Last updated on January 18th, 2015
Wanna look good at any age? Then take my advice, and develop an easy-to-follow grooming routine. I did just that several years ago, and what a difference it has made in my overall appearance. In fact, most people can’t believe I’m 107 years old.
1. Wash your face! A clean face is a radiant face. I wash mine every morning and night with good ole “Clean & Clear.” A tiny amount squirted onto a damp terrycloth washes away oil, sweat, and grime. The product contains no fragrance. It’s cheap, too, and available at most drug stores. To save a little money, I buy it online.
2. Shave with a good razor. A small amount of beard growth can look hot on a 20-year-old guy. But grey or white stubble on a middle-aged man? Blech. I use Gillette’s Mach3 razor. The three blades are super-sharp. I can shave downward, upward, and crosswise without cutting myself. And — I’m not kidding — my skin is as smooth as a baby’s bottom when I’m done.
Unfortunately, the razor cartridges are hideously expensive. But when you want to look your best, you have to bite the bullet and buy the best. I buy the blades from Amazon, but if you know of a cheaper source for refill cartridges, please talk to me in the comments field below.
3. Moisturize. Wanna look old and haggard? Then by all means refuse to moisturize your skin. Moisturizing keeps the face hydrated and youthful-looking. I’ve tried lots of products, and my current favorite is Neutrogena’s Visibly Even Daily Moisturizer with SPF 30. It’s not scented, nor is it greasy. I apply it every night after I wash my face. I apply it every other morning, too, alternating with a self-tanning moisturizer. A 1.7 ounce tube costs just 12 bucks.
4. Get a Tan! The other day, when I mentioned that I’d purchased a bronzing gel, some readers freaked out. Why, I do not know. Every face looks better with a tan! The product pictured above, from Jergens, works very gradually, so you can control the depth of color. I use the “fair-to-medium” version about 3 times each week. (There is a medium-to-tan version for darker skin tones.) The cream is nothing more than a non-greasy tinted moisturizer, so you’ll have no trouble applying it. A 2-ounce tube, which lasts about a month, costs less than $10.
5. Use a personal grooming device. As we age, hair can show up in unwanted places, such as the nose and the ears. You must get rid of those hairs. Immediately.
6. Remember your teeth. If you’d like to keep your teeth, be sure to floss at least once each day. Also, brush at least twice each day. I brush mine with Crest 3D White. It whitens the teeth by removing surface stains, and it tastes great! I buy the paste in bulk.
7. Use lip balm. To make your lips look plump and inviting (to whom, I shall not ask), apply ChapStik or Carmex every morning and before going to bed. I’m a Carmex guy.
8. Clear eyes are important. Visine is a secret grooming-weapon when you haven’t slept well, and your eyes look red and tired. Before heading out on a date or to a job interview, put a drop in each eye. Your eyes will be clear, even if your thoughts are not. You can find Visine at any drugstore or supermarket.
Have some good grooming tips of your own? Talk to me in the comments field below!
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Catharine R. says
Great post, Kevin! I know lots of men who could use some grooming advice. Will direct them to you!
Mary in Iowa says
107? Why, you’re just a kid! Facebook claims that I’m 109! I guess I got so old I lost track of the years. These are good grooming tips for anybody, not just men, Of course, with my newly acquired years, it’s a matter of remembering to use the tips. 🙂
Allison says
Mary in Iowa is right. These are good grooming tips for everyone!
Marg says
Thanks for the tips. I use the neutragena products and the Jergens tinted moisturizer.
myttle miller says
Drinking lots of water and not drinking too much coffee is also good for the skin… Coffee causes premature wrinkling so does smoking and too much sun exposure..Years ago when I worked in a nursing home a resident had such amazing skin I asked her what her secret was and she said she liked to use ponds cold cream.
Shawnee Sheldt says
Smiled reading this post, Kevin. Our son was a swimmer and a surfer for much of his young life, and the wear and tear of the sun, salt, and chlorine on his face really took its toll.While acne was seldom present, he still used a mild scrub everyday followed by a grapefruit cold cream. His guy friends thought him nuts but his women friends thought differently. The feedback from his dates beat out the feedback from his mates. After he left the East coast for school in Hawaii, his one care package request: face cleanser and cream. 🙂
Debi says
Another grooming tip is to please wear deodorant.
Holly says
Dollar Shave Club
gina says
I love it when folks use reasonably priced products. I have told my kids to compare ingredients as often they are the same as pricey products. I’m hoping you are humming a tune during your regime.
Sherrill says
My husband uses these expensive razors and has recently joined the Dollar Shave Club and saves a bundle.
