Male grooming products

pikachucheeks

I've found this recent phenomenon really interesting ; the recent flood of male grooming products available on the market.

Nivea for Men is probably the most obvious example - I've seen it everywhere!

My question to you is, do you use any of these products, like a skin mosturiser or facial wash?

If not, why not? And if so, why? - who recommended the range to you, or did you discover it yourself?

kpas

I think alot of it is today's ''modern male'' stereo type... They've seen how much they can make with the Mach 3...4...5...6...7 etc and I guess there just trying to expand into other areas... expansion = money
It doesn't help that the price of these things are crazy, and I think for the whole gilette or nivea set is about 40 euro...eh I don't think so


Personally I cant wait for th mach 10...

when will it end??:cool:

Gran Hermano

The Nivea sensitive is an ok mainstream balm, it's often half price in Boots
or supermarkets and can be picked up for €4.

Grooming products to me means shaving products and I have a bathroom
full of shaving creams, soaps, balms and aftershaves. Picture an old-school barber shop! The old style shaving products are much better than the more modern stuff. You haven't shaved until you have at least tried
Proraso, Taylors of Old Bond St or Mitchells Wool Fat.
http://www.tayloroldbondst.co.uk/tradition.html
http://www.trumpers.com/index.cfm
http://www.traditionalshaving.co.uk/

deadhead13

No - soap, shampoo, shaving foam is about as exotic as it gets.

shellyboo

My favourite thing about male grooming products is the marketing terminology they use. It's all "refuel your skin" and crap. It's moisturiser boys! Whatever way you spin it.

I'm all for men looking after their skin though, it's really attractive when a guy makes an effort to look and feel and smell nice.

kaimera

I've been told I have 'dry-skin' as it were but using some sort of bottled lotion for it?

Hell no

Aftershave, gel, shaving foam...the essentials like is about it.

Dord

Most of this stuff has been around for years.

I have no qualms about using some of it. I usually just use the Nivea moisturiser after shaving as it helps a fair bit. Usually use the fash wash daily, much better than regular soap.

Just the bare minimum tbh, I don't fall for all that anti-aging or refuel your skin crap.

Fajitas!

It's funny, there's two ways of going about male grooming products, there's the mass marketed Gilette/Nivea/Lynx style of products, that may well be advertising sports cars to young fellahs. At the other end, there's the very old style products that don't exactly take up on the mass marketing, but still have quite a following - As Gran Hermano said, Proraso, Taylors, Trumpers, aswell as Molton Brown, etc.

I'd be along the same lines of Gran Hermano, I'm over and back between Dublin, Waterford and London so much, I'm like a travelling barber. Shaving brushes, pre shave balms, shaving creams, post shave balms, different blades, the works.

It really is a far better experience, I used to get terrible razor rash/ingrown hairs/general bad shaves when I was using the Gilette/Wilkinson Sword multi-bladed yokes. End up getting a far better shave, and smelling far nicer - My current cream is Cedarwood and Clarysage, which smells fantastic!!

As for reccommendations, it was mostly between users on Boards.ie, a lot of us got interested in shaving with an older style of blade around the same time, people picked bits and pieces up and posted up if they worked or didn't, and we went from there! The original thread on shaving/grooming is over 1,300 posts long now.

Otis Driftwood

Ive never used and probably never will use moisturisers,skin refuellers or any beauty products that have been pushed on men over the last 10 years or so.

Its not that I have anything against them per se,I guess its just ingrained in my pysche that "real men" dont moisturise.
:P

shapez

Just my from my experience. I have tried them all, Nivea, Clinique, Clarins, Gillette, Lynx, etc. As I have sensitive skin they all failed in some shape or form for me. I got the rashes, the redness, the stinging, etc. I had enough and couldn't take it anymore, so I consulted in a beauty therapist friend of mind who introduced me to Dremalogica.

For the past 7 years I have been using Dermalogica products. They are absolutely fantastic. I urge you to at least try a sample range, you will not be disappointed.

