Over the last ten years or so, however, society has experienced an increase in
awareness of the nature of human sexuality. And as the definitions of what it means
to be a "man" have been challenged and alternative lifestyles have become more
accepted, many prejudices that existed about men who spent time on 'grooming'
have faded. Men today realize that to look good, you have to care about your
appearance, and that it is not only necessary to spend time taking care of yourself, but it's also "okay".
Tools and Products
As mentioned earlier in this article, for decades the hair care and beauty industry
has been focused on creating hair care products geared toward (and marketing them
almost exclusively to) women. From time to time, a company (usually one already
making men's shaving products) has decided to make and market a man-specific
hair care product. These products were often the same as their female-oriented
counterparts, but were made with more masculine fragrances.
In fact, fragrance was traditionally a key factor in men's reluctance
to use many of the hair care products available. Yet, these man-specific
products usually failed to perform as well as the majority of products
available, and the genre of men's hair care products never reached the
level of variety found in their competitor's lines.
Luckily, the mainstream hair care companies learned a lesson and
began to take advantage of the void in the marketplace. Thus, today
we have styling products that are unscented, or which have neutral
fragrances like citrus, or fresh, clean scents, which make them equally
popular with both men and women. There is no longer a need for men to be concerned
over using a product and having to go the rest of the day smelling like "wildflowers" or "powder fresh".
No, these days, men should choose their hair care products and styling tools the
same way women would. You determine what products and tools you need based on
your hairstyle, the condition of your hair and scalp, and the texture of your hair.
For example, if you have fine hair with an oily scalp, and wear your hair in a style
that is short and spiky on the top, you will want a shampoo that adds body and fullness
and cleans thoroughly, a light conditioner, a styling gel to give your hair the texture
and lift to stand, and will probably use a blow dryer to achieve your style. Once it has
been dried and styled, you may even choose to use a hair wax or pomade to add some definition to the spikes.
There's no reason any longer for men to feel uncomfortable buying hair care
products, and fortunately, most modern men don't have any problem with doing so.
The goal is to look your best, and hair care products are just one method of achieving
that goal. So, take stock of your hair and the style you want to achieve, and look for
the products designed to help you achieve the look you want.
