Style File: Facts you need to face on male grooming

Male grooming means more than a daily once-over with soap. Moisturisers and exfoliators are the key to looking and feeling good, writes Lee Holmes

It’s a well-proven fact that the second week of January is filled with broken promises and resolutions, especially the ones that we made to ourselves about our own general well-being.

So, if this morning you found yourself staring back at your own unhealthy- looking reflection in the bathroom mirror, fear not – improvement is but a decent moisturiser away.

And please forget that outdated concept about how you’re too much of a man to bother with such faff; the sale of grooming products is now worth an estimated £600m in the UK alone.

Clearly, giving your face the once-over with a bar of Imperial Leather isn’t going to wash.

First off, a decent exfoliator should take pride of place in your bathroom cabinet. As not all of us are blessed with baby-soft skin, this is an effortless way of sloughing off dead skin cells, giving your sullen complexion a much needed boost.

Plus, it also preps the skin for a closer shave, reducing the potential irritation of ingrowing hairs. And whether you exfoliate daily or once a week, it should be the lynchpin upon which your skin care routine hangs.

Fight dry, flaking skin with a non-greasy moisturiser that, whether the sun has his hat on or not, also has a high SPF. And don’t forget that central heating, cranked up high at this time of year, is the sworn enemy of the delicate skin on your face.

To combat the effect of this dry heat, slap on that moisturiser and hydrate. And while you may well baulk at some of the more expensive moisturisers available to you, invest wisely for a job well done.

Of course, you could just cheat your way to a healthy glow and slather your face in bronzer or fake tan. Yet, despite the ever increasing choices available, the jury is still out when it comes to rating their success.

Blending fake tans in to stubble or facial hair takes time and a lot of effort, with faultless application being key. A slapdash approach could leave you looking like an Oompa Loompa.