End Of Summer Survival Guide
We are approaching the month of August which tends to bring the foulest of hot weather and if you are not careful about your grooming, the foulest of summer stenches.
As you know, this blog is budget based so my grooming products rarely come from Kiel’s or the more expensive brands. I believe that while it is important to put quality stuff on your carapace there are certainly inexpensive products that will leave you feeling fresh through the doggiest of days.
I’ll start with one of my favorite items by DOVE FOR MEN. It’s a really light scented body wash that stays with you, works with many post shower scents, and does not dry out your skin. Since I suffer from eczema I need to be very careful about what I use and try to find the lightest scent and least harsh wash. This definitely does the trick at $5.99 a bottle.
Second on the list is my post shower ritual of moisturizing. Again, since I suffer from eczema I find that AVEENO products are an excellent source to combat it. My dermatologist recommended this as the most inexpensive of dry skin combat. The plus is that this is non scented so when you put on a cologne afterward it helps to actually retain the scent for much longer. Excessively dry skin rejects scent much faster.
For shaving I have shifted to straight cream rather than foam. A cream shave is much better on the skin because it lets the blade get a lot closer to the hairs. Plus I am more of a scruff shaper when it comes to blade running. This means I shave around areas I don’t really need to keep my stubble looking well kept instead of unruly. My preference is Neutrogena Shave Cream that comes in a nicely sized 5.1 ounce tube starting at $2.99 depending on where you get it.
Moving right along to the nether region of grooming and without going into too much sordid detail any kind of talcum powder is an excellent way to fight perspiration in many…um…areas. New products like the overly priced BALLA tout to keep you dry and fresh for $15.00 a pop. You know what else works great for about $2.99? Johnson and Johnson Baby Powder weighing in at a whopping 15 ounces. I use this religiously throughout the year and it’s an excellent way to keep yourself dry and cool. It also lasts over 6 hours depending on the situation.
You know what’s great about summer? The rooftop parties, cocktails, and weekends at the beach. Sometimes these festivities can go all night long and you may wake up the next day with some post party baggage under the eyes. I’ve never really bought into the whole eye cream thing but lately my sleeping patterns have been less than healthy (yay unemployment!) so I tend to wake up with a not so fresh feeling and look under my eyeballs. After some research I found a product from Nivea for $9.99 that’s a gel roll on. Since it has a metal ball applicator it’s extremely cooling and helps to wake you up a bit along with your morning coffee. I’ve yet to see stunning results but a few swipes help my eyes look a little more rested.
Finally there’s cologne. It’s a must all year round, guys, but in the summer you really need to spray some on. The key word here is SOME. Don’t overload yourself in this heat. A few spritzes will do your body good. My favorites for this season are BR Classic, John Varvatos Artisan, and D&G Light Blue. For interviews I use the BR Classic (goes well with a summer suit), for BBQ’s John Varvatos Artisan, and at night D&G Light Blue.
I do hope this little guide will assist you in making the right grooming choices for the rest of the summer and beyond because it’s really important to compliment your best suit with the right amount of care in grooming.