Check out this website for a list of products.
http://www.care4yourskin.com/index.php?action=58&manufacturer=3

I know because there is so many you will be wondering what the hell to choose. I you need help, by all means send me a PM and I'll gladly do the best I can for you.

Hope this helps.

esskay

Cosmetic companies have ladies all over the world covering themselves from head to toe in their "products" and since that market is saturated men are then only target audience left.

In the west they sell products to add color to a persons skin, in the east they sell products to take the color out of a persons skin. It's all completely mad.

I really, really hope that this never takes off or there will be no end to it, we will all end up being tangerine people.


Esskay.

Terodil

Nope, just some nivea general purpose cream because of my dry skin, shaving foam, and I must admit that I've nicked my OH's facewash once or twice because it's so much gentler to the facial skin than the usual H&S shampoo. But she makes up for it by stealing my lovely 5-blade-razor sometimes

Running Bing

pikachucheeks wrote: »

I've found this recent phenomenon really interesting ; the recent flood of male grooming products available on the market.

Nivea for Men is probably the most obvious example - I've seen it everywhere!

My question to you is, do you use any of these products, like a skin mosturiser or facial wash?

If not, why not? And if so, why? - who recommended the range to you, or did you discover it yourself?

I think they are totally unnecessary.

They are all based on clever marketing campaigns that instil fear (you wont get the girl/you'll look like sh1t) or promise to make men look great but in reality they do nothing imo.

I wash my face with water, shave with a good quality shaving cream, badger brush and old fashioned safety razor and drink lots of water and I get a lot of complements on my skin. Thats all thats needed, a mans skin should look natural.

I'd also question the practise of lathering unnecessary chemical mixtures onto your face....surely in the long term they couldnt do any good?

I can think of lots of things Id rather spend my money on.

Snowie

Pikachew are you doing research?

I use a few not to be metro sexual or because I wanna be like cdfm :P:D..

Bu i use moisturize, because my skin needs it after showering it gets dry I don't like this, personally i use L'Oreal Hydra energetic
I didn't no about the other ones that faji said but i will look them up i generally wear it after I clip the old designer stubble or like I said above after a shower.

bassiaclly i lived with this dude who used it and then I tried. because my skin was dry and bought some...

pikachucheeks

Snow-Monkey wrote: »

Pikachew are you doing research?

Well, research in the sense that I'm interested in the whole Advertising and cosmetics industries and I'm curious to know if men are more open to using products like cleanser, toner, moisturiser, than they would have been say, ten years ago.

Before, there was the stigma that these sort of grooming products were 'girlie'... does that still exist?

Otis Driftwood

pikachucheeks wrote: »

Before, there was the stigma that these sort of grooming products were 'girlie'... does that still exist?

Yep.

Not one of my male friends,even those in LTRs or married use anything like these.

Fajitas!

pikachucheeks wrote: »

Before, there was the stigma that these sort of grooming products were 'girlie'... does that still exist?

It's not really that old a stigma either - It comes and goes - Go back to the mods of the 60's, where men would happily wear make up, and everything was about appearance. Then back to the 30's and 40's (excluding the war years) where dressing flash was incredibly important. Then back down through time.

There were always plenty of male grooming products for those that could afford them, for example, Taylor of Old Bond St, who make shaving products for men were established in 1854!

deadhead13

I don't think they are "girlie", just unnecessary.

Running Bing

Fajitas! wrote: »

It's not really that old a stigma either - It comes and goes - Go back to the mods of the 60's, where men would happily wear make up, and everything was about appearance. Then back to the 30's and 40's (excluding the war years) where dressing flash was incredibly important. Then back down through time.

There were always plenty of male grooming products for those that could afford them, for example, Taylor of Old Bond St, who make shaving products for men were established in 1854!

I think there's a difference between that sort of thing and what pikachucheeks is talking about though. I dont think being clean and well groomed are girly in fact I would say its quite manly. When you go to the extreme of wearing stuff like toner, hydro-turbo-layer-nourishment (moisturiser), skin regenerator (?????) thats completely superfluous and unnecessary its a different thing.


