Grooming essentials for spring

Face spring with a refreshed face. As you pack away your warm clothes and start wearing lighter layers for those warmer days, you may be neglecting your style game from the neck up. The following products offer masculine solutions to what were once considered feminine problems.

The Soap

Charcoal is the latest surprising ingredient that provides major benefits. The theory behind activated charcoal is that it will act like a magnet to attract and absorb oil and dirt.

We are currently using Aura Crafts’s organic ‘Activated Charcoal Bar’ and it is rapidly purifying clogged pores and reducing scarring while keeping the skin hydrated. Made in Pakistan and available online (facebook.com/aura.crafts).

The Cleanser



Opt for a dedicated face wash or cleanser, such as Aesop’s for dry to combination skin, which will balance your pH levels and give you a fresh slate to start on.

The Post-Shave Lotion



Most of us have the luxury of going to a barber for the perfect shave, but keep in mind that even the professional shaves manage to traumatize the skin at a microscopic level. Every pass of the razor slowly wears away the thinest layers of the skin, this is why your face sometimes feels like it’s on fire after a shave.  If this is the case, splash your face when you get home with cold water (to close the pores) and use a cream that specializes in repairing the skin’s protective layer.

Aesop’s Moroccan Neroli post-shave lotion is a rapidly absorbing moisturiser that contains botanical oils to smooth and refresh the skin after irritation and aggravation has occurred.

The Eye Cream



Yes, your girlfriend, mother or any female figure in your life would have been using this since as far back as you can remember and you probably never took notice of it or realised

how important this is. Given that the skin surrounding your eyes is the thinnest on your face, it shouldn’t be a surprise that the signs of ageing will show here before anywhere else.

The product will rehydrate the area, increase circulation and generally offset the appearance of those dark circles and wrinkles. From the age of 25 onwards, your cells are not being produced as quickly as they used to, so start using an eye cream to arrest any of the visual effects. Currently using Kiehl’s ‘Super Multi-Corrective Eye-Opening Serum’.



The Beard Oil

Whether you’re going shorter, or longer, remember that the hair on your face needs some attention too. After spending the winter in Pakistan, in a cold, windy environment, this can cause your whiskers to become brittle and ultimately break, as well as leading to dandruff and the beard itch.

So, if you’re currently sporting a beard, you need a beard oil. So far, a favourite of mine is Simple Great Beard Oil available online (www.beardoilshop.com).

The Comb

One of the oldest tools to date. There is a long list of benefits related to why you should be combing your mane: from blood circulation to cleansing your hair to looking dapper, so invest in a comb that does not scratch and damage your scalp with every use.



One of our favourites is from Southern California, called Bixby. The owner spent a lot of time studying the perfect comb, both vintage and modern. They even interviewed the country’s best-known stylists and barbers to come up with the “optimum drag” (the perfect distance between the bristles).

The comb is made from zyl, a material commonly found on vintage guitar picks and drum shells, it’s hypoallergenic and produces a soft natural feel. Plus its design and the individual tin case it comes in is hard to beat.

The Bixby range can be found in AKIN Barber & Shop (@akinbarber), Dubai.