Grooming Guide for the 20 Somethings

Grooming rules may change as you get past your teens: you may not be busting out the blemish cream half as much, and you may also be facing new concerns (like keeping your skin young as you progress through your 20s).

Hair
A quarter of all men in their 20s start losing their hair, and although you may not be one now, why not prepare yourself for some hair loss ahead of time? Denial is not a happy place, and you’ll look all the better for it. Note that I am not accusing anyone of losing their hair if they’re already feeling sensitive about it—these are preventative measures.

• Consider the following products to slow hair loss significantly: zinc, pro-vitamin B5, ginko biloba, and saw palmetto. You can really flow things down with supplements, but just stop by your doctor’s first before you mix up any herbal cocktails.

• The time to experiment with color and products is now, so take advantage of it!

Skin
Be diligent about your skin care routine. Nothing will damage your skin faster than staying out all night in a smoky environment and crashing to bed without cleansing and moisturizing. Plus, your skin repairs itself at night so you’ll have to make up for lost time!

In your twenties, your skin is still balancing out after the hormonal teen rush. You’re probably happy that surprise zits are more or less gone, but try not to celebrate by ignoring your skin completely. I tried that—leave it alone and it will balance out, right?–but it’s not the best technique for even mildly oily skin. You’ll be right back to that terrible teen time that we all hated. . .

Get the following products if you want to be good to your face in your 20s:

• Well-Balanced Skin Wash: Get scientific and experiment a little. Whether or not you need professional intervention is up to you, but you should be able to diagnose your skin for ideal treatment.

• Eye Gel: Banish tired eyes and fight the onset of early eye crinkles. Why not? It doesn’t hurt to get into the routine, either.

• Skin Freshener: Remove traces of oil with an alcohol-free freshener. This is especially good for those of us who still haven’t quite gotten out of our teen greasy stage yet.

• Sunscreen: Your 20s are most drastically affected by the sun. While it may not to seem like you need sunscreen now, the damage will show up on your face in your 30s. Sun exposure will break up collagen and elastin, and you’ll look older than your years. Aim for one that protects against both UVA and UVB rays.

• Night Renewal Cream: Your twenties are when you’re most likely to abuse your skin with partying and going out. You can thankfully reverse some of the damage to replenish some of the lost moisture and renew skin cells with one of many (and I do mean many) renewal creams on the market.

Teeth
Yes, just brush your teeth and floss, but do it well. Tooth care is cumulative, and if you don’t take care of yourself now, you’ll be facing root canals or worse further down the road. Stuff a toothbrush and paste in your glove compartment and go! Regular cleanings are essential to fight tooth damage later on.