Military man shaving during WWII (no, this is not my father, whom I reference below)

Believe it or not, I’m pretty sure that my love of grooming and beauty comes not from my mother but from my father. Dad admittedly had a functional view of personal care, but he was also a military man – his day was filled with little rituals, a fact that certainly included his grooming habits.

I grew up watching his shaving routine (which included an old school brush, rather than a can of foam; when questioned by a young Lily as to why he used the brush, he actually dropped the word “exfoliation” into the explanation.  The man knows his ish), and knowing that his appointments at the barber were as regular as clockwork.  He had his go-to cologne and toothpaste, which he still uses.

Because of this upbringing (and my own fascination with/career in beauty), I find it very disconcerting when men don’t take pride in their appearance.  And, frankly, there’s very good reason for men to care enough to have their own stash of products – after all, male skin is different from that of their female friends.  Here are a few stats:

• Male skin is 20 percent thicker than women’s
• It’s richer in collagen and elastin, which means that it’s firmer and has fewer deep-set wrinkles and folds
• Men have more active sebaceous glands (meaning that they produce more sebum, oil and sweat), have larger pores and and a richer blood supply that translates to a ruddier complexion
• Shaving removes the top layer of skin, which means that facial products designed for use after shaving need to be very calming and soothing

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