Emily says
What an unexpected, yet great, post 🙂
Kevin, do you have any tips on applying tinted moisturizer? I’ve always shied away for fear of blotchiness and mismatching ears/face/neck. Does it take long to dry or can you dress right away?
(My sister got all the beauty know how genes in my family. She’s a Lancome lady while I’m a woman who washes her face with shampoo and moisturizes with tiny bottles of hotel lotion.)
I will recommend Schick Intuition razors for women. Pricey but worth the convenience to have the shaving cream bar attached.
Betsy Tandy says
Sensodyne Whitening is great for those of us with sensitive teeth. For getting make-up completely off at the end of the day, Olay 4-in-1 daily Facial Cloths. They’re large, so cut them in half to make the package last longer and save $$.
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Hi Emily – Happily, no special application-technique is required for the tinted moisturizer. Just keep it out of your eyebrows, and be sure to extend the lotion all the way to your hairline. It works gradually, so there’s never any “streaking” issues. The skin absorbs the product in about 1 minute, so no worry about staining your clothing.
Brian says
I agree, throw away razor blades are expensive.
Try this: scour local flea markets for a top quality safety razor (no rust no brassing). I bought mine four years ago an paid $5.00. Boiled it for a couple minutes. Cleaned it and it’s been my main razor ever since. I think Ive bought 3 disposable razor packs in all that time. Very inexpensive way to keep the face clean shaven and better for the environment; less plastic going to the landfill. Just my $.02
Glenn says
Why not take a few instant coffee granules (use a few until you have the color you want) mix it with a less expensive moisturizer. You will than have a bronzing cream at a fraction of the cost.
Love your website and really look forward to your updates. You look grand for 107 years old. My partners great grandmother lived to 104.
Marjie T. says
Olive oil is a fabulous moisturizer..and perfect for cooks. When you have some on your hands from oiling a dish, just wipe the rest on your face and neck and into your hands.
John says
Great tips! I like that you’re not stuck paying for high-end department store bucks for your daily regime. (I do sometimes splurge on Kiehls products). To save some cash I get the Mach 3 blades from Dollar Shave Club. I also exfoliate now and then with a corn meal/water paste. Commercial exfoliants often contain minute plastic beads that are showing up in our water supply and these beads do not decompose.
Liz in Salem says
Organic coconut oil has been my favorite face moisturizer for several years now. My skin sucks it right up. Jergens Natural Glow is the greatest too. If only I could get my husband to understand how nice pampering one’s self is. A few years ago I read a tip that has saved us a lot of money. Razor blades are steel and the edges stay sharp. The key is to rinse and dry completely. We wipe our razors upwards on a towel and blow on them to dry. I can not even find refills for the razor I use and the blades are still like new. My husband loves the expensive blades and rarely replaces them. This really works!
G. Brown says
Oh Kevin, I appreciate you telling your readers that it isn’t necessary to spend a fortune on overpriced products for your daily regime but i would like you to try and shop Cruelty-Free. LeapingBunny will list all the companies that test on animals. Also please check out Beagle Freedom Rescue. I am sure you are aware that the most popular dog breed used in testing to “make” our lives better is a beagle. Hope you find a publisher pronto , love your recipes.
Diane Marie says
False. White and grey stubble on a middle aged man *is* hot. I can’t be the only one who thinks so. 🙂
Arden Rembert Brink says
Hi, Kevin — I’m with Emily, I’ve worried about using *any* form of self-tanner for getting streaks, unevenness, etc. so I’m delighted to hear your report here. And, as others have said, nice to see you using and recommending “normal” products available to folks with a normal budget! 😉
Maybe I offer a gentle warning about the Visine — it’s very possible (likely, even) to get a “rebound” effect from products like that which uses a vasoconstrictor (which is what makes the red go away) so that when it wears off, your eyes are red again, probably even redder than they were to start with. So you might want to be sure you use those only *occasionally* and not get caught up in the cycle of regular use. Just want to keep those baby blues healthy and looking good!
–arden–
Chuck says
Great grooming tips, thanks!
Valerie C. says
You picked great products! I’m such a beauty junkie and have tried so many. Another reasonably priced moisturizer that I swear by is Aveeno Positively Radiant SPF 15. It’s 4 oz. and about $17, but, I usually find it on sale for $12-$13.
dori says
I miss pictures of the job in process. With your recipes you don’t show bags of flour and packages of butter. You show the ingredients going together and the dog watching. Then you show the finished product. I want to see that for the grooming too.
Annie B says
I echo the Dollar Shave club. Paying so much for a razor blade infuriated me. Fun tips!