I think its the same with being well dressed. Nothing unmanly about being well dressed or taking care over your appearance but it can be taken to the extreme.

shapez

I have to confront some of your points here.

Running Bing wrote: »

I think they are totally unnecessary.

They are all based on clever marketing campaigns that instil fear (you wont get the girl/you'll look like sh1t) or promise to make men look great but in reality they do nothing imo.

Have you tried any male grooming products? If so, was it just the sample or over a period of time?

Running Bing wrote: »

I wash my face with water, shave with a good quality shaving cream, badger brush and old fashioned safety razor and drink lots of water and I get a lot of complements on my skin. Thats all thats needed, a mans skin should look natural.

What is a good quality shaving cream? Is it alcohol based? If you wash your face with water, how do you get the layer of dirt off?

Running Bing wrote: »

I'd also question the practise of lathering unnecessary chemical mixtures onto your face....surely in the long term they couldnt do any good?

Some brands that are not mainstream per se don't need to advertise. When was the last time you saw an ad for Dermalogica? Dermalogica products consist of primarily natural plant/tree extracts. There are no harmful chemicals or alcohol in them.

However, you are entitled to your opinion here. It would be best to do some research on the topic.

Mackman

I always laugh at the add for L'oreal "Hydra Energetic Turbo Booster", for christs sake, how stupid do they think men are?? Rediculous name for a moisturiser.

I only use Nivea shaving foam, and thats it. The OH got me some moisturiser, Nutrimetics stuff. i used it a for a while, gave it a go and i didnt notice any difference.

Ive no problem with people using it, just not for me really.

Otis Driftwood

Mackman wrote: »

Ive no problem with people using it, just not for me really.

Bingo.

shapez

Mackman wrote: »

I always laugh at the add for L'oreal "Hydra Energetic Turbo Booster", for christs sake, how stupid do they think men are?? Rediculous name for a moisturiser.

Have to add here as well, Gillette seem to hypnotise men very well...

Gillette Mach 3 Turbo
Gillette Mach 3 Power
Gillette Fusion
Gillette Fusion Power
Gillette Fusion Power Stealth
Gillette Fusion Power Gamer
Gillette Fusion Gamer
Gillette Fusion Power Phenom
Gillette Fusion Phenom
etc...

:rolleyes::rolleyes: I rest my case.

pikachucheeks

shapez wrote: »

Gillette Fusion Power Gamer

Sounds like a rival for the Wii

Gran Hermano

The last research I read on the male grooming industry was that men show more brand loyalty than women - your typical bloke will buy everything from shaving gel to balm to antiperspirant from the one label/manufacturer. The male grooming industry is one the likes of P&G are targetting a lot as it's relatively unsaturated compared to the female market.

shapez

pikachucheeks wrote: »

Sounds like a rival for the Wii

Wii Shave

Dord

shapez wrote: »

Wii Shave

Jaysus... I wouldn't be surprised it they did it, or maybe Shaving Hero. :pac:

speedboatchase

Certain products are necessary for certain people, and some aren't. I always get blackheads quite quickly and can feel the nose a bit bumpy when it happens. So if I exfoliate and keep at it I've no problem there. Similarly enough I use a hydrating moisturiser because my skin dries up quite quickly. I think if you're only just trying grooming products now there's gonna be a lot of trial and error (I found eye creams an absolute waste of money) and there's always going to be people with blemish-free skin that don't have to work for it but for us that do, some remedies are available. The likes of Gillette and they're super duper new blade systems are a joke though

shapez

Dord wrote: »

Jaysus... I wouldn't be surprised it they did it, or maybe Shaving Hero. :pac:

With the Japanese and Nintendo, anything is possible!!

Brouhaha

shapez wrote: »

What is a good quality shaving cream?

The shaving cream bowls here, applied with a brush. Beats foam from a can hands down.

Fajitas!

shapez wrote: »

With the Japanese and Nintendo, anything is possible!!

I'm sure you've all seen the Wii Pii?