s why Buchanan ends many of his Instagram Stories with that very phrase. One strategy for being kind to yourself is by showing gratitude for small moments throughout the day — the glass of water nourishing you, a pleasant phone call with your mother. “If you start training your brain to show gratitude, you’re more likely to be kind to yourself,” he says.
WAHL Canada offers a variety of facial trimmers so you can upgrade your self-care routine and “Trim like a Pro” at home. Click here to find out more.