Therapy for Souls: July 2012

Mes amis,
I present to you one of my favourite drinks. Ciroc.
Now for those who has no knowledge of this drink, Ciroc is a vodka.
What makes Ciroc different from other vodkas such as Grey Goose or Belvedere is its firm, dry but at the same time smooth taste.
A totally new experience that can take you by surprise when the sweet after taste sneak behind your tongue.

Now what makes this taste is the preparation of the drink.
Ciroc, unlike regular vodkas who uses distilled potatoes or grains, is made using distilled French grapes, the Mauzac Blanc and the Ugni Blanc.
The drink is distilled five times in order to get that smooth taste.
Ciroc comes in different flavours, the regular Ciroc, Red Berry, Coconut, and Peach.

Diddy became in 2007 the brand ambassador for the product which is also how I got to learn of the drink.
I admire Diddy and his style as well as his entrepreneur mind. Ciroc goes well with his image.

Video: Luck be a Lady featuring Sean 'Diddy' Combs, Eva Pigford, Michael K. Williams, Aaron Paul, Dania Ramirez, and Jesse Williams.

Being the classy man you inspire to be isn't just about clothing. It's not just about walking around in a £2,100 "Gieves and hawkes" Navy suit. Far from it my friends.

Every little details must be perfected the best way you can, sometimes it's not your fault if you can't do it, we'll understand.

Grooming as in "human grooming" is considered to be an art by many and just shaving by some.

Now why is grooming important? I mean we could just go about and leave everything to grow and be merry, right? Wrong. Why? Because that's not what you want. You don't want to be Chubaka.

Don't go around looking like Hagrid from "Harry Potter".

It's just insulting to good looking men and women who puts effort in their styling.

I'm completely fine with a good shave and a neat hair cut if you like it simple but for God's sake cut it.

From the age of 16 to 18-19 I looked like a younger and worse version of Al Sharpton (thank you coach Sloane for the comparison).

I'm not even joking. It was that bad. It was horrendous. Appalling I tell you. I don't want to go back.

Now let's first define what "grooming" is.

Grooming is the action of cleaning and maintaining part of the body. In human terms it indicates the act of cutting, trimming and styling the hair; which also includes the shaving of the facial hair and removal of more private hairy area.
Which means it also include the cleanliness of the skin as well as the hairs.
For this article I will concentrate on hair and do a second one for skin at a later date.

Grooming doesn't necessarily mean to shave or cut your hair. You might decide to keep your hair long or your beard bushy. Certain people that I know likes to keep their hair messy, it's part of their style but they keep it clean. Shampoo your hair, moisturise them and trim the beard.
I like to keep a Rick Ross beard myself once in a while (out of laziness, sometimes I just don't want to shave it's too much effort) but I trim it.

Now in human societies and history "hairs" have been important for some time now for more than a heat insulator and cooling; they've had a special significances in terms of social statuses indicators, natural beauty accessories and also as symbols of strength, faith and religion.

In the 8th century BC, the Celts wore there hair long, braided or in locks and were binding the end of their hair together with the use of jewellery. For a man it was the expression of his strength and for a woman her fertility.

So basically no matter how big you were and even if you were the best fighter or warrior in the entire village, if you were bald, you were the "village bitch". Not cool.

The 18th century marks the time when, in European cultures especially, men and women were so elaborately artificial, wigs, powder, perfume, nail polish, lipstick, colour, no colour, pink, pale, you name it.

Anyway I'm drifting away from our initial point, "Grooming".

For hygienic reasons wash your hair and style them in a way that enables you to take care of them.

Do not shampoo often.

I get people telling me that they have dull looking hair even though they use "Head and shoulders" at least twice a day. Oh really?

Shampooing too much strips your hair of its natural oils and dry them up.

Wash them less and they'll look shinier and healthier.

Don't overdo on the hair product either. It only makes your hair look greasy and that is definitely not attractive. Keep the amount small and sufficient.

Are you familiar with the fact that hot steam actually opens your pores and make you hair softer? Shaving after a nice shower will prevent having ingrown hair and a better shave. Hot towel on your face works too if you don't have time to shower before you shave. Gentlemen, please. Stop dry shaving, it only causes you to have razor-burn rashes and develop ingrown hair.

And don't be afraid to go to the barbershop on a regular basis. Having your hair and beard done by a professional is a sure way to have a "pull-together" look about yourself all the time.

Where my hairy people at? Three words! Trim, trim and trim.

I'm on the hairy side kind of guy myself. One thing I do, I keep it trimmed. Women don't want to take your clothes off and find a jungle under the hood especially after they take care to groom for you.

Excess of hair? Get rid of it.

Like my friend David would say "I trim my pubes like I trim my afro, neat and tight".

So ,Gentlemen. Why is it important to groom?

Well for one fundamentally important reason.

To look good. What else?