[thoughtgypsy]

I used to spend a bunch of money on grooming products that were completely useless, if not counterproductive.

I've stopped washing my face with soap, and even stopped using shampoo, and my skin and hair are the best they've looked in years.

I stopped using badger hair brushes, aftershaves, and now just use a simple shave oil and a $0.12/blade safety razor finished off with cold water.

Stopped buying deodorant, and make my own or I can just throw on some baking soda in the shower.

Save your money, save your body.

If you're gonna go no shampoo, I found that baking soda seemed to just make it worse (more clumpy and knotty), though it's different for everyone. I used a shampoo soap bar every time it became a grease rag, then put on a tiny bit of coconut oil once it was dry. It took about a month but it's finally evened out.

[TheFinalEpic]

I haven't used shampoo in years. I used to have such fine hair that you could almost see my scalp. Now, it has volume and I get compliments on it all the time. I enjoy shaving though, and enjoy the ritual of badger brush and soap, but I agree that it isn't necessary.

[Suits]

Aside from toothpaste, toothbrushes, (shampoo back when I actually used it) and an electric buzzer, I've never spent any money on grooming products.

I've never purchased deodorant or body soap. No special creams or washes. Those things are for disgusting bitches. Men > Women.

[Valentine]

Toothpaste is also unnecessary as fluoride is a industrial waste product which is harmful to your body. Brushing, floss and xylitol are my antibacterial routine.

Protip for no shampoo: get a boar bristle brush for reducing both greasiness and flakiness.

Also coconut oil is a great moisturiser.

[Leonard D Neubache]

Let's see.
Rub my face down with a rough, wet hand towel. It gets bleach when it goes in the wash so it's not a bacteria farm. It leaves enough oil on my skin that I don't feel like I just stepped out of the Sahara.
I still use shaving foam because the kids get a laugh out of it.
I use a cheap, disposable razor because I don't feel I have anything to prove to the guys over at ArtOfManliness.com
Hot water in the shower and vigorous hand scrubbing.
Shampoo every once in a while to flush out the dandruff.
No deodorant or aftershave. Short hair so no styling products.

I don't stink. Even if the wife wanted to spare my feelings the boys sure as hell wouldn't. Point in fact, my wife is very comfortable being close to a man that smells like a man instead of a cosmetics department.

That said, I'm not exactly swishing around in high society where such things are expected and therefore necessary.

One caveat. Keep a good supply of plain white pillow covers that you can bleach with the face towels. Double rinse them, dry them in the sun and change them every day. As someone prone to acne this has been a major breakthrough in keeping my skin healthy. A lot of people disinfect their face twice a day and then rub it against an oily bacteria farm pillow case for eight straight hours at night.

Derp!

[hydrogonian]

Soap on one's face just removes the oils that keep it looking young over time. When that oil starts to diminish with age, a hypothetical guy might wish that he hadn't been so careful to eliminate it all so completely when he was younger. To avoid dry skin, only teenagers with acne should consider soap on the face unless they've been playing or working in the mud. The chlorine in the average municipal water supply will be drying and cleansing enough when you are in the shower.

I shave my head, so can't comment on shampoo. Though, I insist on unscented shaving cream for head and face. Nivea seems to be the best brand for men, but any unscented will do. Skin moisturizer can work in place of shaving cream, in a pinch.

I use Schick Fusion blades because their high blade count is least irritating to my skin, the blades last a long time in part because the open back design allows you to fully wash the hair from the blades every time you shave. It really promotes the life of the blade. Also, almost everything else, save perhaps for Mach3 blades, tears up my skin.

I use Tom's of Maine toothpaste but, in a pinch, soap works really well. Probably better than toothpaste. The kind without perfume is least unpleasant.

I can't get away with no deodorant due to one rogue armpit (after a day or so), but I use Lavilin brand deodorant that lasts several days, as long as you don't wash it off in the shower (though I usually forget and do), while being a bit more natural than other commercial deodorants. Basically, it switches aluminum for Zinc. The super hippy deodorants I feel are under-powered for a man. Similarly, baking soda doesn't work long or consistently enough.

Other things that I've learned through trial and error:

You can't often substitute high end cologne for deodorant, when you get too lazy to reorder it, because the chemicals build up in your system.

Oil pulling (olive) works well to rid your mouth of bacteria.

I get tooth-aches when I use mouthwash for an extended period. I have a feeling that it messes too-much with the good flora in the mouth that keep bad bacteria at bay.

Good EEVO is the best, most consistent skin moisturizer. I use it on my face. A very little goes a long way. The trick is to rub it in and spread it around.

Small doses of vitamin A and D (maybe 20:1) once per week keep skin moisturized in places that tend to become dry. For me, that's my forehead.