Elizabeth says
Hi Kevin,
I have a winter sowing, not grooming question—hope you find me in this long list of comments from your many admirers! I want to start annuals like impatiens, petunias and lobelia this year as I am a beekeeper and I want to avoid the Monsanto takeover of nursery flowers which is killing my honeybees. Do you winter sow such tender annuals? If so, aren’t they then behind their greenhouse brothers? I love your site—check if a few times a week just to see what’s new. Keep up the good work.
Cilla says
I like that you use regularly priced products. But shopping cruelty free is so important. EWG.org (environmental working group) listed info on most beauty products and sunscreens. You really don’t want to support a company that is squirting chemicals into a sweet beagles eyes to see if it damages them or painful. Also EWG tells you about the harmful chemicals in the product and what problems they can cause. Many are hormone disruptors. Neutrogena sunscreens and moisturizers are not rated very well for chemical safety. Here is the report on Visibly Even: http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/product/566781/Neutrogena_Visibly_Even_Daily_Moisturizer%2C_SPF_30_/ Oxybenzone has been proven by many studies to be dangerous. The FDA has no authority over cosmetic ingredients, not that they would do anything!
Cynthia Lambert says
Hi Kevin! Most men could certainly use grooming tips! I’m curious why you put moisturizer with SPF on your skin at night…? I am a product and skincare HO and I have to tell you I think you should rethink this. Just use a plain moisturizer at night w/o SPF. Neutrogena is a quality product but uses chemical spf. Although they do the job of sun protection, these chemicals are not good for us. Think about using just a regular night cream. !! ps…I’m about to make the lemon madelines 🙂 Thank you!
Diane says
Good, basic and easy tips! I love the Jergen’s moisturizer/tanner also. AND, keep those eyebrows tamed!
Looking forward for the publication of your cookbook!
Denise in Colorado says
Thanks! Great tips for men or women! We just started using Aquaphor for dry lips, cracked heels or winter itchy skin. Amazing, stuff! Heals everything it touches! I also use a Neutrogena sun screen every day, under my makeup. And I wear a hat! The Colorado sun is great but a little skin cancer taught me that my mother was right! Keep out of the sun! 😉
Another Carolyn says
You mean washing my face with the orange soap from the wall dispenser in the office restroom isn’t the way to perpetual youth? Well crap. (It’s okay, I only do that occasionally and recently bought a real product to use at the office.). Personally I also love using Target’s version of apricot facial scrub on my face daily. I don’t have enough old lady facial hair yet to justify shaving, and I think the apricot scrub gives a better exfoliation than shaving. But I can also get away with it because I apparently have the skin of a rhinoceros.
Loved the post, but agree with Dori – pictures would have been great – especially pictures of Lucy watching you.
Sherry says
I would add hands and fingernail maintenance! Long, dirty nails are a turnoff! Or bitten nails! We see your strong hands and trim nails in your photos, but many folks do not keep up their hands! I am an RN, and saw many yucky hands…and feet!!!
cindy says
There is a sharpening product called Razor Renew that allows you to sharpen your razor blades, making them last longer. It is so quick and simple to use and seems to do a good job! Also, great solutions for men’s ear hair would be most appreciated. Thanks!
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Hi Cindy – Unsightly ear hair can be eliminated with a personal grooming device. To see the device that I use and recommend, just click the word “immediately” under topic #5 above.
Katherine says
The more simple, the better, I say! As did my grandmother who gave all her grandchildren, boys and girls, a big bottle of Nivea every Christmas. She’s gone now, but I still buy myself a big bottle of Nivea for myself every Christmas. Thanks, Grandma!
Cheryl in Oklahoma says
To extend the life of razor blades, rinse in water, then swish it in a little alcohol. It dispels the water and keeps the blade from rusting. DO NOT wipe blade, just let it air dry. Keep a small jar with about 1/2 inch of alcohol in it for “swishing”.
Lee says
You’re very wise to have this ritual. I also have my own ritual and don’t feel dressed without
it. It adds to the enjoyment of life.
Carroll Jaycox says
I am a MARY KAY consultant and the products for MEN are GREAT. I have some difficulty with some men convincing them that they should take care of their skin. You have done a
wonderful job in encouraging “common sense”! Thank You
Alastair B says
Kevin: Have you tried Harry’s razor blades? Two guys started the company out of NY. My brother in VA sent me the full kit, razor, razor blades and gel. (Nice looking kit) I live in BC. Canada and can’t get them here. Blades are $2 and sharp! My Gillette blades cost me $27 for four. Ouch! (Now, thank you, I’m going without gel)