What if I told you one of the more realistic aspects of the Zack Snyder film 300 was the Leonidas’ liberal use of eye-shadow?
Would you believe me if I said that after Leonidas had informed his brave Spartans to prepare to “dine in hell,” it would be more accurate if those great warriors had begun to help each other wash, comb and braid each other’s hair?
Would you believe Herodotus when he claimed that Xerxes delayed attacking the Spartans at Thermopylae for five days out of fear, after learning his enemy had begun to groom themselves in preparation to meet their glorious deaths in battle
When did we decide male beauty was a sign of weakness? Why can’t we, as men, have a spa day and still feel like the strong and rugged individual?
Well, I am here to tell you that you can exfoliate, put on a vitamin-infused facemask and still be one of the guys because that’s exactly what I did.
On April 3, I volunteered as a model for a cosmetics student to practice their beautician skills for their “Men’s Week,” and I honestly cannot recommend it enough.
My esthetician that morning was Kristina and after starting off by washing my face — how many of the men reading this actually washed your face this morning? — she moved on to an exfoliant and a colloidal masque since, as I learned, I had “combination skin” and medium pores.
After that, I had my face treated with high-frequency neon light to help with blood circulation and cell regeneration, and a procedure called “lymphatic drainage” where they use suction to help detoxify the skin and fight fluid retention.
I felt great afterward, someone actually said I was “glowing.”
Going in I was a little nervous because letting someone touch your face like that can be incredibly intimate, especially with a female esthetician, but instead, I found it incredibly relaxing and the combination of scents from the various skin care products and the liberal application of warm towels was an incredibly relaxing and invigorating way to start my day.
Most people have heard the term man grooming but I am here to tell you that it can include more than trimming your hedges once a month and reaching for the industrial-size bottle of three-in-one Old Spice Shampoo, Conditioner, and Body Wash.
Let’s detoxify masculinity with botanical skin serums and multi-active skin toners, and then go for beers and red meat.