[TheFinalEpic]

"I use schick fusion blades because of less irritation"

Try using a safety razor with only one blade, you will not only get the most close shave of your life, you will never have irritation from it, and it is far more precise. I used to use Fusion products while in high school, and I enjoyed them too, but nothing compares to my Merkur safety razor and $0.12 blades.

[GlobalMan]

(08-01-2016 06:46 PM)Suits Wrote:  

Aside from toothpaste, toothbrushes, (shampoo back when I actually used it) and an electric buzzer, I've never spent any money on grooming products.

I've never purchased deodorant or body soap. No special creams or washes. Those things are for disgusting bitches. Men > Women.

Amen brother. I just stopped showering all together. Hell I don't even wipe my ass anymore. Only fags do that.

[hydrogonian]

(08-01-2016 11:08 PM)TheFinalEpic Wrote:  

"I use schick fusion blades because of less irritation"

Try using a safety razor with only one blade, you will not only get the most close shave of your life, you will never have irritation from it, and it is far more precise. I used to use Fusion products while in high school, and I enjoyed them too, but nothing compares to my Merkur safety razor and $0.12 blades.

I've done it. No dice. It definitely irritated my skin.

[thoughtgypsy]

I get a closer shave with multi-bladed razors, and use them during travel since they're TSA approved. While I'm home I'll just use a single blade safety razor since it's cheaper.

I'll get about a month out of each blade by cleaning the gunk off the edge with a cotton tip then stroping them against my forearm (human skin is similar in texture to leather).

I made a huge batch of deodorant with this recipe:
http://www.thankyourbody.com/homemade-de...tive-skin/

Add more tea tree oil if you're still having odor issues; Add corn starch if it's still irritating the skin; Add beeswax if it's too soft.

While I'm not saying it's necessary to go all garden hippy or squeeze every penny, if it's just as effective and saves you time and money, why not do it?

[Cyclone]

(08-01-2016 06:05 PM)thoughtgypsy Wrote:  

I've stopped washing my face with soap, and even stopped using shampoo, and my skin and hair are the best they've looked in years.

.... are you sure you can't just buy higher-quality soaps and shampoos if you're that worried? It's the "Walmart chemicals" that destroy your body.. i blow $40 on each shampoo and conditioner, my last soap bar cost $12, even toothpaste $7 most expensive i could find on amazon. And most people say I live frugally

But I do have a bunch of lotion / creams that I rarely touch :/

[NewMeta]

I also dont use any hair products, soaps, deo, cologne or other grooming products. I have some nose strips to get rid of any black heads but use them rarely even then.

Toothpaste no matter what guys is very important especially later in your life. If there is one chemical you use it has to be toothpaste.

[Pollito]

I've tried baking soda as a deodorant, but found it gives me a rash after a few days of consecutive use.

Instead, ACV in a little essential oil spray bottle has changed my life. Three sprays per side in the morning after showering, give it about five minutes to air dry, and I'm smelling sweet the next 24 hours. Plus, I have the added bonus of that sweet tang underlying my natural musky pheromones. The Pavlovian vinaigrette recall effect drives skinny salad-eating bishes wild.

[thoughtgypsy]

(08-06-2016 02:34 AM)Cyclone Wrote:  

.... are you sure you can't just buy higher-quality soaps and shampoos if you're that worried? It's the "Walmart chemicals" that destroy your body.. i blow $40 on each shampoo and conditioner, my last soap bar cost $12, even toothpaste $7 most expensive i could find on amazon. And most people say I live frugally

But I do have a bunch of lotion / creams that I rarely touch :/

I used an African black soap, which was the best I could find, and still saw an improvement after not using it. My shave oil has some natural astringents so that might help.

I use a shampoo soap bar once/month now just in case, and a very light amount of coconut oil afterwards.

(08-06-2016 06:45 AM)NewMeta Wrote:  

Toothpaste no matter what guys is very important especially later in your life. If there is one chemical you use it has to be toothpaste.

Surprisingly, it was after I stopped using fluoride based toothpastes that I got the best responses from my dentist. The only major change I did was flossing regularly. I've found the pre made flossers to make the whole process easy.

(08-07-2016 12:55 PM)Pollito Wrote:  

I've tried baking soda as a deodorant, but found it gives me a rash after a few days of consecutive use.

Yea, baking soda is pretty abrasive. I don't keep it on, but just apply it in the shower. I have a container with a lid that I'll keep it in. When I first shower, I'll scoop some up with my fingertips and rub it in both armpits, and keep it on for the duration of the shower. At the end I'll wash it off. After the 2nd day the BO is gone.

[greekgod]

If your looking for shampoo alternatives, I noticed after doing a sensory deprivation float my hair was very thick/had good volume. So I started using Epsom salt as a quasi shampoo and its great.

For those of you with thicker hair, I don't know what the results will be but for us fine haired guys, its very good.